OK, assuming that we reject (at
least part of) the tithing literalists’ interpretation of Scripture, how do we
approach A) Malachi 3:6-12, B) Tithing, and C) Giving?
First, I bring us back to what I
call the Principle/Application motif. This means that God’s principles are timeless and thus applicable to
all of God’s people everywhere and at all times: Before the cross or after it,
in all societies and cultures, and until we enter glory (and really not ending even then). But the application of those principles might (and probably do) change
over time. A lot of what we read in the Torah are applications which are
particular to that time and place in ancient Israel. To interpret this
correctly, we need to discern the principles behind the applications, and thus apply
these principles to our current situation.
Here’s a principle for you: God owns everything, you ultimately own
nothing. Everything you supposedly “own,” including your body, mind, and
eternal soul, is on loan from the Almighty. One day you will have to return this
to him, and he'll hold you accountable for how you used his property.
Here’s another one: Because of what we just stated, if God tells
you to give X to him and you don’t give X, then you are robbing God, just like
he says in Malachi. And if X was
everything you own in wealth and your own body and soul, he'd only be
demanding what already belongs to him. At
best, we’re all “unworthy
servants” who’ve only “given” to the Lord what belongs to him anyway.
And here’s one more: Even though we
owe him everything and he owes us nothing, if he demands X of us and we give it, he'll not only “pay us back” for it,
he’ll give us much more than we've ever given him. As someone once told
me—and please excuse the slight lack of theological meticulousness with this
quote—“God will, in the end, be a debtor to no man.” In that sense, vss. 10-12
are entirely applicable. But I have to say, I don't take those verses to mean
that if I’m faithful in my giving, he'll financially bless me out of all
proportion to what I give. I do believe that he will take care of all my
needs. But make me fabulously wealthy? For the reasons I stated yesterday, this
really smacks of the “Health and Wealth Gospel” heresy.
But let me be clear. You know my
favorite aphorism: No one who did things God’s way ever regretted it in the end.
If I give generously to his work (and I’d include charity
to the needy here), then he'll either bless me financially (way out of
proportion to my giving), or he'll bless me in a much better way. Based on
Jesus’ words
about “storing treasures in Heaven,” I think I’d rather have the latter.
And that leads us to the inevitable
question: “Keith, do you believe Christians are still under the tithe system?
Are they obligated to give a tithe off their gross to the local church?”
First, the short answer: “No.”
Next I’ll give you the long answer:
“No, but when I finish, you’ll wish I
had said ‘yes.’”
Here’s my argument, which of course
isn’t original with me: Under the Old Covenant, with all its incompleteness,
they were obligated to give a tithe off the gross to God’s work. Now, how does
the New Covenant compare with the Old? Is the New one better? Are the blessings better? If so, by how
much? A little or a lot?
My friend, you know the answer to
these questions, and you can probably guess where I’m going with all this. If
we under the New Covenant are blessed so much more than those under the Old
Covenant, are you saying we can give less to our Redeemer than they
did? Let me say a word of love to anyone
who’s not a brand-new Christian. If you’re new to the faith and are struggling
to give more than 1-2%, I tend to go easy on you. But if you’ve been a believer
for some time and all you’re giving—on a regular basis—to God’s work is 10%
(either gross or net), I have to ask (with love) “How dare you?!” He’s given you
so much, and you’re giving him the same amount as an ignorant Old Testament
believer? Really?
But I’d prefer to keep this
positive. I think much of spiritual maturity—moving from an infant Christian to
a more mature believer—is to move from obligations and rule-keeping and threats
to seeing our giving to the Lord as a privilege more than an obligation. He doesn’t
need your money, you know. But he, in his grace, has given you the opportunity
to get in on his plan and make a contribution.
Let’s look at this from a worldly
perspective. Let’s say I came to you and proposed the following: “I have a
sure-fire investment opportunity. I have a start-up, and although I really
don’t need your money, as a friend I’m offering you a chance to make a 10000%
return on any money you give me.”
Now, in this world full of lying
scammers, you’d probably throw me out on my ear. But if it were God
making this offer, you’d listen right? He doesn’t lie. And please reread the above
paragraph which starts with “But let me be clear.” If you invest in his work,
he'll “pay you back” in dividends which make a 10000% return look like a poor
deal by comparison.
That’s how I approach the area of
giving. Yes, you owe him everything, and if he told you the same thing he told
the rich young ruler, he’d only be claiming what belongs to him anyway. But how’s
about getting past the notion of obligation and rule-keeping and moving towards
maturity? Instead of asking “What percentage will keep God from getting angry
at me?” we should be asking “How much can I invest in the Kingdom? I can give X%? Well, that’s ok, but I want to give
more.” As Jim Elliot, a modern martyr for the faith, said, “He is no fool who
gives up what he cannot keep in order to gain what he can never lose.”
Once again, I apologize and ask for
your forgiveness for the long post. This is something that’s really important
to me, and I honestly couldn’t make it any more concise. And to those who still
disagree with me on this, hopefully this won’t turn you off to the rest of what
I have to say on everything else. Hopefully I’ve made the case that I’m by no
means letting anybody off the hook regarding giving. If anything, I’m quite a bit rougher than those who say that we’re still under the tithing system.
He's given us so much. To say it’s
better than we deserve is the grossest of understatements. And he offers still
much more. Let’s take him up on his offer, shall we?
Father, I still struggle with a small,
unbelieving, stingy, ungrateful heart, which shows up in my giving. Fill me
with your Spirit, fill me with gratitude which shows up in tangible ways.
Please.
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