Should the Church Teach Tithing?

288 Pages·2003·1.5 MB·English

Should the Church Teach Tithing?
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Should the Church Teach Tithing?
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A T ’ C
HEOLOGIAN S ONCLUSIONS
T D
ABOUT A ABOO OCTRINE
Russell Earl Kelly, Ph.D.
Writers Club Press
New York Lincoln Shanghai
Should the Church Teach Tithing?
A Theologian’s Conclusions about a Taboo Doctrine
All Rights Reserved © 2000 by Russell Earl Kelly, Ph.D.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording,
taping, or by any information storage retrieval system, without the written
permission of the publisher.
Writers Club Press
an imprint of iUniverse, Inc.
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ISBN: 0-595-15978-8
Printed in the United States of America
This book is dedicated
with my thanks and love
to Ralph and Edna Bartlett,
my spiritual godparents.
Ralph is a proven evangelist,
called and empowered
by God, and a
pre-eminent soul-winner.
Special thanks go to
my loving wife, Janice,
who both inspired the
research for this book
and spent many hours
proof-reading it.
This revision is dedicated to
David Yeubanks, Chris Logan,
Ron Shouldis, Paul Eilers,
and Jonathan Kithcart
—untiring soldiers in the
fight for the restoration of
New Covenant
giving principles.

Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................1
Section One: Definition and Pre-Law Tithing
Chapter 1 The Origin and Definition of Tithing ........................................5
Chapter 2 Genesis 14; Abraham, Melchizedek, and Arab Customs ...........13
Chapter 3 Genesis 28:20-22; Jacob’s Bargain With God ............................30
Section Two: Tithing under the Mosaic Law
Chapter 4 Numbers 18; The Obscure Foundational Statute/Ordinance
of Tithing .................................................................................32
Chapter 5 Leviticus 27:30-34; “It is Holy Unto the LORD” .....................39
Chapter 6 Tithes Replaced Land Inheritance ............................................46
Chapter 7 How Many Tithes? 10%, 20%, or 23 1/3rd%? .........................49
Chapter 8 Deuteronomy 12 and 14; Strange Facts about Tithing ..............56
Chapter 9 The Poor Did Not Tithe; Jesus Did Not Tithe ..........................61
Chapter 10 1 Samuel 8:14-17; 1 Chronicles 23-27; Kings,
Tithes, and Taxes ......................................................................67
Chapter 11 2 Chronicles 31; King Hezekiah Restored Tithing ....................73
Chapter 12 Nehemiah: The Context of Malachi .........................................79
Chapter 13 Malachi: Ministers Who Rob God ...........................................89
Chapter 14 Matthew 23; Luke 11; Jesus Supported Tithing under the Law ..115
Chapter 15 Luke 18:12; A Pharisee’s Boast about Tithing .........................122
Section Three: The New Covenant and the Law
Chapter 16 Acts 15 and 21: Compromise of Division ...............................126
Chapter 17 Hebrews 8 and 2 Corinthians 3; A Better New Covenant .......133
Chapter 18 The Christian, the Mosaic Law, and the “Law” of Christ ........140
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Section Four: Important Post-Calvary Texts
Chapter 19 Hebrews 7; Christ’s High Priesthood Abolished Tithing .........147
Chapter 20 Ephesians 2:14-16; Colossians 2:13-17; Law Ordinances
Ended at Calvary ....................................................................170
Chapter 21 1 Peter 2:9-10; The Priesthood of Believers Abolished Tithing ...176
Chapter 22 1 Corinthians 9; Paul Refused His Lesser “Right” of Support.....181
Chapter 23 1 Corinthians 16; Giving to Needy Saints ..............................199
Chapter 24 1 Timothy 5:17; Worthy of Double Honor ............................210
Chapter 25 Miscellaneous Objections .......................................................217
Section Five: Something New and Better Replaced Tithing
Chapter 26 Chafer and Walvoord on New Testament Giving ....................224
Chapter 27 2 Corinthians 8 and 9; A Sermon Using Principles of
Grace Giving ..........................................................................227
Chapter 28 Acts 20:16-35; An Ignored Sermon and Example to Preachers ...235
Section Six: Secular History, Ethics, and Summary
Chapter 29 A Secular Church History of Tithing ......................................246
Chapter 30 Ethical Considerations of Tithing under Grace .......................263
Chapter 31 Spreading the Gospel Remains Our Calling ............................272
Bibliography .............................................................................................275
About the Author ......................................................................................279
Introduction
Every man according as he purposes in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly,
or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor. 9:7).
From the New Testament, it is clear that Christians should give, even sacrifi-
cially, to meet the needs of the mysterious living organism, the church, the body
of Christ, in which they are called to serve. Christian giving is an important part
of the “new nature” believers have in Christ. Christians give, not because of any
commandment or threatened curse for not giving, but because giving is part of
their new nature.
This book fully supports such giving as a freewill-offering and a faith response
from the heart motivated by love and the Holy Spirit. However, the author is
equally convinced that preaching a mandatory ten percent (so-called tithe) of
gross income, regardless of circumstances, is unscriptural and causes more harm
than good to the body of Christ.
Many churches teach that tithing is mandatory and Christians must give ten
per cent of their gross income to the church. Others teach that principles of New
Covenant giving do not include a compulsory giving of ten per cent of gross
income. Those who teach tithing often scorn those who disagree with them as
either not believing the Bible or else not being mature Christians. Positions of
leadership such as pastor, deacon, and Sunday School teacher are often denied to
those who do not teach tithing, even though they may be well-qualified and excel
as soul-winners.
For far too long tithing has been treated as a “taboo” off-limits subject among
many conservative churches. Too many informed seminary professors silently
stand by while persons in lower echelons write the denominational literature
which promotes tithing. Their proof-text literature ignores accepted biblical
principles of interpretation. While general agreement has been reached among
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2 Should the Church Teach Tithing?
evangelicals concerning the inspiration of the Bible, the Trinity, the deity of
Christ, and the plan of salvation, active discussion continues concerning modern
prophets, the role of Israel in prophecy, and spiritual gifts. However, in many
conservative, charismatic, and evangelical churches none dare question that
tithing is commanded for the Christian church.
Some of the most vocal supporters of Christian tithing today are found in the
Southern Baptist Convention. Therefore, in order to research the best available
information about Christian tithing, an inquiry letter was addressed to their lead-
ership. My letter informed them that I was preparing a Ph.D. dissertation on the
subject of “tithing” and requested that they suggest the very best material avail-
able on the subject.
In May 1999, in answer to my inquiry about the best material and books on
tithing, Dr. J. David Carter, Lead Stewardship Specialist for Lifeway Christian
Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention, suggested that I usePartners With
God, Bible Truths About Giving, by Bobby Eklund and Terry Austin, “as a plat-
form for the additional research you do in designing your paper.”1 According to
the copyright page, “This book is the text for Course 05-104 in the subject area
Baptist Doctrine in the Church Study Course.”2
Partners With God has 142 pages and only devotes pages 63-79 to tithing.
Eklund began his discussion of tithing by attacking those who disagree with his
position. On page 63, he introduced the section on tithing with a true story of a
mother who killed her two young children and then committed suicide because
she mistakenly thought she had terminal cancer. Eklund then wrote, “This tragic
and extreme story illustrates an important truth: believing a lie always leads to
sorrow and destruction.” “The lie [of Satan] simply states that tithing is an Old
Covenant practice which is no longer valid for the New Covenant Christian. This
deceit has confined many Christians to financial bondage and plundered a size-
able portion of monetary resources from the church.”3
Again, it is past time for conservative Christians to openly discuss and research
the doctrine of tithing using proven biblical principles of interpretation in order to
reach an agreement on this vital doctrine. What are we afraid of? Is not discovering
and acting on the truth of God’s Word of paramount importance for church
growth? Surely the Holy Spirit does not want the church to ignore this issue!
1 J. David Carter, Lifeway Lead Stewardship Specialist, letter to Russell E. Kelly, 17 May 99.
2 Bobby Eklund and Terry Austin, Partners With God, Bible Truths About Giving,
(Convention Press: The Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention,
1994), copyright page.
3 Ibid., 63.