Spiritual Pride in Giving

"Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. When therefore you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will repay you."  Matthew 6:1-4

     Beside the fact that tithing is not commanded in the New Testament, there is another reason why it should not be taught, and that reason is spiritual pride. Like the Pharisee in the story of Luke 18:12, too many tithers fall into the trap of self-righteousness and spiritual pride.

     In Matthew 6:1 Jesus tells us to beware of practicing our righteousness before men to be noticed by them; yet, I have heard numerous church leaders announce that not only do they pay tithes, but they "tithe on the gross," meaning that they calculate the ten percent on the amount of their paycheck before taxes are deducted. Usually, these people are not the ones who are struggling financially, and usually their reason for tithing on the gross is the old adage, "better safe than sorry," implying that God is going to punish them somehow if they don't tithe on every penny, just like the Pharisees tithed on every mint leaf (Luke 11:42). These kinds of comments, especially when made by leaders in the church, can really put the fear in believers who are not tithing. Is that really what God wants? Is that the kind of relationship He wants to have with His children?

     Jesus said don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, but that your giving should be in secret. Should any one else know what you give? Should the pastor know what everyone in the church gives? Wouldn't that tend to make him think twice about offending certain people in his messages? There is really no reason for anyone else to know what you give. Just give what the Holy Spirit tells you to give to whomever He tells you to give it, and don't let someone else steal your joy of giving because according to them you don't give enough. That is between you and God alone. No one else has a right to know what you give or tell you what to give.

     "Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver." II Cor. 9:7