Recently, there’s been a trend in believing that New Testament followers of Jesus are not obligated to tithe. The argument goes like this. The tithe [tenth] is an Old Testament principle connected to the temple, in the land of Israel, and under the Mosaic Law. Since Jesus fulfilled the ritual and ceremonial aspects of the Mosaic Law and abolished the need for the temple, we are now obligated only to its moral and ethical principles. Gentiles are not under the obligation of tithing any more than we are under the Jewish obligation of sabbath-keeping or eating kosher foods.
In one sense, this is not inaccurate. The Apostle Paul, in Romans 7:1–6, clearly articulates his creative understanding of how the law has been done away with and we now “serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.” Hebrews 8:13 also confirms, “By calling this covenant’ new,’ he has made the first one obsolete.” Gentiles are not obligated to follow the Jewish Law. While this is not theologically inaccurate, it is neither entirely truthful nor helpful to our spiritual development.
Tithe as a Universal Practice
Before there was ever a temple, a land of Israel, or a Mosaic Law, Abraham worshipped God by giving Him a tenth of everything he owned. He offered it as his act of allegiance to his divine benefactor (Genesis 14:17–24). His grandson Jacob also quite certainly promised to give God a tenth of everything he owned as an act of reverent allegiance if God would take care of him (see Genesis 28:20–22). For the patriarchs, the tithe was an act of financial allegiance to God—“in God we trust.” In the ancient Akkadian texts, too, there is a corollary term that captured their own practices of offering their “tenth” portions of homage to the deities of Marduk and Ishtar. The idea of worshipping “the gods” with a costly financial offering was not just a practice in the Mosaic Law; it was practiced broadly in the ancient world.
The principle of giving a tenth is also more than just an esoteric spiritual discipline. It is anchored in a deity’s local temple economy, institutions, and community. The tithe shows others the patron deity you trust and the community you are affiliated with. If you tithe to Yahweh, you are telling the world, I trust in God to take care of me, and I’m connected to His activities among His people. If you don’t tithe, you are telling the world, I take care of myself, and I don’t trust in anyone else.
There is no New Testament law hanging over anyone’s head commanding the tithe, and I certainly hope that churches aren’t coercing and abusing people with such a teaching. You are free. You are free from the law, and you are free not to tithe. You are free to not give God any of your money if that’s what you choose. But what would that indicate about your heart?
Tithe as a Transformative Practice
You are free not to give, just as you are free not to pray, and free not to read your Bible. Yet, no one believes it’s a good idea to object to these practices. Learning how to take a sabbath rest is also a practice that preceded the Mosaic Law and remains beneficial after it was destroyed. You are not legally bound to follow the Mosaic Law to take a sabbath on the seventh day. Yet learning to rest one day out of seven—like your Heavenly Father—is a supremely important practice for your human well-being. Sabbath-keeping affects your business, your worshipping community, your family relationships, your emotional well-being, your physical health, etc.
Tithing, similarly, is a practice embedded in various institutions. It not only improves your health, but also the health of the people around you. It connects your family’s wants and needs to God’s priorities, to missionaries around the world, to aiding the poor and needy, and to the spiritual development of your local worshipping community. The concrete practice of it transforms your heart and your lifestyle. Without the practice of it, the community suffers, and you remain unchanged and inattentive to its transformative effects. You are free not to tithe, but I don’t think that’s a good idea.
Jesus’ teachings are so devastating to American materialism and consumerism: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth…but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven…For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19–21). Invest in things that are eternally lasting. Invest in God’s Kingdom. Invest in people. Where you invest your money acts like a rudder that steers your heart. We need tangible practices, like tithing, that force us to focus on others and to let go of our emotional love of, or anxiety over, money. Our family budgets and weekly expenses communicate to everyone exactly what we find valuable enough to purchase. Usually, that revolves around our groceries and necessities, or our luxuries and hobbies. Is God our first thought, or an afterthought? The tithe is a practical habit that connects our wallet to where we want our hearts to go: eternal things that matter to God.
Connected to the Local Church
There’s no doubt that some churches and pastors mishandle this conversation. They can be as coercive, manipulative, fearful, greedy, anxious, and unwise as anyone else. Hopefully, churches are cultivating an atmosphere where giving is taught and nurtured in a spirit of freedom and generosity. When the Apostle Paul was raising a financial collection to help those in need, he wrote, “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” (2 Corinthians 9:7).
Some people will still ask, “Does my tithe need to go to the local church, or can’t I just bypass the church’s bureaucracy and give it directly to missionaries or the poor?” That’s a complicated question that touches on the health of our hearts, the management of church resources, and the success of the local church initiatives. The health of the local church—spiritually, relationally, and materially—is the center of activity from which God’s Kingdom moves out in the world. The success of the gospel will not exceed the quality of the local church. So, divesting from that institution has consequences. You should be wise in choosing which local church to partner with.
In reality, not all churches are healthy. That’s why choosing which local church you are enmeshed in is a really important part of this conversation. Your tithe isn’t disconnected from the local church; it invests you in it. So, my advice to you is to find a healthy church community (not necessarily a perfect one) that is advancing God’s Kingdom and stewarding their resources well, and offer God your tithe through them.
Tags: finances, money, community, freedom, kingdom, missions, fear, anxiety, tithe, heart, budget, economy, tenth
