Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34).

“We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth” (I John 3:16-18).

Under the law of the first covenant, God commanded the tithe, or the tenth, as a means of providing for the Levites as they did the work of the service in the Lord’s tabernacle, as well as the foreign residents, the fatherless, the widows and the priests. However, the law of the first covenant was fulfilled in Christ as He took away the first covenant to establish the second.

“The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God” (Hebrews 7:19, NIV). Hebrews 8:6 tells us, “Jesus has now obtained a superior ministry, and to that degree He is the mediator of a better covenant, which has been legally enacted on better promises” (HCSB).

“He then says, ‘See I have come to do your will.’ He takes away the first to establish the second. By this will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all” (Hebrews 10:9, HCSB). This offering of the body of Jesus Christ, once and for all, has made the offerings and the sacrifices of the old covenant obsolete. They are no longer needed, as Jesus has fully satisfied God’s righteous requirements for our atonement and forgiveness.

“Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith” (Galatians 3:14-15, KJV).

Galatians 5:1 and 6 reminds us, “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery (the law). For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.” Neither tithing nor not tithing means anything, but faith working through love. Under the new covenant, we don’t give because the law requires us to. We give because the love of God that has been poured out in our hearts, and we therefore love one another and give joyfully and generously in obedience to the leading of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Tithing was a part of the law of the first covenant which has been taken away to establish the second covenant. There is no longer any need for all the offerings and sacrifices of the first covenant because we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all.

We find no admonition in the new covenant for believers to present any of the offerings or sacrifices of the old covenant. However, we find several admonitions to provide for those of our own household, to give to the poor, and especially to the brothers, and to those that labor to serve the Lord.

In Matthew 6:1-4, Jesus offers advice on how to give. He says, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”

Paul writes in Galatians 2:9-10, “Recognizing the grace that had been given to me, James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, so that we might go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. They only asked us to remember the poor—the very thing I also was eager to do.”

Paul, in his farewell address to the elders from the church in Ephesus in Acts 20:34-35, says, “You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to the men who were with me. In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” We should not be dependent on others. Rather, we should work diligently to provide for the needs of our own household and to have an excess to be able to help provide for others (I Thessalonians 4:9-12; 2 Thessalonians 3:11-12; Ephesians 4:28).

Notice in the New Testament the continual encouragement to give to the poor, without any encouragement, from the day of Pentecost on, to tithe to the church. However, tithing is encouraged and even required by some churches to enable them to have huge elaborate buildings. We don’t need huge, elaborate buildings to meet in. Simple functional structures would be quite sufficient for the Lord’s work. The early church often met in homes. These smaller sized gatherings allowed the opportunity for every member of the body to be intimately acquainted with the needs of every other member of the body.

One of the great things about giving directly to the poor is that it requires us to look to the Lord for direction about who to give to and how much and when and how to give. When someone tithes to their church, it is easy. It does not require any relationship with the Lord. Basically, they are just paying someone else to seek the Lord and decide where and how their money should be distributed.

When someone desiring to keep the law tithes to their church, they may feel that they have done their legally required religious duty. They may feel they have paid their share, and they might expect that the poor will be taken care of and that they themselves will receive a well-prepared and well-delivered sermon, as well as a well-maintained facility. Tithing can give a false sense of righteousness without any real relationship with the Lord.

However, all are greatly benefited when each looks in faith to the Lord. Some will be greatly blessed as they look to the Lord for the provision of their needs. Others will be greatly blessed when they look to the Lord for where, when and how much to give. Living by faith and giving by faith are very important aspects of growing in Christ.

Jesus tells the rich young man in Matthew 19:21, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your belongings and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” (HCSB). Give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven.

In 2 Corinthians 9:6-8, Paul says, “Remember this: the person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously. Each person should do as he has decided in his heart – not out of regret or out of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work” (HCSB).

Proverbs 11:24 says, “One person gives freely, yet gains more; another withholds what is right, only to become poor” (HCSB). Proverbs 19:17 says, “Kindness to the poor is a loan to the Lord, and He will give a reward to the lender” (HCSB).

Ecclesiastes 11:1-2 says, “Send your bread on the surface of the water, for after many days you may find it. Give a portion to seven or even to eight, for you don’t know what disaster may happen on earth” (HCSB). James 1:27 says, “Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world” (HCSB).

Paul writes in Galatians 6:6-10, “The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him. Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.”

Under the law of the old covenant, everyone was required to give a tenth; that was the Lord’s share. Under the new covenant, the Holy Spirit has poured the love of God abroad in our hearts (Romans 5:5) and has given us a love for the brothers whereby we would gladly lay down our life for the brothers. With born-again believers, a tenth should be the minimum in our giving, with a desire that we would be able to give as much and as freely as the Lord would provide. However, this tenth should not be observed as a legal requirement.

Paul reminds us in I Corinthians 6:19-20, “You are not your own. You were bought at a price” (NIV). We are the Lord’s; and everything we have is the Lord’s. Jesus says in Matthew 10:8, “Freely you have received, freely give” (NIV). Acts 4:32 says the believers in the early church in Jerusalem “were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of his possessions was his own” (HCSB). If the Lord reveals to us someone in need, especially a believer, and we have the means to help them, we should give generously as the Lord directs.

Jesus tells us in Luke 6:30-35, “Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. Treat others the same way you want them to treat you. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.”

Jesus continues in verse 38, “Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”

“We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth” (I John 3:16-18).

The faithful overseer, deacon, or shepherd should be provided for by those they serve. Whether you give to your church for their support or give to them directly, your giving, how much, to whom, and when, should be totally by faith, in complete and humble obedience to the Lord’s leading. Whether you give to your church or give directly to the Lord’s servants, to the poor, to widows and orphans, to the brothers and sisters in the faith, or to support those of your own relatives, do it joyfully and generously, that God would be glorified, and not legally as one under the law attempting to be justified according to the works of the flesh.

May we be victorious Christians in our giving, the Lord blessing us with a cheerful heart as we give generously in obedience to His leading.

Writings By Jon von Ernst

The Lord of All Things Series - A Trilogy of Truth 
Books in this series:
Book 1 - The Gospel of the Kingdom
Book 2- The Victorious Christian
Book 3 - Walking in the Light  -  Following in His Steps

*- Audio of these books are available free of charge at thepureword.net.