Welcome to The MHB Podcast. This is Michael Baun. And welcome to my 106th episode. In this episode I want to talk about the relationship between money and God. The two areas I’m going to focus on are tithing and personal wealth. This is a topic that is full of misconceptions and bad ideas put forward by both the church and the people. So I want to do my best to take it all apart and leave you with a better understanding. But before we get into any of that I have some announcements.
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Okay so that’s it for announcements. Now let’s talk about money and God. I think the best place to begin is with tithing. Many people think that tithing means 10% – which is only partially true. It actually means your first-fruits which would be considered your first 10%. Another way to think about it is your first and your best. When Cain and Abel made their offerings to God, Abel brought forward his first and his best. God accepted Abel’s offering but he rejected Cain’s. It’s likely that Cain’s offering was rejected because his heart wasn’t right with God at the time he offered it. It took faith for Abel to surrender his first fruits instead of keeping them for himself. Cain did not share Abel’s faith and that’s probably why Cain was rejected. The same goes for you today. If you can’t give with a generous and joyful heart then you shouldn’t give at all. Paul affirms the value of the joyful and generous heart in 2 Corinthians 9:6-8:
2Co 9:6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
2Co 9:7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
2Co 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.
The reason you should not give if your heart isn’t right with God is that your tithe will become like an excuse to avoid reconditioning your heart. You’ll think: Well, I know I’m doing some terrible things and my life is toxic but I give a lot of money to the church so God doesn’t care about those other things. The truth is the exact opposite. God primarily cares about those other things. The condition of your heart is God’s highest concern because an evil heart is evidence that you are not in relationship with God. God wants your heart – not your money – and the primary reason He commands your money is to preserve your heart. Scripture is full of examples of individuals who used the tithe as an excuse for a sullied heart. Listen to 1 Samuel 15:22-23:
1Sa 15:22 And Samuel said, “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.
1Sa 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king.”
Samuel was speaking to Saul. Saul had conquered the Amalekites and defied God by plundering the best of what they had. Saul said he did this so that he could offer the plunder as a sacrifice to God. Saul’s disobedient heart led to God rejecting him as king of Israel. Samuel was clear about the fact that an offering to God does not justify disobedience. Jesus pointed this out to the Pharisees in Matthew 23:23:
Mat 23:23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.
So we’re beginning to notice a pattern developing here. You must prioritize obedience and a faithful heart over the tithe. If you give to God reluctantly and then use the fact that you gave as an excuse to continue in evil – God does not accept your tithe and you’re no better off than had you just donated it to a charity. But let’s imagine that you’re in right relationship with God, your heart is right, and you still can’t give with joy and generosity. When this happens it is usually a money management issue. I don’t see any sense in accusing someone of faithlessness when their real problem is mathematical. A good example is the new Christian. This person has lived their life and structured their financial picture without consideration for the tithe. It’s going to take some time to adjust so that giving your first fruits can happen without losing your home or hurting your family. But that’s not a cop-out either because if your heart is right then you will work to make those adjustments. Instead of building your finances around yourself you will build them around the joy of using your first fruits to advance the Kingdom.
Notice how I said to advance the Kingdom. You don’t have to tithe at a particular church – or any church for that matter – to give your first fruits to God. You can choose to support a missionary. You can choose to support a podcast. It’s a popular misunderstanding that your money has to go through the tithing plates at your local church in order for it to be accepted as an offering in the sight of God. Listen to Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:13-14:
1Co 9:13 Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings?
1Co 9:14 In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.
The misconception that you must tithe at your church stems from a misunderstanding of the term church. In Scripture the Greek word used for church is ekklesia which literally means gathering. The church is also referred to as the Body of Christ and the Bride of Christ. Anyone or anything that works to share the Gospel or advance the kingdom of God is included in these definitions. So for example – and I’m going to do a bit of shameless plugging here so fair warning – this podcast has been downloaded thousands of times in more than 50 countries. If you decide to give to this podcast then you are giving to the advancement of the kingdom of God and the sharing of the Gospel. That means you are giving to God and therefore donations made to this podcast or any other ministry are effective as your tithe.
Let’s review what we know so far. God is primarily interested in your heart so if your heart is not right then you should not give. You should not use your giving as an excuse to avoid your relationship with God. If your heart is right and giving still hurts you then you have a money management problem. A person whose heart is right will work to solve this money management problem so that they can resume giving. Giving to God does not by necessity mean giving to your local church. You can choose to support a mission, a podcast, or any kind of work that advances the kingdom of God.
The next question that comes up is why in the world does God need our money? Is that just a clever manipulation by the church? That answer is that God does not need your money. It’s already His. Everything around you, everything you touch, taste, see, hear, and smell all belongs to God. Even that which you cannot perceive belongs to God. Listen to Psalm 24:1-2:
Psa 24:1 The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,
Psa 24:2 for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.
Or listen Psalm 50:10-11:
Psa 50:10 For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.
Psa 50:11 I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine.
Withholding your tithe is not simply refusing to give to God – it’s actually stealing for yourself from what already belongs to Him. Scripture says that all the currency belongs to God and He is the One who endows you with the ability to gain wealth. So when you give to God you’re not helping Him, rather you are helping yourself. He wants you to voluntarily surrender your first fruits to Him because doing so is evidence to yourself of your own faith. Deuteronomy chapter 14 tells us that the tithe is meant to train us to make God first among our priorities.
When we think about why we should tithe, there are two major reasons that are brought to bear. The first is that money is always fighting for the top spot in your hierarchy of values. The dark side of you wants money to be your god. Just think about what money represents: power and security. Your fallen nature craves power because it desires for you to be your own god. Your fallen nature urges you to depend on sources of security outside of God because it has no faith in God. You’ve heard the phrase money is the root of all evil – but that’s not true. The truth, according to Scripture, is that the love of money is the root of many evils. If you’re wondering just how badly the love for money can twist your soul, remember that Judas Iscariot was the treasurer and he betrayed Christ for money. Listen to what Jesus says about the dangers of loving money in Matthew 6:19-24:
Mat 6:19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,
Mat 6:20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
Mat 6:21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Mat 6:22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light,
Mat 6:23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
Mat 6:24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
If money is the primary object of your desire and if you value money above all else then that means God is not on the throne in your heart. Your life is going to reflect that. You’ll accumulate large quantities of wealth but lose the authenticity of your relationships. People will not want to be around you except to use you for your money. You’ll miss family events because you constantly work overtime when you don’t need to. You’ll keep chasing the next new high of a promotion or upgrade but both will leave you feeling empty. You’ll hurt and betray those around you if doing so is profitable. You’ll prefer to watch your loved ones suffer if the alternative is loosening your grip on your wealth. If all of your effort is bent on acquiring money for money’s own sake, then once you have it you’ll experience the deep darkness of disappointment that attends the moment when that which was supposed to provide you with ultimate meaning fails to do so. Judas Iscariot hung himself when he came to that realization. You can be certain that when you are on your deathbed the one thing you will not be thinking is: I wish I would have made more money. The treasure of this world will pass away but love is eternal.
Preventing yourself from turning into that kind of miserable person is the first reason you should tithe. The second reason is that how you decide to spend your money literally shapes the world around you. This is particularly true in the West where we enjoy a capitalist economic structure. This is the main argument I would use for you to support this podcast. What kind of world do you want to live in? What kind of world do you want for your children? Jesus told us to be salt and light. It’s our job to preserve what is good and to guide the world. So every dollar that you give to organizations that are working towards this end is going to help move the needle in the right direction.
You shape the world every time you purchase something. The reason you get bombarded with advertisements every time you open your phone or turn on the TV is because you buy what they are selling. Your money has led to the emergence of technology like smart phones, electric cars, powerful laptops, and high speed internet. The only reason I’m even able to speak to you right now is that someone somewhere profited from the invention podcast technology. You can easily imagine a world where none of these things happened because no one spent the money to usher them in. Don’t succumb to the illusion that once you send your money out into the world it’s gone forever. It actually comes back into your life in the form of whatever you supported.
What would the world be like if millions more people decided to commit their lives to Christ and love their neighbor? What would the world be like if we lost this? We get to choose what kind of world we want. If you live in a democracy then you’ve been told that you have one vote. But you actually have two votes. One is used at the polling station and the other is used at the point of sale. God wants to bless you by showing you how you can help shape a better world. That’s the second reason you should tithe.
Okay so we covered tithing. The next area I want to hit is wealth. There are many Christians who believe that all wealth is bad wealth. They believe that being wealthy at all immediately makes you sinful. This is a dangerous misunderstanding and unfortunately there are many pastors who peddle it because they want you to transfer your wealth to them. Scripture teaches us that wealth can be bad but it can also be good. Paul even identifies the giving and generosity that’s associated with wealth as a spiritual gift. So where one person might be a talented preacher, another person who is wealthy might be a talented giver.
The church leaders who wage war on wealth sometimes reference the rich young ruler. The rich young ruler did many good things but when Christ told him to sell everything he owned and give to the poor he looked downcast and walked away. Then Jesus told His disciples that it’s very difficult for a wealthy person to get into heaven. People who use that passage to cast aspersions against the wealthy always forget to include the next part where Jesus says it’s impossible for any human being to get into heaven. That’s why we need a Savior. The problem with the rich young ruler was not his wealth – the problem was that he held his wealth in higher regard than he did Jesus.
The other passage commonly cited is Luke 12:22-34, which reads:
Luk 12:22 And he (Jesus) said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on.
Luk 12:23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.
Luk 12:24 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!
Luk 12:25 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?
Luk 12:26 If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?
Luk 12:27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Luk 12:28 But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!
Luk 12:29 And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried.
Luk 12:30 For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them.
Luk 12:31 Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.
Luk 12:32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Luk 12:33 Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.
Luk 12:34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
It’s common for Christians to interpret this as an injunction against wealth. It’s sometimes used as a proof text for selling all of your possessions so that you can give to the poor. But that’s a misunderstanding of what Christ is teaching here. The thrust of His message is twofold: 1) Do not worry about material needs. 2) Seek first the kingdom of God.
Proof of this idea can easily be found in Matthew chapter 26 where the woman anointed Jesus with the expensive perfume. The disciples got frustrated when they watched her do this because they thought the perfume should be sold so that the money could be used to help the poor. They were elevating the poor above Jesus in their hierarchy of values. Jesus rebuked them and explained to them that this woman valued Him more than she valued the poor – therefore what she did was righteous. As Christians, we must always guard ourselves against creating an idol out of the poor. A person who idolizes the poor is one who forsakes their relationship with Christ because they are too busy pursuing their philanthropic goals. They could also be people who help the poor in order to glorify themselves instead of God. It’s good to help the poor – and we are commanded to do so – but never at the expense of our own personal relationship with God.
Another example is found in Luke chapter 10 where Martha complained about Mary sitting and listening to Jesus instead of helping her serve. Again, Jesus explained to Martha that Mary chose the right thing by holding Himself in higher regard than she held acts of service. So the idea here is that you should never allow acts of service to become a placeholder for your relationship with God. But what does this have to do with wealth?
The point is that the warning against wealth is actually a warning against valuing wealth more than you value God. It’s right back to the problem of loving money. The people who think it’s about the material wealth rather than the condition of your heart are in danger of being distracted from God by helping the poor and doing acts of service. So if you’re a wealthy person and your heart isn’t right with God you might use your wealth to virtue signal and make an excuse for not needing a relationship with God. I don’t need Jesus because I use my money to help the poor – it’s something like that. Money and wealth are not inherently sinful. You don’t need to sell all of your stuff as an attempt to earn your way into heaven. That’s fully antithetical to the Gospel. The warnings against wealth are entirely about your heart and whether or not you love your money more than you love God.
There is no need to draw a line in quantity of possessions. When it comes to possessions, try not to think in terms of bare minimum or excess. Instead, analyze your heart and decide if your pursuit of any given possession is taking priority over your love for God. A good example here is theft. If I want something so badly that I choose to violate God’s command and hurt my neighbor to get it – that is a clear indication that my heart is set on this item and not on God.
When it comes to helping others, do not do it unless you can do it with a joyful and generous heart. This is in part why communism always fails. God desires for us to love our neighbors. If giving to our neighbors is done out of government compulsion then it can’t be done out of love – therefore God does not bless it. If giving to our neighbors is done out of fear of punishment or condemnation, God does not bless it. Love for God and love for neighbor does not coexist with the kind of fear people who sell everything suffer from. The proper fear of God is more like reverence for him. The improper fear is the “walking on eggshells” kind of fear.
Besides, giving to the poor is not absolutely righteous all of the time anyway. There are some people who can be harmed by receiving money. Many Christians would rather give a person money than make the huge time investment required to actually help them. If I give money to someone who suffers from addiction, I may well have signed that person’s death warrant. It’s also wrong to give to the poor if doing so means neglecting the well-being of your own family. Listen to 1 Timothy 5:8:
1Ti 5:8 But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
So if I have someone in my congregation who cannot tithe without hurting themselves or their family – the problem isn’t their unwillingness to give, the problem is their money management. The first step I take is to help them set their house in order so that they don’t have to struggle as much. You’ll find that many (although not all) people who struggle do so as a consequence of sub-optimal behavior and not lack of potential resources.
Okay so I want to close this episode by summarizing everything we’ve learned. God’s primary concern is the condition of your heart and your relationship with Him. You must get your heart right with God before He will accept your giving and bless you for it. You must never allow your giving to be an excuse for why you don’t need Jesus. Beware of elevating any spiritual gift – including that of generosity – over your relationship with Christ. God does not need your money because your money already belongs to Him. The primary purpose of the tithe is to train you to make God your first priority. Do what you need to do to correct your money management so that you can fulfill this purpose. The secondary purpose of the tithe is to support your church and advance the kingdom of God. Any mission, podcast, or ministry that shares the Gospel and advances God’s kingdom is effective for your tithe. How you choose to spend your money will shape the world that you live in.
Personal wealth is not inherently sinful. You don’t need to sell your possessions if they are not inhibiting your relationship with Jesus Christ. Money is not the root of all evil. The love of money is the root of many evils. Elevating your wealth above God is sinful and marks a certain road to misery. We are commanded to be generous and to give to the poor – but beware of virtue signaling and abusing generosity to make yourself feel like you don’t need Jesus. For some people, true help comes in the form of patient time investment and not financial giving.
Here is how you should aspire to arrange your priorities when it comes to your time, your effort, and your money: 1) God. This is your first fruits. 2) Your spouse and children. If you neglect to take care of your family then no amount of giving to the poor will substitute. 3) Your neighbor. If you fail to love your neighbor then no amount of church services will substitute. 4) The church and any other ministries. Organized religion is a blessing but it can only be a blessing when you have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ – otherwise it’s just silly rituals and nonsense. Finally, do not stress yourself about your material needs but rather trust in God that He knows what you need. If you structure your life this way then you will find that God blesses you with what you need both materially and spiritually.
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