The Halfway Position A number of versions of this work were widely circulated for input during a four year period. During that time we thought we had seen every conceivable defense of the tithe. Then we were made aware of what we have named "the halfway position." Within this view the tithe is both right and wrong. While others may have a better defense of this position, though we're not sure how, in the form we received it there certainly were a lot of assumptions. We will use this as another opportunity to apply all that we have learned so far to test their concept using Scriptures. The Tithe Certainly, the most common way to receive temporal blessings from God is by tithing. As long as we pay our tithes, we can expect to receive back many times the amount that we have given, but this creates a problem. The tithe is part of the law, and we cannot receive the blessings of the law without coming under the whole law and its condemnation. The law of Moses cannot be divided nor can we partake of two covenants. The tithe brings us blessings from the law but sooner or later, we must leave the law completely and move up to a higher form of living and giving, giving from the heart ruled by love. This allows us to reap the blessings of Abraham, which are much greater than the blessings of the law. As we give in faith motivated by love, we can expect tremendous blessings, even the blessing of Abraham: love, joy, peace, and abundance without condemnation. This allows us to give even more abundantly and receive with even greater joy. Even though most pay tithes in order to control their own fate, we must never instruct everyone to quit tithing. First, Christians must first know the righteousness and sanctification which is by faith, the cross. Only then will they be able to walk in the Spirit and leave the religious law. Never tell anyone to leave the Law of Moses until you teach them how to keep and exceed God's law in the Spirit. All doubts on tithing can be removed by answering the following questions: 1. Is the tithe a part of the law of Moses? Yes. "Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year (Deuteronomy 14:22)". 2. Who are the only people who have the God given authority to take tithes? The Levites. And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation. (Numbers 18:21) 3. Who was Jesus talking to when he said: "these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone"? They were unbelieving Scribes and Pharisees who, because of their unbelief, were unable to leave the covenant of law and enter into the covenant of grace. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. (Matthew 23:23 and Luke 11:42) 4. How are we to give under the covenant of grace? But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:6-7) Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. (Luke 6:38) We must never use our freedom as an excuse not to give. On the contrary, the covenant of grace provides us with many wonderful reasons to give abundantly. As the love of God motivates us, we must give to the poor, and we are responsible to God's church. As we give in grace, we reap the blessings of Abraham (peace, joy, and abundance without condemnation) and these are far better than any blessings of the law. Then, how shall we give? We exceed the tithe when we give motivated by love. (http://www.christian-book.us/ethics.html) Wow! This is such a mix of truth and error, it's hard to know were to start. In an effort to distill the primary teachings, this summary list is comprised of key quotes from the original document. "The law of Moses cannot be divided nor can we partake of two covenants." "The tithe brings us blessings from the law but sooner or later, we must leave the law completely and move up to a higher form of living and giving." "Even though most pay tithes in order to control their own fate, we must never instruct everyone to quit tithing." "Who are the only people who have the God given authority to take tithes? The Levites." "We must never use our freedom as an excuse not to give. On the contrary, the covenant of grace provides us with many wonderful reasons to give abundantly." We agree with point one that the Law of Moses cannot be divided and that it impossible to partake of two covenants. All who are under the new covenant have been set free from the old. This being said, it makes the second point quite strange. We do not "sooner or later ... leave the law completely", we leave the Law the moment we believe. The Law was a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ; it can take us no further! Galatians 3:24-25 So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law. Believers don't choose to move up to a "higher form of living" sometime (or never) after salvation, their salvation has placed them into a higher form of living. Point three comes with many implications. First, it implies that tithing somehow is beneficial for Christians "in order to control their own fate." While they certainly point to a higher form of living apart from the Law, they claim the tithe to be beneficial for those who haven't moved up yet. Since it is certain from Scriptures, that only non-believers are to remain under the supervision of the law (Galatians 3:24-25), teaching a believer, even an infant believer, to live by the law is counterproductive. Believers need to learn how to live as believers! We only assumed that they meant Christians in regards to the tithe being beneficial, as the document doesn't clearly say that. For the sake of argument, if they do mean the unregenerate that fill many pews, we'll consider that for a moment too. Their mandate that "we must never instruct everyone to quit tithing" is useless in regards to the non-believer. Because the tithe has no foundation in the New Testament church, and no way to carry it out in the manner prescribed by the Old Testament, anyone encouraging it's continuation encourages the unbeliever to be a Law breaker, while at the same time giving them false assurance that somehow this act is pleasing to God. Remember how God views even the best acts of the unregenerate: Isaiah 64:6a All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags Legitimate use of the law, in New Testament times, is to take the unchanging principles rooted in the very nature of God and show non-believers that they are incapable of following any of them (Romans 7:7). In this way the Law shows them their need of Christ. 1 Timothy 1:8-11 We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. 9 We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10 for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers - and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine 11 that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me. In point four, they legitimately state that only the Levites are authorized to take tithes, so long as they are thinking about the smaller portion not the whole tithe. That brings us to another quandary. When they stated that no one should be encouraged to stop tithing, to whom do they want the tithe given? Do they claim pastors or churches to be successors of the Levites and, if so, on what Scriptural grounds? The Levitical priesthood was abolished in Christ (Hebrews 7:12). Of course, they have turned the tithe into a monetary tithe with all of it going to their unnamed Levitical successors, ignoring all that the Law taught about the giver eating the greater share and giving to the poor, etc. Point five is sound, but all the convoluted teaching on the continued use of the tithe will keep, or distract, most from getting there. More will be said about this in a later section.