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The Old and the New Covenants
Under the Old Testament righteousness (acceptance by God) was achieved by obeying all the laws God gave Moses. Obedience to every single one of the 613 or so laws was required, which in addition to all the requirements for sacrifices included circumcision, observance of the Sabbath, and tithing, and the breach of any one of the laws resulted in being under a curse from God (Galatians 3:10 and 5:3, James 2:10).
For the New Testament believer righteousness is gained by repentance for our sins and belief and faith in Jesus. The entire system of laws was set aside for all the Jewish believers on the crucifixion and death of Jesus and never applied to any of the Gentile nations anyway. Righteousness from then onwards could only be received by grace, as a free and unearned gift (Romans 5:17, 10:9-10). Righteousness, and the favour of God, can therefore not be earned by obeying any one or more of the laws, such as by being circumcised, Sabbath observance, or tithing (Galatians 3:5, 5:1-6).
Galatians 5:3 I’ll say it again. If you are trying to find favour with God by being circumcised, you must obey every regulation in the whole law of Moses.
James 2:10 For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws.
Promises Under the Law of the Old Covenant were Conditional
Note how the promises under the law were all conditional – they depended on the obedience of the Jewish people to whom they were given. Note also the common occurrence of words to the effect that; ‘if you will obey, then …’ in the following three scriptures:
Exodus 19:5-6 Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me. And you will be my kingdom of priests, my holy nation.’ This is the message you must give to the people of Israel.”
Exodus 23:25-26 “You must serve only the LORD your God. If you do, I will bless you with food and water, and I will protect you from illness. There will be no miscarriages or infertility in your land, and I will give you long, full lives.
Deuteronomy 8:1 “Be careful to obey all the commands I am giving you today. Then you will live and multiply, and you will enter and occupy the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors.
Law versus Grace
The Old Covenant can be said to have been all about obedience, while the New Covenant is all about grace, and the attitude of our hearts. These two are like oil and water, and just cannot be mixed – it is one or the other. We cannot obey any one (or more) of the laws and then think that God is obliged to bless us.
The great exchange
Jesus came to die for us, to take away all our sins – He gave us the free gift of forgiveness and salvation. In return, He asks us to have faith in Him and to trust Him with the control of our lives, and to accept His love and to love Him and serve Him in return. The Apostles Paul, Peter, John and Jude, and James the half-brother of Jesus, all called themselves ‘slaves of Jesus Christ’ when writing their letters to the churches. They understood that their lives, and even their possession, were no longer really their own. So it is no longer a case of obeying a law to give a certain percentage of one’s income and then doing what one likes with the rest, but of accepting Jesus as the Lord over our whole lives, and all our possessions, and acting in obedience to Him in every way. So instead of grudgingly giving 10% to a church, and feeling self-righteous about it, or of giving less than 10% and feeling guilty, condemned and unworthy of God’s blessings, we should rather be asking God; ‘how much would you like me to give today?’ and then following what we hear Him say, which will typically be by what the Lord, speaking through our conscience, tells us.
Matthew 20:28 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Mark 8:34-35 Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. (See also Matthew 16:22-25 and Luke 9:23-24).
Luke 14:33 So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.
Acts 4:32 All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had.
Have Your Possessions Become an Idol?
I don’t believe that God wants all of us, always, to actually sell up everything that we own – it is more a case of ensuring that our assets do not become an idol – something in which we place our security, instead of in God. God does not want our possessions to ‘own’ us. He wants us to hold them with an open hand.
Luke 12:34 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
This appears to have been the case when Jesus told the rich young man to sell all his possessions and to give the money to the poor, and then to follow Him. We are told the young man went away very sad, as he was very rich (See Matthew 19:16-30).
Generosity of God
To fully trust God, we need to know Him – to understand His loving and generous character. The Bible is full of the promises of God – here are two illustrations from the Old Testament, starting with the Book of Genesis 1:1-31 where God created everything, and then created mankind in His own image and gave them instructions to fill the earth and to govern it, and to reign over all the living creatures.
Genesis 13:14-16 After Lot had gone, the Lord said to Abram, “Look as far as you can see in every direction – north and south, east and west. I am giving all this land, as far as you can see, to you and your descendants as a permanent possession. And I will give you so many descendants that, like the dust of the earth, they cannot be counted!
Genesis 26:4 I will cause your descendants to become as numerous as the stars of the sky, and I will give them all these lands. And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed.
Next, we can look at God’s promises to Abraham in Genesis 13:14-16 where He promised him and his descendants a permanent possession of all the land he could see, that his descendants would be as numerus as the stars in the sky, and that through them all the nations of the earth would be blessed. This promise was later repeated to Moses in Deuteronomy 1:8.
Deuteronomy 1:8 Look, I am giving all this land to you! (Moses) Go in and occupy it, for it is the land the Lord swore to give to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to all their descendants.’”
God still wants to bless us
We all need to be very clear in our hearts and minds that the Lord wants to bless us, and that it is Satan that is always intent on destroying and causing as much hardship in our lives as he can.
John 10:10 Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through Me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. The thief’s purpose is to steal kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
Matthew 7:11 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.
Luke 12:31-32 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need. “So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.
What God has promised to give us
Someone wrote that the Bible contains about 700 promises of what the Lord has promised to give us. Here are just a few examples:
A long life and salvation: Psalm 91:16
Hearts to recognise Jesus as our Lord: Jeremiah 24:7
A new spirit and a tender, responsive heart: Ezekiel 11:1
The keys to the kingdom of heaven, to forbid and to permit: Matthew 16:19.
To supply all our Needs: Philippians 4:19
Wisdom and Boldness
Note that Solomon, when invited to ask for whatever he wanted, asked God for wisdom to lead the nation, instead of worldly riches, and that the believers in Acts, even when threatened, did not pray for protection but for great boldness to continue to preach the gospel. We too can pray for wisdom to lead our churches, and for boldness to preach the Word without fear or compromise.
2 Chronicles 1:9-10 O Lord God, please continue to keep your promise to David my father, for you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth! Give me the wisdom and knowledge to lead them properly, for who could possibly govern this great people of yours?”
Acts 4:29 And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word.
New Covenant Giving
What does the Bible, and specifically the New Covenant, teach us about giving? We know that the Old Covenant with all its laws, given specifically and exclusively to the Jewish nation, never applied to the Gentiles (all the other nations), so the question arises as to what then applies to Christians today with respect to giving under the New Covenant. What does the Bible say, and what practices applied at the time the New Testament was written?
Note in the following scriptures that there is no mention or even a hint at all of giving a tithe, or of giving anything under compulsion, or as an obligation – in each case the believers were encouraged to only give:
as much as they could (simply to be generous)
more than they could afford (sacrificially giving even more, on this occasion)
as a gracious act of giving (grace, meaning freely, voluntarily)
in proportion to what you have (no mention of any specific proportion, or amount)
to result in ‘equality’ (so that no one was left destitute)
as a ministry (all can give, and some have a special ministry)
as an ‘offering’ (a free-will gift, not under compulsion or guilt)
as a personal decision (not reluctantly or under pressure; not under the law)
to help others (and results in thanks to the Lord)
to honour the Lord (we always need to give thanks to the Lord)
Acts 11:29-30 So the believers in Antioch decided to send relief to the brothers and sisters in Judea, everyone giving as much as they could. This they did, entrusting their gifts to Barnabas and Saul to take to the elders of the church in Jerusalem.
2 Corinthians 8:3 For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will.
2 Corinthians 8:6-7 So we have urged Titus, who encouraged your giving in the first place, to return to you and encourage you to finish this ministry of giving. Since you excel in so many ways – in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us – I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving.
2 Corinthians 8:11 Now you should finish what you started. Let the eagerness you showed in the beginning be matched now by your giving. Give in proportion to what you have.
2 Corinthians 8:13 Of course, I don’t mean your giving should make life easy for others and hard for yourselves. I only mean that there should be some equality.
2 Corinthians 9:1 I really don’t need to write to you about this ministry of giving for the believers in Jerusalem.
2 Corinthians 9:2 For I know how eager you are to help, and I have been boasting to the churches in Macedonia that you in Greece were ready to send an offering a year ago. In fact, it was your enthusiasm that stirred up many of the Macedonian believers to begin giving.
2 Corinthians 9:7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”
2 Corinthians 9:12 So two good things will result from this ministry of giving – the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God.
Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.
Giving to the Lord
We can all give directly to the Lord! We always need to keep in mind that what the Lord requires most of us, is to freely offer our lives back to him, in gratitude for all that He has already done for us. This has always been His desire, as we can see from David in the Psalms. He offered his life to the Lord, and was always determined to know and to be known by God.
Psalm 25:1 A psalm of David. O Lord, I give my life to you.
Psalm 28:1 A psalm of David. I pray to you, O Lord, my rock. Do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you are silent, I might as well give up and die.
1 Chronicles 29:14 “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.
Giving, even under the Law of the Old Covenant, was not only about a tithe of the first-fruits of their crops and their animals, and the poor were excused from giving the full amount. Furthermore, we can see how God encourages the people to bring Him their burdens, and also their thanks and their praises, and to give the Lord the glory due to Him.
Deuteronomy 16:17 All must give as they are able (to the Lord) according to the blessings given to them by the Lord your God.
Psalm 55:22 Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.
Psalm 92:1 A psalm. A song to be sung on the Sabbath Day. It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High.
Psalm 100:4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.
Psalm 105:1 Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done.
Psalm 136 “Give thanks to the Lord” – this is repeated 12 times.
Psalm 96:8 Give to the Lord the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come into his courts.
Who should we support with our giving?
Our families
God created the family unit, and expects us to look after and to support our families. This includes parents taking care of their children, and children of their parents.
Mark 7:11 But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry, I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.’
1 Timothy 5:3-4 Take care of any widow who has no one else to care for her. But if she has children or grandchildren, their first responsibility is to show godliness at home and repay their parents by taking care of them. This is something that pleases God.
Our Relatives
1Ti 5:7-8 Give these instructions to the church so that no one will be open to criticism. But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers.
The family of God – fellow believers
As a Christian, we should also look out for other fellow believers, and a good place to start would be in our own churches.
Galatians 6:10 Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone – especially to those in the family of faith.
Our church
The churches we attend all have overhead expenses, which typically include the salaries of the pastor and one or more elders, and frequently some support staff. In the early days of the church, for perhaps the first 300 years, meetings were held in houses and the overheads were far less, and consequently the Bible only speaks of the necessity to support those who dedicated their time to preaching and teaching the word. Today the church needs money to pay their salaries, to pay the overheads, and to act as a collection point for funds for missionaries and for the poor.
Galatians 6:6 Those who are taught the word of God should provide for their teachers, sharing all good things with them.
1 Timothy 5:17-18 Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid well, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching. The Scripture says, “You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain.” And in another place, “Those who work deserve their pay!”
Foreigners and the poor
Both the Old Testament and the New Testament contain many scriptures emphasizing God’s heart for the poor and the needy, the foreigners, widows and orphans. We should have the same heart and do the same today. Many churches have a special collection for the poor, or they allocate some of the funds collected each week or month specially to help the poor, and we can also all do whatever we can personally.
Of course, this takes wisdom, as there are always some who just do not want to work and prefer to reply on the charity of those who do actually work for their living. The Bible says we should not help such people – see 2 Thessalonians 3:10-11.
Deuteronomy 4:29 Give it to the Levites, who will receive no allotment of land among you, as well as to the foreigners living among you, the orphans, and the widows in your towns, so they can eat and be satisfied. Then the Lord your God will bless you in all your work.
Deuteronomy 15:10 Give generously to the poor, not grudgingly, for the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.
Proverbs 19:17 If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord – and he will repay you!
Isaiah 58:7 Share your food with the hungry and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help. (See also verse 10)
Luke 3:11 John replied, “If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.”
Luke 6:30 Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back.
Acts 4:34-35 There were no needy people among them because those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need.
Acts 20:35 And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
Giving to authorities
The Jewish nation was under the harsh rule of the Romans who had invaded and conquered them. The Pharisees tried to trap Jesus by asking if they should pay taxes to Caesar – i.e. to the Roman authorities. Jesus confirmed that they should indeed pay whatever taxes were due. Applying this in a modern context, we can say that as Christians we should also pay all relevant taxes to the ruling authorities, whether income tax or for licenses, such as for business, vehicles, or a TV licence, or any other tax or levy. Whether the rulers who collect such taxes are corrupt or inefficient in their handling of the taxes is of course of great concern to all, but not our personal responsibility and not an excuse not to pay such taxes.
Matthew 22:17 – 21 Now tell us what you think about this: Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? But Jesus knew their evil motives. “You hypocrites!” he said. “Why are you trying to trap me? Here, show me the coin used for the tax.” When they handed him a Roman coin, he asked, “Whose picture and title are stamped on it?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. “Well, then,” he said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.”
Romans 13:7 Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them, and give respect and honour to those who are in authority.
Giving is not only about money
Giving money can be very helpful and useful, but there are many other ways to help people who may have needs besides the need for money – which is just as well, since not everyone has lots of money to spare, and also money may not be the solution to the need. Note that when it comes to the gift of giving (to give abundantly and beyond any norm) the scripture just says that such persons are to “give generously”. God blesses some people abundantly for this very reason.
In Romans 12:6-8 we read that God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well, reminding us that we are all part of the same body of Christ and belong to each other, and the various gifts, each of which serves a different function, are just like the different parts of our physical body, and are all given for the benefit of the whole body. These gifts, and the instruction on how to use them – to ‘give’ to others, are:
prophesy speak out with as much faith as God has given you,
serving others serve them well.
teaching teach well
encourage others to be encouraging,
giving give generously
leadership ability to take responsibility seriously
showing kindness to others do it gladly.
In 1 Corinthians 12, we learn some more about spiritual gifts, and told that it is the Holy Spirit that gives us different kinds of spiritual gifts, which are described as ‘different kinds of service’ and their purpose is stated as being; ‘so we can help each other’. Note that these ‘spiritual gifts’ are special abilities which are given to us as gifts, showing that they are not earned in any way, and are not for our own use or any claim to fame. They are given to us specifically so that each of us can play our part in freely helping others, using the special gift that is for the particular need of each person, on each occasion.
These gifts include (but are not limited to):
a (prophetic) word or message of wisdom – the ability to give wise advice,
a (prophetic) message of special knowledge,
the gift of exceptional faith (we all have a measure of faith)
the gift of healing (a special gift; anyone who believes has the power to heal (Mark 16:18)
the power to perform miracles
the ability to prophesy
the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit
the ability to speak in unknown languages (in addition to our git of tongues, our personal prayer language) while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said in a language unknown to the speaker.
Acts 3:6 But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!”
Acts 13:15 After the usual readings from the books of Moses and the prophets, those in charge of the service sent them this message: “Brothers if you have any word of encouragement for the people, come and give it.”
The 5-Fold Ministry
The ministry of the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers are described as ‘gifts’ given by Jesus to the church. Their function is to serve the church – to ‘equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church’ (NLT), or as other translations say, ‘to equip his people for works of service’ (NIV), or ‘for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry’ (KJV).
Ephesians 4:11-12 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.
Generous giving
There is a constant theme running throughout the Bible – that God, who is always generous, expects us to also be generous – which we can surmise is not only to help provide for others, but to demonstrate our trust in Him to always provide for us. We can see this from several scriptures in both Old and New Testaments. This is clearly illustrated in Jesus’ instruction to His disciples in
Matthew 10:8 …“Give as freely as you have received!”
Proverbs 11:24 Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything.
Matthew 5:42 Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.
Matthew 6:33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
2 Corinthians 8:10 Here is my advice: It would be good for you to finish what you started a year ago. Last year you were the first who wanted to give, and you were the first to begin doing it.
2 Corinthians 9:8-9 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. As the Scriptures say, “They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.”
Motive
God is always concerned with our motives, and this is even more clearly evident from several scriptures in the New Testament. God has always wanted our relationship with him to be based on a loving acceptance of Him, which should mature into a loving relationship, and which is to be demonstrated in our love for others and willingness to share our blessings with them.
1 Chronicles 29:17 I know, my God, that you examine our hearts and rejoice when you find integrity there. You know I have done all this with good motives, and I have watched your people offer their gifts willingly and joyously.
2 Chronicles 1:11-12 God said to Solomon, “Because your greatest desire is to help your people, and you did not ask for wealth, riches, fame, or even the death of your enemies or a long life, but rather you asked for wisdom and knowledge to properly govern my people – I will certainly give you the wisdom and knowledge you requested. But I will also give you wealth, riches, and fame such as no other king has had before you or will ever have in the future!”
2 Corinthians 8:7 Since you excel in so many ways – in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us – I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving.
2 Corinthians 8:12 Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have.
2 Corinthians 9:7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”
Giving may be a test
Our willingness to give, in whatever way, may be a test of our hearts and of our commitment. We can think of Abraham, whom God asked to offer up his son Isaac as a sacrifice, as a test of his faith.
Jeremiah 17:10 But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.”
Luke 18:22 When Jesus heard his answer, he said, “There is still one thing you haven’t done. Sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
Rewards of generous giving
Matthew 10:42 And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.”
Matthew 19:27-29 Then Peter said to him, “We’ve given up everything to follow you. What will we get?” Jesus replied, “I assure you that when the world is made new and the Son of Man sits upon his glorious throne, you who have been my followers will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life.
Matthew 25:21 The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’
Matthew 25:34-35 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home.
Luke 6:38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full – pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”
2 Corinthians 9:6 & 8 Remember this – a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. … And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.
Colossians 3:24 Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.
2 Timothy 4:8 And now the prize awaits me – the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearance.
Note to Pastors
Pastors who depend on the collections taken at their churches may understandably be concerned about the financial repercussions of abandoning any mention in their churches of the necessity to tithe – that is, will the amount collected each week reduce significantly?
I asked a couple of pastors this question; ‘how many in your church, of all those attending as members, do you think tithe right now?’ This got them thinking. They all answered that there were probably very few. I then told them that setting people free from the law and the condemnation that goes with it actually liberates people to give freely and generously – with some to give even more than 10%, and that on one recent occasion when I spoke to a group about generous giving as opposed to tithing, I was told afterwards that they had taken up a bigger collection than ever before.
2 Corinthians 3:17 For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
It may be that not everyone will accept this teaching, and that is OK. Rather agree to disagree and to live in peace and harmony, rather than in discord and ill-will. I believe that this article correctly reflects God’s word and His will (what the Bible says and means) but God may have called some people individually to give 10% of their earnings, or to personally live in any particular way, such as to be circumcised, never to drink alcohol, or to treat Sundays differently to any other day. These matters are not critical to our salvation, and should not be allowed to divide or to split a church.
Romans 14:6 Those who worship the Lord on a special day do it to honour him. Those who eat any kind of food do so to honour the Lord, since they give thanks to God before eating. And those who refuse to eat certain foods also want to please the Lord and give thanks to God.
Philippians 1:10 For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return.
Dr Brian Drury
