Don and Wendy Francisco Articles

Should We Tithe?
This question has a yes answer and a no answer. Please read the whole article to get the whole picture.

First the no answer... In some senses, tithing, as it is usually understood today, contradicts who we are in Jesus. Jesus said to the religious leaders of His day that if they were going to endeavor to tithe legalistically down to giving pinches of spices, they should not neglect the greater things like justice - because the Law demanded both. He was essentially revealing that following the Law is impossible. But to His disciples He made an astounding statement. He said that a King taxes His subjects, but not His sons. Tithing is usually regarded today as dues, or taxes, or worse, an appeasement to God. Tithing is regarded as something which is owed. It is commonly taught today that if you don't tithe, you car will break down.

The problem with this concept of tithing is that it contradicts greater concepts of the Cross. Because of the Cross, we have been freed from obligation to God through the Law. We relate to God as friends and offspring now rather than as subjects.

Let's face it - tithing is somewhat of a sacred cow. For such a major aspect of what we call western evangelicalism, there are amazingly few verses about it in the New Testament. What verses are there are not direct teachings about the continuation of tithing. ...So, if we are going to tithe in a legalistic sense, we had better start taking pinches of pepper out of the pantry, too.

Now the yes answer. The Law was our tutor and it taught us that giving into the Kingdom is a good thing. Since we are joint heirs with the Son, His kingdom is our Kingdom - every investment we make into that kingdom is productive and eternal. What better use for temporal money could there possibly be than to invest it into God's eternal kingdom? Although there are no direct teachings about tithing in the New Testament, there are pages of teaching on using our finances and resources for God's kingdom. Jesus said that when we choose to pour our resources into the kingdom, we are blessed 30, 60, and 100 fold both in this life and in the life to come. We are directed to decide between us and God what we will give in every situation.

The real question is not "should we tithe", but "what is the motivation behind our giving?". God cannot be bought. He is the one who has purchased us and then He freed us. We should not be offering a token appeasement to God out of fear that He will not bless us if we don't. God has already blessed us with everything we need for life and godliness through the Cross. We now are as Jesus was in this world - how much more blessed could we possibly be? Now, since our sin is behind us and behind Him, we can jump in with two feet to expand His kingdom with everything we have.