Tithing-or-Giving Abundantly
Another extremely important issue concerns giving money to the Lord. Tithing (the giving of ten percent) was established prior to the law in the book of Genesis. The nation of Israel does not receive the law until the book of Exodus; therefore, tithing is a pre-law doctrine.
"Pre-law" (KJB) Genesis 14:18-20
And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. [19] And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: [20] And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
Abram gave Melchizedek a tithe of everything that he had. The practice of tithing was in effect prior to the time of Moses and the law. With the example set by Abram, God said that ten percent of man's possessions belong to him.
"Law" (KJV)Leviticus 27:30-32
And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's : it is holy unto the Lord . [31] And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof. [32] And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the Lord .
The tithe was a requirement under the law for an individual to be right with the Lord. But what about today? Does God require us to simply tithe? Should a preacher tell his congregation that they must give 10% of their income to the Church in order to be right with God? The answer is not as simple yes or no.
The problem arises when a person thinking that he must tithe under the same stipulations as that found under the law, gives out of necessity.He is not right with God! God is concerned with your heart being right about giving to Him.The Lord never tells the Church to tithe.Before a Christian thinks this fact releases him of his God-given responsibility to give to the Lord, review some of the guidelines for giving during the Church Age.
"Church" (KJV)2 Corinthians 9:6-8
But this I say , He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. [7] Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give ; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. [8] And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things , may abound to every good work:
God says that if you sow sparingly, you will also reap sparingly. If you sow bountiful, you will reap in like manner. God wants us to give as we purpose in our hearts. We are to give cheerfully, not with a frown on our faces and a heart that grudgingly parts with the money. We are to pray about this matter the same way we pray about other things. God promises peace to the Christian that comes before the throne of grace to determine the will of God (Philippians 4:67). I have never seen a mission minded church that limited their giving to a mere tithe.
You might ask, what is a person to do? Good question! Sometimes answering a question with a set of questions is the best approach. To consider;
1. If God wanted man to tithe before the law and under the law how ought we to give?
2. If 10% was a requirement under the blood of bulls and goats, what ought we to give under the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ?
3. If our tip to a waitress is around about 15% for food and good service. What should the heart of a child of God be for the feasting on the manna from heaven.
Should we get out the calculator or Be lead by the Holy Spirit?
An important point to remember is that God speaks to every Christian on an individual basis. Your responsibility is to be faithful to the Spirits leading, even if this means giving of a 100%. For some people the idea of leaving the outcome in the hands of the Lord is a novel. However, when God controls the giving, great and mighty things can and do happen. When people freely obey the Spirits leading, they will generally not be limited to mechanically giving as mere tithe.
Another extremely important issue concerns giving money to the Lord. Tithing (the giving of ten percent) was established prior to the law in the book of Genesis. The nation of Israel does not receive the law until the book of Exodus; therefore, tithing is a pre-law doctrine.
"Pre-law" (KJB) Genesis 14:18-20
And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. [19] And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: [20] And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
Abram gave Melchizedek a tithe of everything that he had. The practice of tithing was in effect prior to the time of Moses and the law. With the example set by Abram, God said that ten percent of man's possessions belong to him.
"Law" (KJV)Leviticus 27:30-32
And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's : it is holy unto the Lord . [31] And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof. [32] And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the Lord .
The tithe was a requirement under the law for an individual to be right with the Lord. But what about today? Does God require us to simply tithe? Should a preacher tell his congregation that they must give 10% of their income to the Church in order to be right with God? The answer is not as simple yes or no.
The problem arises when a person thinking that he must tithe under the same stipulations as that found under the law, gives out of necessity.He is not right with God! God is concerned with your heart being right about giving to Him.The Lord never tells the Church to tithe.Before a Christian thinks this fact releases him of his God-given responsibility to give to the Lord, review some of the guidelines for giving during the Church Age.
"Church" (KJV)2 Corinthians 9:6-8
But this I say , He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. [7] Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give ; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. [8] And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things , may abound to every good work:
God says that if you sow sparingly, you will also reap sparingly. If you sow bountiful, you will reap in like manner. God wants us to give as we purpose in our hearts. We are to give cheerfully, not with a frown on our faces and a heart that grudgingly parts with the money. We are to pray about this matter the same way we pray about other things. God promises peace to the Christian that comes before the throne of grace to determine the will of God (Philippians 4:67). I have never seen a mission minded church that limited their giving to a mere tithe.
You might ask, what is a person to do? Good question! Sometimes answering a question with a set of questions is the best approach. To consider;
1. If God wanted man to tithe before the law and under the law how ought we to give?
2. If 10% was a requirement under the blood of bulls and goats, what ought we to give under the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ?
3. If our tip to a waitress is around about 15% for food and good service. What should the heart of a child of God be for the feasting on the manna from heaven.
Should we get out the calculator or Be lead by the Holy Spirit?
An important point to remember is that God speaks to every Christian on an individual basis. Your responsibility is to be faithful to the Spirits leading, even if this means giving of a 100%. For some people the idea of leaving the outcome in the hands of the Lord is a novel. However, when God controls the giving, great and mighty things can and do happen. When people freely obey the Spirits leading, they will generally not be limited to mechanically giving as mere tithe.
