my grandfather and my father after him, both taught their children the discipline of tithing, or giving 10 % of one's gross income to the church. I have another post about Ron Sider's idea of a graduated tithe, but why is tithing so important, or important at all. I do not believe that tithing is required for someone to be in Christ, or to live forever with God, or to escape hell, because Christ, not tithing, gives us redemption from and to. The main reason for tithing is for us to remember that it is not our money. Whether my income is $700,000 annually or $7,000 annually I must know that it is not my money. If you disagree with me read Psalm 24. If you disagree with Psalm 24, then you can argue with the Bible, which is often unfruitful.
100% of my money is God's. Tithing is a lot like baptism, a symbol of a deeper reality. My money is God's. I do not pay the pastor's salary, and if I think I do, I am quite wrong. God pays the pastor's salary. The money is and always will be His.
The car is His.
The house is His.
The road bike is His.
The ice cream is His.
Stewardship means all of my money is God's money, and what I do with 100% of it is His decision, because it is His money.
The discipline of tithing helps us to remember that it is not our money.
If tithing makes me think that I am paying God and He owes me, my tithing has become a tool of the Enemy.
No comments:
Post a Comment