Subject: [kingdom-alert-update] #176 (9-19-02) p.2 Date: Thu, 19 Sep 2002 11:19:13 -0700 From: "J. Faust" To: Kingdom Alert THE KINGDOM ALERT (WEEKLY UPDATE) Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. ************************************************************************ GOD, THE BELLY, OR THE CREDIT CARD?: AN EXAMINATION OF TITHING IN RELATION TO MODERN CHRISTIANS (PART II) ************************************************************************ THE OBLIGATION TO TITHE IS NOT ABOLISHED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT "Moral obligation, 'oughtness,' is the grown man that still lives: Hebrew ritual is the infant departed." (Babbs, "The Law of the Tithes," 1912) The New Testament never once abolishes the tithe. We can, however, argue that the principle has been modified: Hebrews 7:12 For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a CHANGE also of the law. We can argue that under grace we are to go beyond this minimum: Matthew 5:20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall EXCEED the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, WHAT DO YE MORE THAN OTHERS? do not even the publicans so? "Evidently Jesus expected His disciples not to let down the Hebrew standards but to lift them higher." (Ralph S. Cushman, 1879-1960, "Will A Man Rob God?") Unlike sabbath days, new moons, circumcision, animal sacrifices, dietary laws, holydays (Col.2:16) etc., we are NEVER told that TITHING is part of the ceremonial letter that has been totally abolished: "The tithe is in no sense a part of the ceremonial law of the Jews. It was not among the shadows that passed away....it is in a class apart from the ceremonial law and did not share the fate of that law." (Z.T. Cody) In the NT, there are no direct verses affirming the laws against astrology, star-gazing, bestiality, necromancy, etc. Yet all Bible-believing Christians understand that these moral laws are still in force as a rule of conduct. Why is it that giving unto God our firstfruits is not likewise seen to be our moral duty today? Some may argue that the previous perversions are condemned under general headings in the New Testament. Yet, we might equally argue that withholding the tithe is similarly condemned under the general heading of COVETOUSNESS in the New Testament (Colossians 3:5, 1 Corinthians 5:10, 6:10, Ephesians 5:5). At the very least, it is being "slothful in business" (Romans 12:11) to not tithe to the local church: "Leviticus calls new machinery into existence, but it affirms the old principle of a proportion for God. The New Testament modifies the machinery, but it does not abrogate the principle. Now we plead for this systematic giving, albeit it is disliked by the covetous, who deem all lost that is given away; by the heretics, who think we may do what we will with our own; by the lazy, who dislike the trouble of examining and deciding; by the double-minded who wish to have a byway by which to escape duty..." (Dr. John Hall) THE NEW TESTAMENT AFFIRMS TITHING AS A MORAL DUTY In Matthew 23, Jesus commended the Pharisees for giving God their firstfruits (right down to the very cent). Yet, He also rebuked them for neglecting the weightier matters of the moral law: Matthew 23:23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye PAY TITHE of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: THESE YE OUGHT TO HAVE DONE, and NOT to leave the other undone. Jesus does not rebuke their tithe paying. He affirms the duty. He later tells His disciples to teach these words to the Gentiles (Matthew 28:19-20). Paul warns believers to flee from those who would deny that the Lord's moral teachings are binding upon saints (1 Timothy 6:3). This moral teaching of the Lord Jesus in Matthew 23:23 is never modified or abolished by the Epistles. It therefore still stands. Some argue that the Lord is teaching Pharisees, and that therefore we should ignore the moral teaching to them. But the sermon to Nicodemus on the NEW BIRTH was to a Pharisee, and it was spoken BEFORE Jesus taught the Pharisees in Matthew 23:23. Furthermore, if we will do away with TITHING in Matthew 23:23, we must certainly do away with the WEIGHTIER matters of the Law mentioned in the same verse! But who would say that a New Testament believer is not called to exercise judgment, mercy and faith? Some will say that these weightier matters are affirmed elsewhere in the Epistles. But tithing is likewise affirmed by the Epistles: 1 Corinthians 9:6 Or I only and Barnabas, have not we power to forbear working? 7 Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? 8 Say I these things as a man? or saith not THE LAW THE SAME ALSO? 9 For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? 10 Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. 11 If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things? 12 If OTHERS BE PARTAKERS OF THIS POWER OVER YOU, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ. 13 Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar? 14 EVEN SO HATH THE LORD ORDAINED that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel. This passage of Scripture teaches that ministers of the Gospel (pastors, missionaries, etc.) are to be supported in the same manner as the ministers of the temple in the Old Testament (compare Numbers 18:6, 21 with Ephesians 4:8, 11-12). Therefore, local churches are called to TITHE, since this is how these men were supported under the Law. In the OT, the first tithe was called "the Lord's." It was given to support the Levites, who then paid a tithe on what they were given. The phrase "even so hath the Lord ordained" in 1 Corinthians 9 would make no sense if giving was left up to individual whim and fancy. The Lord would not be "ordaining" anything: "It should be used for the support of God's ministers. So it was used before the law (Heb.7:1-10); so it was used during the law (Numb. 18:21-24), and 'even so' it has been ordained for the support of the ministry under the Gospel (1 Cor. 9:7-14)." (George W. Brown, "Gems of Thought on Tithing," 1911) Paul, as an apostolic missionary, did not use this power over the Corinthians. Yet, he later confessed that he was supported by other churches to keep from charging them: 2 Corinthians 11:8 I robbed other churches, taking WAGES of them, to do you service. 9 And when I was present with you, and wanted, I was chargeable to no man: for that which was lacking to me the brethren which came from Macedonia supplied: and in all things I have kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself. Tithing is also implied in Hebrews. Abraham paid tithes to Melchisedec. Again, we see tithes used for the support of God's ministers: Hebrews 7:8 And here men that die receive TITHES; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that HE LIVETH. 15 And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest, 16 Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an ENDLESS LIFE. 8:1 Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty IN THE HEAVENS; Jesus Christ, since He is a priest after the order of Melchisedec, is worthy of our tithes today! If we do away with the principle of tithing because it was in the law, then we will also have to do away with FREEWILL OFFERINGS, for they were also a part of the law (Leviticus 23:38). But people reply that New Testament giving is to always be performed cheerfully. They conclude that the tithe, since it was a moral duty, could not be performed cheerfully. Yet, the law taught that all giving (tithes, offerings, service) should be performed with gladness and joy: Deuteronomy 28:47 Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with GLADNESS of heart, for the abundance of all things; Furthermore, if we will do away with tithing because it is found in the law, we must also do away with all PROPORTIONATE GIVING, since it is likewise found in the law: Deuteronomy 16:17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee. "The idea that 'proportionate giving' is a Christian (New Testament) suggestion, and abrogates tithing, is unwarranted. In Deuteronomy the Jew is told, 'Every man shall give as he is able...' If the tithe is not paid because it is Jewish, the proportionate giving is equally Jewish, and should not be followed." (Liet. Col. E. W. Halford) EARLY CHRISTIANS ADVOCATED TITHING AS A MINIMUM The majority of the early "fathers" in the first three centuries after Christ, believed that Cain's offering was rejected because it was not a true tithe. We also find that the early teachers in this age called saints beyond the tithe. For example, Irenaeus (A.D. 120-202) wrote: "...instead of, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not be angry; instead of, Thou shalt pay tithes, Sell all and give to the poor, which are not dissolving of the law, but ENLARGING it." Other early writings actually affirm tithing for Christians: "So also a true teacher is himself worthy of his support. Every first fruit, therefore of the products of the winepress and threshing floor, of oxen and of sheep, thou shalt take and give to the prophets, for they are your high priests." ("Teaching of the Apostles," A.D. 120) A little later, Cyprian (200-258) wrote to rebuke the covetousness among Christians in his day: "Then [in Acts] they were selling houses and estates, but now from our patrimony we give not even tithes; and when the Lord bids us sell, we are rather buying and increasing." ("De Unitate," 23) "Of the first fruits and tithes, and after what manner the bishop is himself to partake of them, or distribute them to others...As, therefore, you bear the weight, so have you a right to partake of the fruits before others, and to impart to those who want...for those who attend upon the church ought to be maintained by the church." ("Apostolic Constitutions," A.D. 300) "The gifts of tithes and first-fruits which are given in accordance with the command of God, let the bishop, as a man of God, expend." ("Apostolic Constitutions") "'Why such a one give tithes.' What a load of disgrace does this expression imply, since what was not a matter of wonder with the Jews has come to be so in the case of Christians? If there was a danger then in omitting tithes, think how great it must be now." (Chrysostom, 347-407) "The handicraftsman, for instance...or any other artificer, when he sells any articles of his trade, let him give the firstfruits of its price unto God..." (Chrysostom) In the next centuries, Catholic councils begin to punish all non-tithers. However, the evil abuse and perversion of a principle does not abolish it as a moral obligation. It is, therefore, somewhat misleading to ask the question, "Does a Christian HAVE to tithe?", since we are not defining what we mean by "have to." In the first few centuries there is no record that people were disfellowshipped for not tithing, anymore than they would be disfellowshipped for not praying or not reading their Bible. The paying of tithes and offerings was considered to be voluntary. But "voluntary" did not mean immune from Divine blessings and curses! It did not mean free from moral obligation. It meant that the individual should not be disfellowshipped, and that it was his own choice whether or not he would respond to God in faith and obedience, and be blessed or cursed. Even in the OLD Testament, tithing was: "...enforced not by legal punishments, but by religious appeals." (P.E. Burroughs, "The Grace of Giving," 1934) The Imperial Bible Dictionary states: "It would be difficult to show that there existed any machinery for enforcing the payment of tithes....if a man chose to rob God in tithes and offerings, there would be no outward hindrance to his doing so." ("Imperial Bible Dictionary") Therefore, the abuse of tithing is found in enforcing it contrary to Scripture, NOT in preaching it as a morally binding principle. TITHING BRINGS FINANCIAL SUFFICIENCY The OT is certainly clear on the fact that tithes and offerings, in the right spirit (without hypocrisy and neglect in weightier matters), will bring financial blessing; irresponsibility in this area can bring temporal curses: Malachi 3:9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have ROBBED ME me, even this whole nation. 10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and PROVE ME NOW herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. Proverbs 3:9 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: 10 SO SHALL thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine. But is there now no promise of blessing and cursing concerning our money in the NT age? Indeed there is: 2 Corinthians 9:6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. 7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all SUFFICIENCY IN ALL THINGS, may abound to every good work: 10 Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister BREAD FOR YOUR FOOD, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;) Does God not promise physical as well as spiritual provision based on the giving of our money? God promises to provide for our needs when we honor Him with tithes and offerings (unless there is a special need for us to be in heaviness through manifold temptations). They that sow sparingly, will reap sparingly in regard to His provisions. The testimonies concerning God's blessings upon tithing are abundant and incredible! Only a few are mentioned here. These wonderful testimonies are found long before the modern, devilish, TV prosperity movement, with all its evil manipulations: "Our ancestors used to abound in wealth of every kind for this very reason that they used to give tithes, and pay the tax to Caesar." (Augustine, 354-430, quoted by George W. Brown, "Gems of Thought on Tithing," 1911) "We cannot expect to prosper if we are dishonest to the Lord. He can easily enough measure back to us as we measure out to Him. Hence, happy are they who, being saved by grace, bring Him all their tithes, for peace and prosperity shall be their portion." (C.H. Spurgeon, - Spurgeon, from a youth paid a tenth to God, but later began to give a fifth.) "It has been so thoroughly demonstrated in all history and by thousands of living examples, that observance of the tithe in the right spirit conduces prosperity, that it is not a matter of theory." (Dr. C.F. Yoder, Former President Ashland College) "....Mr. Thomas Kane, of Chicago...began paying his tithe in 1870, and continued that proportion for more than ten years, in the course of which he noticed a decided change for the better in his business successes. About 1875, he commenced making personal inquiries regarding the comparative temporal prosperity of others who practiced this rule, and the testimony was so uniform that he published a little tract on the subject. A copy of this tract was sent to at least three-fourths of all evangelical ministers of the United States, and with the tract went a circular, saying, 'My belief is that God blesses in temporal as well as spiritual things, the man who honors Him by setting apart a stated portion of his income to His service. I have never known an exception - have you?' To this inquiry, thousands of corroborative replies have been received, but not a single authentic exception. After this, Mr. Kane wrote: 'Scarcely a day has passed during the last ten [later information says twenty-eight] years that I have not received more or less of such testimony, and during that time I have sent out more than five millions of tracts and pamphlets on this subject." (Quoted in Henry Lansdell's, "The Sacred Tenth," 1906) SHOULD WE TITHE IF WE ARE IN DEBT? The question of whether or not we should tithe in debt has been answered unanimously by those who have given serious thought to the issue: "What if one is in debt? Our debt to God takes precedence of our debt to man." (J. Willis Baer, "Facts About the Tenth Legion.") "...Are all your creditors to be preferred above the Lord? Is there any justice in your ignoring His fair claim upon you?...If you refuse to pay over the first tenth of your income to the Lord as a preferred creditor, you do a meaner thing than the man who dishonestly swindles his endorser. The tithe of one's income to the Lord is not a charity; it is one's first and most pressing debt - a debt of honor." (H. Clay Trumbull, "Sunday School Times") "Should the steward wait until all his debts are paid before tithing his income? No. The tithe is the Lord's in all circumstances. If debts supersede the Lord's claim, then all a man need to do to avoid tithing and still fulfill 'righteousness' would be to keep in debt." (Ralph S. Cushman, "...Studies in Stewardship," 1919) "If there are debts to pay, remember that the debt to God is not less sacred than others, and that by paying it, there will be a blessing from Him that will make it easier to be free from all other debts. If you feel that you cannot afford it, remember that you cannot afford not to do it." (Dr. C.F. Yoder, Former President Ashland College) "Another question likely to be asked is, Is this tithe to be paid if we are in debt? To which it may be replied, In debt to whom? We have been all along considering God's claim to the tithe as a debt." (Henry Lansdell, "The Sacred Tenth," 1906) "Shall the Christian, therefore pay ten percent? Yes, he should begin there as a minimum. But that is not where he should stop....The only safe and sure way is to set aside the 10 per cent before any other bill is paid. Another man asks: 'Do you mean that this 10 per cent should be paid to the Lord after the individual gets out of debt?' No, that is not meant. The man owes God His share whether or not he is in debt or not." (Bert Wilson, "The Christian and His Money Problems," 1923) "Tithing is for many the first toddler's step of stewardship. It is the training wheels on the bicycle of true giving. It may not be a home run, but it gets you on base - which is a lot further than the majority of church members ever get. Two reasons commonly given for not tithing are: 'I can see it's right to tithe, but I must pay off my debts first.' Why am I in debt in the first place? Is God responsible for my unwise or self-serving decisions that may have put me there? And even if I have come into debt legitimately, isn't my first debt to God? If we obey God and make good our obligations to Him, He will help us as we seek to pay off our debts to others..." (Randy Alcorn, "Money, Possessions and Eternity") "Should a person tithe if he is in debt? Yes, Matthew 6:33 'But seek ye first the kingdom...' Debt may be the result of not tithing! That is, He has withheld his protection and/or blessing." (Quinton Rogers, "Stewardship of Money: Choose to Serve God Rather than Money") "It is true that under grace, we should not stop at the tithe. But the tithe is a good starting place....You could get along far better on 9/10ths with God than on 10/10ths without God. When In Debt, TITHE! was the name of one of the first articles I read after I surrendered my life to the Lord. Things are tight for many people now...But this is all the more reason why people should not drop God or neglect their church....[People] buy the other things they need. Why shouldn't they contribute to the greatest cause in the world....?" (Hugh F. Pyle, "What Every Preacher Should Know," 1981) "You know, when I get down to the end of a month and I'm $20 short of being able to meet my bills, I give God another $30 and say, 'Okay God, I'm $50 short. Now it's your responsibility.' And God provides....Tithing always works when we are faithful." (Malcolm MacGregor, "Your Money Matters") "You get out of debt little by little over time, and the major requirement is discipline....it almost always requires a change in life-style and a reordering of priorities....Do not decrease giving....God should be the first priority use of money..." (Ron Blue, "The Debt Squeeze") CONCLUSION Those who object to tithing as a minimum will almost always also reject the teaching that God's full-time workers should receive full-time support (1 Corinthians 9). It is likely that they understand that if Christians have no moral obligation to give at least a tithe, and they may give whenever they please, and to whatever purpose they please, no ministers would be able to support a large family and serve their church full-time. Therefore, to do away with tithing, teachers must do away with the teaching of full-time support for full-time workers. The practice of tithing is found among the early patriarchs before the law. It is found in almost every ancient nation for the support of the priests and temple. It was reaffirmed and approved by the law of Moses. Jesus never abolished the principle, but enlarged it. The apostle Paul affirmed it as the means of support for God's workers. Almost 2000 years of Christian testimonies affirm it as something God blesses (when it is freed from Nicolaitan and legalistic abuses). God calls us to likewise "prove" Him in this area. Let us (pastors included) begin there, and strive to go beyond it in our weekly giving to the local church! --- You are currently subscribed to kingdom-alert-update as: t&t@jesus-is-lord.com To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-kingdom-alert-update-431142H@XC.Org