Stewardship

APAD DAY 51 Is Tithe A Law?

by Daniel Owino Ogweno
04/15/17
Not For Sale
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Justification for Tithing in the Dispensation of Grace

We have already seen that tithing stands with or without the law. We have also seen how a right offering is so important to the extent that the devil attacked it with a cold-blooded fratricide right from the beginning. Whether it is given in a form of tithe or offering, the devil hates anything that man gives to God. What does this tell us, especially in this time and age?

It tells us that the devil will increase his assault, especially now that finances determine so much in everyday life. In the same way, finances determine a great deal of how many souls will be reached. He may not kill everyone who gives, but he devises schemes and strategies to stop people from giving, or making them give insignificantly.

Another way he messes up the funds for God’s work is by influencing ministers to have insatiable taste for comfort and luxury. Much of the moneys offered or tithed go into funding indulgences. It is difficult to draw the boundary when one passes what is reasonable lifestyle, but it is not difficult telling when a lifestyle has gone overboard with indulgences. A good steward must force himself to sacrifice some comfort for the sake of the gospel. May the Lord help us.

The following are some of the reasons I believe tithing must be sustained:

i) Tithing helps structure and regularise the finances that ought to go into the work of God.

Although some believers are resorting to and championing house church movement, the majority of mainstream Christendom is still based on congregating in a local church-building. Some of the proponents of the house church movement criticise doing church in a local building. They maintain that it is unscriptural. I will not go into that debate now. Suffice it to say that sometimes it is not the institution that is a problem but its management. A cliché that I don’t agree with holds that politics is a dirty game. I maintain that politics is not a dirty game, it is the politicians that choose to play dirty. In the same way, it is not the local church institution that is a problem. If there is a problem, it may be bad stewardship.

Regularised source of income helps churches streamline their operations. There are servants of God that depend solely on the support from the church. Such people have house rents to pay, not to mention food and other regular budgets. If there is no constitution to bolster commitment in this area, it is almost certain that servants of God will be disoriented by the fluctuations that are sure to characterise arbitrary giving.

ii) Tithing materialises commitment

If giving into the work of God is left to decide-what-you-are-going-to-give arrangement, it is almost guaranteed that people will give out of convenience not out of commitment. Show me a godly life devoid of commitment and I will show you a superficial Christianity. To put it candidly, there is no Christianity without sacrificial commitment. The call for commitment is why Jesus talked about taking up one’s cross everyday and following Him.

iii) Tithing stops the enemy from selling excuses to believers

If we want to live a life devoid of commitment, the devil is always standing by with a catalogue of excuses that he would sell to believers in order to minimise their devotion in terms of time and money. It is extremely important that our material (financial) commitment is clearly defined—thank God that He did this for us. It would have been a different story if we were to decide on the terms of engagement with God.

iv) Tithing is the main source of income for most churches

Structured income helps churches to organise and budget their operations, otherwise the erratic, impulsive and fluctuating offerings may not help to fulfil regular financial obligations and missionary endeavours. Tithing remains the main source of finances for the Church.

Tell people that they are no longer obligated to give tithe and you will almost see a people in a celebratory mood. It is the same feeling we may expect when people are told that they will no longer pay taxes to the government. Can you believe what will become of tax if the government left it for the citizens to decide whether they are going to pay tax and that should they decide to do so, they will also decide how much to give?

It is true that there are people whose maturity and love for God would make them regularly offer over and above what they would give as tithe and offering. But I can guarantee that such people are not many.

v) Tithing quenches the spirit of materialism

Those who tithe have the spirit of materialism under check. Though it is just one out of ten, faithfully and routinely separating tithe is one of the most challenging to many believers, especially for those to whom much has been given. When a believer defies the challenges and faithfully tithes, it is like a medicine that cures the craving for materialism.

Refusing to separate tithe because of the grace is misunderstanding and misapplying the grace. It is like arguing that because grace revealed Jesus as our friend we should stop calling Him Master, or because grace revealed God as our Father, we should stop worshipping Him—after all, we don’t piously revere our friends and worship our fathers. We must remember that the grace can be frustrated and abused (Gal. 2:21, Heb. 10:29, Jude 1:4). This happens when we use it to justify something that doesn’t honour God, or when we ignore it as we try to earn our own righteousness (Gal. 1:6, Eph. 2:8).