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This mutual giving had its beginning when God created Adam and Eve. God gave them everything their heart could want. They gave God their love and obedience in return. The relationship changed dramatically when Adam and Eve sinned against God. God banished them from the beautiful Garden of Eden to a cruel planet filled with pain, danger and death. Adam, Eve and their sons "gave" offerings to God. What God wanted was their best. He wanted them to hold back nothing in their relationship with Him. The offerings God rejected were less than their best. That's important to remember as we consider tithing.
Genesis 4:2-5
Offerings are mentioned more than a thousand times in the Bible. People giving offerings to God and God receiving those offerings have been a major part of the relationship between them for centuries. God has always given His best to the human race and He expects our best in return.
"Tithe" is a translation of the Hebrew word maser . It means "a tenth part." It's fascinating that the first time the word is used in the Bible is Genesis 14.
Genesis 14:18-20
We learn from Hebrews that Jesus Christ was like Melchizadek, the king-priest. We also learn more about the tithe.
Hebrews 7:1-10
Melchizedek was King of Salem (Jeru-salem) and Priest of God Most High. He came out of nowhere to bless Abraham. He is mentioned only twice by name in the Old Testament.
Psalm 110:1-4
This is one of David's prophecies about Jesus Christ. Christ is King from the lineage of David. Christ is also God's High Priest, but He is not from the lineage of Levi and Aaron. Christ is like Melchizedek who had no mother, no father, no genealogy, no beginning of days or end of life.
Hebrews 7:14-17, 23-27
Melchizedek prefigured Christ and His Sacrifice. Some Bible students believe Melchizedek was the Preincarnate Christ. Remember what Melchizedek did for Abraham? "Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine." The bread and wine were figures of how Christ would die and how He would bless the world. Christ would offer His Body (bread) to pay the penalty for our sins by bleeding to death (wine) on the Cross .
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Melchizedek gave Abraham the first recorded communion of promise. Abraham responded by giving the first recorded tithe to God.
It's interesting to note that Abraham gave a tenth of everything to Melchizedek "before" Ismael was born, "before" changing Abram's name to Abraham, "before" the Covenant of Circumcision and "before" the birth of Isaac. Abraham's example of giving a tenth of everything came hundreds of years before God gave His Law to Moses.
The next time we see someone promise to give God a tenth is when Jacob made a vow to God.
Genesis 28:22
Abraham, the father of God's chosen people, and Jacob, later named Israel and father of the 12 tribes of Israel, chose to give God a tenth of everything they had. We have no indication that this was God's Law at that time. It was what Abraham and Jacob wanted to do in response to God's Love and Gracious provision.
Tithing, or giving a tenth of everything, became a Law after Moses led Israel from 400 years of slavery toward the Promised Land.
Leviticus 27:30-34
This was not a suggestion or recommendation. This was Law. Can you imagine God giving His people the "Ten Suggestions"? God gave them Laws that would govern and guide and protect them. God gave His people Laws that would bring them great success in their individual and corporate lives. Tithes and offerings were part of God's Program for His Household of Faith. Tithing played an important role in the upkeep of God's House and meeting the needs of God's ministers. You can read more about the Law of Tithes in Numbers 18, Deuteronomy 12, 14 and 26, and Nehemiah 10, 12 and 13.
Solomon shared his wisdom about the spirit of giving when he wrote: "Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine." (Proverbs 3:9-10)
Jesus also spoke about the true spirit of tithing.
Matthew 23:23
Luke 11:42
Giving a tithe is not enough. The giver must also have the sweet spirit of one who is just, merciful and faithful. Legalized obedience to the Law is not what God wants.
Luke 18:10-14
The Greek words for "tithe" and "tenth" are apodekatoo , and dekatos . The word used in Matthew and Luke for tithing (the sections quoted above) is apodekatoo . The word used in John for the hour of the day is dekatos . The word used in Hebrews 7 for tithing is dekatos . The word used in Revelation for the number ten is also dekatos .
Tithing is not mentioned in Acts or any of the apostolic letters (other than Revelation). However, we know Christ supported tithing because He supported the Law and mentioned tithing as something a disciple should do. However, tithing was not where Christ wanted His followers to stop with their giving.
Acts 2:44-45
The Kingdom disciples would have continued to give tithes to the temple because they would have obeyed the Law, but the Holy Spirit led them to have everything in common and sell their possessions and goods and give to anyone as they had need. That's the perfect marriage of the Law and Spirit. The tithe is the Law. Having everything in common and giving to anyone as they have need is the Spirit.
What about today? What should we do in the Age of Grace? Must we give a tithe? No. We're not under the Law. We're under Grace. What does that mean when it comes to giving to others and to our church?
You mentioned 2 Corinthians in your question. Paul encouraged the church in Corinth to be generous in their giving to others. Notice how he begins the section on giving.
2 Corinthians 8:1-7
Here's what we learn about giving from this section of Paul's letter.
Paul did not command the Corinthians in giving (2 Corinthians 8:8), but he spoke about testing the sincerity of their love by comparing it with the earnestness of others.
If Paul did not teach tithing in the Age of Grace, how much should we give to others?
2 Corinthians 8:10-12
Notice Paul's emphasis of the word "willingness": "so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it," and "if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has." God does not "order" His Children of Grace to give a tithe or any particular amount of money. God gives us His Grace and His Spirit and with that comes a "willingness" to serve others. The amount of the gift is "according to your means." "The gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have."
Paul did not set up a new legalistic system for giving in the Age of Grace. He encouraged believers to give joyfully, enthusiastically and generously. Paul wanted the Corinthians' gift to be ready as a generous gift, "not as one grudgingly given." In this context of giving to others, Paul wrote:
2 Corinthians 9:6-9
What is the result of this joyful and generous giving?
2 Corinthians 9:12-15
Giving to others is quite remarkable. We give generously, willingly and cheerfully and God uses that gift to supply the needs of His people. The gift is an overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. People praise God because of our gifts. They praise Him for the surpassing Grace He has given us. Yes, thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!
"Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor."
"Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, 'Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.' Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything."
"This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, his name means 'king of righteousness'; then also, "king of Salem" means 'king of peace.' Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest forever. Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder! Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people--that is, their brothers--even though their brothers are descended from Abraham. This man, however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. And without doubt the lesser person is blessed by the greater. In the one case, the tenth is collected by men who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living. One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor."
"The Lord says to my Lord: 'Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.' The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion; you will rule in the midst of your enemies. Your troops will be willing on your day of battle. Arrayed in holy majesty, from the womb of the dawn you will receive the dew of your youth. The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: 'You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.'"
"For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry, but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. For it is declared: 'You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek'...Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office, but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. Such a high priest meets our need--one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself."
"The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, 'This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.' In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.' For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes."
"Then Jacob made a vow, saying, 'If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father's house, then the Lord will be my God and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth."
"A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord...The entire tithe of the herd and flock--every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd's rod--will be holy to the Lord...These are the commands the Lord gave Moses on Mount Sinai for the Israelites."
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of you spices--mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel."
"Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone."
"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men--robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
"All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need."
"And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord, and then to us in keeping with God's will. So we urged Titus, since he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part."
"And here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have."
"Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: 'He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.'"
"This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!"
How do you KNOW that He is there with you? What can I do to "prove" to myself that He is here for me? How can I quench this doubt?
I asked Christ to be my Lord and Savior after getting my tough questions about God answered. I went through a period of doubt about God many years ago. I was under legalistic teaching at the time. I also questioned my sincerity as a believer. I wondered if I really had received Christ. I didn't measure up to everything in the Law. The Law brings guilt.
I share this to say I understand your doubt. I've experienced it. I've thought it, felt it. Doubt can be debilitating, if left to grow.
Christ was God in the flesh. No one could have more proof about the existence of God than to look at Him, listen to Him, talk to Him, touch Him. Yet, thousands of people who met Christ doubted Him. Even Christ's close disciples had their doubts at times. These were men who had walked with Christ in a way that no one had ever known God. They saw Him crucified. They saw Him die. They saw Him carried away and buried in a tomb. They saw Him alive after death. But even with all that, some still had doubts.
Matthew 28:16-17
John 20:26-31
I have known many Christians who doubt their salvation or God because they weren't living the kind of powerful lives they saw in the Book of Acts. I think it's important to remember that Christ spent time personally convincing His disciples that He really was alive. He performed many miraculous signs before them. Christ sent His Holy Spirit to empower them for supernatural ministries. Christ does not physically appear to us today. He does not personally work miraculous signs in front of our eyes. Ours is an even greater faith than the faith of His disciples. As Christ told Thomas, "blessed are those who have not seen and yet they believed."
What Christians do have is Christ living "in" them. We are "in" Christ and He is "in" us. We cannot have a greater proof than that. People come to an understanding of being "in" Christ over time. Time and understanding God's Grace did away with my doubts. I believe it will yours as well.
I've spent 26 years studying and researching God's claims about Himself and creation. I've found Him to be True and Right at every turn. God has answered most of my questions through the years. I'm still studying to find all the answers to all my questions. If I don't have enough time in this life, I'll get all the answers in the next life. I am very confident in what I believe; not because it's me believing it, but because Christ "in" me gives me the faith to believe. He gives us a heart of understanding. He sharpens our minds to grasp deep, spiritual truths. The Holy Spirit Who inspired the Written Word of God is in us guiding us to an understanding of His Truth.
The Apostle Paul was a man who knew Jesus Christ face to face. Christ blinded Paul and spoke to Him in a voice Paul heard and understood to be the voice of the risen Christ. Christ taught Paul personally. Christ spoke to Paul and Paul heard Him. They had personal conversations. Christ took Paul into heaven and showed him things that were so wonderful, so glorious, that Paul was not able or allowed to express them to us. Christ gave Paul supernatural visions and insights in order to strengthen and encourage him in his difficult ministry. The Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write more Books of the Bible than any other person in history. This same Paul was a man filled with extreme confidence about God. He was a man convinced! Even at the end of his life, when he faced certain death because of his beliefs and teaching, Paul stood convinced of what he believed. Nothing tests our beliefs like death staring us in the face.
2 Timothy 1:11-12
Romans 8:38-39
Paul had no doubts about the existence of God or Jesus Christ. He knew Christ personally. He talked with God directly. Paul was absolutely convinced that God was alive and in charge. He knew the awesome Power of Almighty God. He knew what it was to be in the Presence of the Living God. Paul was so convinced about God and Christ that he gave his life to share it with others. Paul was a man of great assurance that what he knew was the Truth and nothing but the Truth.
2 Corinthians 5:11-15
Paul encouraged his students to stand strong in their faith and be convinced of God's Truth.
2 Timothy 3:14-15
Now, let me deal individually with your three questions about doubt.
I know God is here with me as I write you because of four reasons.
"You" can't prove anything to yourself, but God can. The most powerful proof God gave us is the resurrection of Christ.
Acts 17:29-31
The "proof" you need lives in you. It is the Risen Christ Who lives in you, me and everyone who belongs to Him. Christ will "prove" Himself time and again as we listen, watch, study and practice what He tells us in His Word and in our spirit.
Doubt (aporeo ) means to "be without a way, be without resources." We quench doubt by having a way, by having resources. Our greatest resources as Christians are Christ "in" us, being members of the Body of Christ, having the Holy Spirit live in us, and knowing the Word of God. The stronger you grow in Christ and in His Spirit, the weaker your doubts become. The key is understanding God's Grace that brought you to salvation and the Risen Christ "in" you. Assurance will come from your personal walk with the Living God Who lives in you. It takes time, study, prayer, personal commitment and patience, but it will come.
Please know that I am praying for you. Invite other Christians to pray for you as well. That's the great resource of being part of the Body of Christ. We're members of the same Heavenly Family. We all face the same challenges.
Read Romans, Ephesians, Colossians, and the letters to Timothy and Titus. Then, read Paul's other letters. Give your mind and heart the resources they need to deal with the doubt that hinders their growth. You can quench the doubt.
Taking God's Grace to the World!
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"Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers."
Last Updated: 12/20/1999
"Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted."
"A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you!' Then he said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.' Thomas said to him, 'My Lord and my God!' Then Jesus told him, 'Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet they believed.' Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."
"And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day."
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
"Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again."
"But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus."
"Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone--an image made by man's design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead."