Bible Truth

Tithing Part 8

Giving in proportion to what you have

1Co 16:1-2 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.

Paul is instructing the Corinthians on the subject of the collection being taken from the network of churches in order to benefit the needy saints that they should give proportionate to how much God has prospered each of them. Notice that he sends this instruction ahead in a letter rather than preaching a whole sermon on it when he arrives.

Act 11:29-30 Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judaea: Which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.

Again the believers give in proportion to what they have and they decide what the amount should be.

Give to needy believers

Jas 2:15-16 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

Some churches have taught in the past that the only method of giving to the needy should be via the church, but here we understand that we are to give from our resources directly to the source of need among fellow believers.

Give to the Gospel

1Ti 5:17-18 Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.  For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.

The elders that do ther job well should be rewarded. The elders that do not do their job well should not be rewarded but Instead (verse 20) they should be rebuked in front of everyone to keep the other elders in line.

When an ox is hungry, it takes only what it needs without trying to stockpile more for later and if a laborers work is sub standard, his wages should match.

1Co 9:13-16 Don't you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel. But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me. I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of this boast. Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!

Here we see that the ministers of the gospel are permitted to live from the gospel if they choose to. Paul however chooses not to burden the congregation with supporting him all the time.

Being supported by the gospel is not the same as using the gospel to pay for 5 houses, a leer jet and a yacht.

What is a valid gift?

Although the focus of most pastors is money, we are taught from scripture to give from all that we have, including (but not limited to) money. Time is a great leveller. A very rich man can give £1000 at the beginning of a service and due to his investments and businesses could well have made it back by the time the service ends. The poor man who gives £1000 at the same time will find his bank account still empty at the end of the service.

If the two men are spending a day on a church project to feed the homeless, neither man can make that time back and the value of it is the same to both.

Feed the hungry using your own food & hospitality.

Fix the pastors laptop with the skills you have and pay for the parts needed.

Drive someone to the hospital for an appointment if they don't have access to a car.

The possibilities are endless, the emphasis being on meeting the need from your own resources as and when you find it rather than always throwing cash at the problem and going home.

Know the difference

Tithing teachers routinely interchange scriptures that pertain to both old testament tithing and new testament freewill giving in order to prove their point, often starting a verse half way through or missing some off the end to avoid contradicting themselves. The principle of tithing under law is exactly that. Under law. Whereas the principle of spirit led freewill giving is under grace, not under law and though there are examples of people giving freewill gifts in addition to the tithe when the tithing law was in force, new testament freewill giving is something entirely separate from the law and none of the new testament scriptures that teach it can be used to justify tithing for today's church.