GLEANINGS — May 4, A.D. 2014                                                                                                           
What about Tithing?

Like the sabbath, marriage, work, and blood sacrifices, tithing originated long before God descended on Mt. Sinai. Abraham's encounter with Melchizedek, priest of God most high (Genesis 4:20, Hebrews 7) shows this. 

Through Moses, God's tithe from His covenant people was temporarily directed to the upholding of the younger, Christ foreshadowing Aaronic priesthood and its supporting Levitical system, as seen in various passages in Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. This was exampled in the historical writings (Chronicles, Nehemiah), and God's people were stirred up on occasion by His prophets to remember and keep it (Amos, Malachi).

The Lord Jesus Himself affirms that tithing abides, as He chastises certain miserly, "loophole-seeking" religionists who greedily and craftily sought to minimalize it (Matthew 23, Luke 11).

The Law of God was given in grace. God said in effect "I have redeemed you with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, therefore gratefully obey Me", NOT "obey Me in order to earn your redemption." Let us then aim to use lawfully that good Law of liberty, for the New Covenant upholds its every jot and tittle (Matthew 5:18, 1 Timothy 1:8, Romans 3:31). Indeed, Scripture teaches us that certain temporal ordinances passed away, but even they are upheld in essence by way of their fulfillment in Christ (examples, the Passover and all the other animal sacrifices, 1 Corinthians 5:7, Hebrews 10:1-4).

Christian wondering about tithing, consider this. You are not your own, you were bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:20, 7:23; 1 Peter 1:18,19)! Let's recognize with joy that God already owns 100% of who we are and what we have! Are we not His people and the sheep of His pasture? Therefore, reasoning by the analogy of faith, how should we think of the tithe today?

Think of it according to that "primary ownership" precept of His Word: God with lavish, amazing grace allows His people to use, as stewards, 90% of what is His by creation and doubly so by redemption!

As those who love Him and are overwhelmed by His greatest gift to us – His Son – and His making us joint heirs of all lesser things with Jesus (Romans 8:17, Rev. 21:7), we readily see that we could never actually "give" anything at all to the Father of lights from Whom every good and perfect gift comes down (James 1:17), let alone anything remotely close to what He deserves!

So as the blessed, sancitfying Holy Spirit fills us and increases our capacity to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind and our neighbor as ourselves, let us seek to use that 90% of His property (over which we are only accountable stewards) ever more wisely for His glory and honor and the true good of our neighbors and ourselves.

As we prudently use a portion of that 90% for our lawful earthly needs, we can give Him even more thanks for thereby answering the regular prayer petition He gave us, "give us this day our daily bread." Since He surely is glorified when we enjoy with moderation good things beyond our basic needs (1 Timothy 6:17), we can, according to a Scripturally informed conscience and with great liberty, invest some of God's 90% in edifying recreation, in lavish hospitality such as the aforementioned father of the faithful practised (Genesis 18), in thoughtful gifts, in diverse creative projects, in Kingdom building enterprises, and in things akin to breaking expensive vials of ointment (with His approval) while being accused by thieves of being wasteful on account of doing so (John 12).

So it would seem that as we walk this pilgrim pathway, flourishing growth in grace would be seen in the financial dimension of our lives as we grow more and more into such a view of our earthly riches and possessions. What about tithing, you ask? Well...what about ALL of what you have and what you are?