Hilarious Giving: Debunking Five Tithing Myths

Written by Randall Bonser

During the better part of my twenties, I earned slightly more than the poverty level as I worked in ministry and wrote plays and film scripts. I was single, living in the inner city of Detroit (by choice) and had few worries. Giving was not a struggle then. I was surrounded by needs, and although I may not have been tithing — the practice of donating a tenth of a person’s income to the Lord — exclusively to my church, significantly more than a tenth of what I earned went toward meeting people’s needs.

How things change. Although my wife and I together make several times what I made during those lean years, I now struggle to give a tenth of our income back to God. Barna Research Group confirms that I am not alone. The Christian researchers found that only 8 percent of born-again Christians in the United States tithe. Furthermore, as income increases, the percentage given away to churches or non-profit organizations actually decreases.

God said in Deuteronomy 8:17-18, "You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’ But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms His covenant." Periodically, I need to remember who provides and owns my possessions in order to debunk some common myths about tithing.

Misconception #1: Because tithing is part of the law, it is now optional.

Moses mentioned tithing in Leviticus 27:30, but the truth is that tithing predates the law by nearly 600 years. In Genesis 14:20, Abraham gave the priest Melchizedek a tenth of all his goods after a daring rescue of his nephew Lot. Out of gratitude, Jacob also promised a tenth of his possessions to the Lord in Genesis 28:22.

Abraham understood that his success had come from the Lord, so he cheerfully gave a tenth of his goods to God’s service. God wants us to acknowledge His centrality in our lives. That’s why in Malachi 3:8, God accused His people of "robbing" Him by not paying tithes. We don’t rob God of money — He who "owns the cattle on a thousand hills" doesn’t need our money — we rob Him of supremacy in our lives when we don’t acknowledge His blessings and provision.

Misconception #2: Regular tithing will lower my standard of living.

Most Americans feel an intense attachment to their possessions — an attachment that grows as possessions increase. That may be why, per capita, poor churches are more generous than rich churches, and a greater percentage of lower income Christians tithe.

"Sometimes our failure to tithe is due to mixed-up priorities and a lack of financial responsibility," according to Dan Pederson, a Christian businessman and financial counselor. "We take on too many obligations, then in our desperation to pay our debts, giving becomes our last consideration rather than our first.

A very fulfilling part of our worship to God is taking the opportunity to give back to Him out of our first fruits, then learning how to manage our other obligations with the rest." Additionally, 10 percent should never be seen as the maximum, since we are the recipients of lavish grace.

Along these lines, God promises to meet our needs if we give to His kingdom generously. Paul commended the Macedonian church in 2 Corinthians 8:2 because "out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity." He then encouraged the Corinthian Christians to surpass their generosity, claiming that "He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed" (2 Corinthians 9:10).

Misconception #3: If you don’t tithe, your finances will be cursed.

Although tithing is mandated in the law, failure to tithe is not associated with a curse, as are some parts of the law. On the other hand, many passages in Scripture associate giving with supernatural blessings from God. Even the famous passage in Malachi 3:10, in which God accused His people of robbing Him, ends with a promise to bless givers: "‘Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.’"

God consistently promises that those who "sow generously" will "reap generously" (2 Corinthians 9:6). In Proverbs 11:24, Solomon wrote, "One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty." Christians tend to swing like a pendulum on this issue, believing either that giving to God has no effect on their finances or that giving will make them rich. Both views are unbiblical and unbalanced.

Misconception #4: The entire tenth must always go to the local church.

The tithing verses in Malachi mention "the storehouse." According to financial educator Larry Burkette, the Old Testament storehouse was used to feed the priests and tribe of Levi, meet the needs of Jewish widows and orphans, and assist the Gentile poor. Modern interpretations of these might be paying the clergy and missionaries, helping the needy in the church, and reaching out to the poor in the community. Local churches who provide those things should receive the tithe.

"Ideally, the local church could serve as the storehouse in God’s economy today," says Burkette. "Then people’s tithes would simply be given to the church. Unfortunately, the vast majority of local churches do not minister fully in these areas."

Financial consultant Pederson takes this concept further by encouraging individuals and churches to switch their focus away from only local ministries to participate in God’s work around the world. "If your church doesn’t give to overseas missions or relief work, you may want to research and find some Christian organizations doing work in places of great need and dedicate a portion of your tithe to that ministry," Pederson says. "Then persuade your church to join you in your global vision."

However, Burkette cautions that you can’t sit under the teaching of a local church and not support it financially (1 Timothy 5:17-18). If you see areas of ministry that are lacking, share your concerns with the church leadership. If there’s no response, prayerfully consider whether this is the church that God wants you to attend.

Misconception #5: Attitude doesn’t matter when I give; obedience is not always fun.

In 2 Corinthians 9:7, Paul wrote, "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." In his classic sermon series on 2 Corinthians delivered in the early part of last century, preacher H. A. Ironside pointed out that the word for "cheerful" could be trranslated "hilarious." "God gave freely, gladly," Ironside said. "He does not want anything from you unless you also give willingly and gladly."

This article courtesy of Christian Single magazine.

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