No Need to Test God

Q: God says "test" me..What is the "one" thing we can "test" God in?

A: Jesus said, "Do not put the Lord your God to the test (Mat 4:7)." So, that should be the answer right there. Unfortunately, I am afraid that the answer being sought after comes from Malachi 3:10. "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it." I hope this passage isn't the answer to the question. But, if it is, let me say that this passage of scripture is one of the most misapplied scriptures in the Bible and has been used to spiritually abuse many Christians. This verse comes from the Old Testament, was written to Jews and cannot even be applied to Christians much less observed by us. When Christians are taught to tithe there is usually one of three things associated with it. One, they are told to do it in order to avoid punishment. Secondly, they are taught to do so in order to receive spiritual blessings. And third, they are taught to do so in order to receive fleshly blessings. All of them are wrong!

First off, tithing was instituted to support the Levitical Priesthood. Not only does the Levitical Priesthood no longer exist, Jesus is now our High Priest (Heb 3:1) not the pastor or teacher we sit under. Secondly, many teach that the church we attend is the storehouse of God. This is simply not true. Nowhere in scripture is the church, as a building or organization, even mentioned, much less called the storehouse of God. Individual Christians are the "storehouse," if you will, the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19). We are the Church, not the organization we belong to. Finally, if Christians could be guilty of robbing God, then there is condemnation for those in Christ Jesus and Romans 8:1 is not true. Jesus died for all our sins. Therefore, to live in fear of "robbing God" is to be afraid that you will face punishment for not tithing. Furthermore, Christians are told they must tithe in order for God to bless them. These blessings are either spiritual or physical in nature. When it comes to spiritual blessings Ephesians 1:3 says that God has "blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ." So, if we already have every spiritual blessing, tithing can't possibly give us more. When it comes to seeking blessings of the flesh the Bible says that it is "men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain (1 Tim 6:5)." Therefore, anybody teaching you that tithing is the means by which you receive blessings from God is corrupt and robbed of the truth.

If you want to know how to give, simply give what you want to whom you want for whatever purpose you want. "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor 9:7)." You can't be a cheerful giver, deciding what you want to give, if you are told that you have to tithe. God doesn't want your money in order to bless you. He blessed you already, in Christ, so He could have you! If you want to test anything, "test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world (1 John 4:1)." Don't let a supposed man of God, whether a pastor, teacher or fellow Christian, separate you from your money out of fear of God's condemnation or promise of God's blessing. You already have everything you need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). Live in accordance with what you have from God not in accordance with what you hope to get from Him. Be blessed!

Follow Up: Tithing is not just Old Testament, Jesus confirmed it in the New Testament when he said not to neglect it. Also, Abraham gave a tenth before the Levitcal Priesthood was instituted. In the New Testament when the scripture says to give what each man has decided, if I remember correctly, that was for the offering to help the poor of the church, not the tithe. Which is one of the reasons we are to tithe, to support the church and those in need. The church and its building and workers need to be taken care of, that is also in the New Testament. Tithing is a sign of obedience. As I recently heard, the only thing free is salvation. The Bible also says that faith without works is dead!

A: The New Covenant didn't start until after the death of Jesus (Heb 9). When He was talking to the Pharisees, not Christians, about tithing it was to make a point about their lack of love (Mat 23). Abraham gave a tenth of his "plunder," the spoils of the war he just waged, not a tenth of his income (Gen 14:20). It was done to show that Melchizedek was greater than him. Are Christians, therefore, to go out and plunder in order to give a tenth of it to a church or someone greater than us? Animal sacrifice was also prior to the Levitical Priesthood (Gen 8:20). Should we be doing that as well? The church as an organization complete with mortgages and debt is not in the New Testament. Christians met in homes and wherever the space was available, even synagogues. Tithing is only a sign of obedience to those who teach it. It is not a sign of Christian obedience to God. We are to excel in the grace of giving (2 Cor 8:7). Besides, what is the penalty for not being obedient when there is no condemnation for Christians? Thankfully, we are free to do what we please when it comes to giving. I just want Christians to know there is a biblical alternative to the status quo. Keep studying Saints.