Questions About Tithing, Giving, & Stewardship

On these pages, you will find commonly asked questions that are asked about tithing, stewardship, or giving. We are always searching for questions to answer from our readers, so please contact us with your specific questions and we will do our best to answer them. Our goal is to be as objective as possible and use scripture and sound reasoning to provide the best possible answers to your questions.

What Does the Bible Say About Giving Less than 10%?

02/06/12 by Jared Brian 21 Comments

We are starting our series of posts called “Tithing on Trial” and begin with this argument defending tithing.

ARGUMENT #1
There is no place in the Bible where it says to give less than a tithe.

There are plenty of examples in scripture where the Israelites gave an offering or a sacrifice that was less than 10% of their increase. To say that there is no place in the bible where it says to give less than 10% is a closed-minded and ignorant statement.

If we want to get technical about giving, we should remind ourselves that there is no place in the bible where it encourages us to offer less than 100%. If you want to dissect this even further, God doesn’t require us to give back 100%, he requires us to give back 100% plus interest. We can see this concept in the parable of the bags of Gold in Matthew 25:14-30. “…Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest…”

In this parable a master leaves three servants entrusted with his riches while he’s away on a journey. When he comes back, the master finds that two of the servants give back even more than what was given to them, but finds the third servant returning only 100% what he was given. Although this parable is ultimately about lost souls, we can reflect on the implications this has on stewardship in general. This parable shines new light into my heart and brings conviction about how i should truly view stewardship and giving.

9 Occurrences Where Giving Was Less than 10% in the Old Testament

Abraham – Gave from the spoils of war and not a tenth from his own wealth. (Hebrews 7:4)
Israel – They were only required to offer 1/500 of the spoils of war. (Numbers 31:9, 27-29)
The poor – They received but never gave from their gifts. (Nehemiah 10:38)
Occupational income (Not including farming and herding) – Doctors, Lawyers, Carpenters, etc didn’t tithe from their increase. (Leviticus 27)
First fruit offerings – This included a small portion of first of the crop. This was the first offering of the crops as well as the best and was less than a tithe. (Exodus 23:16)
High Priests – The Levites tithed to the house of Aaron, but what did the house of Aaron give from the tithe they received? As far as I know, it wasn’t a tithe. (Numbers 18:8-20)
Temple Tax – Only a half Shekel was used for the maintenance of the Temple. The Bible states, “The rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less” (Exodus 30:13-16)
Herdsmen – Every tenth animal was given as a tithe, this means if a farmer had 9 cows, he was commanded to give 0%. If he had 19 cows, he gave 5.3% etc. (Leviticus 27:30-33)
Promised Land – The Israelites gave no tithes from animals or agriculture they raised outside the promised land of Israel (Deuteronomy 12:5)

A misconception about tithing is the belief that everyone was required to give tithes off everything. The Bible repeatedly clarifies that the tithe was only given from the crops or animals, which means that tithes were not given off of wages earned from other occupational incomes. Bankers, lawyers, doctors, blacksmiths and carpenters did not give a single cent from their occupational income. On the other hand if they garnished an increase from their herds or from their personal crops, they were to give the tenth one to God. One can only conclude that some carpenters may not have tithed at all if they never had crops or animals.

If you read every single bible verse about tithing from the time it was commanded to the end of scripture, you will see that neither money nor other goods were involved in tithing. Even when Jesus spoke to the Pharisees in the New Testament about tithing (Matthew 23), he confirmed that herbs and spices from the garden were to be tithed upon.

Many people also forget that the poor received the tithe; they didn’t give it (Deuteronomy 14:28,29). There is no scripture stating that the poor must give back 10% of what was donated to themselves. As you can see, this is another group of people that not only gave less than 10% of their increase but in reality were benefactors without even being a contributor.

I’m sure there are some of you who think I am looking at tithing legalistically, and I’m focusing on the legalities of the Mosaic law instead of tithing under grace. There is a pre-mosaic example of Abraham’s tithe which didn’t include animals or crops that we can look at. But let’s compare scripture with scripture and really understand whether or not Abraham’s example prior to the law sets the tone for tithing throughout scripture. Let’s read Numbers 31:25-30, “Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: ‘Count up the plunder that was taken–of man and beast–you and Eleazar the priest and the chief fathers of the congregation; and divide the plunder into two parts, between those who took part in the war, who went out to battle, and all the congregation. And levy a tribute for the LORD on the men of war who went out to battle: one of every five hundred of the persons, the cattle, the donkeys, and the sheep; take [it] from their half, and give [it] to Eleazar the priest as a heave offering to the LORD. And from the children of Israel’s half you shall take one of every fifty, drawn from the persons, the cattle, the donkeys, and the sheep, from all the livestock, and give them to the Levites who keep charge of the tabernacle of the LORD.'”

I know it is kind of a lengthy passage, but in summary, God just told Israel to divide the spoils of war in half, take 1/500 of the first half and give it to the family of the high priest, and then take 1/50 of the second-half and give it to the Levites. For those of us who are bad at math, I had a genius figure this out for me, and it seems the Israelites gave 2.005% of the spoils of war to God. So, in other words, this is a clear example where Israel was commanded to give less than 10% of their increase.

Now that the evidence has been given in this court of law, it is your turn to decide; Does the Bible allow less than 10% of your increase- Guilty or not guilty?

YOU BE THE JUDGE

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Tithing on Trial Series

02/02/12 by Jared Brian 5 Comments

I’m going to start writing a series of posts to address common arguments and questions used to promote tithing. These arguments have been listed on the 60+ tithing arguments debunked page, but it is not in a format where I can really go into detail. This series of posts are going to be called the “Tithing on Trial” series. As I hear arguments used to promote tithing in the Church, I will address them in this series. On the side menu, you can see a link under the categories for ‘Questions About Tithing’. If you click it in the future, you will see a comprehensive list of posts that address each and every argument to promote tithing.

Here are a few of the pro-tithing questions that are used to argue for the practice of tithing:

How Many Tithes Did Israel Pay in the Bible?

12/15/11 by Jared Brian 47 Comments

One of the most often debated topics within the tithing discussions is how many tithes were in the bible. There are multiple viewpoints on how many tithes there were, but I will contrast the two main ones. First, there is a tithing system that was an accumulative of 10% of the total increase, and second, there was a three tithes system, which included a second as well as a third tithe that was every three years totaling up to 23-30%. I agree that there were multiple tithes given throughout the year, so I don’t disagree with a three tithe system. Although I do disagree that the Israelites gave over 10% of their increase. Here are the reasons why I believe Israel only gave 10%, not 23%.

A Tithe Means 10%

Right off the bat, 23% has an uphill battle in its defense. Obviously, 23% is not a tithe. At the very core of the tithing definition, a tithe means 10%. If I gave God 23% of my increase, then I am not tithing, and we cannot call it a tithe. Let’s illustrate this. If you and I were in a business partnership and we had an agreement for each of us to take 10% of the profit, could either one of us take an additional 10% from our profits and still have a valid agreement? The answer is, no. Once we’ve both taken more than 10% of our increase for the year, then we no longer have a tithing agreement.

A Single Tithe is Complex Enough

Regardless of where anyone stands on this subject, most of us agree that the bible is vague about this complex matter in the first place. Now take into account the more complex matter of giving 23%, which involves questionable algorithms. With a three tithe (23%) system there would arise an exponential amount of ‘fill in the blanks’. For instance…
… How would one go about giving the second or third tithe of his harvest that he’s already stored, sold, or eaten?
… If some of it was stolen or lost in a fire, do you tithe on the original harvest, or on what’s left . . . if anything?

Can you see some of the trouble we’ve run into? We’ve just made a very ambiguous single tithing system ten times worse. Let’s go back to our business illustration. After our business partners have withdrawn the first 10%, and have decided to then withdraw another 10%; is the second 10% debited off the original value of their increase, or do they debit 10% off the already decreased value (80%)? If we truly believe that they gave 23-30%, then this opens up Pandora’s box and a plethora of additional complexities arise, which are not even remotely addressed in the bible. Something just doesn’t fit when this multifarious task is extremely disproportionate to the minute amount of details given.

The best way to simplify giving 23-30% and dispersing one-third of it multiple times a year, is to order Israel to separate 30% out immediately when they are harvesting. The problem is that the bible doesn’t tell them to separate 30% of their harvest out. It says the tenth one is holy, and to take only the tenth one out and give it.

One Tithe was Sufficient Enough

I read a book titled, “Eating Sacred Cows” written by Graeme Carle. In this book the author explains through the census records in the bible that the Levites consisted 7% (some argue less than 4%) of the total population of Israel. How can 7% of the population receive more than 10% of the food? Because of this numerical imbalance, the Levites would have had 3x-4x more food than they needed if there were multiple tithes. We can take the number of Levites and compare with the rest of the Israelite population, and KNOW that one tithe alone should have been sufficient; this is without mentioning firstfruits, offerings, spoils of war, and also the increase in animals that were born under Levitical possession.

One Tithe was Spread Throughout the Year

A possible explanation of why there is so much confusion about multiple tithes is that some have not taken into account that there were multiple harvests throughout the year, resulting in multiple occasions of tithing. Because most of us are not farmers, we don’t know that figs, barley, wheat, olives, and various other agriculture were not harvested at the exact same time in the year. I found a Jewish calendar that has the times of year that different produce was harvested. Here is a summary

Barley Harvested in 1st & 2nd Months
Wheat harvested in 3rd & 4th months
Grapes, figs, walnuts & olives were harvested in the 5th month
Vegetables, cotton, & pomegranate’s harvested in the 6th month
Rice harvest 8th month
Winter figs & citrus harvested in the 11th month
Flax harvested in 12th month.

2 Chronicles 31:7 is an account of the Israelites harvesting for 4 months and storing the tithe which leaves room for three general harvest periods throughout the year. If multiple harvests throughout the year would result in multiple opportunities to tithe, maybe this would clear up confusion about the number of tithes there actually were. This would conclude that a tithe still is 10%, simplify the tithing system, and prevent too much waste.

It doesn’t make sense to reserve a tithe from each harvest period throughout the year to be given as a lump-sum at the end. So, I would disagree with those who say there was only one tithe, once a year.

The Feast of Tabernacles is when Israel brought their tithe to have a celebration in the seventh month, which was prior to the rice, figs, citrus, & flax harvest. These crops still had to be harvested and still had to be tithed upon. so it’s obvious there were multiple tithes in a year.

What is the Year of Tithing?

Deuteronomy 14:28 – At the end of [every] third year you shall bring out the tithe of your produce of that year and store [it] up within your gates.

Most people explain that the third year tithe is an additional 10% added onto the 20% of tithes that are given every year, and is repeated the third and sixth years in-between sabbaticals. There are a few things to be aware of. One, many translations of the Bible interpret the phrase “[every] three years” while inserting the word “every” for clarification. The problem is that the word “every” is not in the original Hebrew. In the other 300 instances in the bible, the same Hebrew is not translated “every three years”.

There is one instance in the bible that has the phrase every three years. in 2 Chr. 9:21, “For the king’s ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram: every three years once came the ships of Tarshish ...” The Hebrew word (echad) is in 2 Chr. 9:21 and by definition it means ‘each, every’. So the translation in 2 Chr. is correct in implying a three year recurring event.

The second point here is significant in understanding the “Year of Tithing”. Let’s read Leviticus 25:20-22 “And if you say, “What shall we eat in the seventh year, since we shall not sow nor gather in our produce?” ‘Then I will command My blessing on you in the sixth year, and it will bring forth produce enough for three years. And you shall sow in the eighth year, and eat old produce until the ninth year; until its produce comes in, you shall eat [of] the old [harvest].

Every Seventh year, Israel had a sabbatical where they did not tithe, grow crops, nor tend the field. So, in Leviticus 25, God states he would bless them so much in the sixth year that their increase would last the next three years. Three years is a lot of food and a long time, but if you read closely in Leviticus 25 there was a reason for it. Israel did not eat from their crops again until the ninth year. This means there were two consecutive years (7th and 8th) where they did not tithe because there was nothing to harvest yet. BUT, the third year, which is the year they began tithing again is when God said their produce would come in . This is why it is called the year of tithing.

Most people assume that there was only one year without the agricultural tithe, but there were two years without tithing, which was followed by the third year when they commenced tithing again. Hence the “Year of Tithing”.

It’s a Forty-Nine Year Cycle, Not a Seven Year Cycle

I need to also address another aspect about the year of tithing, that hopefully can be explained clearly.

The conventional thinking is that the ‘year of the tithe’ was the third and sixth year within a seven-year period, and this cycle reset and recurred every seven years. The problem is that everyone assumes that the “year(s) of tithing” was reset after the sabbatical year. If we are to interpret the scripture saying that Israel was to tithe every three years, then all indications should point to the fact that they were to tithe every three years within the standard 49-year cycle. There is no scriptural indication that “every three years” is only within the confines of the seven-year cycle. The sabbatical year did not reset the clock for the “year of tithing”. If scripture wanted Israel to give every 3rd and 6th year, then it would not have implied in succession – without being reset.

It comes down to the interpretations of these translations. It’s the difference between saying, “Every three years” and saying, “On the third year”. The former indicates that the clock doesn’t reset and it is a recurring pattern. The latter indicates that it is a one-time event but still allows it to reset. The year of tithing cannot reset every seven years and also establish itself as a recurring, successive event. There is no scriptural precedence to indicate otherwise. The two train of thoughts here are:|

It’s every third year in a seven-year period
It’s every third year in succession.

The Sabbath comes every seven years in succession. So, if the year of tithing were to simply repeat every three years, it would recur just like the Sabbath – in succession. It wouldn’t only be the 3rd and 6th year. If it told you to give me a $1000 every seven years and then $300 every three years, in what world are you living in that you would assume that you should reset the clock when I want my $300? How do i know it was a 49-year cycle, not a cycle that reset every seven years? Because of Leviticus 25:22, “And you shall sow in the eighth year, and eat old produce until the ninth year; until its produce comes in, you shall eat of the old harvest.“

Here is a chart that shows how it would look if the “year of tithing” came in succession, regardless of how the sabbatical fell.

As I stated before, the year of tithing is just the third year after having no harvest for the prior two years. It is definitely different than the other tithes mentioned in the bible. The year of the tithe was laid within the city gates and was for the Levites, poor, and strangers. Normally, the tithe was stored within the Levitical cities and distributed from there. The year of the tithe may have been distributed uniquely because the infrastructure of the welfare system may have been over-flooded due to the desperation of being without a harvest for 2 years. That is just speculation since the scripture doesn’t give any reason why it’s unique.

I don’t want to throw in another wrench in the mix of things here, but it could be that the “year of tithing” passage is mistranslated in scripture. The passage could mean that it’s the “third tithe in the year”. Or it could mean “After the third tithe in the year”.

I know I went into the ‘year of tithing’ a little deeper, but it’s important to dig into the details sometimes. Ultimately, I’m not really dogmatic about my observations. It could have been the 3rd and also the 6th year. The only thing that makes sense about having it both the 3rd and 6th year is the opportunity to provide welfare for the poor for an extra year; but then again, it still doesn’t make up for the other two other years without the extra tithe.

Other Great Points

Here are just some roadblocks that come to mind when I try to defend the three tithes (20% or more) position.

How would a farmer survive for the sabbatical if he were to tithe 30% on the sixth year; as well as give 10% to the king, pay government taxes, give sacrificial offerings, and actually leave parts of their land ungleaned?
There is no reference for Israel to save up 30% in the third year
Jewish Rabbis disagree on the number of tithes
In Leviticus 27:32 God said to count 1 out of every 10. I’m not sure how that comes out to 30%.
It is called the ‘year’ of the tithe, not ‘years’ (plural) of the tithe. If it were both the third and sixth year, then it would be called the “years of the tithe”. But if it only occurred once during a seven-year cycle, then it is appropriately called “The year of the tithe”. We also know that the 7th year was the year of release.
In order to maintain giving away 20-30% of their increase in flocks, the birth rate of their animals would need to be higher in order to have growth of their animal population.
Why call it “the year of tithing” when Israel tithed all the other years?
The Bible doesn’t say count every three years “within the 7-year period” that is all assumption.

Conclusion

When people ask how many tithes did Israel pay in the Bible, the answer is that there were multiple harvests Israel tithed on for different occasions, but it only equaled 10% of their total increase. We can make things pretty complicated. so that’s why I like to keep it simple and use the literal interpretation if there’s a perfectly good explanation.

Some people are adamant about tithing to equal 23% because of two ulterior motives. First, to encourage you to gladly give a 10% minimum because Israel had it worse – as if we’ve dodged a bullet. Second, to demonstrate that we’re not tithing correctly anyway, so it shouldn’t be required for the Church. These conclusions are quite possibly red herrings that established preconceived notions.

Trying to determine when the animal farmers gave and when the fruit farmers gave and when the grain farmers gave and how much they saved and did they give 10%, 23%, or 30% takes too much effort because we find ourselves digging for little secrets hidden in the bible that aren’t actually there.

Simple fact – Israel gave only 10% of their increase. TOTAL
Simple fact – They didn’t give their tithe the same way, nor did they give it at the same time or place each year.

The very first command on tithing explains the general concept. No matter how complex it gets later in scripture, the extra variations cannot deviate from the original landscape.

Lev. 27 And all the tithe of the land, Whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s. And concerning the tithe of the herd or the flock, of whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to the Lord.

Since then, we’ve taken all the other complexities of Israel’s calendar, feasts, and infrastructure and kept adding stipulations, and variations convoluting the whole thing; which when first mentioned in scripture was very simple.

So, what I believe is that Israel divided 10% of their increase into multiple payments throughout the year. I’m not saying that I have given the final answer to the single tithing system, but in my view, the three tithes theory sprouts even more conflicts and questions than it even begins to solve. So, for now, I stick with it. Figuring out the amount and types of tithes is not one of those issues that people get into heated arguments about. Truthfully, aside from misinterpreting scripture, it doesn’t really matter to me if I’m wrong about this issue. But nonetheless, I have devoted a lot of time studying the intricacies of the tithing system and I feel it helps me understand God’s word just a tad more.

What do you have to say about this issue? Do you feel I am wrong, or is there anything you have learned?

Should I Tithe Off the Gross or Net?

09/27/10 by Jared Brian 7 Comments

I’ve heard this question too often: Should I tithe on the gross or net? The conventional answer often given in church is: Do you want God to bless you on the gross or net? I’m not a conventional type of person, so I’m not going to give you that answer. The answer is you should not tithe off the gross or the net. Tithing is not required, so there is no reason to worry about the gross or net.

Do we find ourselves asking this type of question when we seek other ways to worship God? Do you calculate how much time you should spend with God once you’ve subtracted time for work, sleeping, and eating? Does it seem a little strange to you that we are legalistic about giving on the gross or net when we aren’t this legalistic about any other area of our service toward God? Seriously, what kind of standards do you have about praying? Come on, I would think we should have some sort of time minimum with praying, right? Ok, well, what about reading the bible? That’s like God’s letter directly written for you. I would think we should have some sort of calculation to help us figure out how much to read. No? Ok, well, what about serving? If no one serves, who will do what needs to be done for church? Shouldn’t we need some sort of minimum standard for how much you should serve in church?

We are beings that have been born again in his Spirit, so naturally, we should be led and instructed by the Holy Spirit on how to give. We should not let petty percentages dictate how our love is worked out. I am a married man, and if i gave to my wife the way most people give to God, then our marriage would be dead. Our God is alive and he speaks to us. It’s about time we start acting like it with Spirit-led, sacrificial giving instead of this monotonous, mechanical, automated, impersonal, habitual, routine we call tithing.

I’m sorry . . . did I offend some of you? Were you looking for some answer to whether or not you should tithe on the gross or net? Well, you aren’t going to get it here. Gimme a break, has our worship towards God become so religious that we cannot see how mechanical our relationship with God has become? We give like a bunch of pagans. Hold on, maybe I’m not clear as to what I’m saying . . . . tithing is paganism. Go ahead, whip out Malachi 3, Leviticus 27, and Matthew 23.

What would you do if you heard of a group of people sacrificing sheep in the woods today? The first thing that would come to your mind is some sort of witch cult. Yet, this very practice is completely biblical. As a matter of fact, Abraham sacrificed sheep. So why is tithing paganism? Well, for starters, all religions or cults give no differently to their own gods than we give to ours. Second, tithing was an old testament ritual just like animal sacrifices. Third, tithing was practiced by pagan cultures, such as the Egyptians and Babylonians prior to Abraham.

A huge difference between Buddha and Yahweh is that our God is not made of metal or wood. Our God is alive, and yet, we are satisfied with giving to our God as if he has nothing to say. Imagine if I gave my wife the same thoughtless gift every year and never asked her what she wanted. Don’t you think my wife wants me to ask her, and also has her own wishes? What makes you think that God is satisfied with this impersonal type of giving as well? God didn’t tear the veil so that we can continue old testament practices that permit us to ignore the direct channel we have to the holy room of God.

When you drive by a graveyard, you will see hundreds of flowers sitting on top of everyone’s grave. Do you see jewelry, clothes, a watch, shoes, vacation tickets, or a pedicure coupon? No. Because giving flowers, just like everyone else, is the only way we know how to express love to a dead person. We don’t know what they want, nor have we been in touch with them to even instinctively understand what they desire. This is because they are dead! Our relationship with a dead person is all one-sided. We can talk to them, but they don’t talk back. This sounds a lot like how Christians want their God to be. We want him to hear when we need something; other than that we hope He stays dormant.

When I see the plate passed around in church it is much like watching people visiting their loved ones in the graveyard. They all come with the same gift in hand because tithing seems to be the universally accepted gift for someone who’s been dead to us all week.

If you don’t agree with what I’m saying about tithing, just look at how most tithers give offerings above and beyond. Because of my past experience, I would venture to say some of you give a couple of extra percentage points above the tithe into the offering plate. If you were like me, you gave 11% to make sure that extra percent covers any oversight in calculating your tithe, and to provide you the opportunity to give that cheerful offering above the tithe.

Although we define offerings as Spirit led giving, there is no philosophical difference between tithing and offerings because we still mimic the same mechanical procedure we had with tithing. Technically, the only difference we see between Spirit led giving and tithing is what is typed on a calculator or planned in our budget. For those of you who don’t calculate your offering above the tithe, don’t think you are off the hook, because I would venture to guess that your offering above the tithe is much like throwing darts blindfolded.

Some of us even think giving is like throwing gifts into the center of a volcano in hopes to appease the angry god from spewing out his wrath on our little village.

In the end, instead of acting like children worshiping a living God; tithing has taught us nothing but to be good little disciplined pagans. Sorry for those who thought they were getting an answer about tithing on the gross or net.

Bible Verses About Christians Debating

08/16/10 by Jared Brian 28 Comments

I had someone write an email to me about why we Christians should have no reason to debate the word of God. The irony of it is it’s ok, to debate about whether we should debate?

Here are a few bible verses that I picked up on a small study on whether Christians should debate. I could use more bible verses, so if you wish, post more verses on debating in the comments, and i will add them here.

Acts 18:28
For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.

2 Timothy 3:16
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

1 Peter3:15
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and [be] ready always to [give] an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

2 Timothy 4:2
Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.

1 John 4:1
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

1 Thessalonians 5:21
Test all things; hold fast to what is good.

Philippians 1:17
But the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel.

Proverbs 25:9
Debate your case with your neighbor, And do not disclose the secret to another;

Acts 19:8-10
And he went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading concerning the things of the kingdom of God.
But when some were hardened and did not believe, but spoke evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them and withdrew the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus.
And this continued for two years, so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.

Did Jesus Fulfill the Law?

05/28/10 by Jared Brian 21 Comments

In Matthew 5:17 Jesus states, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.“

Frankly, it’s tiring to hear this verse being used, abused, misused, and misinterpreted. When most people use this verse to defend tithing they have no clue what that verse means. When people point to that verse, their purpose is to say, “Look here! See . . . I told you that Jesus wasn’t throwing out the law; He was actually confirming it.”

I get all fidgety because ignorance requires a great measure of restraint. I just wanna shake them, slap them, and scream until my blood vessels are bulging from my eyeballs! Most use Matthew 5:17 to say that Jesus didn’t come to destroy tithing, Jesus fulfilled tithing. This is stated as if Jesus was trying to say that he wanted us to continue obeying all the laws just because he didn’t destroy them.

People only whip this verse out to defend some sort of biblical pet peeve of theirs. Would most people use this verse to defend their stance on stoning children, circumcision, or clean meats? Obviously not. Call it hypocrisy, or inconsistency; I don’t care. Just don’t classify their behavior as a clear, mental state.

Truthfully, I hate when arguments about tithing always whittle down to debates about obeying, defining, and fulfilling the law. I don’t claim to have it all figured out; but to me, if we’re still arguing about the law 2000 years later, we might as well pack our bags and leave the argument. It’s quite laborious and somewhat embarrassing to actually be in a conversation about what Jesus meant when he came to fulfill the law.

Do I really need to take the time to explain why ‘do not kill’ is irrelevant because ‘do not hate’ has always existed? Do I really need to explain that although Jesus emphasized ‘do not hate’ in the New Testament, this doesn’t mean He was raising the standards? Do i really need to give the difference between eternal laws, compared to civil and ceremonial laws? Do I need to explain to you why giving 10% is just as effective as circumcision is? Seriously? Do I really?

Did Jesus fulfill the law? Of course, he did. What did Jesus mean when he said, ‘fulfill’? Here’s a short synopsis of the definition of fulfill from blueletterbible.org

To make full
To complete
To carry through to the end
To accomplish

What part of the definition of fulfill makes a strong case to continue or confirm tithing? I seem to get the feel of termination from the words ‘complete’, ‘end’, and ‘accomplish’. I’ve used this analogy before, so I’ll use it again. Let’s say I gave you an empty bucket, and I wanted you to use it to gather rainwater. Once the bucket was full, could you continue to use it to gather more rainwater? You would either need to get a new bucket or empty that one out. Filling the bucket up wouldn’t abolish the purpose of that bucket, it would just abolish your reason to continue its use.

Romans 7:4 states, “My brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another“

So, did Jesus fulfill the law? I’m not saying I have it all figured out, but my final question to you is, which bucket are you still carrying around? The one that’s full or the one that needs to be filled?