What is the Correct Biblical Injunction on the Tithe for the New Testament Church?—Part 5
How needs are to be met in the New Testament Church
Epilogue
In the early days of Christianity, a controversy over the necessity of circumcision for salvation arose. The proponents of 'the necessity of circumcision for salvation' were Jews who had become Christians. They insisted that Gentiles must be circumcised as they (Jewish Christians) were, if the Gentiles were to be accepted as Christians in truth. A conference or synod was convened to resolve this matter, and it was made abundantly clear that circumcision was not necessary for salvation (Acts 15). Some Jewish Christians did not realise that circumcision, as an Old Covenant practice, was a shadow of the Holy Spirit's work of sanctification in the New Covenant believer (Deuteronomy 10:16; 30:6; Romans 2:25-28). Indeed, Old Testament circumcision had nothing to do with the New Covenant believer; those Jewish Christians who were nostalgic about circumcision played it up as an essential for salvation—which it was not!
Similarly, the tithe, an Old Testament injunction that Abram performed only once and which God infused into the Law through Moses, cannot be necessary for salvation or eternal life, as some modern ministers of the gospel claim. The tithe is not a part of the New Covenant and, therefore, not required of New Covenant believers. Neither the Lord Jesus nor the Early Church leaders mentioned tithes or tithing as a New Covenant injunction. Rather, they emphasised giving and supporting the needy out of love for God and His people. They knew the truth about the nullity of tithes under the New Covenant.1
So, why is there controversy over whether to tithe or not? Do we need to convene a synod on the tithe? Should we not be content with the truth that the tithe as a New Covenant injunction was never mentioned in any shape or form by the Lord or the apostles?
Since the tithe is not a New Covenant injunction, the issue is ensuring that gospel ministers are cared for as they do God's work and that God's work is adequately funded. In other words, how can New Testament ministers and local churches function financially since the tithe, as an Old Testament doctrine and practice, is no longer relevant in the New Testament Church? This is our discussion in the concluding part of this series.
Why the emphasis on tithe today?
Under the Old Covenant, God provided for the care of the Tabernacle, the Levites, and the priests through tithes. However, those who were to make the provision did not faithfully adhere to this Old Covenant provision. Hence, prophets called them to order, pronouncing God's judgment on those who defaulted.
However, the Church and its ministers need not rely on tithes under the New Covenant. It is written:
"The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:17; Hebrews 10:38)
Indeed, there is no reference to Christians being instructed to pay tithes anywhere in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles or elsewhere in the New Testament. Yet, God has provided for the needs of His people under the New Covenant to be met within the Body of Christ. Unfortunately, some Christians have tied down some of these provisions in assets which ought to be released for use, as the Early Church did, when they sold their assets and made the proceeds available for use within the Body (Acts 4:32-37).
Because people do not want to do what God has said they should do, they have opened themselves to the cunning craftiness of some men. These men have continued to teach tithing and do so at every turn, which is almost at every church meeting. Under the New Covenant, there was never a command to tithe but to voluntarily give to ministers of the gospel and the work of God. However, some ministers resorted to self-help as some Christians were not yielding to the Holy Spirit's nudging. Rather than suffer in silence, ostensibly, they dug up the Old Covenant provision of tithes and used it to get people to make regular monthly tithe payments. In their mind, this ensured that they did not need to search for sustenance and support but could instead focus on the ministry of the word and prayer. However, this cannot justify introducing the Old Covenant tithe in the New Testament Church.
By the same token of devising means of sustenance, some other church leaders, discovering that the people only responded to making those monthly contributions through fear, created that fear by invoking the curse documented in Malachi 3:8-10 on those who do not tithe to enforce tithe payment. So today, people pay tithes, supposedly to support the work of God, the ministers, and the needy, which, sadly, is by command, coercion, and craft, contrary to the New Covenant. Indeed, many Christians pay the tithe so that God will not be angry and curse them. How absurd! How can God, who saved you from sin, curse you?
Also, some ministers, unable to endure hardship and trust God, signed on to the Old Covenant tithe regime. And they perpetuated it when they saw that it assured them of regular income. Thus, the faith of many preachers and church leaders hinges on the purses of their congregation, not on God!
Sadly, many people—within and outside the church community—seeing the ostentatious lifestyle of many modern-day preachers are disgusted by it. They have observed that many unscrupulous ministers have used the tithes to pay for their ostentation while the people they are supposed to shepherd suffer lack. So, while some people tithe out of fear, others have become rebellious to the idea of tithing upon seeing the ostentation of some gospel ministers. Thus, utilising the Old Covenant tithe injunction for the New Covenant believer has backfired!
This has led to subtle agitations about the truth regarding tithes and tithing in many quarters. Many more Christians are becoming aware that the New Covenant does not teach tithes. Let me emphasise at this time that under the New Covenant, there is no reward for being compelled to do anything, including tithing. God rewards our voluntary and cheerful overtures out of love for Him and His work. So then, how should New Testament ministers and local churches be sustained financially?
What we must do
Tithes and tithing as a command in the New Testament Church, as taught today, are unscriptural and should never again be taught. The erroneous teaching on the tithe derives from the people's selfishness on the one hand and the need to meet the needs of those who minister God's word on the other. Compelling or coercing people to give their substance is unscriptural. The New Covenant teaches us to give willingly and freely.
Indeed, every believer in Christ ought to know that they are responsible for the care and nurture of those who minister the gospel, do the work of God, and the needy in their midst. Had today's church leaders emphasised sanctification of the Holy Spirit and devotion to God, such erroneous teachings would not have been entrenched in the Church. Had today's Church emphasised the sense of community of the Early Church, we would not have been where we are on the issue of the sustenance of ministers and the welfare of the needy. It is written in Acts 4:32:
"Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common." (NKJV)
The Christians in the Early Church were of one heart and one soul. They understood they were a community and were supposed to support each other. The Early Church folks were interested in the faith of the people toward God, their love for the brethren, and their hope in the eternal life promised through Christ's death and resurrection, as the basis of a church that was growing (Ephesians 1:15-16; Colossians 1:3-5; 1 Thessalonians 1:2-4). Sadly, and indeed, shamefully, today, the criteria of a fruitful church is in its congregational size, income and material possessions they boast of, including gigantic edifices as houses of worship.
Because of the sense of community and unity of heart and soul of the Early Christians, they banded together to make provision for the work of God, the needy, and the ministers of the gospel. Telling a pastor to find something to do makes no sense. Do we not consider the work of ministry to be work? If a pastor went out working, where would they find the time to study the Bible? What would a pastor feed the flock with when they cannot study? Should a pastor go out chasing after contracts, he would be too tired to give anything of worth to the flock. Therefore, it is right, responsible, and scriptural for the congregation to care for their pastor and other full-time ministers. It is written in Galatians 6:6 (NKJV):
"Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches."
And in 1 Timothy 5:17-18 (CEV), it is also written:
"Church leaders who do their job well deserve to be paid twice as much, especially if they work hard at preaching and teaching. It is just as the Scriptures say, "Don't muzzle an ox when you are using it to grind grain." You also know the saying, "Workers are worth their pay.""
In certain instances, where the workload of ministry is not much, a minister may engage in a vocation on a part-time basis. This may continue until continuously engaging in such a part-time vocation will distract the minister from the work of ministry. An instance of this is recorded in Act 18:1-5, when Paul, the apostle, engaged in a vocation (tent-making) with Aquila and Priscilla until his involvement in ministry was all-absorbing.
What is needed in the Church of God is to let the people of God know their responsibility of caring for the needy, God's work, and His workers. God's people must understand that they are not helping themselves by being selfish, self-centred, and self-absorbed. God's people must support ministers and their families, not their ostentation.
When people do not do the right thing, they open themselves up to manipulations, which is what the payment of tithes has become today.
What should you do to support the work of ministry?
In 2 Corinthians 8, Paul spoke about the Macedonian churches who, though poor and suffering hardship and persecution, were giving to God's work. He also commended the same Church as caring for his needs wherever he went (Philippians 4:15-16). That was a church that understood the importance of caring for gospel ministers.
You also can emulate the Macedonian churches by giving your minister a monthly amount for their sustenance and the work of God. It could be 10, 20, 50 per cent, or more, or whatever figure you are comfortable with. In my estimation, the Old Testament tithes indicate the bare minimum that the New Testament believers should allocate from their resources for the work of God, the needy, and the upkeep of God's ministers. The proportion is entirely your discretion. However, the apostle Paul notes that,
"He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully." (2 Corinthians 9:6, NKJV)
Thus, Paul emphasised the voluntary nature of giving and the absence of coercion on the minister's part.
A word about scriptural giving
Following the example of the Early Church, today's Christians must rededicate their lives to God and recommit to cooperating with the Holy Spirit as they submit to His sanctifying work. The Christians in the Early Church days were united in heart, soul, and purpose. In examining the approach of the Early Church (Acts 2:44-45; 4:32, 34-37; 2 Corinthians 8; 9), we can identify several key principles underpinning their giving as follows:
They had a heart of community; they saw themselves as one body, not as different denominations.
They looked out for the welfare of one another and responded appropriately when the need arose.
When they collected monies for a particular purpose, they ensured that the contributions were used for that purpose and maintained transparency and accountability through appointed monitors.
They viewed giving for the care of others as a responsibility within the community.
They encouraged everyone to be involved, regardless of the size of their contributions.
Recipients of assistance did not feel entitled but recognised that the help provided was for their needs, not their wants.
They were willing to release assets to help others in the community—they sold their properties and shared the proceeds for the benefit of all.
The church leaders ensured that the monies collected were appropriated for the purpose for which they were collected. They did not take the gifts for themselves but ensured they were distributed to those in need.
A situation in which the poor in our midst struggle to feed should be unacceptable to the Church. It should be unacceptable to the Church for other Christians to be so poor while some others are filthy rich—all in the same congregation. Where, then, is the community and distribution of resources? Paul encouraged the rich to distribute and share their resources to care for the needy, securing their eternity with God (1 Timothy 6:17-19).
Conclusion
The Old Covenant is obsolete and superseded by the New Covenant, which Jesus Christ established. The teaching against tithes is meant to make us all sit down and ask, "Why are ministers of the gospel having to resort to self-help to be sustained?" "Why must Christians be forced to give to God when He freely gave to them?"
We ought to examine ourselves and decide freely that, considering all that God has done for us, we should show kindness to others. We can then give a portion of our income or earnings to the work of God, the care of the needy, and ministers of the gospel. However, this must neither be coerced nor by command!
We have seen that,
'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' (Acts 20:35, NKJV)
Should you decide to give 10 per cent of your income regularly to meet needs in the Church, it is entirely your decision. And though it is a tenth or a tithe, it is not the tithe in the sense of the Old Covenant, but a voluntary gift from your heart to meet needs in the Church of God. Indeed, it can be any percentage you choose, but it must be freely, willingly, and cheerfully given out of love for God (1 Corinthians 16:1-2; 2 Corinthians 9:7). Remember what the Lord said to His disciples as He sent them out:
“Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.” (Matthew 10:8, NKJV)
No gospel minister should compel anyone to give, ask for payment for any spiritual service, or coerce anyone to provide them with money for their sustenance. In the spirit of freedom God has given them, people should give as they are led.
Meanwhile, there are some strange practices that churches should discontinue immediately. I have been to churches where people bring their tithes to the altar to be prayed for. I am confident that such a practice has nothing to do with Scripture. It may be because people are unfaithful, and thus, an attempt to manipulate them into faithfulness. In some churches, tithe numbers are assigned to members, and as the members pay their tithe, the church officials tick the tithe card. In one Church, the pastor receives information from the members about their annual income to compute the Church's expected income. This may have shown the banks they could pay on loans or mortgages. But that is nonetheless unscriptural.
I pray that the Lord will show us mercy and grant us an understanding of what has been documented here. Let me emphasise as best as I can that the tithe, as practised in Old Testament times, has nothing to do with the New Testament Church. This notwithstanding, New Testament believers must give generously as God has blessed them and support their ministers, God's work, the needy, widows, orphans, and strangers. Be a blessing, and God will bless you abundantly.
Shalom.
You can read all preceding parts by clicking the respective links below:
What is the Correct Biblical Injunction on the Tithe for the New Testament Church?—Part 1
What is the Correct Biblical Injunction on the Tithe for the New Testament Church?—Part 2
What is the Correct Biblical Injunction on the Tithe for the New Testament Church?—Part 3
What is the Correct Biblical Injunction on the Tithe for the New Testament Church?—Part 4