The following “Question“ was asked by a member of the congregation at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, and “Answered“ by their pastor, John MacArthur Jr. It was transcribed by Nelly Kaye of Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada, from the tape, GC 1301-E, titled “Bible Questions and Answers Part 7.“ A copy of the tape can be obtained by writing, Word of Grace, P.O. Box 4000, Panorama City, CA 91412 or by dialing toll free 1-800-55-GRACE. ©1976. All Rights Reserved.
Question
Should a person be excommunicated from the church for not paying his tithes?
Answer
It’s too bad that someone would ask that question because it reflects such a
tragic passing on of information, that someone would even think that. Let me
answer that as briefly as I can because it’s not an easy question to answer in
terms of all the ramifications. Should a person be excommunicated from a church
for not paying his tithes? No. In the sense that you mean it. Yes, in another
sense. And here’s what I mean.
In the first place tithing is not the issue in the church, right? We’ve
been through that again and again. We went through that whole study. Listen, if
you haven’t listened to the tapes on biblical giving, get them and listen to
them. Don’t be confused about that. More people get under the burden of guilt
because they don’t know what they are doing relative to giving, and it is
unnecessary. The Bible has stated very clearly what God’s pattern is.
There are two kinds of giving throughout all of God’s history. From before Moses, through Moses, the New Testament, the Church Age, right to today. Two kinds of giving: required giving and freewill giving.
Required giving was always taxation. The Jewish tithe in the Old Testament, ten percent to the Levites, ten percent for the ceremonies, ten percent every third year for the welfare system. They paid twenty-three percent every year to the theocracy, the national government of Israel. And in addition to that they had to give the corners of the field, they had to pay the third of a shekel temple tax. These things were in addition to that. You could say the average Jew would pay somewhere between twenty to twenty-five percent annually on his income, but that went to the government. And in Malachi, it says bring your tithes into the treasury, is the Hebrew word. And he is saying pay your taxes.
Giving in the Old Testament was always freewill. It was always what ever you want to give. It was always the freedom that you had to give in whatever way you felt God had laid it upon your heart. That’s why in 3:9 of Proverbs it says, “Honour the Lord with your substance, and with the first fruits of your increase and your barns will be full”. In other words, whatever your heart purposes, whatever it desires. And remember how we saw that when the temple was being built, God said have everybody bring their offerings and let him do it willingly out of his heart whatever he wants. You tell him to give whatever he wants willingly out of his heart. And they came and they gave and they gave and they gave and finally they made an announcement please do not give anymore, we have too much. And you have the same thing in the New Testament.
In the New Testament required giving is pay your taxes, isn’t it. “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s…” Romans chapter 13, the government is there and if it exacts custom and tribute, pay it. Jesus did, the apostles did.
And giving in the New Testament is not tithing it’s “as a man purposes in his heart so let him give; not grudgingly, not of necessity: for,” what…“God loves a cheerful giver.” And he says you can “sow sparingly and reap sparingly and sow bountifully and reap bountifully.”
So, the two kinds of giving. All required giving was toward taxation and
all freewill giving was giving to God. So in that sense we are not tithing
in the church. We can’t say if you don’t pay the church so much you’re going to
be excommunicated, because there isn’t a "so much" that you’re supposed to give.
That is between you and God. “…as every man purposes in his heart, so let
him”…what…“give” Second Corinthians. “As every man purposes in his heart, so let
him give,” that’s the only standard.
Now, on the other hand if you take the question in its technical meaning; Should
a person be excommunicated from a church for not paying his tithes? If you use
it in the sense of taxes, if there is somebody in the church who is not paying
his taxes, he is defrauding the government. He is actually committing an offence
against the government as well as violating Romans chapter thirteen. Then I
think the church could take course to deal with him as a sinning member. Do you
see what I mean? It would be no different than any other criminal act. If he was
hiding it, and we knew about it, and he was cheating on his taxes and we found
out about it, then we would be responsible to go through the Matthew eighteen
process. To go to him and exhort him. If he didn’t hear, to take two or three
and if he didn’t hear to tell it to the church. And if he didn’t change and pay
the taxes that the government requires and the godly pattern of life that God
asks of him, then we would have the right to discipline.
But, in the sense that the question is meant you can’t be excommunicated for
not paying your tithes because what you give to the Lord is just between you and
Him and nobody else. And nobody here knows whether you do or not because there
isn’t any amount. And that’s the way it ought to be. That’s the way God designed
it. You give freely, from your heart, whatever you wish. As I said be sure you
get that straightened out, get those tapes if you haven’t gotten it and get an
understanding of that.
Added to Bible Bulletin Board's “MacArthur’s Questions and
Answers“ by:
Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
Box 119
Columbus, New Jersey, USA, 08022
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Email: tony@biblebb.com
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