One again, the name of Christ has been dragged through
the mud in the national (actually international the first place that seemed to
pick up the story was the London tabloid The Daily Mail) media. This time mercifully it was not a sex
scandal, it was a financial one. And not
a huge one either, but a very small one.
It is a matter of a six dollar tip.
A woman who claims to be a pastor ( for the purpose of discussion we will lay aside the
question of whether she could possibly be a pastor; For information on that question click here.)
was incensed that an 18% tip was added to her check at a local Applebee’s (per
the policy clearly stated on the menu, but I digress). So she angrily scratched out the included tip
and scrawled “I give God 10%, why do you get 18%?” and signed the note pastor
Alois Bell.
Aside from being a horrible witness to the waitress and
now the entire world, and the clearly unloving attitude (and adding to the
perception commonly expressed among wait staff that the after church crowd tends to be rude, order only water to drink and tip poorly and it shouldn’t be like that, but
again I digress) the real problem I see with this note, is the attitude toward
giving that it seems to indicate (in fairness, I don’t know this woman or her
heart). As a pastor, when I see that note, I can’t help but think about the
heart attitude that could have produced it.
And what I see is that this woman seems to equate a compulsory 18% tip
with compulsory giving of 10% to God.
The practice of tithing and the Old Testament system of
giving is one of the most misunderstood aspects of the Old Testament. It seems that there is a common misconception
that Old Testament saints in Israel gave 10% of their income to God, but that
is not the case.
The real number was closer to 25% or 30%, because the tithe was
not the totality of giving, but was just the start. In Ancient Israel the first born of every
animal was dedicated to the Lord, and the first fruits of the harvest were given to the Lord and there was the free will offering, and the
peace offering, and the offering of dedicated things to the temple and a myriad
of other ways that giving was directed to the Lord, not to mention the laws
dealing with the provision for the poor, such as the prohibition of reaping to the edged of fields. Let’s be clear, if
you want to follow the Old Testament pattern of giving, it is going to be a lot
more than 10%.
But more importantly there is nothing in the New
Testament that indicates that tithing is a requirement for New Testament
believers, in fact it is barely mentioned.
There are four passages that mention tithing, Mathew 23, Luke 11:37-52,
and Luke 18:9-14, all of which are teaching about the hypocrisy of the
Pharisees and Hebrews 7 which is teaching that Christ is superior to the
Levitical priesthood. In other words
every mention of tithing in the New Testament is entirely disconnected from the
issue of giving.
That in no way means that the New Testament is silent on
the subject of Giving though. Generosity
or giving is identified as a Spiritual gift in Romans 12:3 - 8 and the word
commonly translated as goodness in Galatians 5:22, also carries the meaning of
material generosity. Giving is important
enough to God that in giving believers new natures, He has supernaturally gifted
some people to be generous givers.
In 1 Corinthians 16:1-2, Paul issues directions to the
Corinthian church to take up a collection for the saints suffering in
Jerusalem. Likewise in Romans 15:22-29
Paul exhorts the Roman church to match the efforts of Macedonia and Achaia in
taking a collection for the poor in Jerusalem.
And don’t forget that the Philippians church is commended in Philippians 4:15 for supporting the ministry of Paul.
Giving is commanded and commended throughout the New Testament.
Of Course the cornerstone of New Testament teaching on
giving is 2 Corinthians 9:6-15:
The
point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever
sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart,
not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to
make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at
all times, you may abound in every good work. As it is written,
“He
has distributed freely, he has given to the poor;
his
righteousness endures forever.”
He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will
supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your
righteousness. You
will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us
will produce thanksgiving to God. For
the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but
is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. By their approval of this service, they will
glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the
gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all
others, while they
long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. Thanks be to God for
his inexpressible gift!
God loves a cheerful giver, and giving should not be done
under compulsion or out of a sense of guilt or shame. (And note also sowing financially is tied to
reaping righteousness, not more money.
The concept of seed faith, giving to God to reap financial rewards is
patently unbiblical.) God wants you to
give what you have purposed in your heart, not a penny more or a penny less. God doesn’t want or need what you don’t want
to give (back) to Him.
In one of the most frequently misquoted verses in the
bible (Psalm 50:10), God declares that he owns the cattle on a thousand
hills. Contrary to popular misconception,
this verse doesn’t teach that God has an unlimited supply of wealth from which
to bless his people (as in my God who owns the cattle on a thousand hills will
provide for all my needs) it teaches that God doesn’t need anything from men,
and that He has no interest in sacrifices offered grudgingly. This is made clear in verse 12, where God
says “If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are
mine.” God simply is uninterested in
what is given grudgingly. And he
certainly isn’t adding a mandatory 10% tip to your bill.
And as a pastor I am utterly uninterested in any giving
given begrudgingly. This may seem
shocking, but if someone doesn’t want to give to the church, I don’t want them
to. I would be concerned about their
heart condition if they are entirely uninterested in giving, and feel no desire
to give the work of the church kingdom, but I don’t want anyone giving to the
church under compulsion.
I
don’t want to see someone robbed of their joy in giving because they have
purposed to more than 10% and feel compelled to limit their giving either. The notion that God requires you to give 10%
of your income intimates that your giving to God is a bill that you shouldn’t
overpay. Nothing could be further from
the truth! Give until your heart is content
and not a penny more or less. 10% is a great
starting point, especially if you have never been a regular giver, but that is
all it is, a starting point. If being a
cheerful giver means you only give 7% so be it, but if being a cheerful giver
means that you give 30, 40, even 70% or more then that is pleasing to the Lord
too.
And
please don’t forget to tip your servers (generously, and not just with $1,000,000 bill tracts) because everything you do as a believer reflects on the reputation of Christ.
