To Tithe Or Not To Tithe

Bible Gems #283

Question: Can you point me in the right direction biblically about tithing? How much do we tithe; how do we know that we are supposed to tithe money; what if I can’t afford to tithe; and was the purpose of tithing to support the church or to provide a sacrifice for God?

Let’s take these questions one at a time, but mix up the order a little.

How Do We Know That We Are Supposed To Tithe Money?

The Scripture says:

         Prov. 3:9            Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce…

“Produce” refers to the material return we get for our labor, whether money or anything else:

         2Chr. 31:5-6  As soon as the order went out, the Israelites generously gave the firstfruits of their grain, new wine, olive oil and honey and all that the fields produced. They brought a great amount, a tithe of everything. The people of Israel and Judah who lived in the towns of Judah also brought a tithe of their herds and flocks and a tithe of the holy things dedicated to the LORD their God, and they piled them in heaps.

How Much Do We Tithe?

The English word “tithe” means “the tenth.” It translates the Old Testament Hebrew word “ma’aser” and the New Testament Greek word “dekate’,” both of which mean “the tenth.”[i] Tithe and tenth are interchangeable.

Tithing is giving God the first 10% (“firstfruits”) of our income, not the leftovers. Of course, where there is no income (“produce”) there is nothing to tithe.

Was The Purpose Of Tithing To Support The Church Or To Provide A Sacrifice For God?

Actually, both are true. Tithing is God’s plan for how His ministers get paid:

Num. 18:21  I give to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the tent of meeting.

In fact, tithing is God’s plan for supporting not only the priests & Levites (pastors and paid ministers), but also the ministries (worship and spiritual instruction), and the place where these ministries are centralized (Temple / Church facility):

         Deut. 12:11 Then to the place the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name—there you are to bring everything I command you: your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, and all the choice possessions you have vowed to the LORD.

In tithing according to God’s Word, we actually become those who receive the blessing in the end:

Mal. 3:10  Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.

Above all, tithing is a sacrifice to God that reminds us that, “the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it” (Ps. 24:1). We own nothing because God owns it all; we are simply managers or stewards of what belongs to Him. Yet, even though that’s true, God entrusts to us 90% of what belongs to Him and asks only 10% in return!

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[i] J. D. Douglas, Merrill C. Tenney, The New International Dictionary Of The Bible (Grand Rapids, 1987)

Does Going To Church Matter To God?

Biblegems #176

Question: Isn’t going to church a cultural expectation? Does going to church really matter to God?

The biblical concept of the church is one of the richest topics of the New Testament. The church is the bride of Christ; the Temple, of which individual believers are the living stones; it is the “one new man” of Ephesians; it is the body of Christ comprised of all who believe in Jesus:

         Eph. 1:22-23 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church [lit., “the congregation”], which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.  

The word “church” translates the Greek New Testament word ecclesia, which means “assembly” or “congregation.” It is also the term used most often in the New Testament to describe the body of Christ. God’s view of the church is His people congregating or assembling together.

When Jesus said to Peter “…on this rock I will build my church (lit. “assembly” or “congregation”), and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (Matt. 16:18) he was envisioning His followers down through future history gathered together. In other words, His followers congregating in His name would never cease to exist. When persecution broke out against Jesus’ followers in Jerusalem the “church” (the “assembly” or “congregation” of Christians) was scattered (Acts 8:1). And when Saul set out to persecute Jesus’ followers he sought them out in homes where they “gathered” together:

         Acts 8:3 But Saul began to destroy the church [lit., “the assembly” or “congregation”]. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.

Biblically, “going to church” pictures a group of believers in Christ joining together to worship God, to be taught the Word of God, to develop relationships through fellowship, to share the gospel with the unsaved, to baptize those being saved, to share meals and the Lord’s Supper together, and for prayer:

         Acts 2:41-42 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

Paul established church groups throughout the Roman Empire, complete with a leadership structure (Acts 14:23). His New Testament letters intentionally addressed the local congregations—the “churches” in Corinth, Colossae, etc., as was the case with John in his letter to the seven churches (Rev. 2-3).

The “church”—God’s gathered people—is the vehicle God ordained to reveal His wisdom to the universe:

Eph. 3:10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms…

Does going to church matter to God? Absolutely! When you gave your life to Jesus you gave yourself to so much more:

         Heb. 12:22-23 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven…

See you in church!