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Did Jesus Fulfill or Destroy Tithing?

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As we continue our ‘Tithing on Trial’ series, we will evaluate the most common tithing arguments used to defend its practice.

When many inquire how authoritative the Mosaic laws are at governing the Church, a portion of Matthew 5:17 is invoked, which states that Jesus fulfilled the Law for us. This seems to end the Law’s jurisdiction over the Church. Although, when it comes to the authority of tithing over the Church, many invoke a more complete version of Matthew 5:17, which states, that Jesus did not come to destroy but to fulfill the Law. Now a very simple interpretation becomes convoluted. So, let’s inquire about what it means for tithing when Jesus said he did not come to destroy, but to fulfill.

Jesus did not come to destroy the Law – there’s no argument there. So let’s focus on what he did when he fulfilled the law. We have an article dedicated to defining what fulfill means. 

I don’t want to rehash everything that’s written in the article, but to use that illustration imagine you have two buckets that are both supposed to be filled with water. If one bucket was filled to the brim and the other bucket was empty, which bucket would you say had fulfilled its purpose? Which bucket would you say cannot be used anymore to gather more water? Would either bucket need to be destroyed for any reason? The answer is obvious.

All that Jesus was saying is that the old bucket is used up and can no longer be used to gather more water. The new bucket can be used and has replaced the old bucket. Jesus did not destroy anything. 

The Old Testament is still relevant to us. It offers glimpses of God’s promises and his truth. There are thousands of other reasons why Jesus did not destroy the Law. Fulfilling the Law can be like paying a doctor’s bill. You can pay a bill and fulfill the obligation for it, but that doesn’t mean the bill didn’t exist or the evidence of your medical treatment didn’t exist. The bill isn’t destroyed just because you paid it. Fulfilling the obligation doesn’t mean the obligation is continuously ongoing. 

The same is true for us. Fulfilling the law has nothing to do with confirming its practice in the church. If Jesus came to continue the law for us, we are going to be in trouble because we would be bringing back a lot more than tithing. 

The answer is yes, Jesus fulfilled tithing, but it doesn’t mean to continue. He completed its purpose for us, so we should not continue to fulfill tithing for ourselves. Let’s not cherry-pick verses in the bible to encourage the usage of certain Laws that we want to fit into the church. 

You Be The Judge

Now it’s time for the jury to weigh in:

Did Jesus Continue Tithing for us by Fulfilling the Law?

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Should We Ignore Tithing in the Old Testament?

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As we continue our series ‘Tithing on Trial’, let’s evaluate another argument used to defend tithing.

ARGUMENT #3
All Scripture is profitable, so we can’t ignore tithing in the Old Testament.

2 Timothy 3:18 states this, “All Scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness“

If this passage applied to half of the Mosaic laws in the Old Testament (OT), I’d be okay with using it in this context; but considering how 2 Timothy 3:18 is not a common source used to validate any of the other 600+ Mosaic laws, then using this verse to defend a single OT law makes one look desperate.

If we really believed that 2 Timothy 3:18 can be used to defend tithing then there are many other OT laws that would drastically change how the Church functions today. Here are a few examples below

  • Deuteronomy 23:2 would not allow illegitimate children into Church services.
  • Exodus 21:20-21 would allow us to own slaves as property and beat them within an inch of taking their life.
  • Leviticus 19:19 would not allow you to wear clothing made with polyester and cotton nor spandex mixed with silk.
  • Leviticus 21:5 would not allow ministers to shave any part of their head. Maybe this included the beard ( i don’t know? )
  • Leviticus 21:16-23 would not allow anyone with a physical defect to give offerings.
  • Numbers 8:24 would not allow ministers to serve in the Church for more than 25 years.
  • Leviticus 20:9-10 would sentence rebellious children and adulterers to death.

I think you get my point now.

How Profitable is the Old Testament Law?

Galatians 3:24-25 states, “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster [to bring us] unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.“

Although our schoolmaster is retired and we are not longer following the law as our master, this does not render the Old Testament useless. There are many other universal principles that can be taught through the Old Testament, but the ordinances were nailed to the cross and left there

Colossians 2:14 “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross”

Although Old Testament laws were taken out of the way, this doesn’t mean there aren’t principles to be found within the practice of them. We can find universal principles taught in the New Testament with references to Old Testament laws. Circumcision, altar sacrifices, and burning incense are all referenced in the New Testament. Here are some scriptural references of how Old Testament laws are applicable in the New Testament

  • Colossians 2:11 In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,
  • Hebrews 13:15 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.
  • Philippians 4:18 Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God.

We know that neither circumcision, nor sacrifices need to be enforced in order to teach principles behind the matter. In regards to tithing, we can read that tithing is neither a necessary nor exclusive practice used to teach principles of stewardship.

What does the New Testament say about giving?

Here’s a concise list of passages in the New Testament that describe how giving should be administered throughout the Church.

  • 1 Corinthians 16:2 On the first [day] of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.
  • 2 Corinthians 9:7 [So let] each one [give] as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity;
  • Romans 12:6-13 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, [let us use them]:…he who gives, with liberality…distributing to the needs of the saints
  • 2 Corinthians 8:1-8 …their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. For I bear witness that according to [their] ability, yes, and beyond [their] ability, [they were] freely willing,  imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints…. I speak not by commandment, but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others.
  • 2 Corinthians 8:12-14 For if there is first a willing mind, [it is] accepted according to what one has, [and] not according to what he does not have. For [I do] not [mean] that others should be eased and you burdened; but by an equality, [that] now at this time your abundance [may supply] their lack, that their abundance also may [supply] your lack–that there may be equality.

After reading the above passages you will see that there is nothing to advocate tithing in the New Testament. Although, I have bolded some words above to emphasize how giving should be influenced. You will see phrases such as- ‘liberality’, ‘freely willing’, and ‘not by commandment’. This form of giving in the New Testament does not fit with the form of giving found in the Old Testament, so this puts us in a bit of a quandary if we wish to honor the whole scripture.

Ignoring the Cross

I think people get all messed up on this issue because they ignore the cross. It’s not about ignoring the Old Testament or the New, it’s about Calvary. The greatest example we have of giving found throughout the entire bible should answer this question for us. The ironic thing is that neither of us have doubts about whether we ought to be praying or reading more even though I don’t see anyone enforcing a minimum amount of praying or the minimum amount of bible reading.  When we reflect on what Jesus did for us, we challenge ourselves to pray and read more. Some of us may incorporate personal benchmarks that help us perform this duty, but these benchmarks all vary and have different effects for everyone.

When scripture said pick up our cross and to give up our lives as a sacrifice, I don’t believe that he meant for us to legalize the process with our petty milestones.

Now that the evidence has been given in this court of law, it is your turn to decide; Can we ignore tithing in the Old Testament – guilty or not guilty?

YOU BE THE JUDGE

Tithing Vs. Other Laws Prior to Moses

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Luke 5:36-38 “Then He spoke a parable to them: “No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined.”

When you look at tithing, you see it before the Law, during the Law, and after the Law. This seems to establish a solid case to continue tithing as a principle for the Church. But should all these occurrences of tithing be used to support a universal tithing principle? There are five other ordinances that were also practiced prior to the Law but were torn down with the veil during Calvary – the Sabbath, clean animals, sacrifices, circumcision, & slavery. Let’s examine these four ordinances to understand why tithing was the only the law that found its way into mainstream, Church practices.

I play the devils advocate in this post, so please keep in mind that i’m not trying to convince you to obey these five ordinances; I’m just trying to prove that there’s less biblical support to obey tithing then there is to obey these other five laws that appear pre-Mosaic law, during the law, and in the New Testament.

The Sabbath

Pre Mosaic law

Genesis 2:3 “Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.“

The sabbath was ingrained in the fabric of the universe. If there is any law that should sustain its place in the Church’s totem pole of universal principles, the sabbath should be it. Wouldn’t you think? The bible says that God, “sanctified” it, which means to make holy.

During the Law

Most of us are familiar with the 10 commandments, and also realize that the Sabbath was included.

Exodus 20:8 says, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.“

We continue to honor the other 9 commandments that were also written on the same stone, but we’ve managed to chisel out this commandment without blinking an eye. Some advocates fight long, hard, legal battles to post the 10 commandments in public places; but we’ve forgotten that the law has been fulfilled, or we’ve decided to publicly post our hypocrisy because we plainly dishonor the fourth command.

In the New Testament

Hebrews 4:4 reiterates the meaning of the Sabbath.

“For he spake in a certain place of the seventh [day] on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.“

If you are not getting it yet, the Sabbath is supposed to be honored on Saturday, not Sunday.

The Sabbath seems to establish itself as a principle we should continue, except for one obvious thing – we don’t continue it. Is it because there’s one measly little passage in Colossians 2 that  doesn’t abolish it

Colossians 2:16-17 states, “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath [days]: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body [is] of Christ.“

Colossians 2 does not say anything about stopping it.

In the New Testament, there’s no command to stop the Sabbath, but we do see a few examples where people met on Sunday to worship God.  The funny thing is that tithing mirrors the same formula in the New Testament because there are no commands to stop tithing, but we do see examples of freewill, Spirit-led giving.

The Sabbath was embedded in the very laws of creation and reiterated long after the crucifixion. We even see literal examples of Paul honoring and practicing the Sabbath in Acts 13, 17, & 18, as well as Jesus teaching on the Sabbath. Tithing was not introduced in creation nor was it written in the 10 commandments, nor do we see it practiced by Paul or Jesus. Yet we defend tithing as if it was inserted as an eleventh commandment, created on the eighth day, and given by Jesus and Paul in an inspired epistle.

Summary: The Sabbath began during creation, and was sanctified. It was one of the 10 commandments. It was honored by Paul and also by Jesus, and there is no command to stop it.

Clean & Unclean Animals

Pre Mosaic Law

This is an early Old Testament law that most people actually overlook. Amazing how easy something is to overlook when there’s no money involved. Anyway, let’s read Genesis 7:2

“You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male and his female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his female”

If you are not familiar, that passage is talking about Noah separating the clean animals from the unclean. I feel that the clean animal law is most similar to the tithing law in that there’s no command prior to Noah’s practice; just like you don’t see any command to tithe prior to Abraham’s tithing practice.

Many feel that tithing may have been a command prior to Abraham because of his intuition to automatically give it, so should we assume the same about clean animals? It would seem that Noah instinctively understood it was a command.

During the Law

Leviticus 27:27 “And if it is an unclean animal, then he shall redeem it according to your valuation, and shall add one-fifth to it; or if it is not redeemed, then it shall be sold according to your valuation.“

Yes, I have posted this verse on purpose to insert a little irony, because this passage comes a few sentences prior to the mention of tithing. There are great principles to glean from the separation of clean and unclean animals. Many people have followed the Old Testament biblical diet and have benefited well from it. There are also spiritual principles we can glean from them as well. Are these benefits good enough to honor clean animals as a continuing principle within the Church? Maybe we should ask ourselves whether or not benefits are great causes to make tithing (or anything else for that matter) a continuing principle?

In the New Testament

Clean and unclean animals are also distinguished in Revelation as well.

Revelation 18:2, “Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!’She has become a dwelling for demons and a haunt for every impure spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal”.

I would consider it a strong sign if I found a law written in Genesis and then confirmed in Revelation. I’m not trying to confuse your beliefs about clean or unclean animals here, but if I were to follow the laws of tithing instead of following the laws of clean animals, I would be doing so with less biblical support. Clearly, the antiquity and longevity of clean animals in the bible supersedes the antiquity and longevity of tithing.

Summary: It is the only law that is referenced at the beginning of Genesis and then again at the end of Revelation. The separation of clean animals contains examples of both natural and spiritual wisdom.

Sacrifices

Pre Mosaic Law

The first sacrifice was initiated shortly after the fall of man in Genesis –  years and years prior to the advent of Abraham. Most believe that God made the first sacrifice when he made coats of skin for Adam & Eve. But nonetheless, we see their two sons bringing an offering in Genesis 4:3-4

“And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering“

Sacrifices were practiced so early that the bible has not made any mention yet of a priest, nor of clean animals, nor of circumcision.

During the Law

Exodus 29:28 “It shall be from the children of Israel for Aaron and his sons by a statute forever. For it is a heave offering; it shall be a heave offering from the children of Israel from the sacrifices of their peace offerings, that is, their heave offering to the LORD.“

One thing to remember that not all the sacrifices and offerings were done for atonement of sins, or sanctification. Many offerings were just given as thanks to God. It was a harmless, freewill, non-legalistic action that represented their thankfulness towards God.

In the New Testament

Since we don’t have a priesthood that continues to offer earthly sacrifices, why must we continue tithing as if it still does exist? Most of us acknowledge that Jesus was announced as the ultimate sacrifice (Hebrews 10:12), which is a solid reason to cease animal sacrifices.

Although we have no need for earthly sacrifices nor earthly priests, we are still bringing our tithe into something we think is the storehouse temple, and paying someone we think is the a resemblance of the priesthood.

Let’s look at this in another way. Symbolically, Jesus holds two titles – He is both a high priest and also the Lamb of God. Not only does his dual status represent him as the sacrifice being presented but also as the priest receiving it. So if Jesus dual status does not require animals sacrifices anymore, how can his simple title as high priest require tithing?

I don’t know? Maybe it’s okay to practice sacrifices and tithing without all the legalistic stuff attached? With Spiritual liberty, we don’t need to pay attention to all the details behind the tithing and sacrificial laws. We should be able to follow the examples that came before the law, and then mold them both to fit our culture. This should be okay with God.

Summary: Sacrifices were offered prior to the establishment of a priesthood. Many sacrifices were optional and offered through one’s grace. God’s continuing priesthood does not command the continuation of sacrifices.

Circumcision

Pre Mosaic Law

Genesis 17:13 “He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.“

This sacrament, established as an everlasting token from God, was ended in the New Covenant. It was a command by God to keep in remembrance he made with his covenant with Abraham. A covenant that we benefit from today. . .

During the Law

Leviticus 12:3 “And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.“

If you read in Exodus 12:48, you even see that when strangers were brought into the household, and wanted to become a native of the land and participate in the Passover, they had to be circumcised. I may be incorrect in my assumption here, but it would seem that even Gentiles were circumcised in this case. Many of the Old Testament laws restricted the Gentiles from participating in Jewish rituals, but circumcision was not one of those laws.

My point is that this law didn’t just pertain to the Jews, it also included the Gentiles. This makes circumcision extraordinary since it was not constrained within the ‘physical‘ lineage of Abraham, but instead it was truly practiced within the ‘spiritual’ lineage of Abraham.

Romans 4:16 states, “Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all“

In the Old Testament, Whether or not you were a direct descendant or a Spiritual child of Abraham, the tithes were only gathered from within the land of Israel. Regardless of the land owners faith, no tithes were collected from the Gentile land. Considering we are a part of the Spiritual lineage of Abraham, I must question how we find ourselves today practicing tithing and not circumcision?

In the New Testament

Galatians 3:7, 14, “Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.” … “that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”

The strange part about circumcision is that it seems to have been relinquished within the Church, but the covenant promise that God passed along to Abraham seems to have continued to benefit us. Why would we inherit the promises given to Abraham but not inherit the everlasting token along with it?

Once again we find Jesus in a conflict with the Pharisees. This time instead of tithing, it’s about the Sabbath and circumcision. The Pharisees were angry with Him about healing on the Sabbath, and Jesus asked them if they would circumcise on the 8th day even if it was a Sabbath? After Jesus’ rebuke, He does not command them to stop circumcising, or to to leave it undone.

Matthew 23:23 – “These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.“

Why wouldn’t Jesus even give a hint that circumcision was irrelevant?

Yes. There are passages in the New Testament that clearly eradicate this practice, but why shouldn’t we adopt this principle due to its beneficial qualities? Circumcision is recommended for hygienic reasons and to prevent infections and diseases. Sure, there are alternatives to circumcision, but why seek out alternatives when we can just adopt such a simple practice for its clear, positive results?

Maybe we adopted tithing because of its ability to pay bills or for its simplistic solution. Or maybe we adopted tithing because we thought liberty doesn’t open the door to alternative styles of giving. Maybe we’ve adopted tithing instead of circumcision because circumcision simply doesn’t bring money. . . Something to think about.

Summary: Circumcision was connected with the promise to Abraham. Gentiles, who adopted the faith within the household of Israel, were circumcised. Jesus did not abolish it. It also has positive benefits.

Slavery

slave

Pre-Mosaic Law

Genesis 9:24-27 When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, he said, “Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.” He also said, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave of Shem. May God extend Japheth’sterritory; may Japheth live in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be the slave of Japheth.”

Genesis 16:1-2 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; 2 so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.”

Abraham, the first to tithe, was a slave owner and slept with the slave to bear a son. Noah, even before him had literally cursed someone into being a slave.

During the Law

Leviticus 25:44 ‘Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves.’

Exodus 22:3 Anyone who steals must certainly make restitution, but if they have nothing, they must be sold to pay for their theft.

Here it is directly God authorizing and giving instructions on slavery.

In the New Testament

Ephesians 6:5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.

Titus 2:9  Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them

If slavery was unbiblical, why would Titus instruct slaves to be subject to their masters and obey them?

Summary: If Slavery was unbiblical then why would there be a command in the New Testament to do something that was against God?  Since the days of Noah, we can see that slavery has been an integral part of society. 

Conclusion

In all the debates over tithing, the most common defense can be summed up into one thought. Tithing came before the Law, was practiced during the Law, and was there after the Law. After comparing the tithe with the other five laws, you ought to be embarrassed if your argument is more powerful in defending sacrifices, clean animals, the Sabbath, circumcision & slavery than it is to defend tithing. Another law that had appearances before, during and after the Mosaic law were slavery was the leverite law, which required the nearest male relative to marry a widow. Maybe we’ll get into that another day.

Although tithing is displayed a principle we must exhibit within the New Testament Church, it is mixed with pieces of cloth that was torn from top to bottom. We have decided to pick up the fragments left over from the torn veil and mend them into the fibers of brand new cloth. Luke 5:36-38

The Church, motivated by grace and influenced by the Holy Spirit, does not need a prosthetic tool to accomplish God’s will.  The gifts of the Spirit were given to empower and equip us with the capabilities to accomplish our mission. God didn’t leave tithing in place so we could attach a pair of prosthetic training wheels. I’m not saying that tools are not helpful, but remember that tools are not part of our spiritual anatomy and cannot be required.

The words of Jesus spoke in John 15:26, “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.“

The word ‘testify’ comes from the word we get ‘martyr’ from. If the Holy Spirit is capable of calling any man to the darkest region of the world, and risk his family and their lives; is He not capable of calling others to ‘testify’ of God through the simple task of giving? Last i checked, authors write books about those who gave their life, not 10%.

Did Jesus Fulfill the Law?

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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

  1. To make full
  2. To complete
  3. To carry through to the end
  4. 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?

When the Lord Departs

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I love the Old Testament. If had to choose which part of scriptures to do without I would choose the New Testament. There are some that probably do not spend much time reading and studying the Old Testament, but I believe that the Old Testament is just as relevant as the New Testament. I think i love it because the Old Testament paints a picture that explains God and his relationship with us in such a magnificent way. One story that came to mind today is Sampson and the Philistines.

Here’s an excerpt of Samson’s story in Judges 15
“When he[Samson] came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting against him. Then the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him; and the ropes that [were] on his arms became like flax that is burned with fire, and his bonds broke loose from his hands. He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, reached out his hand and took it, and killed a thousand men with it.”

The stories of Samson are a man’s man type of story. As a guy, I can really appreciate it. I just envision this guy with Hercules type of strength shredding the ropes off his hands, wiping out a thousand men, and then polishing his nails right after. This guy would make Rambo look like papa smurf. But then you look at Samson a few verses later and you read that as God’s strength leaves his body,  he becomes like every other mortal man.

Then she lulled him to sleep on her knees, and called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him. And she said, “The Philistines [are] upon you, Samson!” So he awoke from his sleep, and said, “I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!” But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him. Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza. They bound him with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison.

As sad as this story seems in the life of Samson, this relates so well to our own lives. The only difference is that it’s not physical strength when the Spirit of the Lord is on me. I would say that we battle a thousand demons in our life every day. This means that a thousand times we need to make sure that the Spirit of God is upon us. There is no room for error or we could find ourselves enslaved and blinded.

P.S. I had intentions of making this relevant to tithing (I know you are thinking of how), but  for once I’m not going to stop there . . . Maybe tomorrow I’ll finish it.

Challenging First Fruit Tithing

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As I was going over some news about tithing and offerings in the church, I noticed how more and more churches are allowing debit and credit card payments for the tithe and offerings. In the back of my mind, I’m wondering what the pastors think about the financial fees that the church pays for using a visa or master card. I’m wondering if they are going to start telling their people to pay 11% of a tithe just to cover the fees. Obviously, the credit card fees are deducted from what the churches receive so that they won’t be receiving a full tenth.

Also, the churches who tithe to other charities from what they receive; I’m wondering whether or not they will be willing to give a tithe from their first fruits (before the finance charges). It would be interesting if they could justify giving a tenth from after the finance charges are taken out, and not justify the congregation from giving a tenth on their net income.

My logic and questioning here sound so bizarre and almost funny, but I guarantee many of the churches have pondered these questions. It blows my mind when tithe teachers say that “we shouldn’t follow the exact law of the old testament tithing, but follow the general rule of giving 10% to the Lord’s work”. It blows my mind because we say that the tithe is a “general” rule but we’ve gotta ask questions about, finance charges, should I do this on net or gross, what about profits, increase, first fruits, at the beginning at the end of the week, how should I, when should I, where should i . .. . in front of the church, behind the church, at the info desk, should I give cash, checks, or credit cards, what about my retirement money, what about my pension, what about my disability, can I give to the church, can I give to my pastor, what about charities, what about my bills, what about my debt workman’s comp, insurance payouts, food stamps, unemployment income, tax returns, rebates, . . . and bla bla bla, and on and on the questions come. Tithing is not a “general” rule or principle for that matter, when you’ve gotta hire a financial guide just to figure out how, when, and where you should tithe.

Even though our leaders have substituted Spiritually empowered giving with an Old Testament law, they still expect the Holy Spirit to intervene.