Tithing 101
( Are we required to give 10% of our earnings?)
1 Cor 16:1-2
Collection for the Saints
Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the
churches of Galatia, so you must do also: On the first day of the week let each
one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be
no collections when I come. NKJV
I Corinthians 16:1a
"Now concerning the collection (of money) for the saints,..."
Paul was always instructed to remember the poor saints at Jerusalem. Why? They had cashed in land and everything they had and brought the money to the feet of the Twelve disciples. It all went into a common kitty back there in Acts Chapters 2 and 3 in light of the Kingdom. But the Kingdom didn't come because the Jews
had rejected it. So what happened to these poor Jewish saints? They had to live off the kitty and I imagine it was a pretty good existence for a while. But God took care of them through Paul's Gentile converts, and the money was taken back to Jerusalem for them. Now continuing on:
I Corinthians 16:1,2
"Now concerning the collection for the saints, (Jewish saints at Jerusalem) as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye (at Corinth). Upon the first day of the week (not on the seventh day Sabbath. Why first day of the week? Resurrection day!) let every on of you lay by him in store, (as a tithe? No, but rather) as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come."
Now that's one of the beauties of the Christian life, that's the beauty of God's Grace. He has left us with that free will. We can give as much as we want to, but God is not putting the thumb on our head, and saying, "You will give 10%! Now that's a guideline, and I'll always say that. God more or less lets it be known that 10% is a guideline for giving. But God's not going to zap you if you don't give 10%. Now you may lose some reward in glory, but you are under no mandate under Paul's teaching to give a set amount. That's up to you as a believer as God has prospered you. And God has enough respect for your free will as a believer that you're going to give as much as you can.
Paul told these believers at Corinth to take this offering before he came so that they wouldn't be under his influence. He wanted that all taken care of before he arrived. Paul doesn't want them to dig down in their other pocket and say, "Paul is here, and he'd better see how much I've given." But Paul wanted that all taken care of before he got there.
Now we not be required to Tithe but the Church can not survive without donations. If we are to grow, to help our lost brothers and sisters, then we as a church need funds to do this.
"You hear a lot of strange things about tithing. Some say it is a church tax, and they expect me to pay it and that is the end of it. Others say that when I give God one-tenth of my income, He blesses the nine-tenths that is left to the extent that the nine-tenths now goes as far as the whole thing used to go. This isn't really true, is it? Suppose a farmer had 100 bushels of corn in the barn and he decides to plant 10 bushel in the ground. What multiplies? Is it the 90 bushels that he has left in the barn? Oh, no. All of us 'farmers' know it is the 10 bushels you put in the ground that multiplies. Similarly, it is the 10 percent you give to God that multiplies." - Stanley Tam (1915-), American businessman and philanthropist
If nature has made you a giver, your hands are born open, and so is your heart.
And though there may be times when your hands are empty, your heart is always full, and you can give things out of that. Frances Hodgson Burnett
Read on for Tithing 101
The practice of giving a tenth of one's income or property as an offering to God. The custom of paying a tithe was an ancient practice found among many nations of the ancient world.
The practice of giving a tenth of income or property extends into Hebrew history before the time of the Mosaic Law. The first recorded instance of tithing in the Bible occurs in Gen 14:17-20. After returning from rescuing Lot and defeating his enemies, Abraham met MELCHIZEDEK, the "king of Salem" and "priest of God Most High." The text states simply that Abraham gave Melchizedek a tithe of all the goods he had obtained in battle. The author of the Book of Hebrews, in recounting this episode, considered the Levitical priests who descended from Abraham and who appeared centuries later as having paid tithes to Melchizedek through Abraham (Heb 7:1-10). There is no recorded demand of Abraham for a tenth. Neither is an explanation given about why Abraham gave a tithe to Melchizedek. Jacob also, long before the law of Moses, promised that he would give to the Lord a tenth of all he received (Gen 28:22).
The law of Moses prescribed tithing in some detail. Lev 27:30-32 stated that the tithe of the land would include the seed of the land and the fruit of the tree. In addition the Hebrew suggest that there were three tithes, but this seems unlikely. There is no mention of a tithe in Exodus but only the giving of the FIRSTFRUITS (Ezek 44:29-30). Finally, the prophet Malachi indicated that Israel had robbed God in withholding tithes and offerings. Thus the Israelites were exhorted to bring their tithes into the storehouse in order to enjoy the Lord's blessing (Mal 3:8-2).
In the Old Testament the purpose of the giving of a tenth was to meet the material need of the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless (the orphan), and the widow (Deut 26:12 people were required to set apart every tenth animal of their herds and flocks to the Lord.
Mosaic legislation on tithing is also found in two other passages. Num 18:21-32 stated that the tithes in Israel would be given to the Levites, because the Levites did not receive a land inheritance like the other tribes of Israel. The Levites, in turn, were to offer a heave offering to the Lord. This would constitute a tithe on their part of the goods which they received. The rest of the goods which the Levites received would provide their living as the reward for their work in the tabernacle.
The third passage dealing with the tithe is Deut 12:5-7,11-12,17-18. This passage instructed Israel to take their tithes to the place the Lord prescribes, or the city of Jerusalem. In Deuteronomy, only a vegetable tithe is mentioned. In 2 Chron 31:6, however, the tithe of cattle is mentioned.
In Deut 26:12-15 the third year is called the year of tithing. This may indicate that the tithes were not collected annually. Apparently in this year only the goods which were given as tithes could be offered and stored locally. The offering of the tithe also took the form of a ritual meal (Deut 12:7,12). Some -13). The tithe was an expression of gratitude to God by His people. Basic to tithing was the acknowledgment of God's ownership of everything in the earth.
In the New Testament the words tithe and tithing appear only eight times (Matt 23:23; Luke 11:42; 18:12; Heb 7:5-6,8-9). All of these passages refer to Old Testament usage and to current Jewish practice. Nowhere does the New Testament expressly command Christians to tithe. However, as believers we are to be generous in sharing our material possessions with the poor and for the support of Christian ministry. Christ Himself is our model in giving. Giving is to be voluntary, willing, cheerful, and given in the light of our accountability to God. Giving should be systematic and by no means limited to a tithe of our incomes. We recognize that all we have is from God. We are called to be faithful stewards of all our possessions (Rom 14:12; 1 Cor 9:3-14; 16:1-3; 2 Cor 8:1-9:15). (from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Copyright © 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)
"I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusements, etc., is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving away too little. If our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say they are too small. There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot do because our charitable expenditures excludes them." - C.S. Lewis (1898-1963), English author and scholar
If you are not generous with a meager income, you will never be generous with abundance. Harold Nye
