All the blessings we enjoy are Divine deposits, committed to our trust on this condition, that they should be dispensed for the benefit of our neighbours. - John Calvin (1509-1564), The Institutes of the Christian Religion
I promised to deal with the reason why none of the New Testament writers ever made the tithe the basis for Christian giving. The fact is quite conspicuous and quite startling, especially in the case of Paul. The relief fund for Jerusalem would have given him ample opportunity and reason to insist upon the tithe if he had wanted to make it normative for the Church. Why did Jesus, Paul, and all the Apostles refrain from making use of that well-established biblical tradition?
After having read through the New Testament witness to simplicity, and specifically its statements on wealth, the answer to that question is probably obvious to you. The tithe is simply in not a sufficiently radical concept to embody the carefree unconcern for possessions that marks life in the Kingdom of God. Jesus Christ is the Lord of all our goods, not just ten percent. It is quite possible to obey the law of the tithe without ever dealing with our mammon lust. We can feel that our monthly check to the Church meets the new law of Jesus, and never once root out reigning covetousness and greed. It is quite possible to tithe and at the same time oppress the poor and needy.
The tithe is not necessarily evil; it simply cannot provide a sufficient base for Jesus' call to carefree unconern over provision. It fails to dethrone the rival god of materialism. It can never bring the freedom and liberality which is to characterize economic fellowship among the children of the Kingdom. Perhaps the tithe can be a beginning way to acknowledge God as the owner of all things, but it is only a beginning and not an ending. -- "Freedom of Simplicity" by Richard J. Foster.
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2 comments:
TDhanks for the blog.
What biblical principle do others use to teach tithing and ignore the other 600+ commands of the same law with the same tests of obedience?
Galatians 3:10 replaces Malachi 3:10:
Gal 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
The only way to be blessed from tithing is to keep the whole law. NT giving is sacrificial, not law. There is no percentage up or down.
www.tithing-russkelly.com
Thanks for this. We are I think in agreement. Teaching tithing as law is not Biblical. Gratitude not percentage is my motivation.
I have blogrolled you. Not understanding things American, how blind is legally blind in the States?
BTW if one really wants to teach giving according to Moses I think it is actually 23.33% . But Israel had neither income nor sales tax.
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