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There is no subject in the modern day church more polarizing than tithing. Even the very mention of the word brings strong emotional responses from both ministers and members. No one seems to be opposed to its validity, only its necessity.

Most group discussions on this issue will conclude that the Bible teaches us to tithe. However, where many of us seem to disagree is how much, or what is supposed to constitute a tithe. In my many years in ministry I have heard multiple beliefs as to how we are supposed to tithe. Some, in an attempt to save themselves money, have decided they should tithe their time not their income. Others have limited their tithe to 10% of their net income, while some would argue that the 10% should be based on your gross. Do we tithe on our tax returns? Do we tithe on unexpected money? How do we even know the tithe is supposed to be 10%?

The questions surrounding this subject are limitless! So what does the Bible really say about the tithe? Surprisingly, the Bible does not speak as much about tithing as you might think. Most English Bibles only use this word a handful of times and the majority of those are found in the Old Testament in the Law.

The most common Hebrew word for tithe is “ma’asrah”which comes from the less common root word “’asar” and simply means “A tenth, or to give a tenth” When we cross over into the New Testament the word tithe becomes even less common and is attributed to Jesus and the writer of Hebrews only. Neither Paul, nor any of the other biblical writers chose to include this teaching in any of their letters, which I find very interesting.

That is not to say they did not teach on giving. On the contrary, Paul spoke much on the subject and gives us some clear insight into what is expected of us under the New Covenant. Probably the most notable is Paul’s statements to the Corinthians in his first letter. Chapter 9 teaches us that we are supposed to give financial support to those who shepherd the flocks of God and allow them to “Eat of the vineyard and drink of the milk of the flock.”

However, I believe the most revealing teaching on the subject of giving is found in Paul’s second letter in chapter 9. Here Paul lays out 5 truths about NT giving:

1. If you sow sparingly you will reap sparingly

2. If you sow generously you will reap generously

3. Give according to what you have decided in your heart (Led by the Spirit)

4. Do not give out of compulsion (Law of tithing)

5. Follow the Spirit and it will bring cheer in giving, not dread.

We should be teaching God’s children to be led by the Spirit in ALL things including their giving. The tithe is part of the Old Covenant Law and was never intended to be a part of the freedom of the New Covenant. In fact, the simplicity of the New Covenant is that we no longer have to toil under the burden of trying to live up to the standards of the legal system. We have been declared innocent by the One who fulfilled all the requirements of the Law. Now we are free from the Law and free to follow Who is inside us not be compelled by an external commandment. As Jeremiah prophesied in chapter 31; “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days…I will put my teaching within them and write it on their hearts.” 

The New Covenant teaches us to simply be led by the Spirit in everything, for it is the Spirit of Truth which will lead us into truth. Not regulations or expectations of the institutional church. We are not limited to 10% or any percent for that matter. We are free and unlimited to give as the Spirit leads!

Several years ago I founded a small Gathering in Springfield Missouri. We grew and the offerings grew with it. At that time we were taking in about $1,500.00 per week. Suddenly, God showed me the NT principle of giving and I began to preach being led by the Spirit rather than giving by legal compulsion. An amazing thing happened…Our offering dropped to around $300.00 per week! This is exactly why pastors are afraid to teach a NT concept of giving.

Why did this happen? I discovered that the problem was that people have never been taught to be led by the Spirit. When given the freedom to decide they followed their selfish flesh. I no longer teach on giving. I teach people how to hear and follow the Spirit inside them and he will make sure everything is done in His order, even giving. For this is true New Covenant life.

PREAMBLE:

As it has been our observation that many in the Body of Christ have struggled greatly with the subject of grace, we set forth this writing as an explanation of the revelation of the finished work of Christ. It is not our intention to criticize or convert those who take a different approach to New Testament theology, nor is it our mission to open a debate on the subject of grace. While open debate certainly has an honored place in the Body of Christ, as we attempt to find truth and understanding from the Scripture, we are hoping to avoid the pitfalls of making grace a debate. In almost all open discussions involving Scripture, we start the discourse on one subject and quickly move to many others as they arise. This swiftly leads us away from the key-note subject to which we seldom ever make it back.

Therefore, the intent of this writing is to present the reader with a brief discourse and outline of what we are convinced, through Divine revelation, is the liberating truth about Biblical grace. Along with this liberating truth we shall also discuss some of the pitfalls and abuses which have become associated with this subject so as to answer those critics who erroneously present all adherents to this doctrine as heretics.

We ask that you prayerfully consider what is written in this document and confirm that each belief is grounded in the sacred writings, (Scripture), and the testimony of Holy Spirit. If, after careful consideration, you find this writing to have no place in your mind or spirit, we only ask that you continue in grace toward us and all others who are walking in this revelation. If, on the other hand, the words written here find a home in your heart and stir your soul we challenge you to dig deep into this subject and let grace have its full place in your life.

For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift — not from works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 CSB

Article One:

The creation, temptation and fall of humanity, as recorded in Genesis chapters two and three teaches us that humans were originally created in the image of God and were infilled with His breath, (Spirit) from the beginning. The humans were only given one commandment which was to “not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” (2:17). This was a passive commandment, which means it was not something they needed to do, but simply something they were not to do.

Genesis records that the woman was tempted to eat of the fruit of that tree and, having been deceived, she partook. She then gave some to her husband who ate, even though he was not deceived. As a result of this action they lost their innocence and realized they were naked. Their reaction to this new-found knowledge was to “sew fig leaves together and make coverings for themselves.” (3:7). This shows they were attempting to cover their nakedness by their own effort, not unlike religious legalism of our day. As you are aware it did not hide them from God.  God pronounced a multi-branched curse upon the humans and caused them to leave the Garden of Eden so they would not be able to eat any longer from the Tree of Life. From that moment on humanity was spiritually dead and separated from God. Every human born from the seed of Adam has inherited that dead spirit and is separated from God.

Article Two:

Romans 5:12-14 tells us that sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all people, because all sinned. In fact, sin was in the world before the law, but sin is not charged to a person’s account when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin in the likeness of Adam’s transgression. He is a type of the Coming One. CSB

It has long been a misconception that when the Bible speaks of sin it is always talking about individual acts of disobedience. While this is true of certain instances in the Scripture it is not the reason Christ was sacrificed. Jesus was not sacrificed for individual sins but for an overall nature of sin. The verses above show us that Adam committed an act of transgression because he was given a commandment but chose to disobey God’s direction regarding the tree. This one act of disobedience caused his, (and all who followed him), spirit to die. This caused his identity to change from one who was spiritually alive to one who is dead. All of those from Adam to Moses were spiritually dead even though there was no law to break. It was not the breaking of a commandment that caused humanity to be a sinner; it was a spiritual condition of death, inherited from Adam, which makes humanity lost.

The Greek word for sin is “hamartia” which simply means “to miss the mark.” God established “the mark” in the Garden when he placed his living Spirit in humanity. Adam gave that indwelling away when he disobeyed God’s one command. He was now “missing the mark” God had for him. The verses above make an interesting statement about sin, even over those who did not sin in the likeness of Adam’s transgression. As you can see, you do not have to commit an act of transgression of the law to be a sinner because it is not “acts” that separate us from God but a dead spirit which we all inherited from Adam.

“You are not a sinner because you commit sins; you commit sins because your identity is that of sinner.”  

Article Three:

From the very beginning it has been necessary for blood to be spilled to pay for sin. Adam and Eve tried sewing fig leaves together to cover their nakedness but God made them coverings from animal skins and, in essence, conducted the first blood sacrifice, (Genesis 3:7 & 21). Many years later, God established a sacrificial law, which came to be known as the Law of Moses. This Law was to be an example of the need to shed blood to atone for sin. This was because God is a righteous judge and he could not just excuse sin but must punish it. A payment would be required to atone for humanity’s dead spirit due to sin and that payment must be in blood; literally, a life for a life.

According to Hebrews 10:4 “It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin” so it was always God’s plan for a “better sacrifice” to be made than animals. Jesus was God, who came to earth in human form, lived a perfect life, and died on a cross in complete fulfillment of all the legal requirements of the Law. He was the “once for all time” sacrifice which is never required to be done again. In the Law we see that the High Priest made atonement once per year by going behind the veil into the Holy of Holies, (Leviticus 16). He took the blood of the sacrifice and placed it on the mercy seat and the altar so that the sins of the people were paid for. However, as stated above, this could not take away their sin nature, only their committed sins, so it had to be repeated every year on what was known as “The Day of Atonement.”

Hebrews 9:1-10:18 explains to us that Jesus, acting as our High Priest, went into a heavenly tabernacle and placed his own spilled blood before the Father to obtain eternal redemption for all humanity. Jesus actually removed sin by the sacrifice of himself, (9:26) once for all time, (10:10) and now there is no need of a further sacrifice. All humanity has had the curse of sin lifted from it which had previously made it impossible for us to get out from under the sin nature given us by Adam. This is not to say that all are saved but that the price for ALL has been paid. Now anyone can be saved because of the completed work of the sacrifice of Jesus.

So perfect and complete is the sacrifice of Christ that the writer of Hebrews tells us in chapter 10:2 that “if the worshippers were cleansed once for all they would no longer have any consciousness of sin.” Since the writer tells us nine times in this passage that what Christ did was complete, adequate and only needed to be done one time, we can easily draw the conclusion that we are to no longer live with a sin consciousness but a Son consciousness. There is nothing more you are required to earn as the entire account for humanity is “paid in full.”

Also, worthy to note is the fact that, on the Day of Atonement, the blood of the sacrifice was not placed on the individual. One sacrifice was made for all the people, and the blood of that sacrifice was placed on the mercy seat and the altar, (See Leviticus 16). Likewise, the blood of Jesus was not placed on each individual sinner or sin, it was taken into the heavenly tabernacle and placed on the mercy seat before God. This made atonement for ALL humans, past, present, and future, (See Hebrews 9).

Article Four:

The coming to earth and death of Jesus paid for our dead spirit. Nothing we can do in this life can earn the gift he has given us. In spite of what legalistic religion teaches us you do not have to “work” to earn or keep your Spiritual life. The Apostle Paul explained it this way in Romans 4:2-5 If Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about — but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness. Now to the one who works, pay is not credited as a gift, but as something owed. But to the one who does not work, but believes on him who declares the ungodly to be righteous, his faith is credited for righteousness” CSB

Salvation cannot be by the work we perform or else it would no longer be a gift but a wage we earned. Then we would be able to boast about what we have accomplished. God has not required us to earn the initial gift of salvation nor the continued relationship we have with him in the Spirit. It is ALL a free gift to humanity based solely on the merits of Jesus Christ.

Nothing in the Scripture leads us to believe we have the ability to earn a spiritual wage. Only Jesus could pay the price required by the Law. Therefore, you are not required to earn your place in God’s family; you are free to enjoy being his child. You could not earn it no matter how hard you tried. This is not to say that you can now live a life of disobedience. On the contrary, God has placed his Spirit in us and we are not our own person any longer, (See 1 Corinthians 6:19-20). His Spirit gives us divine direction as to how we should conduct ourselves in this world.

Biblical grace does not teach a freedom to live an undisciplined life but teaches that all sin, past, present and future has been punished by what Jesus endured and now we are free from the condemnation of the curse of the law. That means that God is not punishing his children but disciplining them to keep them from harm. Punishment requires payment for what was done but discipline teaches us how to mature and not make the same errors again.

Article Five

According to Hebrews 8:13, once the New Covenant was completed the Old Covenant passed away. Humanity is no longer under a written law but a spiritual one. The Old Covenant was written on tablets of stone but the New Covenant is written in our spirits. This means that we are not governed by an external written code but by the internal leadership of the Holy Spirit.

This is contrary to how institutional Christianity has operated since it was placed under a central governmental control after the Council at Nicea in Rome in 325 AD. At that point in history we see a sharp turn within Christianity toward edicts and church laws as the leadership tried to control and modify the behavior of all who confessed Christ. In essence, they were attempting to legislate morality.

To be able to continue to use the Old Covenant law it had to be divided into segments; sacrificial, food, social and moral. This way, they could preach legalism without having to require blood sacrifices. However, none of the biblical writers ever made such a distinction about the law. The law was the law and was not divided into “parts” but was taken as a whole.

Therefore, when the New Testament writers speak of the law they are speaking of it in its entirety. This means that if we are going to preach the keeping of the Old Covenant law we must include it all. The argument to this is that Christ fulfilled the blood sacrifice so it would no longer be required. However, a careful exegesis of the New Testament shows us that Christ fulfilled all of the requirements of the law and it is no longer a requirement for humanity.

In Acts chapter 15 we see the narrative of the Jerusalem Council as they discussed this very subject; “should the Gentiles be required to keep the law and be circumcised?” Peter gives a beautiful answer to this question: “Now then, why are you testing God by putting a yoke on the disciples necks that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear?” So we see from Peter’s statement that the law had not been kept by the Jews so it was a surety that the Gentiles would not be able to keep it either.

This brings us to a biblical truth which has been grossly overlooked; nowhere in the Scripture do we see that the law was ever intended for Gentiles. The law was given exclusively to the Jews to be a foundation for the coming of the supreme sacrifice who would fulfill every aspect of that law. Again, it is here that many teachers have concluded that, “yes, Jesus fulfilled the sacrificial portion of the law but we are still under the moral code found there.” We contend that this is not true. Jesus either carried out the entire plan of God or he didn’t. He either fulfilled all of the law or he will need to come back and finish the work. Of course, any serious Bible student would have to conclude that Jesus did everything required by the law and there is nothing left undone.

There is a statement which was made by Jesus that many have used to debate this issue. Matthew 5:17-18 records Jesus speaking about the law; “Don’t think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass away from the law until all things are accomplished.” CSB Many will point to this statement and say, “See, it says right there that Jesus did not do away with the law!” But is that really what he was saying?

A careful look at this statement shows us that he was actually saying just the opposite. Notice what Jesus actually said: “It will not pass away UNTIL it is fulfilled.” So the question becomes not whether the law is still valid but whether Jesus accomplished everything in the law. The best answer to this is found in Jesus’ last words on the cross: “When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then bowing his head, he gave up his spirit.” John 19:30 CSB. What he did on the cross fulfilled EVERYTHING found in the Old Covenant law. Nothing is left undone to this day.

Therefore, if you read the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:17-18, from bottom to top you can easily see that, “Once the law was fulfilled, it passed away.” So, we can conclude that we are not under a sacrificial, social or moral code as all of this was fulfilled in Christ. This means that what the writer of Hebrews stated in chapter 8:13 is now true. “By saying a new covenant, he has declared that the first is obsolete. And what is obsolete and growing old is about to pass away." (CSB).

Article Six

Does this mean that we have no law that will keep we humans under control? Yes and no! At salvation a person is made spiritually alive and the law of God is now written on their hearts, (See Jeremiah 31 & Hebrews 8). This means that there is absolutely no need for an external code since the more perfect one is within you. You are now to be led and controlled by the living Spirit from the inside out, not by the 10 Commandments which tried to control the flesh. At this time, all morality extends from your spirit not from your flesh. In fact, the New Testament is very clear that your flesh never gets saved and is not to be controlled but died to.

Those who teach legalism are attempting to perfect humans from the outside in. However, Paul explains in his letter to the Colossians in chapter 2:20-23 that this is not even possible. “If you died with Christ to the elements of this world, why do you live as if you still belonged to the world? Why do you submit to regulations: “Don’t handle, don’t taste, don’t touch”? All of these regulations refer to what is destined to perish by being used up; they are human commands and doctrines. Although these have a reputation for wisdom by promoting self-made religion, false humility, and severe treatment of the body, they are not of any value in curbing self-indulgence.” CSB

So, how do we keep from living a life that is not pleasing to God? How do we control ourselves? We must die to our flesh. This is never accomplished by rules, as we just saw in Paul’s statement to the Colossians. It is accomplished by allowing the Spirit to seize control of our lives and give us direction in everything we do. Paul called this “walking in the Spirit” (6:15) when he wrote to the Galatians. To the Romans he called it being “Led by the Spirit.” (8:14). Both words denote a condition which is being controlled by an internal force greater than yourself.

When we allow the Spirit to control us, we will stop responding (die) to our natural, fleshly, selfish person and start living a life of Divine-control. If your life is being controlled by the Spirit of God, two things become quite obvious: 1. You will no longer fulfill the lusts of your natural person, (Galatians 5:17) and 2. You will no longer have a need for external rules (Hebrews 8:13)

“When that which is perfect has come, that which is in part will be done away with.”

Article Seven

As children of the Living God we have no need to be taught by a written code or rules. This is because the “rules” were never intended to be expanded beyond their intended purpose which was to be a foundation for the coming of the Supreme Sacrifice. If fact, the law was not to be a rule book, but the channel through which God would bring an intimate relationship to humanity, (i.e.: Jesus). This would not be accomplished by our keeping the law but in Christ fulfilling the law. Both Jesus and the Apostle John make this very clear in their respective statements found in Matthew 22:36-40 and 1 John 3:21-24.

“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest”? He, (Jesus), said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it; Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments.” CSB

As you can see from this powerful statement made by Jesus, everything contained in the law had one singular purpose: A personal relationship with the Divine God and this can only be accomplished in Christ, not in anything we can do or accomplish.

“Dear friends, if our hearts don’t condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive whatever we ask from him because we keep his commands and do what is pleasing in his sight. Now this is his command: that we believe in the name of his son Jesus Christ, and love one another as he commanded us. The one who keeps his commands remains in him, and he in him. And the way we know that he remains in us is from the Spirit he has given us.” CSB

John reiterates what Jesus said in the statement above but actually gives us a new perspective for its fulfillment. Jesus stated there are two commandments: love God and your neighbor. John makes no explanation on the second but for the most part states it the same as Jesus did. However, he states the first commandment differently: Jesus says to love God and John shows us how to accomplish this. Note what he says: “That we believe in the name of his son Jesus Christ.” The only way we can have a love relationship with God is through the son Jesus. This means that, even if the law still existed and was intended for the Gentiles it would only have two parts left for today: get saved by believing in Jesus, and let that relationship flow onto each other. This is the true message of grace.

1 John 2:26-27 “I have written these things to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you. As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you don’t need anyone to teach you. Instead, his anointing teaches you about all things and is true and is not a lie; just as it has taught you, remain in him.” CSB

Throughout the writings of the New Testament, we find a theological debate between the necessity of the Old Covenant law and walking in salvation by grace alone. As with most debates the subject quickly went off track. What started as a discussion of, “Now that you are saved you must keep the Covenant God gave to our fathers” seems to have turned into, If you want to be saved you must keep the Covenant”. By 75 AD some in the Gathering had departed the fellowship due to developing beliefs which conflicted with what the Apostles had laid down as a foundation, namely, that Jesus was the only way to salvation, not keeping the law. After John left Jerusalem he settled in Ephesus and wrote all three of his letters to the Gathering. This issue of legalism as a means to salvation appears to be partly what John was addressing when he penned the statement above.

This statement serves as an encouragement to all believers that we must not follow a human theology but must following the indwelling Holy Spirit as he is our only source of truth. Jesus made this abundantly clear when he told his disciples, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. For he will not speak on his own, but he will speak whatever he hears. He will also declare to you what is to come.” John 16:13 (CSB)

The doctrine of grace is founded exactly on this principle. In John’s Gospel, (6:44), he records Jesus making the following statement: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” CSB. This shows us that it is not a written code or a commandment which moves humanity toward God but the Holy Spirit exclusively. This is the foundation of the entire grace New Covenant teaching which is based on the fact that God’s Covenant with humanity is in our hearts, (Spirit) not from an external source.

Likewise, we see another contrast in the Scripture; that of condemnation verses freedom which is the crux of the grace message. Paul had much to say on this matter. The two most notable statements from his writings are 2 Corinthians 3:6 and Romans 8:1-2.

“He has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” CSB

The message of grace is that our competency does not come through our ability to keep the letter of the law, but on the fact that Christ fulfilled everything on our behalf. Life does not come through learning the Bible and trying to obey it. Life comes through the indwelling Holy Spirit which is “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” CSB (Colossians 1:27).

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.” CSB

We preach a message of grace because Jesus has fulfilled the entire old covenant and has released all humanity from the curse which was brought by that covenant. We now have a new spiritual law of grace which has set us free from sin and death and has given us the freedom to live in the Spirit. For those in Christ all the condemnation is removed and we are now controlled by the indwelling Spirit.

William Sharples