A Polemic on Law and Grace – The Tithe

The topic of tithing has been percolating in my mind for quite some time. Before I continue, I must make one or two things absolutely clear. First, what I am absolutely not advocating is an excuse to discontinue giving ten percent of one’s income as an act of worship if one is presently doing so. Second, I also submit that I could be wrong about my conclusions so I am not dogmatic on this subject. It is something Christians can agreeably disagree about. Third, I acknowledge that the majority of pastors who teach tithing do so in such a way that that grace is not invalidated. I also understand the vast majority of people who faithfully tithe (and sadly, there are not many) do so out of a pure and righteous motivation. The only reason I spend the time to put a few my less than stellar thoughts on this subject to the written word is because I have been deeply grieved by first-hand knowledge of egregious examples of a misunderstanding of the tithe, the result of which is a legalism that is absolutely counter to the grace of the new covenant. Following are some of the aforementioned examples of the damage caused by an errant teaching of the tithe.

I have heard more than once, from well-meaning Christians, the proposal that because one tithes, God prevents bad things from happening in one’s life. Perhaps because one tithes, one’s car does not break down or perhaps some illness does not befall them. The unintended implication is that if one does not tithe, God’s providential protection is removed and fate may have it’s way with you; God is unintentionally reduced to something akin to a cosmic protection racket.

I have spoken to people who seem to use the tithe as a means to gain divine favor in their business and personal financial life. The thought is that because one meets this obligation to give ten percent, God will bestow His favor upon one’s business and personal finances. God is essentially being used as a means to a selfish end. God does indeed bless His children, those who give from a generous heart, but He will not be used.

I have heard advice given to one about to enter bankruptcy that, before all other financial obligations, one must give ten percent to God. Perhaps rather than extracting the tithe from this individual, maybe this is the person to whom the church, under the covenant of grace, should give and minister.

I have heard church leaders state from their stage/pulpit that they will, if hiring from within the church, look at a prospective employees tithing record before they can be considered for employment. What about Christ’s call in the Sermon on the Mount on not letting the left hand know what the right hand does in relation to giving?

I know of at least one person who has quit attending church out of guilt, a church that is often quite manipulative in how it teaches the tithe, because they simply could not afford to consistently give ten percent of their income due to financial setbacks.

The bottom line and perhaps unintended implication of the errant presentation of tithing by some in the clergy is that our status with God is a result of our performance with all the attendant pride and attendant guilt that comes from attempting gain God’s favor by works.  At the root of the misapplication of the tithe is, I believe, a failure to understand the demarcation between the old and new covenant, the divide between Law and Grace. It is, at the root, a misunderstanding of context. Often Malachi 3:8-10 is given as a proof text for tithing. “Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you.”

Much could be said about how some pastors manipulate their flock with the misapplication of the Malachi 3:8-10. That being said, I read in Romans 8:1 the following: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

We must understand who God is speaking to in our exegesis of Old Testament text. God is speaking of the Levitical priesthood in Malachi. He is not speaking to the church of the new covenant. If we insist that the tithe is to be pulled into the covenant of grace, then we should, for example, also refrain from eating bacon, from wearing clothing made of two different materials.

If we insist that the tithe is applicable to the covenant of grace, then we must bring the rest of the Law with it. We do not have the liberty to pick and chose which parts of the Law we wish to adhere to and which parts of the Law we can reject. It is all or nothing. The same arguments given to the continuation of the tithe under the new covenant can be equally applied to circumcision for believers in Christ. I have also heard pastors, in defending the obligatory tithe for the church, state that the tithe predates the law. So does circumcision. I believe the subject of the circumcision was well attended to by the Apostle Paul.

If not the obligatory tithe as the model for giving, then by what measure do we give? I believe it is this:

If you are redeemed by the law, give by the law. If you are redeemed by grace, give by grace!

• Matthew 17:24-26
  When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax went up to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the tax?” He said, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?” and when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free.

• 2 Corinthians 9:7-8
  Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.

Quite a while back, I posted the following article on giving to this blog. In fact, it was my second post to this WordPress blog, though I originally posted it on another blog. In closure:

An Observation on Generosity

December 15, 2007

I passed by a church recently. They were having a public fund raiser for an infant in need of medical care. This was not, judging from the size and architecture of the sanctuary and the selection of cars in the parking lot, a financially poor church.
These are my thoughts that revolve around this scene. First, with the best of intentions, why does the church offer trinkets, services (car washes, for example), tickets for chances at winning things, or baked goods in order prompt others to give, to raise money for someone in need? Is this not the antithesis of giving as taught in the New Testament canon? Are we, as the body of Christ, so petty that we must be given to, even on a symbolic level, before we give?

How are we to live and give in relationship to our risen Savior? Perhaps if one or two or a few people in that church quietly and anonymously cashed in some of their stock portfolio, the medical needs of the child’s family would be met. Perhaps instead of buying a $30,000 dollar bass boat, the money could be spent to help a family that finds themselves unemployed. Perhaps the money for that vacation fund for the family getaway to Cancun could be sent to a team of missionaries to aid Sierra Leone in building medical facilities, churches and schools. My own words are not merely a hollow, self-righteous polemic against others; they absolutely condemn me in my own self-absorption.

• Acts 2:44-47 All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Some things I have been thinking about and may be writing and posting on in the future….

As per the title of the post: the tithe, altar calls, the ‘God-shaped’ hole in our heart………

Found a very good blog

Diary of a Seminary Student is, well, an engaging diary of a seminary student attending the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Also, as an aside, I pick up the impression from a few sources that SBTS is producing more and more graduates of the reformed persuasion.

Much respect for all the young, and not so young, seminarians balancing the responsibilities and demands of family, jobs, academics, etc. while continuing to press onward to the higher calling of Christ.

“Duty Calls”

I could so easily ‘become’ this guy. Too, I post this while wearing my pajamas and drinking coffee. Sometimes I am such a cliché.

If you go to xkcd to see the original, the ‘mouse over’ dialog reads “What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they’ll keep being wrong!” Also, a tip of the hat to City of God where I found a post of this cartoon. xkcd is geeky, funny, and sometimes just wonderfully strange.

Regarding “Your Best Life Now”

From the Slavic Gospel Association: “An Interview with Imprisoned Pastor Zaur Balaev”

Q: How do you feel?

A: Spiritually, I am in the rich and gracious love of God for “I am one whom Jesus loves.” I am hoping for God’s help. Sometimes I associate myself with Job: I don’t deny Him, but I sometimes express myself sincerely in complaint to God and then ask for His forgiveness.

Physically, My body is suffering tortuous pain. I walk like a car that sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t. Six months in the cell has left its mark upon me. My heart bothers me, my hands and legs are suffering from arthritis due to dampness and bad blood circulation. My kidneys hurt (I had to sleep on wooden planks on a metal bed). My eyesight has become very bad.

I often come down with colds, flu, and other viruses due to unsanitary conditions. We are cooking and eating in the dirt with rats and cockroaches. We live among those who have AIDS, tuberculosis, etc. We literally eat and live in the bathroom.

Free Sermons on The Book of Revelation from Monergism

From Monergism:

Description: With the generous permission of Dr. Arturo Azurdia III, Monergism is giving away for free this life-changing 81-part lecture series on the Book of Revelation in MP3 format on 2 CDs. These will be mailed directly and we only ask that you cover the cost of shipping.

Monergism is a veritable treasure trove of resources for those interested in learning more about reformed theology.

Interesting clip from ER

Found this video at Kingdom People. Much low-hanging fruit for commentary in this powerful clip. Here is my ‘off the cuff’ spin: Lovely people for the most part who adhere to a liberal theology. Their system of belief just has no substantiative answers to big questions.

Humbled by the man’s story

Found a post at Brant Hansen’s blog, Letters From Kamp Krusty, titled In the Cubicle Next Door. It is a story of a Hindu named Kumar whom Christ draws to Him. Kumar is, for all intents and purposes, disowned by his family because of his confession of faith in Christ. He moves to America, gets a tech job, and joins a Willow Creek type of church. Years later, he takes a vacation to India and goes door to door telling people about Jesus. The first day, forty-five people became Jesus followers. From Kumar’s vacation trips over the next seven years, with little funding, India has seen 100,000 conversions, shelters for children with AIDs, shelters for little girls rescued from prostitution. And so much more. Kumar is a humble man. Following is a quote from this ‘must read’ post:

We sit at our table in our hotel room, and Kumar starts laughing. I laugh, too! — and then, I realize, he’s not laughing. He’s crying, and he can’t speak.

“So many have died…”

Who has died?

“So many of our pastors, so many of our people…”

I look at Woody, who knows the stories, and he bites his lip and nods.

“They are beaten to death, they are killed, because they are talking about Jesus. It happens all the time in India, but the country is very concerned about image, very concerned about foreign investment, they pretend it doesn’t happen.

“They are the reason this growth has happened. Their blood. I ask God, ‘Why do you let this happen to these people who love you?’ They have nothing. Our pastors are not paid. There is no money. But I realized, God is releasing them, at last. They have nothing, they are beaten, they are hungry, they live on the ground, in the streets, and God finally releases them to go home.”

Pause. And I can’t talk, either.

Neither do I have words…………..

On marketing the Great Commision

I’ve been sick since Friday with a variety symptoms running the gamut from fever and nausea to chills and a low midichlorian count . Now on the road to recovery, I’ve just recently been able to catch up on my blog reading a bit. Below is an excerpt from a post at Christ and Pop Culture titled Wearing Our Faith. As an aside, I found out about the aforementioned post at Jolly Blogger. Good stuff there.

• First, we should note that the primary purpose of brands and labels is to promote, while the goal of the Great Commission is to share the good news. We are called to share a deep, honest, and often times offensive truth in the Gospel. This kind of content is in stark contrast to the methods of conveying ideas found in advertisements, which are shallow, deceptive, and ear-tickling. Remember, we are not trying to dupe customers into buying our product over other products. Since the main purpose behind branding and labels is to promote, and we are not called to promote Christianity, on this point, at least, we should question the rightness of Christian branding.
  
• Not only is “promoting” Christianity theologically problematic (at best), it is ineffective. When choosing a candidate, brand, or sports team, popularity is persuasive. But if you are trying to persuade people that they are morally depraved and need a savior, the amount of people who attest to this belief is not very relevant. The reason is that for most individuals, choosing a brand, sports team, or candidate is more a subjective matter of taste and preference than an objective seeking of truth and goodness. If a band appeals to the tastes of most people, than it is reasonable to assume that other people will enjoy the band, but it does not follow that if most people are Christians then Christianity is true. Thus, a shirt with a cross or scripture on it is not likely to influence someone to become a believer, while a shirt with a band name on it is likely to encourage people to listen to that band.

On involuntary dismounts and idolatry

Again, I continue displaying my gift for stating things obvious and engaging in my rather recent penchant for public self-reflection. Thus it goes.

Many activities, in and of themselves, are essentially spiritually neutral. Our interests can be a benign tool for relaxation and healthy enjoyment or they can be idols. As for me, I look back at all the sports and interests that once meant so much to me and now count it all as so much waste, as idolatry. I have learned the following: that from which one derives one’s greatest pleasure and longs for most strongly is one’s object of worship.

Once upon a time, I was an avid bicyclist, both on and off road. I competed in both disciplines with varying degrees of success while also experiencing a more than a few involuntary dismounts of varying levels of severity. For a brief period of time, I was into martial arts wherein I developed formidable skills in blocking fists and feet with my face. I used to be into competitive pistol shooting. I used to be into motorcycling, a veritable saddle tramp. I had visions, at one point many years ago, of delving into motorcycle road-racing, a pursuit that also resulted in a few involuntary dismounts at speed on the serpentine mountain roads of the Carolinas as I sought to hone my skills. I used to be into computers and computer gaming. I used to be quite political. I used to be into a lot of things, none wrong, again, in and off themselves.

What all these things ended up becoming, for me, were idols, things I obsessed over, things that I used to define myself, purposefully or not. Even in describing my idols, I am struck by all the references to self.

As obvious as idolatry perhaps should be, it is most often quite hidden to the idolatrous. I confess I can make no claim to being able uncover my idolatry. I claim that revelation comes only from the sovereign working of the grace of Christ in my life.

Those things that once satisfied for a season seem to no longer engage me as they once did. I hope I do not sound superficially pious of self-righteous or infer that I have achieved anything by my on might or worthiness. I know too, that this fight is far from finished, but I declare that by the sovereign grace of God alone, He is creating within me a heart that hungers and thirsts for more of Christ. I wish this grand desire for everyone.