Uncovering False Teachings: The Tithe (Part Three)

Misguided Teaching Six: If we trust God with our tithes and offerings, He will "repay" us many times over. Perhaps the car won't break down or my kid will get that college scholarship. Conversely, if I don't tithe faithfully, God won't protect me from financial struggles.

 

While I don't want to go so far as to call this a false teaching, it is certainly misguided. It's largely based on the Malachi passage above, but there are lots of verses that seem to indicate a kind of "reward system" for giving both in this life and the next, such as the following:

"Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done" (Proverbs 19:17).

"One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed" (Proverbs 11:24-25).

"Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered" (Prov. 21:13).

"The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor" (Prov. 22:9).

"And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward" (Matt. 10:42).

"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you" (Luke 6:38).

However, let me point out that, since we aren't commanded to tithe, the part in Malachi about tithing is obsolete. And while there is something important to be learned here about God's character and the value of trusting God with our finances, the purpose of these passages is not to set up self-centered superstition. We are not to give to God out of the selfish desire to receive more. And we are not to give to God out of fear that something bad will happen to us if we don't. To give with either of these attitudes is to strip ourselves of the blessing of just giving.

Rather, these passages are about having faith in God with everything in our lives, and in particular with those things we tend to rely on more than God--those things we falsely believe provide us with security or power or pleasure, but which can quickly become idols in our lives (namely our wealth). These passages are about trusting God to fulfill His promise to love us and provide for us. They're about being willing to face hardship in order to put others first (as Christ later does). They're about having an eternal perspective and not holding on too tightly to the things of this world. They're about seeing others (even "the least of these") as better than ourselves, opening our eyes to the suffering and injustice around us, and letting that suffering break our hearts to the point that we MUST step in and do something. They're about love and compassion and training ourselves to become fully dependent on God alone. And when God says "test me in this" (which is the only place in Scripture He does so), His goal is to build these qualities of utter God-dependence in us--not to play on our greed or fears.

If we're not supposed to tithe, what does Christian giving look like? Where should the gifts go?

Glance again over the many Scripture passages in italics that I've included in these three posts. They come from all over the Bible and nearly all of them demand that we give generously to the poor. In this way, the primary biblical teaching about giving hasn't changed. We are to give to the poor and needy generously. 

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. (James 1:27)

Now try to find a New Testament passage that commands Christians to give to a religious organization, like the Temple, synagogue, or Christian church--or even references it as a Christian practice. You won't find any. That's because Christians weren't expected to practice Judaism, and there was no such thing as a Christian church organization--not for 300 years. Christ and the apostles did NOT set up the early ekklesia (the body of believers) as an organized religion limited by mandatory tithes and hierarchy and church buildings and mystical religious ceremonies and important vs. unimportant people. Sadly, we have all of that today, but it came out of paganism; none of it was taught by Christ nor practiced by the early Christians. (Want to learn more about this? Read this book.)

According to New Testament Scriptures, the early Christians only gave freewill offerings. These offerings were usually in the form of hospitality--room and board. Although, sometimes, they did liquefy their assets in order to give more as needed and as they were able.

All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need. (Acts 4:32-35).

The early Christians gave according to their ability, not according to a legalistic, prescribed amount. They gave with exceeding generosity and giving brought them incredible joy. They LOVED to give. Their gifts went almost exclusively to helping the poor and needy. When Jesus told Peter, "Feed my lambs" (John 21:17) He meant with REAL food. So the early Christians' gifts were either actual food  or actual shelter, or the money they gave went to provide these things--sometimes it was for those within their group, other times it was for strangers (II Cor. 9:5-11), other times it was for traveling missionaries (although Paul regularly refused it) (Acts 20:33-35), but not one denarius went to pay for a building or to pay clergy salaries or to fund self-centered programming. 

Now, perhaps some Jewish Christians still tithed to the Temple for a while before giving it up entirely, just as some Greek converts may have continued in their pagan practices for a while. Learning to follow God in a Christ-honoring way and learning to leave your past, obsolete or ungodly ways behind is often a process, after all. However, maintaining such practices is neither prescribed or praised anywhere in Scripture, rather, under Christ, we are encouraged to leave the old things behind. 

"No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved" (Matthew 9:16-17).

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here" (II Cor. 5:17)!

"By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear" (Hebrews 8:13).

"But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code" (Romans 7:6).

But what if "needy" people just take advantage? Isn't it better to let the church decide how to help them so that I don't just become an enabler?

The fact is, Jesus never commanded the organized, Christian church to help the poor (since it didn't exist). He commanded YOU and ME to help the poor. Individuals. Certainly, joining together with other believers to pull our resources to provide for a particularly large need, as the church of Corinth did (II Cor. 9:5-11), is an excellent strategy. But handing over a large portion of our income to virtual strangers to be spent on who-knows-what-but-almost-certainly-NOT-the-poor is not what it means to "give to the Lord." This is not a New Testament teaching. It is not a Christian discipline or practice. It is not what godly generosity means. 

In fact, to just put a check in the plate--even if you mark it "benevolence" so that it goes to the needy (which is the only way I'll give in a church anymore, but that's my conviction)--creates a separation between you and those you are "helping." There is no relationship there. You are not walking alongside them. You are not seeing them, hearing them, or learning from them (or vice versa). You don't even have to love them. So, frankly, it's a spiritually lazy practice that maintains distance and social disparities often along ethnic/economic divides. You can go about your life as you always have without allowing Christ to change your heart or mind at all.

But the fact still remains that there are those who will take advantage. Greedy, lazy people do exist. When free stuff is being handed out, they'll hop in line to receive whether they're in need or not. They don't mind taking from those who are truly in need. And they don't give back. 

So, how do we watch out for the wolves while feeding the sheep? 

God commands us to help the needy; but we will not be held accountable for other people's sins if they lie or steal or misuse what they receive. Ultimately, our job is to love God and one another, but we "see through a glass darkly" (I Cor. 13:12), and our judgment won't always be spot on. Of course, Jesus also said: "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore, be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves" (Matt. 10:16). While this was spoken primarily in regard to persecution Christians might face for their faith, the implicit claim here is that being shrewd and having healthy boundaries is not sinful. It's wise.

Paul, Silas and Timothy understood this concept when they wrote to the Thessalonian believers and gave the the following advice: 

"For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: 'The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.' We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the food they eat. And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good. Take special note of anyone who does not obey our instruction in this letter. Do not associate with them, in order that they may feel ashamed. Yet do not regard them as an enemy, but warn them as you would a fellow believer" (II Thes. 3:10-15).

Therefore, you can set limits and requirements and healthy boundaries as you give. You can require those in your shelters to pass drug tests, for example. You can supply housing for a homeless mother, but also require that she complete a degree or find a job during her stay. You can give your money to a soup kitchen instead of directly to an individual you don't know personally. However, the bottom line is GIVE! SERVE! BE PRESENT IN THE LIVES OF THOSE IN NEED!

Sure, there may be those you will have to turn away. But do not let your excuses that "maybe they're not trustworthy" or "I would just enable them" keep you from figuring out a way to exercise generosity and find a way to locate and then genuinely help those who need help. Because this is how they will see Jesus in you.

"Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow" (Isaiah 1:17).

"This is what the Lord says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place" (Jeremiah 22:3).

"Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt. “Do not take advantage of the widow or the fatherless. If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry" (Ex. 22:21-23).

"Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked" (Psalm 82:3-4).

"The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me’" (Matt. 25:40).

"If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth" (I John 3:17-18).

Are you saying the church and tithing is bad?

Let me be clear about something that has almost certainly gotten lost in what I've written so far: I don't believe that the church is evil.  I don't think Christians who attend church every Sunday are evil or foolish or lazy or lacking in gifting or calling. I don't think structure and organization are inherent evils, either.  In fact, it allows us to mobilize large groups of people to do some amazing good around the world, like Compassion International and Mercy Ships and Pregnancy Support Centers. However, what we do today is NOT the biblical, Christian example. Therefore, it's not sacrosanct and, as we discover flaws that interfere with Christ's example or call on our lives, we are free to make changes--even drastic changes to the way we've always done things.

Giving 10% isn't wrong; however, picking a number may simply allow you to just check a box on God's call on your life to be generous. If so, you're missing the point. You're not supposed to be able to limit your growth and character development to a formula. Life, like faith, is about relationship and intimacy and getting messy. It's about being led by the Holy Spirit and depending on Him to guide you to places where He can use you and show you something new along the way.

My Dad, Dr. Rev. David A. Brown, commented the following, and I want to share it here:
"Remember we are temples individually, and then we are to build a “spiritual temple” in a corporate sense, so that our love and unity will be a witness to the world that Jesus was God and did indeed come to make a difference among people. The Body of Christ can do things often bigger and in secret that individuals may not be able to do as part of that witness." 

I wholeheartedly agree with my dad in this. Together we are stronger and I do think the organized church (yes, largely funded by tithers) has been used of God to spread His Gospel (Good News) because it allowed us to mobilize large groups of people. However, with our modern technology I believe we are entering an era where we don't need to localize power in the same way as we have in the past. And I believe the Holy Spirit is calling us to trust in Him rather than in our man-made institutions. If we are truly doing God's work, shouldn't God be the one leading it?

Are you saying it's wrong to spend our money for spiritual gain?

Part of the reasoning behind the habitual demand for a tithe in the church is that we are all needy to some degree. We are all spiritually needy. In this way, God's call to help the needy is reduced to a spiritual metaphor rather than a practical, physical command. So, we can give to the church, sit and be "fed" by a preacher, partake of their programs, and conveniently forget that helping the needy should go beyond just dropping a check in the plate. 

Of course, spiritual and biblical training is valuable, but it tends to be more memorable and impactful when done on the job as an active participant in real-life ministry, rather than as a passive receiver of a sermon. 

My advice is three-fold:

1. Start really researching your Bible and New Testament history and culture to find out how Christ designed His body to function. And never settle for tradition over authentic Biblical, Christ-centered principle.

2. Instead of just dropping a check in the plate, ask God to lead you to someone who is genuinely in need, and then be generous. If that's too drastic, at least start giving your money to a ministry whose purpose is to help the poor or mark your offerings "benevolent fund."

3. Keep praying for God to show you His heart for the poor and needy--those who are mistreated and marginalized and voiceless. Learn to love them. And you will be amazed at how much more of Jesus you see.


THE EARLIER PORTIONS OF THIS POST CAN BE FOUND HERE: Part One, Part Two