Introduction: Transformed by Truth

by Hazel

I hadn’t known the joy of Spirit-led giving until several years ago when I was moved by the Spirit during a time of corporate prayer to give my tithe to a sister in the church who was about to loose her home. She hadn’t been able to work for a number of months due to a work-related back injury, and even though she had received some financial assistance she was still seriously behind in her house payments.

Having been taught all my life that the tithe belonged to the Lord, I was taken by surprise when the Lord brought a picture to my mind as we were praying of how believers in the early church helped one another and gave to anyone as they had need (Acts 2: 32-35 NIV). I began to weep as I experienced the Father’s heart for His hurting daughter, and gave her the money that I would normally have given to the church.

For several months God prompted me to give to her in this way as He did several others in the church. Soon she was back on her feet and able to resume her job. Knowing that we had been able to help bear our sister’s burden during her time of extreme financial stress brought us much joy.

Thus began my journey prompted by the Holy Spirit to start studying the subject of tithing and giving. I began to sense that God wanted to move mightily among us as He did the early church if we would only give unselfishly and generously from our hearts as we were moved by the Holy Spirit.

I must admit that I have always struggled with tithe because I have seen so much guilt-based giving and misuse of Scripture when it comes to this subject. So as I prayed for wisdom to understand God’s heart on this matter I began to see what someone has so succinctly stated that perhaps the “tithe” is to the modern church of today what the issue of “circumcision” was to the church in Paul’s day.1

Could it be that the Church’s current practice of hanging on to the old covenant system of compulsory tithing has become a “sacred cow” that continues to keep the body of Christ in spiritual bondage? As we examine all the Scriptural references on this subject let us do so with an open heart and mind and a desire to know truth so that we can “come out” from being manipulated and controlled by unbiblical and erroneous approaches to obtaining funds for the support of the church. I believe God wants to expose this current practice of the church that has resisted change for centuries so that we can transition from the old covenant system of compulsory tithing to the new covenant understanding of giving hilariously as we are led to give by the Spirit (2 Corinthians 9:7).

So let’s examine what the Bible has to say about the following:

* Tithing Before the Law was given
* Tithing Under the Old Covenant
* Tithing in the New Testament
* New Covenant Understanding of Giving


Endnotes:

1Jack Helser, “To Tithe or not to Tithe” (article), p. 1.