Firstly, let’s look at what Legalism is? Legalism is the belief that a person can earn God’s approval by keeping rules, traditions, or religious practices instead of relying on God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
In simple terms, legalism says, “God loves and accepts you because of what you do.” The gospel says, “God loves and accepts you because of what Jesus has done.”
There is nothing wrong with obeying God. In fact, Christians are called to live holy lives. The problem comes when people believe that following rules makes them more righteous or more accepted by God than others.
An example of legalism in the church today
In the Old Testament God gave rules about giving. That we should give a tithe of 10% of the fruits we produce. Here are examples of Gods instructions through the Old Testament scriptures.
Leviticus 27:30: “A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord.”
Deuteronomy 14:22: “Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year.”
Do we still Tithe today as a rule?
In the New Testament, Christians are never commanded to give exactly 10% of their income, we are not under the Old Testament Mosaic law.
Instead, believers are encouraged to give:
- Willingly.
- Cheerfully.
- Generously.
- According to what they have been blessed with.
2 Corinthians 9:7 says:
“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
This means giving should come from love for God, not because someone feels forced or believes they must earn God’s favour.
Check this picture out.
If you see a pastor boasting about how much they give off the pulpit, or even just congregants saying they give vast sums of money, you must consider whether that is legalistic, or at the very least take it to God and pray for that person.
Prayer can change everything, it can correct people, lead to leaders being changed so the flock is safeguarded, or churches being setup for financial gain and false motives being shut down because they were never meant to be setup in the first place. That is the power of prayer because God is listening to our prayers.
We are to decide in our hearts what to give to the church. It might be we decide to give £1 a week, or give £1000, the point is we are to decide about such things in our heart and have the characteristics of being a generous giver not giving under compulsion.
Did Jesus Talk About Tithing?
Yes, Jesus mentioned tithing when speaking to the Pharisees in Matthew 23v23
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.”
The pharisees were careful to tithe even the smallest herbs but neglected more important matters such as justice, mercy, and faithfulness.
Jesus showed that while they were meticulous about giving a tenth, they had missed the greater purpose of loving God and loving others.
Look at what Jesus said about the widows offering.
Mark 12:41-44
The Widow’s Offering
41 “Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.
43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”
Jesus said that the widow gave more than the rest with her two very small copper coins, she gave what she had decided in her heart and out of poverty not wealth.”
The Heart Behind Giving
The Bible teaches that God is more interested in the attitude of the heart than the amount of money given.
Giving is an act of worship and gratitude, recognising that everything we have ultimately comes from God.
Lets conclude
Biblically, a tithe means one-tenth. Under the Old Testament Law, Israel was commanded to give a tenth for the support of the priesthood and the needs of the nation.
Under the New Testament, Christians are not commanded to give a fixed 10%. Instead, they are encouraged to give freely, generously, and joyfully, according to what God has placed on their hearts.
The focus is no longer on meeting a percentage but on having a generous heart that honours God.