Here's my dilemma - I have people I know that are in this exact situation. They are pastoring a church for little money. They can barely afford baby food, or health insurance, etc. etc. and they are
biblically required to give 10% of their pay. That's what I'm
looking for.
What I asked was this, "I'm looking for resources that deal with the obligation scripturally for a pastor to tithe."
So far, as silly as my question might be (no offense taken), no one in the thread has yet said: Here is not only that we do tithe, but here is biblically
WHY we do it. Here are the implications and resources
from Scripture. Or if you have resources to read, I'd love to know them.
If I asked, why do we believe in justification by faith - well, for all intents and purposes, no one would have any problem providing thousands of resources biblically and extra biblically.
But, we ought not simply to
assume things. This is a deeper study than one would think. Why? Well, I've been looking at individual Fathers, Reformed and Puritan works. I'm finding that during the time of the Puritans, there was a controversy about taxation, estates and such, in relation to how the state would or would not enforce tithing, and whether that would be something the minister should reap from or not. In other words, the commonwealth was poking in on whether ministers should be provided for by the tithe of the people in the church. The Puritan treatise on this were few. George Carlton (1559-1628) wrote a great little work called "Tithes Examined." He was particular on Abraham's tithe, and looking at tithing before the Law, during, after in Gospel times and then in his day. But his argument surrounded the reality of tithes, and that Christians are to support the minister with their tithes, at least that.
From this work I came away with, in my mind, I ask, how did Melchizedek tithe? How did the High Priest Tithe? How did the Apostle Paul tithe? Where do we see this, or imply it?
Where does it say Christ tithed?
I read William Prynne (1600-1669), and his "Gospel Plea" on tithing. Again, same information, a bit more structured and he deals a lot with the commonwealth. Still, I'm left with wondering how the application works with Melchizedek and the High Priest.
I worked through Turretin again. His "Salaries of Ministers" is good, but doesn't deal with the question. But, Turretin did say that OT laws such as tithing and firstfruits
were not binding. "From the salaries of the sacred ministers under the salaries Old Testament (Num. 18:8-12), to whom were given of the priests of ordinarily sacrifices, tithes, firstfruits, and other similar the Old Testament. things, besides certain cities and suburban fields (Num. 35:1-8). Now although in the New Testament,
we are not bound by those laws as to the special material from which and
the manner in which the pay was given, still they remain as to kind and
analogy, as is evident from the passage already quoted (1 Cor. 9:13). (Turretin, Institutes of Elenctic Theology (Vol. 3). 270)
Thomas Gouge's work on, "Christian Directions" mentions tithing, but only as much as the "parson collects them." There is no word that the parson tithes from them.
Cuthbert Sydenham in his work on "Hypocrisy" mentions Luke 11:14 where the Pharisees are rebuked for their hypocrisy in tithing, "You tithe mint and cumin, etc.” (Luke 11:14). There are certain ramification on this which are not worked out yet.
Christopher Love in "The Hearer's Duty" says, "Thirdly, it willfully incurs those direful execrations which were usually pronounced against all such Church-robbers; and in some places, where tithes are unjustly withheld from the ministers, God himself does, as it were, tithe their corn, and take away at least the tenth part of it, that they see they are no gainers by this unjust course." He, as many puritans, speaks on how tithing is for the support of the minister and the work of the Gospel.
I have some other works to check out from Francis Howgill (1618-1669) "The Great Case of Tithes" and Samuel Clarke (1599-1682) on "Sundry Questions Concerning Tithes." I'll let you know what they say.
Matthew Henry said (which is very good), "IV. What was done to him: Abram gave him tithes of all, that is, of the spoils, Heb. 7:4. This may be looked upon, 1. As a gratuity presented to Melchizedek, by way of return for his tokens of respect. Note, Those that receive kindness should show kindness. Gratitude is one of nature’s laws. 2. As an offering vowed and dedicated to the most high God, and therefore put into the hands of Melchizedek his priest. Note, (1.) When we have received some signal mercy from God, it is very fit that we should express our thankfulness by some special act of pious charity. God must always have his dues out of our substance, especially when, by any particular providence, he has either preserved or increased it to us. (2.) That 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. (3.) That Jesus Christ, our great Melchizedek, is to have homage done him, and to be humbly acknowledged by every one of us as our king and priest; and not only the tithe of all, but all we have, must be surrendered and given up to him. (Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: complete and unabridged in one volume (p. 39). Peabody: Hendrickson.)
He also said, "We must do more than they, and better than they, or we shall come short of heaven. They were partial in the law, and laid most stress upon the ritual part of it; but we must be universal, and not think it enough to give the priest his tithe, but must give God our hearts." Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: complete and unabridged in one volume (p. 1632). Peabody: Hendrickson.
Henry also directs it towards the "priests" in Jesus' statement, "Those laws which related only to the means of religion they were very exact in the observance of, as particularly those concerning the maintenance of the priests: Ye pay tithe of mint and rue, pay it in kind and to the full, and will not put off the priests with a modus decimandi or compound for it. By this they would gain reputation with the people as strict observers of the law, and would make an interest in the priests..." Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: complete and unabridged in one volume (p. 1864). Peabody: Hendrickson.
Augustine, and all the Fathers generally speak of the tithe around the words of Jesus "Ye tithe mint..." etc. They deal only with that passage. Some go a little further, Irenaeus (A.D. 120-202)
Against Heresies, Chapter XIII of Book IV: "And for this reason did the Lord, instead of that [commandment], Thou shalt not commit adultery, forbid even concupiscence; and instead of that which runs thus, Thou shalt not kill, He prohibited anger; and instead of the law enjoining the giving of tithes, [He told us] to share all our possessions with the poor."
John Wycliffe (1328-1384) and John Huss (1373-1415) both saw tithes as
free-will offerings. Wycliffe insisted tithes were
not commanded in the NT. Huss and his followers concluded that the OT law was not binding on Christians. John Smyth (1609) said Christ abolished tithes due to the change in the priesthood. He concluded that the method for supporting pastors should emphasize voluntariness. (
Perspectives on Tithing: Four Views edited by David A. Croteau)
Calvin said: He [Jesus] therefore acknowledges that whatever God has enjoined ought to be performed, and that no part of it ought to be omitted, but maintains that zeal for the whole Law is no reason why we ought not to insist chiefly on the principal points. Hence he infers that they overturn the natural order who employ themselves in the smallest matters, when they ought rather to have begun with the principal points; for tithes were only a kind of appendage. Christ therefore affirms that he has no intention to lessen the authority even of the smallest commandments . . . . It is therefore our duty to preserve entire the whole Law . . . Hence we conclude that all the commandments are so interwoven with each other, that we have no right to detach one of them from the rest." Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, 3 vols., trans. William Pringle (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1999), 3:92
John Owen said, "I shall take leave to say, that it is no safe plea for many to insist on,
that tithes are due and divine, as they speak,- that is, by a binding law of God,- now under the gospel. . . . The precise law of tithing is not confirmed in the gospel . . . it is impossible any one certain rule should be prescribed unto all persons," (Works, vol. 21, pp. 324, 325).
Luther Said, "But the other commandments of Moses, which are not [implanted in all men] by nature, the Gentiles do not hold. Nor do these pertain to the Gentiles, such as the tithe and others equally fine which I wish we had too. Now this is the first thing that I ought to see in Moses, namely, the commandments to which I am not bound except insofar as they are [implanted in everyone] by nature [and written in everyone's heart]." (How Christians Should Regard Moses, April 27, 1525
So, all that to say - things are not as clear cut as "This is what we do
because this is what we do." I'm searching for some really good exegetical work, or some commentary, on "here is why
ministers do this..."
(To be clear, Christians should at least tithe 10% of their income to support the work of the ministry in the church. There are a whole host of very good reasons for that, which I'm not going into right now, and many of the puritans dealt quite adequately on that point.)
