Scriptural view on tithing?  What does the New Testament say about it?

Sincerely,
The Giver

Dear The Giver,

The New Testament and Old Testament teachings on giving are similar… but not the same.  The Old Testament was very specific that giving should be a minimum of ten percent (Deu 14:22).  The word ‘tithe’ means ‘one-tenth’.

However, the New Testament teaching is more generic.  Though ten percent is a good rule of thumb (after all, the Old Testament is given to us as an example – 1 Cor 10:11), christians are simply told to “give as they have prospered” (1 Cor 16:1-2).  God tells us to be cheerful givers (2 Cor 9:7), but He never specifically says how much christians should give.  That is an issue of wisdom and is left for each individual heart to work out for itself (Php 2:12).

(This question is a follow-up to “Happy Humbug”)

I received your answer and thank you.  My question… you said there is nothing wrong with celebrating christmas as a family holiday, but it is wrong to teach it as a biblical holiday.  If it’s wrong to teach it as a biblical tradition, then why would God approve of it?  Also, if this is a tradition that the Romans made because they worship the god of Saturn, then I know God would not approve because He is a jealous God and says not to worship any other gods but Him (Ex 20:3).

Did you know that more people commit suicide around christmas than any other holiday… because people are afraid that they will not have the right present or won’t have enough money to buy one?  And every year, your family expects you to get them a gift or material of some sort, and if you don't, they get mad and angry at you.  Christmas is not about Jesus; it’s all about money and profit.  When people get up on December 25^th to celebrate Christmas, the first thing they do is run to the presents and materials.  They don’t bow down and thank God for what they already have.  This is a holiday that brings more hate than it does love.  Why?  Because God does not approve of it.

Sincerely,
The Grinch

Dear The Grinch,

We have many holidays that don’t have biblical origins.  Memorial day, Valentine’s Day, and Thanksgiving are all examples of non-biblical holidays.  If Christmas is treated as a voluntary holiday with presents, jovial family get-togethers, etc. – then there is nothing wrong with it.

However, if people are using Christmas to worship Saturn (which is highly unlikely nowadays) or treating it as a biblical necessity, then it is certainly wrong.  Your other concerns about Christmas are issues of greed and love.  God makes it clear that He hates it when we are fixated with material things (Lk 16:13).  The way many people treat the holidays is indicative of a growing dysfunction in our culture.  Many people forget that our lives consist of more than our possessions (Lk 12:15).

My friend’s husband is a pastor who fell in love with his secretary.  He divorced his wife of 30+ years with which he had two grown children.  The pastor of that church (location omitted – AYP) asked for the secretary’s hand in marriage.  They are divorced now; his ex-wife is monetarily depressed and depressed.  She tries to help her firstborn (he has an unsteady job and is thirty-seven years old), yet she is becoming homeless.  Is there a scripture that shows where her ex-husband shouldn’t be preaching?

Sincerely,
Friend Of The Forlorn

Dear Friend Of The Forlorn,

Those whose lives are in direct contradiction to Scripture should not preach.  Lk 6:43-45 says that we can know the difference between good and bad preachers by the fruits that their lives bear.  It is a horrible reality that the religious world is full of people who preach one thing and then live another.  Paul specifically told Timothy (a young preacher) that how he lived was a big part of preaching (1 Tim 4:12).  With all of the bad press that the Bible has received because of adulterous preachers, church scandals, etc., God’s Word has been mistreated and abused for unhealthy gain (1 Tim 6:5).  Unfortunately, with all the immorality in religion, many people have forgotten that it shouldn’t be this way.

Why does the church not teach when Christmas first started?  They only teach that it’s Jesus’ birthday.  But they don’t teach who actually started Christmas.  Everything that I have been studying about Christmas has nothing to do with Jesus; it’s all about money.  When I type ‘what is Christmas’ into a search engine, Santa Claus is the first thing that is shown, not Jesus.  Congress was actually started on December 25^th, 1870, and America decided to make that the Christmas federal holiday.  Jesus was never born around December.  All my life, I have been told lies about Christmas.  Can someone out there tell me the truth about Christmas?

Sincerely,
The Grinch

Dear The Grinch,

Many people believe Christmas to be a spiritual holiday, but the Bible never commands us to celebrate Jesus’ birth on December 25^th (the truth is, no one knows when Jesus was born, but it was most likely in the spring or summer because the shepherds were out – Lk 2:15).  Christians are commanded to remember Jesus’ death every first day of the week (Acts 20:7, 1 Cor 11:24-25)… we are never commanded to remember His birth on an annual basis.  Christmas is not a biblical holiday.  There is nothing wrong with celebrating it as a family holiday, but it is wrong to teach that there is a biblical foundation to it.

Christmas can be traced back to the Roman pagan holiday of Winter Solstice (also known as ‘Saturnalia’ because it was in worship of the god, Saturn).  As Catholicism tried to integrate itself into a pagan Roman world, Christmas was instituted by Pope Julius I on December 25^th as a way to assimilate the pagans into a Catholic worldview.  In short, Christmas has never been a truly biblical holiday; it is a manmade tradition with no bearings upon your salvation.

It seems many christians think being faithful means one attends all gatherings of the church – Sunday morning Bible study, worship in the morning and evening, and Wednesday evening Bible study.  Please help me with a biblical definition of faithfulness for my use in discussions.  Thank you for your clear answers that are backed by Scripture.

Sincerely,
Faithful Attender

Dear Faithful Attender,

Faith is a simple word with a lot of big implications.  The word for ‘faith’ in Greek is ‘pistis’.  ‘Pistis’ is translated ‘belief’ and ‘faith’ in English, so when you see the word ‘believe’ or the word ‘faith’ in your Bible… they are the same Greek word.  The word means ‘conviction that something is true’.  The Bible specifically uses the word ‘faith’ to describe our attitude toward God (Acts 20:21).   Faith is a requirement for salvation (Eph 2:8).

Biblical faith exists when we trust in the unseen God (Heb 11:1).  Faith is also described as a lifestyle of seeking God (Heb 11:6).  Faith without action is dead (Jas 2:26).  Even the demons believe in God… but they don’t seek Him (Jas 2:19).  Faith has its origin in the Scriptures – we believe because we hear God’s Word (Rom 10:17).  Biblical faith is best described as ‘hearing what God says and then doing your best to loyally act upon those words’.

Using that definition, regular church attendance is a part of faith because God tells us to not forsake assembling with the saints (Heb 10:24-25).  However, attendance is certainly not the all-defining characteristic of a faithful lifestyle.  One could easily attend every meeting of the church and still be a godless heathen the rest of the week (the man who had his father’s wife is a great example of this – 1 Cor 5:1-2).  Faith is a life guided by the words of the Bible.  A faithful person allows the Bible to be their compass and lets God reign within them (Lk 17:21).