CHRISTIAN FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Audio: by Fred R. Coulter

Sermon 1 - Listen Live OR Download

Sermon 2 - Listen Live OR Download

Responsibility to Family:

The Scriptures teach that Christians should be diligent to provide for their families. Any Christian who is able to work but makes no effort to support his or her family is worse than an infidel. Jesus Christ Himself taught that a Christian should first provide for his or her family before using personal income for other purposes, including offerings to God. Jesus condemmed the Jews who gave offerings, or "corban," to the temple treasury while neglecting their needy parents. God does not want Christians to neglect the basic needs of their families in order to give tithes and offerings. Those Christians who have a limited income and are able only to meet their basic needs have no actual increase from which to tithe. God desires mercy and not sacrifice.

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Responsibility to the Needy:

Christians are commanded by Jesus Christ to support the poor and needy among them with compassion and understanding. A Christian attitude of true love and service should be the basis for all giving. God desires each one whom He has prospered to give cheerfully and willingly from the heart as he or she is able. Those who have an abundance but do not give because of a selfish attitude are guilty of covetousness and are sinning before God.

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Responsibility to the Church:

In today's world, there is no question that it requires money to fulfill the commands of Jesus Christ to preach the gospel, to feed the flock of God and to care for the needs of the church. Therefore, Christians are directed by the Lord Jesus Christ to share their financial resources with those who serve them in the ministry of God. Paul wrote, "Do you not know that they which minister about the holy things, live of the things of the temple? And they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar? Even so also [Greek houtoos, likewise, in the same manner] the Lord did order [Greek diatassoo, to order, to direct, to command] that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel" (I Cor. 9:13-14).

Those who receive support from their brethren are accountable to God and to the brethren as to how these tithes and offerings are used. Any minister who merchandises the brethren by using intimidation, compulsion or fear in order to extract tithes and offerings from them will receive stern judgment from God.

God warns His servants against exploiting the poor of His flock and taking from the meager provisions of the needy. However, God honors and blesses the poor who give as they are able, no matter how small the amount, even as Jesus commended the poor and needy widow who gave her mite.

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The Scriptural Principle of Tithing:

God created the earth and all the resources of the earth from which physical wealth is derived. Although God owns all the resources of land and sea, He has given all these things to mankind to work with, to use and to enjoy their benefits. By using what God has created, mankind is able to grow food, raise animals, harvest the forests, mine the earth and fish the seas. Because God has given all these things to mankind, He requires that men acknowledge Him as the Almighty Provider and Sustainer. The Scriptures reveal that God instituted the principle of tithing in addition to freewill offerings as a perpetual way for mankind to honor Him. The Old Testament declares that tithes and offerings belong to God and are "holy unto the Lord." Jesus reaffirmed this truth when He said, "Render...unto God the things that are God's." The account of Abel's offering in the book of Genesis makes it clear that this practice existed from the beginning of mankind and was not restricted to God's covenant with Israel at Sinai.

Before the establishment of the Old Covenant, tithes and offerings to God were given to Melchizedek, the priest of the Most High God. The book of Genesis records that Abraham gave tithes to Melchizedek. Isaac and Jacob undoubtedly gave tithes and offering to Melchizedek as well. When God established His covenant with Israel, the tithes and offerings were transferred to the Levitical priesthood. God said, "And behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel." Under the Old Covenant, God required that His people give Him the firstfruits of their harvest and the firstborn of their livestock, as well as a tenth of the increase they derived from the crops and livestock.

God said through the prophet Malachi that the priests were violating God's commands by offering polluted offerings and were robbing God. Likewise, those who did not give the tithes and offerings to the Levites as God had commanded were robbing God.

Under the New Covenant, the Levitical priesthood has been replaced by the priesthood of Melchizedek, and the Scriptural authority to receive the tithes and offerings of God has been transferred back to the order of Melchizedek. Jesus Christ, sitting at the right hand of God the Father, now holds the eternal office of High Priest of the order of Melchizedek. Christians today give their tithes and freewill offerings to support the work of Jesus Christ through His church.

In following the Scriptural principle of tithing, each Christian is individually responsible for determining his or her true increase. Jesus said, "Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's," showing that all taxes which are paid to "Caesar" (civil governments today) are excluded in determining one's increase. Also excluded are expenses related to one's business or employment, which reduce actual net income. Christians whose incomes are so limited that their entire net income is required to meet basic living expenses have no true increase in God's eyes on which to tithe. The giving of money is not required for salvation. However, if a Christian has been financially blessed by God, he or she should give willingly as led by the Holy Spirit. Each Christian should give from the heart in a willing attitude of love and service, according to the blessings which God has bestowed--both spiritually and physically.

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