Tithing Thoughts

TITHING MAKES LITTLE SENSE

When a certified financial planner looked over our family records last year, he commented on our tithe to the church, “You give an awful lot to charity.” In a video we watched at the business meeting Sunday, American Baptist Interim General Secretary, Bob Roberts, described a similar experience with a seatmate on a plane who read over his shoulder some notes he was writing for a speech on tithing. “Do you really do that?” he asked, incredulously.

It is safe to say that most people do not give 10 percent of their income to the work of God through the church. Studies show that the giving average in mainline churches is closer to 1.5 percent. But it is also true that many do, including many Prairie members.

The Bible has much to say about stewardship of our money. It begins with Abram giving 10 percent from a heart overflowing with gratitude (Genesis 14:18-20). The discipline of tithing teaches us always to put God first in our lives (Deuteronomy 14:23). Sixteen of 38 parables in the New Testament are about money and one of six verses in the Gospels is about possessions, always emphasizing generosity, giving and grace. Most of us could do some growing in these areas and the world surely needs more of these holy gifts.

But tithing makes little sense, unless you are a person of faithfulness and devotion, or hope to be. Tithing makes little sense, unless you are yearning for God’s will in your life. Tithing makes little sense, unless you are seeking a way to thank God for priceless gifts and to share them with others. But if any of these qualities of a disciple describe you or the person you want to be, tithing, or a step toward the tithe, makes a lot of sense.

Rev. Heather Entrekin, Prairie Baptist Church
Prairie Breeze (November 7, 2001)

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The tithing style of life:
Giving not getting
Helping not holding
Sharing not seeking.

The tithing style of life:
First love
First fruits
First day.

Tithing has more to do with faith than finance.

Paul said giving should be voluntary, proportionate, sacrificial, systematic and worshipful. Tithing under grace meets all the criteria–except sacrificial.

The 10 Biblical Images of the Tithe

The tithe is a Biblical standard of giving 10% of one’s income to the work of God. Tithing is a clear teaching within Old Testament law. In the New Testament, tithing becomes a privilege under grace rather than an obligation under law. These 10 Biblical images of tithing remind us that God wants us to give of ourselves, to love as we have been loved, and to give as to us has been given.

• Gratitude Genesis 14:20 and 28:22

• Covenant Deuteronomy 14:22-29, 26:1-15

• Sacrifice 2 Samuel 24:24

• Worship Leviticus 27:30

• Percentage Giving 1 Corinthians 16:2

• A Guideline 2 Corinthians 9:8-15

• Weightier Matters Matthew 23:23

• God’s Ownership Malachi 3:8

• Disciplinarian   Galatians 3:24

• A Gift of Joy 2 Corinthians 9:7

In summary, if Old Testament law required at least a tithe, it is inconceivable that Christians would want to do less. That is why we see the tithe as the minimal New Testament standard for Christian giving.