by Rev. D. B. Macleod
(continued from page 115)
6. Amount of Giving
That the giving is to be proportionate to wealth, none are likely to deny. So, too, it will be granted that a haphazard system of giving would be unworthy of the objects for which the giving is intended; therefore it must be systematic giving. This is borne out by the Scripture — “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God has prospered him.” (1 Cor. 16:2). In the second Epistle to the Corinthians the Apostle writes: “For I mean not that other men be eased and ye burdened: but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality.” (2 Cor. 8:13, 14).
Nor are any likely to deny that it is a liberal amount that is required. The Apostle could say to the Corinthians that the saints whose needs they had relieved “glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men.” (2 Cor. 9:13). The Scripture — “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give,” does not nullify this idea of a liberal amount, because in the context it is immediately preceded by the declaration: “He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.” (2 Cor. 9:6, 7).
But, of course, the question still remains — What is a liberal amount? What proportion of our wealth should we give to the Lord? Should we give a twentieth, a tenth or a fifth? Or is the exact proportion of our wealth to be given to the Lord designedly left undetermined as a test of our love to the Cause of Christ?
The arguments which follow will tend to bear out, I hope, the following assertion made by Matthew Henry in his Commentary: “We are taught in general,” he says, “‘to honour the Lord with our substance,’ (Prov. 3:9) and in particular to support and maintain his ministers . . . And how this may be done in a fitter and more equal proportion than that of a tenth, which God Himself appointed of old, I cannot see.” Commenting elsewhere on Abraham’s giving of tithes to Melchizedek, he says: “The tenth of our increase is a very fit proportion to be set apart for the honour of God, and the service of His sanctuary.”
In favour of a fixed amount we may argue as follows: Would God leave man to determine for himself what proportion of his substance he should give to Him? God has not left men without some guide to the amount of time to be devoted to His worship — that is, one day in seven. Is it likely then, when it comes to the matter of what proportion of his wealth a man should give to the Lord, that He would leave him without some specific direction? Is He not a God of order? Again, if there is no set proportion due, can a man today be said to rob God, as Malachi said to the people of his day for withholding tithes? If something is justly God’s due, is it not because He has commanded it?
It is clear that a tenth was the proportion fixed by God from the beginning of the world. We conclude this from the fact that both Abraham and Jacob — Abraham in giving tithes to Melchizedek, and Jacob in making a vow at Bethel — both fixed on one tenth as the amount to give, the very amount that God later commanded the children of Israel to give under the law. We also conclude that tithing existed from the beginning of the world from the fact that a tenth for purposes of religion was a recognised custom among the Gentile nations from antiquity. The custom must therefore have stemmed from a time prior to the dispersion of the nations. The question arises, then: Was tithing, which existed from the very beginning of man’s history, like sacrifice, which also existed from the fall of man, done away with in Christ? The answer hinges on this — whether tithing formed part of the ceremonial law or of the moral law. If it belonged to the moral law; if tithing was a moral duty and if it had nothing typical or ceremonial about it, as some assert, then it must still remain obligatory on men.
It may be argued that the giving of a tenth would introduce a legalistic concept into the Gospel economy. This argument will stand if the giving of a tenth is bound up with the ceremonial law which has been done away with in Christ; but if this is not so then the argument falls to the ground.
But someone may say — Is not the giving of a fixed proportion legalistic anyway? The answer to this is that the giving of a fixed amount is not of itself legalistic. The Sabbath is not legalistic because it is a fixed amount of time — one day in seven. It is true, however, that we can adopt a legalistic attitude to something not in itself legalistic. This is true both of the Sabbath and of tithing and of much else besides.
One might argue that a tenth was necessary to support the costly ritual of the Old Testament worship, but that so much is not needed now. But this overlooks the fact that though the outward splendour of religion is not what it was in Old Testament times, yet true religion is not now confined within the bounds of Israel but has to be carried to the ends of the earth.
What would be the benefits of tithing as compared with the present system? It would mean continuous systematic support for the upholding of the Cause of Christ, for the spreading of the Gospel and for the relief of the poor. Tithing, say in a congregation of 300 to 400 people, might well make it possible for that congregation to support five ministers at home and five missionaries abroad, though this may well be a very conservative estimate of the possibilities where tithing was whole-heartedly adopted.
You may ask — But what does tithing really involve? An incident from a congregation in America may help to give the answer. This particular congregation believed in tithing. They did not, however, force their views on newcomers. They just told them what they did and left them free to do as they felt led. The lady in one new family that came to the place was quite interested when she heard about tithing and went to another lady in the congregation to find out exactly what was involved in it. The newcomer asked — “Do you pay your rent and rates and taxes and bills and then give a tenth of what remains to the church? Is that what is involved in tithing?” “What?” replied the other lady in consternation. “Give the leavings to the Lord!” Let us remember, then, that it is to be the firstfruits of all our increase — and that means the best. Only the best is good enough for the Lord — not the leavings!
It may be better to take up the argument for tithing apart altogether from the fact of whether it was part of the ceremonial law or not. The argument now is — If a tenth was required in the darker day of Old Testament times, can we give less in the noon-day light of the Gospel day? This argument is reinforced by the Scripture declaration: “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required.” (Luke 12:48). In view of this it follows, that if tithing is no longer obligatory because done away with through the abrogation of the ceremonial law, we are left with the inevitable alternative that a tenth is too little today in view of our vastly increased privileges and obligations under the Gospel.
7. Sacrificial Giving
Under the Old Testament the people were not confined to a tenth. They brought free-will offerings as well, over and above what was required of them. In the New Testament there are several instances of sacrificial giving. The case of the Widow’s mite is one of these, and the case of the churches in Macedonia is another. The Saviour said of the widow who cast in two mites into the treasury that “she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.” (Mark 12:44). The Apostle Paul speaks of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia “how that in a great trial of afflictions the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.” (2 Cor. 8:2).
Now let us turn to ourselves in this matter of sacrificial giving. There are few, very few, who hurt themselves by their giving. Today, even where much is given, how often it is out of our abundance. Let us put it this way. Has your giving to the Cause of Christ ever meant that you had to do with very plain fare at your table? Oh, you will say, you are going too far now. But am I? The thought that we should deny ourselves is so foreign to us as almost to make the very idea appear ridiculous. We have come to expect not only necessaries but luxuries — and these luxuries we will not forego. The heathen world is crying out for the Gospel — but I need, you say, a sumptuous table, new clothes, new articles of furniture and many other luxuries. But what of the heathen? Oh well, you will say, I really need these things. I really must have them they are so necessary. But you do not add — and the heathen will just have to wait to have the Gospel sent to them! But, friend, they cannot wait. Those whose claims are upon you just cannot wait. Thousands upon thousands of them are being hurried to eternity every day. Time will not stand still. Death will not delay at the behest of any. Oh, you will say, I pray for them. Very good, but that is not enough. You must seek to be instrumental, under God’s hand, in sending them the Gospel of which they stand so much in need.
Please do not misread my remarks. I am not asking you to have only a stool in the middle of the floor in your house and no other furniture. I am not asking you to come to the Conference in rags. What I am calling for is a radical and serious re-assessment of priorities. I am asking you to consider seriously the claims on your purse of higher objects. Surely it is time to awake to the realities of the situation and cease to live in an attitude of indifference to the spiritual needs of multitudes. The question, “Am I my brother’s keeper?,” did not die out with Cain. May we be delivered by divine grace from such an attitude and be stirred up to give active, liberal, self-denying, yea, even sacrificial support to the Cause of Christ.
8. Encouragements to Christian Giving
The promises of God are rich to the liberal soul. “The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.” (Prov. 11:25). The sin of covetousness leads to death and destruction as the cases of Gehazi, Judas Iscariot, and Ananias and Sapphira solemnly witness. Christian liberality, on the other hand, shall bring a blessed reward. The giver instead of suffering loss is only more abundantly blessed. The laws of mathematics do not hold here, as we see from that Scripture: “There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.” (Prov. 11:24). The promise is “Honour the Lord with thy substance and with the first-fruits of all thine increase: so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.” (Prov. 3:9, 10). Again, “He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.” (Prov. 22:9). And again, “He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.” (Prov. 28:27). Think of that promise: “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be room in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of Hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” (Mal. 3:10). Is such a promise not incentive enough to systematic and generous giving?
9. Christian Giving and Calvary
It would be profitable to bring to bear upon this subject of Christian giving all the other doctrines of God’s Word, for all the doctrines of the Bible are interrelated and throw light upon one another. For the present we will view Christian giving in the light of that one particular yet central doctrine — the Cross of Calvary. It is easy to say, and we are so ready to say, so far as Christian giving is concerned — How much will I give? meaning, more often than not, how little can I give? How despicable an attitude in the light of Calvary! There was no niggardliness, no miserliness in Christ’s giving of Himself on Calvary’s accursed tree. There was no restraint there, no unwillingness in His giving of Himself. Where, in being led as a lamb to the slaughter, or in the midst of His sufferings on the Tree, do you find Him saying — Thus far will I go and no further. “Having loved His own . . . He loved them unto the end.” (John 13:1). His obedience was unto death, even the accursed death of the Cross. As his life was a life of giving — “I am among you as he that serveth” (Luke 22:27), so in His sufferings unto death He was still giving — He gave His life a ransom for many. If we have any spiritual appreciation whatsoever of Christ’s giving Himself on Calvary in the room and stead of the guilty, this cannot but be reflected in our attitude towards giving to His Cause in the world, and in our actual giving to His Cause. This will mean that we will not say — Am I giving too much? but, Am I giving enough? Did He give so unstintingly, so un sparingly, so willingly, so lovingly, in giving Himself a ransom for many, and shall I give so meanly, so grudgingly, as I have been accustomed to do? In the light of Calvary will you not say — “What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits toward me.” (Psalm 116:12).
Finally, in the light of all the Scripture teaching on this matter of Christian giving, will we not resolve even tonight to make amends where we come short in this matter? If the Lord meet with us as He met with Jacob at Bethel on his way to Padan-aram, so that we would have to say, “Surely the Lord is in this place and I knew it not. How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven,” might we not also go on to vow with Jacob — “of all that Thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto Thee.” (Gen. 28:22). My friends, if the Lord will shed abroad in our hearts a little of His love, it will not be within the confines of a tenth that our givings will be hedged up. And then, even of our most liberal givings we will have to say — Oh what a very little return it is to Him who did so much for me!