I preached on tithing yesterday. Before that, I had preached 49 Sunday morning messages in exactly 52 weeks as the senior pastor at Christian Assembly Church. Some may say once a year is enough, but the main reason I don’t preach on tithing more often is because there are just too many other important topics to preach about! If I can help people deal with their heart issues, their treasure will surely follow.
When I use the word tithe I literally mean tenth. I’ve heard people use the term tithe improperly: “Over 75% of our church members tithe.” No, you may have that wonderful percentage of church members who give and even do so faithfully; but that doesn’t mean they tithe. The term tithe is an old English word that means ‘tenth’. And though many Christians today don’t accept or adhere to the requirement of giving 10% of their income to the local church, I am confident there are many reasons to do so.
In keeping with the all-important number 10, here are ten reasons why we should tithe.
REASON #1: Abraham tithed before the Law was given.
Genesis 14:18-20
Calling tithing an old covenant directive no longer required since the Law has supposedly been done away with is a common argument against tithing. But tithing was first practiced hundreds of years before God gave Moses the Law when Abraham gave a tithe to the king/priest Melchizedek.
The writer of Hebrews stated that this offering to Melchizedek, a type of Christ, trumped all tithes given by the Jews to the priestly tribe because Levi, the father of all priests, was still “in the body” of his great-grandfather Abraham when he gave the tithe (Hebrews 7:10).
Genesis 14 tells us that this tithe was from the spoils of battle. One could argue that there is no evidence that Abraham necessarily gave a tenth of all his income. But Scriptural evidence does support that Jacob, Abraham’s grandson and Levi’s father, did give a tenth of everything – at least that’s what he promised God he would do at Bethel (Genesis 28:22).
Tithing was not just a requirement of the Law, it was practiced long before God gave the Law to Moses. It stands to reason that it should still be practiced today, regardless of what your views of the Law of Moses might be.
REASON #2: Jesus expects more from his followers.
Six times in Matthew 5 Jesus uses this same language: “You have heard that it was said…but I tell you…” Each time he is referring to an Old Testament Law, and each time he is increasing the requirement – each time he is actually expecting more of his people than God expected of Moses and the Israelites.
It stands to reason that if the Old Testament demanded tithing then New Testament believers would be expected to at least live by that standard, and really should do more. Based on Jesus’ words here in Matthew 5, he actually expects more from us. We’re getting off easy by just paying the 10 percent!
REASON #3: Money should not be our god.
Most people today don’t worship actual idols, but if there is an area where they have placed a god before THE God it is in the area of their money. When you subject yourself to the tithe, you are placing your life – and more specifically, your finances – under the Lordship of Jesus, ensuring that there is no god in your life other than the God of heaven.
The fourth reason is closely related to the third…
REASON #4: To help us deal with greed.
If you can’t bring yourself to give God 10% of your finances, you may have a problem with greed. In Colossians Paul likens greed to sexual immorality, impurity, and evil desires. He specifically links greed with idolatry. He then says that the wrath of God is going to come because of these sins!
Reasons 5 and 6 are so closely related, I’ll deal with them together…
REASON #5: The 10% is not yours anyway.
REASON #6: The other 90% is not all yours either!
Be sure to read the text for these two reasons. It says we rob from God when we withhold our tithes and offerings.
I wrote earlier in this blog that the New Testament standard set by Jesus was higher than the Old Testament requirements. But truth be told, the Old Testament Jew was required to give more than just the tithe. When you add up that first 10% with all the other required offerings prescribed in the Law, it’s safe to say that more like 25% of everything they owned was given to God.
I’m not suggesting you need to give 25% of your income to the church. What I am saying, based on Malachi 3:8, is that you are robbing from God – taking what rightfully belongs to him – when you make the decision to keep your money.
REASON #7: We all should sacrifice equally.
This is more than just a private issue between you and God. It is between you and God and all the people of your church who contribute to make ministry available to you.
Over the last several weeks, we’ve noticed at my church that the projector used in the sanctuary is getting dull – it’s almost time to replace the two bulbs in that projector that together cost over $500. That money doesn’t just appear out of thin air; it obviously comes from that which is given to the church through tithes and offerings.
If you are to enjoy the benefits of the local church, you really need to help in the expenses of the local church!
REASON #8: We’re Worth It.
If you don’t think the ministers at your church are worthy of your support, then you need to find somewhere where you feel they are worth it. To keep from sounding too self-serving, I’ll defer to the Apostle Paul to illustrate this point:
You know, don’t you, that it’s always been taken for granted that those who work in the Temple live off the proceeds of the Temple, and that those who offer sacrifices at the altar eat their meals from what has been sacrificed? Along the same lines, the Master directed that those who spread the Message be supported by those who believe the Message. 1 Corinthians 9:13-14 from The Message
I couldn’t have said it better myself!
REASON #9: I pay my tithes.
(This was the ninth reason I gave to my church in yesterday’s message. I pray your pastor can say the same thing.)
I’m not going to ask you do something that I don’t do.
My wife pays her tithes every week. She writes her check for her 10% and places it in the offering basket just like the rest of our church. I don’t even see my tithe money. The church secretary deducts 10% right off the top of my salary and once a month sends that deducted amount to our conference headquarters (as an ordained minister, I am required to pay my tithes to the denomination).
I’m not here to brag, but as it relates to my finances, I will boldly – with a healthy dose of humility – borrow from the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:1, "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ."
And that last verse segues nicely to the tenth reason why we should pay a tithe…
REASON #10: God paid THE tithe.
Before I explain, let me take a moment to emphasize a tithing principle here. The tithe is not just 10%...it is the first 10%.
Some have suggested that God rejected Cain’s offering in Genesis 4 because he brought fruit instead of an animal sacrifice like his brother Abel did. Not so. First, there was no Law yet to prescribe what was expected of offerings; and second, many of the offerings in the Law were food-related. But again, that wasn’t the issue here with Cain. God rejected Cain’s offering because it was not the firstfruits of his harvest. But Abel’s offering was from the firstborn of his flock. And God accepted that offering.
God also gave of his firstborn – Revelation 13:8 tells us that Jesus was slain before the creation of the world. So before God did anything else, he gave to us his firstborn – his firstfruits, as Jesus is called in 1 Corinthians 15.
Jesus was God’s tithe; and considering Jesus’ place in the Trinity, one could easily say that offering was much more than a tenth.
Ten reasons to tithe…it’s a lot to process. And at Christian Assembly Church, I’m not going to wait for another 10 months before we talk of tithing again. In the final analysis, it seems that 10% is just a good start.
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