Page 66 - Teaching Principles and Methods Student Textbook short

Study Section 13: A Sample Lesson - continued

13.1 Connect

We looked up every verse in the Bible on tithing. And after analyzing these verses, we came
to the conclusion that tithing is an Old Testament system of giving demanded by the Mosaic
Law and commanded to be obeyed by Israel. We also from reading Paul in the New
Testament, that Jesus introduced to us a New Covenant of grace. We are no longer under
the demands of the law because our Savior, Jesus, kept the law perfectly on our behalf. So
we have been freed from the demands of the Law. That means we have been freed from the
demands of tithing. So does that mean we don’t have to give anything to God? Can we keep everything
He gives us and spend it on ourselves? Today we will finish the lesson and find out that that is not God’s
plan. He gives to us so that we might give to others. So let’s learn how God wants us to give….

13.2 Objectives

1. The student should be able to describe from II Corinthians 9 several principles that God has
established to guide us in giving.

2. The student should be able to conclude that God does have a giving pattern called “Grace
Giving.”

3. The student should be able to discover that not just 10% of what God gives us belongs to
God, rather 100% of what God gives us belongs to Him. We need to learn how to be
generous with God’s money.

13.3 A Sample Lesson – continued

6. Check out the cross references. I checked out a cross reference from II Corinthians 8
which led me to II Corinthians 9.

I know that Christ came to fulfill the Law on my behalf. I am no longer under the
bondage of the law, but under the New Covenant of grace. So I must direct my
search to the New Testament and see if there are any passages which would instruct me how to give
to God.

In my study of the New Testament verses on giving, I found a wealth of information. Those who argue
for tithing (my pastor) point out that Abraham and Jacob both tithed prior to the Mosaic law (Genesis
14:20 and Genesis 29:22). Thus tithing supersedes the law, he argues. If the New Testament gave no
further guidelines, that might be a valid argument. But the New Testament clearly defines a method of
giving that replaces the Law of the Old Testament tithe. There are other practices, such as circumcision
and Sabbath-keeping which pre-date the Law and yet in the New Testament are not binding on the
church today.

If you examine the references to Abraham’s and Jacob’s tithing, you will see that God did not command
them to tithe and there is no indication that this was their regular practice. On one occasion after the
victory in battle to rescue Lot, Abraham tithed 10% of the spoils from the battle, but nothing is said

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