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Tuesday, February 7, 2017

How You Can Know That Tithing Is For Today

Image result for tithing
Genesis 4:4 "Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering."

Genesis 14:18-20 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High. 19 He blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram of God Most High,Possessor of heaven and earth;
20 And blessed be God Most High,
Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” He gave him a tenth of all.

Genesis 28:20-22 "Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me on this journey that I take, and will give me food to eat and garments to wear, 21 and I return to my father’s house in safety, then the Lord will be my God. 22 This stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.”

Introduction:

Today's post is going to tackle the question of whether or not tithing is for today. In the above opening verses, we find reference to the Bible's "first-time" tithers: Abel, Abraham and Jacob. These three are particularly important in illustrating how the giving of 10% of one's gross (not net) income is a Divinely ordained pattern from the opening of human history. For many who think that tithing is just a legalistic practice only discussed in the days of Moses and the Mosaic Law, we find in Abel, Abraham and Jacob three examples of people who were giving 10% centuries and millennia before God's revelation of the Mosaic Law atop Mount Sinai. 

What follows will be a survey of the Biblical text in both Old and New Testaments. The aim again is to demonstrate to the reader the validity of tithing today and other surprising elements of giving to God's work.

Surveying the Bible's teaching on tithing and stewardship

As you read through scripture, the particular word "tithe" or "tithing" or its equivalent idea more than forty times. In all, God mentions stewardship or giving in roughly 100 places. The last time we find it mentioned in the Old Testament is in Malachi 3:10 "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows." Now many well-meaning Christians assume that tithing was nothing more than an Old Testament regulation, given by God under the period of the Law. 

Often I have heard Christians say that since we are no longer under law but under grace, that means we can now give whatever we want, since tithing went away once Christ had died on the cross.

Is that true? Did Jesus' death, burial and resurrection do away with the standard of tithing? Whenever studying both the Old and New Testaments, unless God has either removed or replaced a given institution or command, we can assume that the command or institution carries forth from Old to New Testament. 

For example, the Levitical priesthood was done away with when Christ came, since His priesthood is of a different order (Hebrews 7-10). We also don't sacrifice animals due to the fact that Christ's substitutionary death satisfied the wrath of God against the sins of those who receive His work by grace through faith (1 Peter 3:18). 

Now whenever we come to the New Testament, we discover not one prohibition against tithing. As we saw at the beginning of this post, the standard of 10% was ordained by God some 400 or so years before the giving of the law. Abel, Abraham and Jacob were tithing millennia before Christ and centuries before the giving of the law. The law of God served to reinforce the standard which had begun from the days of Abel. When Christ came, the standard was never removed, replaced nor repealed.

The Baptist Faith & Message 2000 has the following to say about tithing and stewardship:

"According to the Scriptures, Christians should contribute of their means cheerfully, regularly, systematically, proportionately, and liberally for the advancement of the Redeemer's cause on earth."

In studying the over 100 passages that speak on the subject of stewardship and tithing, here is what we discover:

1. A person is free to give whatever they want (offering) only after they have been already tithing. 

2. Tithing represents the most basic level of stewardship, the ground floor if you will. Whenever we begin to tithe is whenever we begin to hear God in the realm of giving.

3. Wherever the believer is told to give freely as to whatever amount He feels necessary to give, it can be assumed that the believer has already been tithing. (2 Corinthians 9:6-10)

The Bible's final mention of tithing

Remember where we first met the word tithing? Recall Abraham in Genesis 14 as the first recorded tither? In this blogger's mind, the main proof we have that tithing is still the basic standard driving the New Testament teaching of Biblical stewardship is found in Hebrews 7:5-10. Amazingly, the final mention of the term "tithe" in the Bible is connected to the first time we find the word mentioned in Genesis 14. 

Here is what we read in Hebrews 7:5-10: "And those indeed of the sons of Levi who receive the priest’s office have commandment in the Law to collect a tenth from the people, that is, from their brethren, although these are descended from Abraham. But the one whose genealogy is not traced from them collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises. 7 But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater. 8 In this case mortal men receive tithes, but in that case one receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives on. 9 And, so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes, 10 for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him."

Five times is the word "tenth" or "tithe" or "tithes" used in this New Testament text! Furthermore, the final mention of tithing in the Bible connects to the first mention! Thirdly, we who have believed on Jesus Christ are considered children of Abraham by faith (Romans 4:16). Fourthly, Christ, who lives today, received a tithe from Abraham. (Hebrews7:8) Fifthly, in a chapter like Hebrews 7, wherein the writer is showing how Christ is superior to all of the Old Testament Jewish institutions, he never once shows tithing to be abolished! 

Conclusion

So what can we conclude about whether or not tithing is for today? Should Christians tithe? Yes, and here is why: 

1. First, tithing was instituted pre-law, hence it is a standard that was not abolished despite the doing way of the ceremonial aspects of the Mosaic Law. 

2. Second, the New Testament never one time shows tithing as being either prohibited, replaced or removed from the Christian's responsibility of stewardship. 

3. Thirdly, tithing is the standard established by God as the starting point for stewardship. 

4. Then finally, Hebrews 7 reveals that tithing is still mentioned in the New Testament, not abolished, and thus there is no reason to prohibit Christians from tithing.