God Without Religion_ Can It Really Be This Simple_ - Andrew Farley [18]
But for very good reason, surrounding verses in Malachi are seldom included in these tithing challenges. Malachi 3:8 says, “You rob me,” and verse 9 says, “You are under a curse.” Why are these parts left out of the appeal? Because old covenant statements involving curses aren’t very marketable these days. It’s not exactly “ecclesiastically correct” to go around telling people they’re under a curse until they fork over 10 percent of their income. So the sales pitch ends up being only half of the Malachi message—the blessing part.
The bottom line is that any message that communicates that we pay God money and in return he blesses us financially is flawed (1 Tim. 6:5). Make no bones about it—under this theology, God becomes the Divine Slot Machine. We put our quarters in and pull the faith lever down. If we put enough quarters in and believe hard enough, we’ll hit the jackpot.
Is this how God operates, with no more discernment than a mindless machine?
A Carryover?
“I know, we’re free from the law. But . . . we should still give 10 percent, since that’s carried over from the Old Testament, isn’t it?”
I hear questions like this a lot. It’s natural to wonder how a pure grace message fits with giving to support the local church. Do we tithe a specific amount? Do we just give whatever we want (or don’t want) to give? And how will anybody be motivated to give if it’s just a “free-for-all” message of grace?
In response to my first book, The Naked Gospel, I received an email warning me in the strongest possible terms that the message of freewill giving under grace would damage America’s churches. The message went on to say that my view was “deeply disappointing to those of us studied enough to have figured out the simple truth about giving 10 percent to God.”
I’m no stranger to comments like these. I get them all the time. And since I serve as a pastor at Ecclesia, other pastors wonder how I could take such a position on grace giving and still make it. “How does your church even survive with you teaching this?” they ask.
Finances are one of the most difficult areas for us leaders to deal with today. I have yet to visit a church that has no need for financial support from its congregation. I’m not sure God even wants us to have a church like that. Paul talked frequently about how the churches he visited supported him financially and gave to fellow believers in need. New covenant, grace-based giving is presented as a gift to the giver, not just the receiver. It’s healthy and good for us to support our church financially and other ways as well:
We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. (Rom. 12:6–8)
All the same, many pastors and church leaders can fall into the trap of mandating a certain percentage of money from their congregation. Maybe it’s not out of any negative motivation. Some are sincerely convinced that this percentage is God-ordained. In the Old Testament, Israel was clearly instructed to give a tenth of everything they had to support the priests. Why would it be any different today? To answer this question, let’s take a look at the history of tithing and compare it with what we find about giving under God’s new way.
8
In the Old Testament, God divided Israel into twelve tribes. Each tribe received their share of the Promised Land. Well, each tribe except one. One tribe, called the Levites after Joseph’s brother Levi, didn’t receive any property. In fact, they were instructed to remain free of personal