Proclaiming God’s Ownership Over All Things: Tithing is About More Than Just MoneyBy Liz Lockwood  If you have attended church for long at all, chances are, you have heard sermons on the topic of tithing. Not understood properly, tithing can become one more issue to add to your financial burdens. It can put a big strain on one’s budget when there’s still the rent and utilities to pay and gas needed for the car. Giving money to the church has been connected to everything from building campaigns to televangelists, and it can be a confusing issue. Understood properly, however, tithing can serve as a step of obedience and sanctification for the believer.
Tithing is not just a savvy concept drawn up by the church in order to bring in money. In fact, if you begin with that presupposition, there is really nothing that would lead you to tithe. The discussion on tithing must begin with the proper understanding that everything the Lord has “given” you is His. From clothing to food to your paycheck, every bounty in your life is entrusted to your stewardship by God. This position as a steward, rather than the owner, of your possessions should lead you to thankfulness and generosity of the money in your pocket. This truth of stewardship is what drives believers to obedience when it comes to tithing.
We can trace tithing all the way back to Genesis when Jacob says, “and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and all that you give me I will give you a tenth” (Gen. 28:22 NIV). In Leviticus 27:30, Moses gives the directive that “A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord” (NIV). For the Christian, a tithe is recognition that all we have belongs to the Lord. Therefore, we recognize His authority over our lives and His dominion over all created things by giving back a portion of our earnings to Him, through the church.
When I first began earning a paycheck, it was very hard for me to give a tenth of my gross pay. I felt that because I was not receiving the gross amount, it was unfair that I should have to tithe on it. However, with my dad monitoring my paychecks (and tithes), I really didn’t have much choice—it was going to be 10 percent off the top! I remember my dad spending time explaining to me that it is important to tithe off of all that you make, even though some of it goes to the government. After all, even Christ commanded, “Then give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s” (Luke 20:25 NIV). The question of net or gross tithing is best viewed as giving to God first and then to the government, even though the government physically receives its payment first. It only makes sense, then, to give back to the Lord a tenth of the total income He has given you.
As I write this, I am full aware that tithing can present a very practical challenge to one’s budget. For the past several months, in fact, I have had to penny-pinch and cut expenses like never before. It can seem very tempting to keep my tithe for bills or emergencies that might arise. I have even been tempted to use the truth of God as my Provider as an excuse to hold back my tithe every now and then. That is why it is important to keep the stewardship principle in mind, even when finances are very tight.
Christ reminds us in Luke 16:10 that “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much” (NIV). Our godliness is not measured by how much money we put in the offering plate, but rather, how faithful we are to do what the Lord has commanded. Faithfully giving a tithe back to the Lord is a clear picture of our submission to Him. Even when it makes the budget too tight for comfort, we can trust that God will provide exactly what we need (Matt. 6:25–34).
Liz Lockwood, MDiv, ThM, resides in Charleston, South Carolina, where she serves as the Adult Ministry Associate at East Cooper Baptist Church.
|
