I Am Re-Naming My Recent Post "If This Offends You" To "Stewardship Is Not About Money"

Common Sense Commentary: After printing a recent blog post on Common Sense Commentary, entitled "If This Offends You ... It Is Your Problem", I received several responses. For those Christians who believe tithing is strictly an Old Testament ordinance, go back and read my remarks again. That post was not about "tithing" per se, but rather about "giving, receiving and Health and Wealth preachers."
Giving is a much broader subject than just tithing, which means one tenth. Though tithing, as a New Testament teaching,  may be debated by a sincere Christian, generosity in "giving" certainly cannot be denied. Generous giving is taught abundantly in both Old and New Testaments and to argue that point is disingenuous, to say the least. It is, therefore, my opinion that if you deny tithing as a New Testament principle, then do it as a matter of voluntary, generous giving, which has attached to it the promise of "abundant" receiving as well. Jesus, Himself, said "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again." Luke 6:38. Jesus' words make it clear, as do many other N.T. references, that generous giving is a New Testament principle ... with an even more generous promise of return attached to it. And yes, yes I know that we are not supposed to give in order to receive ... it goes without saying.  I did not add the "receiving" part ... Jesus did. That is what my recent post was about... giving.... not tithing. Tithing is not "giving".  

The very first and only mention of tithing, before God gave the Law to Moses, was under a previous and different dispensation when Abraham gave a tithe to Melchizedek. That tithe was a voluntary reaction of Abraham motivated by his great appreciation to God for giving him victory in battle and recovery of stolen treasure. The very next mention of tithing was it's incorporation into the Law God gave Moses as an obligation of all God's people, in Lev.27:20 ... "And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD'S: it is holy unto the LORD."   Tithing is never again mentioned as a matter of choice. It is God's for carrying on the work of His Churches.

I have just done a study of Old and New Testaments concerning the approximately 1600 mentions of the words give, gave and given. Out of those 1600 references, other than the pre-Law one mentioned above, just one was used in reference to tithing. That one reference was in the prayer of the self righteous hypocrite, who boasted, as he "prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess." Lk.18:11-12. Every other mention of the tithe was preceded by some such verb as "bring", "brought", "receive", "pay" or "take" tithes. The phrase, "All the tithe ... is the LORD's" is also found several times. I have never heard this fact of "giving" before in all my years as a pastor, either by myself or by anyone else. Tithing is not "giving" to the Lord. It was and is already His. "Giving" is only giving if it is above the 10%. There are a number of mentions of God's people "giving" or who "gave" offerings.

For an earlier post, last year, on New Testament Tithing, click of the following link .... It may surprise you. RB

http://rayburnblair.blogspot.com/2013/07/did-tithing-cease-with-old-testament-law.html