This series started in July and if you've been reading here during any of these series you know that I take my time. I like to pray about it...mull it over...research it and then I write and re-write. So, I thank you for your patience. Last time we began looking into the question, "Why should we give it away?" I think it's important to have the historic side of this under our belts before we answer the question outright, so please go back and read part 1. We took a peek into pre-Mosaic Law tithing as well as the tithe under Mosaic Law. So now it's time to talk about New Testament law.
Why should we give it away...continued...
I think I've mentioned more than once how much I enjoy Beth Moore's studies. I will likely never meet in person my sister, Beth, on this side of heaven but I feel I can call her my friend as we've met often through the pages of her books. She has a passion and a love for her fellow sisters in Christ that is unbelievable. I'm currently going through her study, Believing God, and she said something in week three that caused me to make a note for this post. Beth wrote, "as people of the new covenant (see 2 Cor. 3:6) occupying earth on this side of the cross, our primary barometer is the New Testament."
"who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."
2 Corinthians 3:6 (NKJV)
The greek word for "letter" in the above verse is gramma and it is defined in Strong's as "written acknowledgement of debt, the sacred writings (of the OT)". Now, we could debate which sacred writings but verse 7 goes on to describe which ones are being discussed when the author says, "the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones". Then further in the same verse he references Moses. It's very clear we are talking about the Mosaic Law. So if the "letter kills" and yet we're told that Christ came that we might have life...what gives?
Simply put...nothing "gives" or has changed. God's requirements certainly haven't. The wages of sin...is still death. What is pleasing to Him hasn't changed. We know that He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. I think it's interesting to note that the New Testament also describes Christ as unchanging. While God has remained unchanged, He did something extraordinary on our behalf and we find it in the second half of Romans 6:23. Yes, the wages of sin is still death but "the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." With this gift, we come into the New Covenant God made with the New Testament Christians.
"By calling this covenant "new," he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear."
Hebrews 8:13 (NIV)
The Old Testament text referenced in this passage is Jeremiah 31:31-34, in case you wanted to look it up. So, if God's requirements haven't changed, how are we not bound by the law? The answer is so simple it's almost comical. Our sin debt has been paid in full. When Christ died in our place, He became the ultimate and last necessary "sacrificial lamb" offering. In Christ's own words, He came to fulfill the law not abolish it. With the fulfilling of the Law and the prophesies, He ushered in the New Covenant where God's laws will be written on our hearts. In essence, we have the wonderful, glorious privilege of being the temple within which God resides through His Spirit.
Now the question begs, what is this New Covenant or what some refer to as the Law of Christ? This is also rather simple and we'll find it in Matthew:
"Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
Matthew 22:37-40 (NIV)
We can certainly understand how Jesus' teachings would seem to fly in the face of the "works based" system taught up until He arrived on the scene. We can even understand how some would stiff arm the entire notion of "the law", as they knew it, becoming obsolete. Even today many of us walk around looking for a list we can check off that shows that we are "good enough" or "worthy". We'll cling to anything in a desperate attempt to prove our worth and whether we care to admit it or not, sometimes the church takes advantage of this. Have you ever wondered why when Jesus taught and His teachings were recorded for us that He didn't give us a long list of do's and don'ts like we find in the Old Testament? We've already established that we are under a New Covenant so why didn't He lay out the rules like all the other Covenants we read about in the Bible? Why did He seem to think that "Love the Lord your God", "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ" and "Love your neighbor" were enough? I am certainly not a theologian or anything but maybe knowing how we would obsess over being "good enough", He decided not to give us a "list" to obsess over. Maybe He was hoping we'd turn all of that ritualistic energy toward "seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness" rather than making sure we washed or cut or gave or burned whatever we were told to on such and such day of the month.
I think perhaps He pointed this out in Luke chapter 18:
A certain ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.'"
"All these I have kept since I was a boy," he said.
When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth.
Hmm, "you still lack one thing" - was this man loving the Lord his God with all he had? No. He loved his money more. And this brings us back to the subject of giving. The man in this passage was asked to give everything...not a tenth, everything. You see, this man probably did "tithe", I mean he indicated he kept every commandment. He checked off his list dutifully but one thing he lacked - a personal relationship with God (see also this parable). You see, you can tithe and still not inherit eternal life. You can give a tenth and still be outside of God's will. It isn't about us at all, it's about Him! At the same time, the New Testament isn't completely silent on giving either.
"Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."
2 Corinthians 9:6-7
What importance do we put on money? What are we "deciding in our hearts"? A better question might be, are we "closed-fisted" like the rich ruler in Luke or are we "open-fisted" like the widow in Luke 21? You know what I've found to be true? It's awfully hard to be handed anything else when holding too tightly to something already.
The answer to why we should give it away really has absolutely nothing to do with a command or a curse. It has nothing to do with manipulating God into blessing us because we shelled out a few bucks into the offering plate. It has nothing to do with earning our "righteous badge" or being a "good person". The reason we should give lies solely in the purpose of loving the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and mind and loving our neighbor as ourselves. How much and to whom we need to give should be revealed to us through the Holy Spirit if we are actively seeking God. And if we are seeking Him, being a cheerful giver will come as natural as breathing. So why do we still "preach" a tenth? Because we humans seem to need some sort of gauge. It's merely a guideline, don't get hung up on the number and miss the greater picture. If God tells you to give something else, by all means do it but please don't use the argument that "we're not under the Law so we don't have to give". Christ is all about giving and He is our example.
Now I realize this post may ruffle some feathers. At the very least I hope it's made you think. At the most, I hope you've jumped right into scripture with me, prayed and asked the Lord for His guidance in this topic. I probably went a bit more detailed in some areas than was expected but as I said in my last post, this was where I felt we were to go with it. You have no idea how thankful I am that I didn't finish or post my initial draft for this segment. In the midst of my studying the Word, the Holy Spirit loudly (but kindly) whispered, "Try again, you are mistaken."
One last thing I'd like to say on this before we move on, if you've never given on a regular basis, you may not see how it could enrich your life. I have countless stories I could share of how the Lord has consistently blessed me and my family through faithful giving. Sometimes it was in tangible ways and other times it was in intangible ways. Even when times have been tight I could see His loving hand providing and guiding us. I'm not going to promise you riches untold or a life of no troubles in exchange for giving, but I can say that if you do it as God leads you and do it cheerfully, you'll never regret it.
Are you wondering where we're going from here? Well, on to a much less "heavy" topic but still important in the world of money and financial management. Join me next time as we discuss the next "10" in the 10/10/80 model when we ask...
"What about saving for the rainy day?"