Sats Solanki

Money, money, money. It’s everywhere we look and frequently on our mind. Whether we’re investing in a costly flat white to start the day or saving up to one day to buy a house (sorry fellow millennials), it’s hard to get away from thinking about money.

It’s a huge part of everyday life and perhaps this is why Jesus spoke so much about it. 1 Timothy 6 tells us that to hope in money itself is to live an uncertain life. Money comes and it goes and an unhealthy relationship with it will lead to all sorts of anxiety and fear. Paul is of course echoing Jesus himself in Matthew 6 who tells us not to be anxious about tomorrow (the preceding verses make it clear he is referring to our material and financial needs).

This misplaced hope in money can easily affect both the rich and the poor. Generally speaking, the trap of the rich is to fear losing their riches and the trap of the poor is to desire riches too greatly but we can just as easily succumb to both at the same time.

There’s much we could say about money itself but in this moment I want to focus on a topic that is given much emphasis by the church, the tradition of tithing.

I must warn the reader that this is a controversial and challenging topic. And unfortunately any challenge to the status quo can be seen as an attack on the church, abandoning scripture or even more intensely, an issue around the Lordship of Christ.

But we must see that this is in some sense circular reasoning that seeks to self-protect, much like topics we covered before such as honour culture.

For example, if we are taught that criticism of a leader (whether significant disagreement or simply questioning) is a sign of dishonour and therefore sinful, we then shut down all alternative perspectives, creating a silo of ideas.

Outside of the church, this sort of circular reasoning is similarly applied in all sorts of dangerous ideologies.

So if we truly seek to understand whether an idea is biblical; if there is no room to question it without accusation of sin or exclusion of the offending party then there is little hope of arriving at the truth. This is how cultures become unhealthy echo chambers instead of life-giving communities.

I believe this same way of thinking is frequently applied to the tithe. Anyone who dares to challenge it is seen as theologically unsound or worse, a bad actor. But doesn’t this rather depend on what the Bible actually says about it?

Tradition vs commandment

• “Tithing is biblical”
• “The Bible says we should tithe”

Statements such as these imply that tithing is a divine commandment from God and many of us have been taught as such. But as we read on, I seek to persuade you that whilst tithing is generally a good thing, it is merely a tradition.

The line between tradition and commandment was one of the frequent topics of conversation between Jesus and the Pharisees.

You may be familiar with Mark 7 where the Pharisees criticise the disciples of Jesus for not adhering to the correct handwashing ritual. Note that this is not about general cleanliness but an unnecessary addition to the law that has become legalistic.

His response is fairly cutting in verses 6-7:

And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written,

“‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’

Now traditions are not necessarily bad. In fact, we will always find gaps in the simplest reading of scripture and need wisdom and understanding to complete truth.

Consider the following modern questions:

• What age is appropriate to give a child a smartphone?
• Is vaping ok? What about cigars?
• How many carbon emissions should one person emit per year?

And so on… The Bible cannot answer these questions directly because no one was aware of such questions until recent history but we naturally understood that there is wisdom we can apply from the teachings of the Bible with the help of the Holy Spirit.

So tradition and extra biblical teaching is often helpful. The problem is when we teach them as commandments instead of acknowledging personal interpretation or opinion.

I would like to submit to you in the rest of the article the following two claims:

1. Tithing to a local church is not a mandatory commandment for New Testament believers but a rich tradition that points to a deeper life-giving principle.
2. A change of emphasis from tithing to giving will make local churches healthier in culture and in finance.

These are changes we have implemented personally in how we speak about money in our own local church over the last couple of years and we have seen the fruit of it.

What is the tithe?

The word tithe literally means tenth. At various points prior to the Law being given to Moses (the Old Covenant), we see certain figures bringing a tenth (a tithe) to God. And the Law clearly commands the people of Israel to bring various tithes.

That last point is worthy of mention. Old Testament tithing was never limited to one single ten percent offering. There were actual multiple tithes. This is a fact I have rarely heard shared in church. Below is a breakdown of the different types of tithe explained in the Law.

1. General tithe. A tenth of all produce and livestock was given to the Levites. This is normally where preaching on the tithe majors.
2. Festival tithe. A tenth was set aside for annual festivals that God had commanded the people to go to. You could think of this like a sort of enforced church camp saving fund.
3. Poor tithe. Every three years a tithe was stored for the needy in society.

A breakdown of the various tithes should usher in a question for the curious. If the tithe continues today, why do we only talk about one tithe as opposed to all three? Or perhaps we should approximate and move from 10% to 23.33%?

The answer is of course (unless you’re a three-tithe literalist) that we have moved from divine commandment to human interpretation. And this isn’t a bad thing. We recognise that within this part of the Law, there is an important principle that week to draw into the modern day. This principle is around putting God first.

It’s important that we must acknowledge the role of interpretation here in the way that we teach about this topic.

Tithing before the Law

Let’s take a look before the Law and see what references to tithing we have.

There are two main references to tithing worth exploring:

Abraham brings a tithe to Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18-20). Abraham gives ten percent of the spoils of war to Melchizedek (Hebrews connects this figure to Jesus himself). But note that this is a single event. There is nothing in the scripture that tells us that Abraham tithed on a regular basis. We see other examples of Abraham building altars but anything else is misreading the text.

Jacob pledges a tithe to God (Genesis 28:20-22). Interestingly enough in this scripture, Jacob makes a conditional promise to God that if he protects him, he will give him a tenth of everything in his future.

What’s notable for both of these examples is that there is no instruction from God to give a tenth. These are both voluntary offerings. Abraham’s tithe is a single offering and Jacob’s is a conditional pledge to fulfill in the future.

Giving to God is a good thing. But is giving ten percent to God part of obeying his commandments? Not without a good old stretch.

Perhaps the first signpost to the tithe

One other example worth noting is with Cain and Abel in Genesis 4. Both bring offerings to God but only Abel’s is accepted. The only difference we can see (outside of God having a preference for lamb shanks over carrots) is that Abel brings the first and best of his produce.

Here we see a reference to putting God first. But honestly no clear reference to tithing. As we look throughout the scripture, we continue to see references to God being first.

Matthew 6:33 (ESV):
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Proverbs 3:9-10 (ESV):
“Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.”

There are plenty more that echo this theme but clearly the emphasis is on putting God first. For some reason we interpret this as giving a tenth but we’ve not yet found any scriptural mandate for it.

(Note: if you’re looking to get more Christian insights on money from the perspective of a creative business owner then you should consider checking out The Garden).

What Jesus says about the tithe

Jesus mentions the tithe just twice.

Criticising the Pharisees lack of justice (Matthew 23:23). In this passage, Jesus criticises the Pharisees because of their legalism. He says that they tithe things like mint and dill but neglect the weightier matters.

This is a clear endorsement of tithing (although secondary to the point Jesus makes) but don’t forget that Jesus is speaking to a Jewish audience who are under the Law. There’s no implication for New Testament believers.

The parable of the tax collector (Luke 18:9–14). This is a secondary reference, again associated with legalism, where the prideful Pharisee compares himself to the ‘sinful’ tax collector and thanks God that he’s so faithful in tithing.

Jesus makes no case for tithing as part of the new covenant. He does however remind us that we cannot serve both money and God and where our treasure is, our heart will follow.

Neither statements serve as an endorsement for tithing but do point towards a deeper principle around giving.

Tithing in the rest of the New Testament

Outside of Jesus, the references get even fewer. There is literally one other reference to tithing in the New Testament and that’s simply a reference back to Abraham and Melchizedek. This isn’t an instruction or commandment but context for a wider point the author of Hebrews is making. When you think about how easy it would have been for Paul, Peter or any of the other apostles to mention the importance of tithing, the absence of such instruction is notable. This makes for a total of three references in the entire New Testament.

There is one place we would expect to find the instruction to tithe and that is in Acts 15. There is a huge debate around whether Gentiles turning to God should have to follow the Law (in particular whether circumcision is required). The church in Jerusalem write a letter to Antioch to clarify and note the following instructions:

• Abstain from food sacrificed to idols
• Don’t eat blood
• Don’t eat strangled animals
• Avoid sexual immorality

Acts 15:28-29

“For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”

Again the absence of tithing as part of instruction towards New Testament Gentile believers speaks loudly. If it’s such an important issue of the heart, why doesn’t the scripture mention it? The most obvious reason is because it’s not mandated.

Malachi and the windows of heaven

It would not be a proper study on tithing without referencing the famous words of Malachi 3. Let’s break down what’s happening here as well as some equally famous misinterpretation of scripture.

Malachi 3:10 (ESV):

“Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.”

Firstly of course, this is an Old Testament context. This is actually a prophetic word to the priests (not just the people). They are being criticised for taking advantage of the temple system and treating God with indifference. If we were to take one message from this whole book into the modern era, it should be that church leaders should be incredibly diligent around handling finances that have been given to God.

Secondly we see an interesting but obvious principle. When the people give to the temple, the priests are able to eat. This means that the whole system functions properly. But the people have stopped giving properly because of the malpractice and misteaching of the priests. Fix the church leadership, and the giving will flow again.

Thirdly the reference to the windows of heaven. The windows of heaven are not some sort of cosmic situation where money falls from the sky into your lap if you give 10% to your local church. The windows of heaven refer to rainclouds. In other words, when the people tithe, God will cause rain to come and bless their crops. This is important because if you don’t plant any crops then the rain is essentially useless to you. We see the value of hard work alongside the wider principle of putting God first. Yes in this context it looks like tithing. But given the rest of our exposition of scripture, it’s clear it doesn’t extrapolate exactly into our new covenant relationship.

Fourthly the reference to robbing God. This is clearly in reference to the people’s disobedience to the Law. If tithing is a universal command that predates the Law and continues into the New Covenant then Abraham was under a curse by only tithing once. And Jacob was under a curse by making his tithe conditional on God’s provision. Not to mention the myriad of others who we have no evidence for their tithing.

To read tithing into the lives of all of the patriarchs (think Enoch, Noah and so on), is to add it into the text. These people didn’t tithe but conversely we often see reference to building altars to God. The specifics matter when you’re building a theological case for what people should do.

Conclusion

Let’s take a little recap from what we’ve learnt so far:

Prior to the law

• There is no mandate to tithe.
• There is no evidence for tithing as described in the Law.
• All tithing & giving is spontaneous & celebrated but never commanded.

The Law

• Tithing is mandated.
• There are three different types of tithe.
• Only applicable to Jews

In the New Covenant

• Jesus makes no case for tithing.
• Paul & apostles never mention tithing.
• The one place we might expect to find tithing mentioned to the Gentiles, it isn’t (Acts 15)

Given the ground we’ve covered scripturally, I don’t believe you can make an honest case for tithing as a commandment in the New Testament. That isn’t to say that everyone teaching the tithe is sinister (although some may be). But I think it’s clear that tithing belongs in the realm of tradition and is not a commandment from God.

Tradition is notoriously hard for us to challenge and requires great courage (learn more about developing confidence in this podcast episode) because we have well respected examples of those who went before us (and who may still be alive) who held fast to particular traditions. To challenge tradition often feels like disrespect or dishonour and so we hold fast to it instead of being faithful to the text.

It’s good to honour our leaders. But not if it stops us from honouring God’s word.

Put God first

Let’s consider this topic from another angle. Is giving 10% of your income to your local church a bad thing? Definitely not but let’s examine why and in doing so we’ll uncover the true principle around giving that threads through the entirety of scripture.

Money is a type of power and all power has the ability to corrupt. Whether it be authority, influence, wealth or education – everything good can be used to do bad. In fact this is probably the truest definition of sin. Sin is always a distortion of something good.

The Bible does celebrate wealth and the enjoyment of life. I shared one of my favourite scriptures earlier in 1 Timothy 6 where we are encouraged to not set our hopes on the uncertainty of riches but on God who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. Getting over the awkwardness of money to acknowledge that it’s a tremendous benefit is important to say.

To put it in layman’s terms, if I asked you if you wanted to be rich or poor, which one would you choose? Many of us would be uncomfortable saying rich but if you said poor, we’d know you were fibbing.

The flip side is that the Bible also warns against setting your hope in money itself. Financial power is a useful tool but is a dangerous master.

Jesus explains it well in Matthew 6:24

24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

If God is to be number one, we must dethrone money. And the way we do that is by taking our money and making it serve God. The principle we see in the tithe in the Law is the same we see before the Law as Abel gives the first of what he has to God.

In that way tithing taps into a deeper principle of putting God first. We take the first of what we have and give it to God every time we earn money. This keeps money from becoming an idol and keeps our heart healthy.

I believe there is a solid case for this giving to God to go into the local church, just as the temple giving went to the priests. God designs this all to work both spiritually (for our heart) and practically (for our church).

So how much should we be giving? We should be honest and acknowledge that the New Testament simply does not say. I think it’s because we’re moving out of low level legalism into the spirit of generosity. Giving is now about your capacity.

For some of us, we have a huge capacity to give and 10% is more like us throwing some loose change at the feet of a homeless God. True honouring of God will be giving upwards of 30%, 40% etc.

For others the idea of giving 10% feels absolutely impossible. I would encourage you to consider where you can start instead. Is that 5%? Is that 2%? Just start and activate the principle of putting God first.

The New Testament does talk about giving and generosity – it encourages it but it never specifies an amount.

Perhaps we can end by sharing a story of Jesus commenting on someone’s giving.

Mark 12:41–44 (ESV):

“And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, ‘Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.'”

I think this taps into the true heart of what God is looking for. Not legalism or tickbox Christianity but a heart that overflows with love and gratitude for all that God has done for us.

10% doesn’t feel quite enough. He’s looking for 100%.

Matthew 22:37–38 (ESV):

“And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.'”

If you found this helpful you might also like the below. I shared some of these insights in a recent podcast episode: Things Your Pastor Never Told You About Tithing.