To Tithe or Not To Tithe, That is the Question!

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This sermon will look at what the Bible says about tithes & offerings. Specifically what was taught in the OT and what is the responsibility of the NT church.

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1. Old Testament teachings on the topic of Offerings & Tithes.

-The ancient Hebrews would have understood that there was a distinction between offerings and tithes. (Today we often use the words not as strict synonyms but they seem to be be in the same category)
OFFERINGS/SACRIFICES
-The primary sacrifices required by the Old Testament were animal sacrifices. Grain (“cereal”) and wine offerings accompanied almost all offerings of animals.
Allen C. Myers, The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1987), 899.
-There were daily sacrifices (offerings), scarifies made during certain feasts, Sabbath and New Moon Sacrifices
-There were Peace offerings, Thank Offerings, Sin Offerings, firstborn sons
So what was the purpose of the a sacrifice or offering? What was it’s meaning?
Eerdmans Bible Dictionary (D. The Meaning of Sacrifice)
Old Testament sacrifice has been interpreted variously as meaning that the sacrificial animal was a gift appeasing an angry God (cf. 1 Sam. 26:19; 2 Sam. 24:25; Job 42:7–8); that it was a substitute for the worshipper, who symbolically died in presenting the animal; and that it was presented as a meal for God’s consumption.
-The blood of an animal was necessary
Leviticus 17:11 NIV
For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.
Now blood offerings were not the only kinds of offerings but in general we can say
Eerdmans Bible Dictionary D. The Meaning of Sacrifice

The Old Testament represents sacrifice most of all as giving to God, even though it is he who has given to his people all that they have—land, identity, and sustenance

The sacrificial offerings were not for God’s benefit but for ours. Sin whether intentional or accidental result God’s wrath. It’s dangerous for humans to be in the presence of a holy God. So God says in order for this relationship to work this is what have to do.
TITHES
Tithe is a word that means 10%
It was a common practice among many nations in the ancient Middle East. Goods would be given to the deity as an act of worship.
When God instituted the Tithe he provided answers to the what’s, the who’s, where’s and the why’s.
What was required of the Hebrews
Leviticus 27:30 NIV
“ ‘A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord.
Leviticus 27:32 NIV
Every tithe of the herd and flock—every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd’s rod—will be holy to the Lord.
Who receives the tithe?
Numbers 18:21 NIV
“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.
But...
Numbers 18:26 NIV
“Speak to the Levites and say to them: ‘When you receive from the Israelites the tithe I give you as your inheritance, you must present a tenth of that tithe as the Lord’s offering.
Where would tithes to be presented?
Deuteronomy 12:5–6 NIV
But you are to seek the place the Lord your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name there for his dwelling. To that place you must go; there bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, what you have vowed to give and your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks.
ie. Jerusalem.
If hauling your tithe to the place God chose was to far..
Deuteronomy 14:24–25 NIV
But if that place is too distant and you have been blessed by the Lord your God and cannot carry your tithe (because the place where the Lord will choose to put his Name is so far away), then exchange your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the place the Lord your God will choose.
However there was a change up every few years
Deuteronomy 14:28–29 NIV
At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year’s produce and store it in your towns, so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.
Why at tenth?
Goes back to Melchizedek in Gen 14.
Unfortunately God’s instructions were corrupted. We can read about that in Mal 3:8-12
Malachi 3:8–12 NIV
“Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. 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. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty. “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty.
We have to be very careful how we use/understand this text. We don’t want to become guilty of legalism as Jews of Malachi’s day but Jesus also dealt specifically with the principle of Tithing in Matthew 23. Things had gotten out of control and details to the tithe were added that God never gave instructions about.
Matthew 23:23–24 NIV
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

2. How do we know apply Offerings & Tithes in the NT church?

OFFERING
Two things come to mind
Jesus as an offering for sin
Hebrews 9:27–28 NIV
Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
1 Peter 1:18–19 NIV
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
But the idea of offering (in the OT sense of sacrifice) also applies to us.
Romans 12:1–2 NIV
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
But offering also took on the meaning of taking up a financial gift to benefit the poor and the work of the church in Jerusalem.
TITHES
-Mentions in the NT of the tithe mostly appear in Jesus rebukes “woe...”
-Early Church Fathers were divided between those who wanted to avoid legalism and those who saw the parallels between the Jewish and Christian priesthood.
-Modern churches too are divided
Necessary - Legalistic
Necessary - Not Legalistic
Not Necessary - OT only
If I’m going to be 100% honest I think we the church must be very careful to say that a tithe is essential.
Haggai, Malachi (3) Blessing from the Nations (3:12)

The difficulty with trying to apply part of the Old Testament law to Christians is the lack of any biblical substantiation for such a division on the one hand and the biblical teaching regarding the unity of the law on the other hand. Paul in Gal 5:3, for example, declares “to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law” (also Jas 2:10–11). God’s moral absolutes are eternal because they arise from his own character. But how those absolutes are manifest and administered in the different economies of old and new covenants will likely differ. An obvious example is that under the old covenant adultery was not only wrong but was punishable by execution (Lev 20:10). Under the new covenant the absolute prohibition remains, but the penalty apparently does not (Heb 13:4). What can be learned from the Old Testament prohibition is the seriousness and destructiveness of the sin.

Hebrews 13:4 NIV
Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.

3. The best NT teaching in regards to money can be found in 2 Corinthians 8 & 9

A. People within the church is called to be generous. 2 Cor 8:1-2
2 Corinthians 8:1–2 NIV
And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.
Generosity can be subjective…that is it does not a direct reflection of your wealth.
In fact Paul goes on to say
2 Corinthians 9:6 NIV
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
B. Giving is a desirable discipline
2 Corinthians 8:7 NIV
But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.
C. Giving is personal choice
2 Corinthians 9:7 NIV
Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
D. God blesses the Christian for giving NOT because of giving
2 Corinthians 9:11 NIV
You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
E. Finally it results in praise for God
2 Corinthians 9:12–13 NIV
This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.
-And then he says they are going to turn around and pray for you.
Now I see nothing wrong with using a tithe as a guide. It could be a starting point for some or a goal for others. But the NT teaching on money does not focus on an amount but an attitude of generosity. And generosity should be easy for a Christian when we consider how generous God has been with us.
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