FreeMoneyFinance.com

Part 1, Essentials (and Flunking the Course)

Part 2, The “Tithe” (Click here for my position paper on tithing.)

Part 3, Non Essentials

The interview is an informal conversation discussing some of the key points in the book (rather than a formal interview), and does a great job highlighting what I was trying to accomplish.  Thanks again, Glen!

To listen to the podcast…click here.

Have you ever felt like your pocket has a hole in it? Big expectations followed only by even bigger disappointments? If so, you are not alone. Knowing that His people felt this way, the Lord spoke into our emptiness. In the only direction we aren’t looking, He pointed the way towards redemption and restoration. Generosity has a secret, a deep, liberating, and life-altering secret. Discovering it will bring life to our souls and hope to our hearts.

Available now…click here.    

Do you believe the Bible teaches the poor should or shouldn’t give?.

“I think all Christians are called to give, although the amounts and proportions may be different for the poor and the wealthy.  Giving is a matter of the heart, and we should give freely what Christ has called us to give.  Christ commended the poor widow for giving, so I think that right there should show us that it’s a good thing for all of us, including the poor to give.  I don’t think, however, that the poor should go into debt to give – as having debt is in most cased frowned upon by the bible.” – BibleMoneyMatters.com

“I believe everyone should give according to their ability. I also believe that a smaller gift from a poorer person is just as “valuable” as a larger gift from a wealthier person. 2 Corinthians 8:12 says, “For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.” – FreeMoneyFinance.com

“I believe that God wants everyone to give.  We are all responsible for managing God’s resources as His stewards no matter our income level.  I believe God can provide blessings to us on this earth in the form of additional resources to manage for Him, should we put Him first in our finances.  He who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully (2 Corinthians 9:6).  This is challenging for those who are finding it tough to meet expenses or get out of debt, but I’d like to encourage people to give as much as they can to the Lord out of trust and faith that He provides for all of our needs.” – OneMoneyDesign.com

“I believe that God is very clear in the Bible that He expects all His followers to be generous and ready to share at all times.  So I wouldn’t necessarily prevent a poor person from giving.  Giving is a grace of God and a joy to those who are following Him in the power of the Holy Spirit.  However, I also don’t believe that the Bible teaches that a poor person must give beyond their means.  We must never forget that God wants us to give so there may be equality and not to place an undue burden on anyone.” – ProvidentPlan.com

“Whether we realize it or not, when we begin to distinguish who should or shouldn’t give based upon their financial situation, we unknowingly make biblical giving about amounts–turning what is spiritual into economics, and turning the focus on our wallets instead of our hearts.  This is clearly not the way the Bible approaches generosity.  The scripture does advocate proportional giving…but I believe the call to generosity extends to all believers.  I wrote a position post on this very topic.”- DollarsandDoctrine.com

“The Bible is clear in teaching us that everyone should be generous with the resources they have.  Often quoted is the story of the widow in Luke chapter 21, who gave much less than the others in monetary terms.  Jesus was quick to say that she had given so much more because of her willingness to give all she had.  Remember, giving is more about the motives of your heart than the size of your offering check.”-FaithandFinance.com

“Everyone, bar none, is accountable to the Lord for how they live on the earth.  God requires everyone to be generous (Matt 5:42, Luke 6:38).  Do we get an out if we are poor?  No.  There are too many examples in the Bible of God requesting even those with little, to give what they had (1 Kings 17:8-24), and those who had little, giving all the have (Luke 21:1-4).” – DiscipleshipGuy.com

“The Lord instructs everyone – the rich & the poor – to “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:20).  It is evident in numerous passages of scripture, that one of the many ways a believer stores up treasure “where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” is to give generously of the money God has entrusted to them.  If it is indeed “more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35), the poor should strive to be active participants in the process as well!  To advise those lacking in financial resources to withhold their gifts from God is to not only take away their opportunity to receive a blessing, but is in direct opposition to Christ’s teaching.  “Give and it will be given to you…For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you” (Luke 6:38).” – StewardshipWeekly.com

“The Bible is pretty clear in terms of what God expects of the poor.  Just like the rich, God expects us to give to others and for his kingdom.  The best example I can think of is the story of the widow who gave away her last coin in Luke 21 1:4.  That is a shining example of what God expects of the poor and how we should all view giving.” -FreeMoneyWisdom.com

For more on the Christian Financial Alliance (or to join our team) click here.

Among the many instructions the Bible has for our giving, it calls for us to keep our giving “secret”. Jesus plainly told us to give in this manner:

“So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” Matt 6:2-4, NASB)

The call for secret giving is unavoidable. The reasoning behind such a command can be a little less obvious. I have tried to come up with what I believe are some sound rationales for a Christian to not let his left hand know what his right is doing.

GIVING SECRETLY…

 1. Keeps us from giving for the praise of others. This idea is plainly stated by Christ. Often, we are tempted to give because of how it will other people think of us. We want people to see us as generous, compassionate, and charitable. In this senario, we give not for the benefit of those receiving our contribution, but for our own benefit–selfish giving, if you will. It’s counter-productive. Giving in secret prevents this backwards motivation.

2. Allows giving to bring praise to God. In essence, this is the flip side of the previous point. When we choose to give secretly, our contributions bring praise and glory to God, not ourselves. He gets the credit when we give in a way that only He can be credited. We simply all ow the glory to fall where it ought when we give in secret.

3. Prevents self-righteousness. Not only do unsecretive contributions attempt to boost other people’s opinions of us, they also do a lot to inflate our own thoughts of self. This is why Jesus not only instructs us to keep our giving secret from others, but also to keep it a secret from ourselves. When we give generously, our flesh has a way of twisting our generosity in our own self-righteous favor. We no longer give because of how great God’s generosity has transformed and controlled our hearts, but because of how great we esteem ourselves. Not letting our left hand know what our right is doing, keeps this from happening.

4. Brings attention to the corporate not individual. I have already discussed the negative effects of giving for show, but giving secretly also brings glory to God corporately. When the world says that “John” or “Susan” is generous, John and Susan are honored. When the world says that “Christians” are generous, God is glorified. The church, as the body of Christ, brings glory to God.

5. Keeps the focus on others. When we give for our own acclaim, we care little for those to whom we are giving (after all, we are motivated by our own gain not theirs). This is hardly the call of biblical generosity. When we give in secret, our attention is focused on the benefit of the recipient. In this, we see true compassion in contribution.

Certainly there are more, but I think this post gets the ball rolling in the right direction. When we give secretly, we do what is best for ourselves and what is best for God’s kingdom. Jesus said that God is watching our contributions. Those who give in secret will be rewarded by God who sees in secret. Let us not miss out on the reward of the Father to gain the praise of men!

What was the tithe?

The simple answer to this question is this:  ”Tithe” literally means “Tenth”.  In the Old Testament, God commanded Israel to give a tenth of their produce and livestock to the Levites who performed the work of the temple.  (Deu. 14:22)   Plain and simple: a tenth (or tithe) ”is the Lord’s.” (Lev. 27:30) 

The more complicated answer to this question is that there actually were three separate tithes.  One, described above, is a contribution to the Levites to do the work of the Lord.  The second was a tenth of all to be set aside and consumed during the various feasts and religious ceremonies throughout the year (Deu. 12).  The third was collected every third year to help provide for the Levite, alien, orphan, and widow.  (Deu. 14:28-29)

What should a new covenant Christian think of the tithe?

Now we know what it is, but what to make of it?  The answer is not an easy one.  Interpreting what the tithe means for Christians has gone in countless directions.  Some of the divisons are just differences of opinion and interpretation, and some are downright heresy.  I will do my best to separate the two.

First, the continuance of the tithe is never directly confirmed or rejected in the New Testament.  There is no direct statement in the New Testament that we are to continue or stop tithing.  So we can’t say absolutely that Christians are supposed to mimic the tithe concept or abandon it all together.  Christ said that He did not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it (Matt 5:17-18).  So how did Christ fulfill the command to tithe?

We aren’t Israelites, we aren’t supporting the Levites, we aren’t farmers, we don’t live in the promised land, and on, and on, so what should we think about the tithe? As Christians, we must believe that the Old Testament is still God’s word and still written for our instruction (Rom. 3:31, 15:4).  Therefore, we must ask: what was God trying to teach us in the practice of tithing?  What was the heart, or principle, behind the command?  After all, we didn’t throw the ten commandments out the window because Christ came, so is there something in the tithe practice that should continue on?  It is easy to see that the animal sacrifices of the old covenant are fulfilled and finished in the blood and sacrifice of Christ (Heb. 9), but is the call to support the ”house of the Lord” fulfilled, over, and a matter of the past?  It doesn’t seem so. The New Testament confirms this line of thinking.  Verses like Gal. 6:6, Rom. 15:27, 1 Cor. 9:11-14 (and many others) relate this principle: The new covenant Christian is commanded by scripture to support those who are ministers of the Gospel.  Where to go from here is where the division begins:

Acceptable interpretations of tithing:

1. Historically, many Christians have chosen to obey the command to support those who “get their living from the gospel” by following the Old Testament model.  They conclude that they are going to give a tenth of their income (product of their hands) to the Lords’ work/church.  Hence, the Christian who does this “fulfills the law” not by abandoning the practice of tithing, but by doing it willingly.  In essence, the law “required” a contribution, and Christ in us fulfills this legality by putting generosity in our hearts in a way that we gladly, and willingly give a tenth–and perhaps much more–to support the work of the Lord.  Obedience has transitioned from external to internal.  Obedience is not just physical, it is spiritual–from the heart.  In this, the Law is “fulfilled”. 

2. Many Christians argue that the temple is no more, the Levites are no more, we are not farmers, we are not living in the promised land… so therefore, the practice of tithing is fulfilled in Christ and no longer relevant (it has been fulfilled in a manner similar to animal sacrifices, for example).  We are free in Christ to take this stance, but not in a manner that disposes of giving altogether (as explained above).  In essence, tithing is a thing of the past (along with the tenth/10% number), and now Christians are free to prayerfully discern how to go about supporting the work of the Lord.

I don’t think these two camps disagree on as much as they think they do.  Both approaches can be spiritually mature and take seriously the call to support the work of the Lord, and both can be manipulated by sin.  Option 1 shows signs of self-discipline, dedication, and consistency, but can be twisted towards legalism and forced contribution.  Option 2 shows signs of freedom, grace, and Spirit-led giving, but can be twisted towards license and non-contribution.

Unacceptable interpretations of tithing:

Tithing is a requirement of all believers.  The commandment to tithe is not directly stated anywhere in the New Testament.  Therefore, we can’t say that all Christians are required to tithe. In the freedom of Christ, a believer may choose a different approach to giving.  That being said, this freedom is not license to avoid giving all together.  The New Testament commands us to give.  “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Rom. 8:1)

Giving is now optional.  I do not believe that the freedom of the new covenant permits us to make a giving a matter of personal whim.  Grace did not appear to make obedience optional.  True, God desires our giving to be from a willing heart–but that has everything to do with transforming our heart, not excusing us from obedience.  If you use your freedom found in Christ to justify keeping 100% for yourself, I think you have a distorted understanding of grace.  “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt. 6:21)

Tithing is necessary for salvation.  This is ridiculously unbiblical.  Nothing of ourselves can save us, only Christ.  This is reminiscent of the people whom Paul confronted in Galatians that said you had to be circumcised to be saved.  We are not saved by our contributions: “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!” (Acts 8:20)

Tithing is a seed of blessing.  We are to give from the heart out of a desire to build God’s kingdom, not to build our portfolio.  Giving so that God will bless you materially is completely backwards–this takes generosity and makes it self-revolving.  God does explain in His word that He often chooses to bless the generous, but He also said He gives and takes away (and this blessing is so that the generous can continue to be generous, just on a larger scale- not so that they can gorge themselves on the surplus).  The notion of backing God into a corner He has to pay His way out of is ludicrious.  ”The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away.  Blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21) 

I hope this post does something to bring a Biblical balance back to the church.  Regardless of what we may think of tithing, if our interpretation is correct, it should point us and others towards Christ.  “Let each one be fully convinced in his own mind.” (Rom. 14:5)

Being the author of a Christian book on finances and managing a blog along the same lines, I run into an array of reactions regarding the practice of “tithing”. One thing that is consistent, however, is a heated comment something like: “STOP telling Christians to tithe!  Tithing is a legalistic, Old Testament Law that gets pushed on believers. Under the grace of the new covenant, God desires us to give with our hearts as the Spirit leads us.” This is quite a loaded statement, and I believe it well worth taking a moment to unpack it.

Naturally, we should look to what the Bible says about tithing under the new covenant. Oh, if only it were that easy!  Simply put, the New Testament does not directly confirm or refute the tithe. We cannot, with certainty, say the Biblical argument lies on one side of the fence or the other (continuing or abandoning the tithe). What we can say, however, is that the New Testament commands Christians to give generously, liberally, sacrificially, secretively, willingly, and proportionally (and all of this from a pure heart).

So is the anger towards the concept of tithing justified? Perhaps. I believe the person that is angered at the continued teaching of the tithe because it sets the bar too low for the grace giving Christian should be given room to speak.  After all, the commands for the Christian’s giving in the New Testament are a much higher standard than a “10% tithe”.   But is the anger towards tithing really arising from a disappointment that Christians have settled for too low of a standard?

Let’s dig in where the rubber meets the road. Google search it: What percent of Christians tithe? The results of countless surveys are staggering–ranging from as low as 4% and topping out somewhere near 40%. For safe measure, we will place the bar dead center: We will assume that approximately 20% of Christians give 10% or more of their money to the Lord’s work. So, before addressing whether or not we should stop telling Christians to tithe, we must recognize that approximatley 80% of Christians give less than what the tithe requires.  There is a disconnect here. The most common reaction to tithing is resentment based on a Biblical call to give as the New Testament requires, yet the pudding lacks any proof. More and more Christians get offended that churches try to teach the practice of tithing, but the anger (statistically speaking) is much more likely to come from someone who gives far less than a tenth.  Something is amiss.

So what to make of the tithe?

1. First off, I admit that–yes–there are many churches that have taught the concept of tithing incorrectly in a variety of ways (legalistically, under compulsion, etc.). That aside, I find it very difficult–perhaps even impossible–to use the New Testament’s commands for our money to justify giving less than 10% as a long-term lifestyle decision.

2. Secondly, there is nothing wrong, primitive, or legalistic about a Christian deciding to tithe (you can turn any command into legalism). A heart that has sought the Lord with honesty and decided to set apart 10% to God’s work based on the instruction of the Old Testament is doing far more than the average believer.

Continue on in grace and truth. Those of you who are passionate that the tithe is too limiting, too little, too far from the scripture’s high calling–keep on. The church needs more voices like you. Those who are passionately against the continued teaching of the “old testament tithe” but give far less than it requires need to reflect honestly over the following question: “Should someone who gives so little be handing out advice on generosity?” True, Christ has set us free from the Law, but something is amiss when we use our freedom to give less and keep more for ourselves.