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Biblical
Prosperity in Perspective 21
Tithing Under the
New Covenant
by Pastor John Hamel
The Most High God
made us from the dust of His earth. He went to amazing lengths
to redeem us after Adam’s fall. Therefore, He now owns us
and He has the absolute right to command us. He has the absolute
right to say how much of our income will be set apart as holy unto
Him. This He has done.
He said that the tithe is one-tenth of
all of our increase and that it is holy. It is holy because
everything that belongs to God is holy. (Leviticus 27:30)
The tithe belongs
to God. There is absolutely nothing at all in the New Testament that
even remotely hints at the setting aside of Old Testament teaching on the
subject of the holy tithe. End of story.
Jesus
Commanded & Commended Tithing
“Woe unto you,
scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay
tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have
omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these
ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.” (Matthew 23:23)
Here Jesus rebukes
these religious leaders for their hypocrisy.
They were faithful tithe payers, indeed, but were neglecting judgment,
justice and mercy towards others. In essence, Jesus was telling them,
“You pay tithes and that’s good. Real good. You should pay
tithes. It’s in the Book. But don’t neglect judgment, justice
and mercy in your dealings with My human creation. That’s not good.
That can get you into some pretty hot water with My Father. You won’t
like that. I promise.”
Today Jesus might
say something like this, “Don’t be unjust and merciless towards other human
beings. Be kind, fair and truthful. Pay your tithes and pay them
on time. Your Pastor needs your financial support to do what I’m
telling him to do. He can’t seek and save the lost, destroy the works
of Satan and break the back of poverty within this congregation and out in
the world if you don’t obey Me. So pay your tithes faithfully, not
sporadically. Also, don’t lord it over your Pastor when you do.
Give it with simplicity. That
way My Father can wrap this whole thing up more quickly and get you all home
to Heaven in a timely manner.”
Jesus is big on
paying tithes, real big. As a matter of fact, tithing is an idea that
came right out of His mind.
“For by him were
all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and
invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or
powers: all things were created by him, and for him:” (Colossians 1:16)
The
Apostle Paul Made Much of Tithing
“Do ye not know
that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the
temple? and they which wait at the altar are
partakers with the altar?” (1Corinthians 9:13)
Here in verse 13
Paul is reminding New Testament Believers that under Moses Law the Priests
were supported by the giving of the people.
We saw in our last study
entitled “Tithing Under the Old Covenant” that
the way the people gave to the Priesthood was through tithes and
offerings.
“Even so hath the
Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.” (1Corinthians 9:14)
Here, in verse 14,
Paul uses the expression “even so.” He is saying that New Testament
Ministers today should be supported by tithes and offerings even as Old
Testament Ministers were supported by tithes and offerings. Although
Paul does not use the word “tithes” here it is clear, through close
examination, that tithing is indeed his subject.
God has ordained
that His Ministers under
the New Covenant are to be supported in the same way His Ministers were
supported under the Old Covenant.
“Now concerning the
collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do
ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in
store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no
gatherings when I come.” (1Corinthians 16:1,2)
It is quite
apparent that the word “tithe” is nowhere to be seen in either of these two
verses. However, the principle of tithing is clearly evident to the
truthful student.
Paul here
encourages the weekly laying “in store” by the individual as God has
prospered him or her. Why did Paul use the term “in store”? The
answer is that Paul was an Old Testament scholar. He knew the
writings of the Prophet Malachi as well as anyone did. Here is what
Malachi wrote by inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse...” (Malachi
3:10a)
In his writing to
the Church at Corinth, Paul was
referring to bringing their tithes to their local storehouse. The
local storehouse is where God’s Word is stored. The local storehouse is the Local Church.
This is where the saints were and still are instructed to come to be filled
with the meat of God’s Word through the preaching and teaching of the local
Pastor. (Ephesians 4:8-16)
Paul made it perfectly clear that each
week when the saints gathered at the storehouse, they were to bring their
tithes with them. This New Covenant command is just as binding
today.
Paul did not say,
“Let him lay in store as he feels impressed to do so.” He did not
say, “Let him lay in store spontaneously, impulsively or on the spur of the
moment.” Paul said, in essence, “Bring your tithes to the storehouse
weekly or according to whatever your pay period is.”
I once had a
Brother continue to tell me, concerning his tithes, “Remind me to write you
out a check before you go.” I finally told him, in essence, “Listen,
Brother, the Bible says to pay your tithes when you get paid. Stop
putting pressure on me to beg you for them. I’m just not going to do
that.” He became offended and withdrew his tithes. Now he is in
trouble for trying to control me through his tithe paying and for refusing
to pay his tithes because I would not allow him to control me. Talk
about being in hot water with the Father. Both Jesus and Paul said,
“Don’t do that.” This is why the Bible commands us to give with
simplicity, not with ulterior motives. (Romans 12:8)
Paul also said,
“Let everyone … lay by him … as God hath prospered
him.” (Verse 2) Notice “as God hath prospered him.”
Paul is referring
to proportionate giving. Paul is referring to a percentage
basis. The only predetermined percentage that God has commanded us to
give is ten percent, the tithe. Paul knew this as well as, if not
better than, anyone.
Therefore, Paul could only have been referring
to the tithe. Everyone must bring the same proportion or the same
percentage in order to meet the requirements of these verses. That
proportion, that percentage, is the holy tithe.
The
Apostle Paul Makes Himself Clearer Still
“For I mean not
that other men be eased, and ye burdened: But by an equality, that now at
this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their
abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality:”
(2Corinthians 8:13,14)
If you were to go
back and read this chapter in context, you would see that Paul is talking
about giving and receiving. Here Paul begins and ends his thought
with the word “equality.” He is making it clear that God’s people are
to give with “equality” or with equal proportion and equal
percentage. The only equal proportion or percentage ever specified by
the Most High God in the Bible is the tithe. Paul knew this better
than anyone. There is simply no other way to interpret his use of the
word “equality” here.
This is simple
enough for a child to understand and deliberately so. Children are to
be trained to pay tithes at an early age so that God can prosper them
throughout their lives.
“And here men that
die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them,
of whom it is witnessed that he liveth.” (Hebrews
7:8)
Although this is
the last time the tithe is mentioned in the Bible, it does not just end
here. In this final reference, the tithe is connected directly to
Jesus. Although we pay our tithes to men who die (human Ministers),
they are personally received in Heaven by Jesus Who never dies. This
clearly reveals that our obligation to pay both tithes and offerings is to
Christ, Who is the Head of the Church.
It is to Christ and
Christ alone to Whom we will answer concerning our giving when we stand
before the Bema (Reward) Judgment Seat of Christ. (2Corinthians 5:10; Romans 14:10) God’s
children will not stand before the Great White Throne
Judgment. That is a Judgment for Christ-rejecters only.
(Revelation 20:11-15) God’s children will stand before the Bema
Judgment Seat of Christ. It is here that rewards will be given or
rewards will be taken away upon entering Eternity. (1Corinthians 3:13-15)
Our Father’s
appointed method for financing the operation of His Church in the Earth, as
well as the present End-Time Harvest of Souls, is through tithes and
offerings. The Bible is clear, the tithe is the disciplined setting
aside of one-tenth of all that He gives us for the establishing of His
Covenant in the Earth. (Deuteronomy 8:18)
Where tithing is
ignored or substituted, there is almost always stoppage, shortage and
curses. Where tithing is ignored or substituted, there is the
constant threat of failure, collapse and loss.
Where tithing is
adhered to the back of shortage, debt and lack is broken. The Laws of
Blessing overtake and everything needed to live successfully for God
literally chases the obedient Believer down. (Mark 10:29,30; Luke 6:38; 3John 2)
Tithing
Is More Binding under the New Covenant than the Old
Saints under the
New Covenant are under a greater obligation to pay tithes than people under
the Old Covenant for the following reason. Our privileges, blessings and authority are far, far greater than theirs
was.
“But now hath he
[Jesus] obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the
mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.”
(Hebrews 8:6)
The people of the
Old Covenant lived under what is called the Dispensation of
Condemnation. They had no Savior at the time.
The people under
the New Covenant live under what is called the Dispensation of Grace
because we have a Savior.
God’s grace is more powerful than Satan’s condemnation.
God’s love is more powerful than Satan’s hatred. The faith of God is
more powerful than the fear of Satan.
Christ’s Priesthood
is more powerful than the Levitical Priesthood
under Mosaic Law.
Therefore, our obligation to pay tithes under the
New Covenant is greater than their obligation to pay tithes under the Old
Covenant.
It is just not
possible to be a responsible citizen of God’s Kingdom under His New
Covenant and refuse to pay tithes for any reason. This is how God’s
Ministers are to be supported. This is how world harvest is to be
accomplished.
It is estimated that only ten percent of Christians pay
their tithes to the Lord. If every Christian paid their tithes
faithfully, the entire world would be evangelized in an amazingly brief
period of time.
People die and go to Hell every day
because someone did not pay their tithes in order that they may be reached
with the Gospel.
Every Christian
knows in his or her heart that they should give to God what belongs to
God. The tithe has not ceased to be holy nor has it ceased to belong
to God. (Leviticus 27:30)
Human conscience convicts deeply when God’s
means of establishing His Covenant in the Earth is ignored or
substituted. There is no peace for what God Himself calls the “God
robber.”
There is never peace when responsibility has been neglected
and privilege has been ignored.
Israel honored the
inferior Priesthood of Aaron by paying tithes to them.
True New
Testament Believers want to and do honor the superior Priesthood of Jesus
by paying tithes to Him per His clear Biblical instruction.
Be blessed … John and Barbara Hamel
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