Tithing: Not In The New Testament?
Okay, I’ll probably regret this, but last week I tried to do a practical series offering some ideas on preaching about tithing to non-Christians and got a lot of push back on preaching about tithing at all. As I’ve said, I’m not into debating with Christians (it’s a ridiculous waste of time), but for those who have genuine questions about this, I’ll share some of my thoughts on why I teach people to give generously to God, and that tithing is where generosity starts. I am no theologian, so I’ll probably look dumb, but here goes…
The first thing I’ll mention is that people who say, “Tithing is not even mentioned in the New Testament!” are full of crap. Not only is it mentioned, it’s commended by Jesus. He says in Matthew 23, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices and mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matter of the law – justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.”
I wouldn’t say that this verse alone is enough to build a theology on, but it is obviously true that Jesus said, “You should not neglect tithing.” So please don’t say that tithing isn’t even mentioned in the New Testament.
Again, that verse isn’t “enough” – but I’ll share a few more thoughts later…