A Bible teacher and Founder of Alder Consulting, Nigeria’s leading creative intelligence firm, Leke Alder has said giving in the New Testament is not compulsory.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, March 5, Alder stated that there is nothing like compulsory giving in the New Testament.
He also wrote that there is no curse attached to non-payment of tithe which he describes as a personal covenant. He wrote:
There is a ventricular linkage between concentration and money. Jesus said your heart will be where your treasure is.
There are 3 laws governing giving to the church:
The law of liberty: You’re at liberty to decide what you want to give. Give as you decide.The law of volition: Never give under emotional duress or compulsorily. The Bible says ignore sob stories and arm twisting.The law of proportionality: The return on your giving is proportional to your giving.There is no compulsory giving in the New Testament. In the Old Testament, tithing was compulsory because God wanted to compensate the Levites for the loss of heritage. They were not assigned a state.The framework of tithe under the Law of Moses was quite complex. And the percentage wasn’t a flat 10%. But we’re not even under the Law.In the New Testament era, we’re in, tithing is at best a personal covenant. It is only theologically relevant because Abraham the father of faith tithed. You may choose to follow his example. Or not.He tithed as worship. There is no curse attached to non-payment of tithe in the New Testament era. And anyway, Christ has been made a curse for us. We’ve been redeemed from the curse of the Law.
Giving in New Testament is voluntary
There is no first fruit offering in the New Testament era either. That’s because the New Testament redefined the first fruit. In the New Testament, first fruit means first in line, whereas in the Old Testament it was produced. Jesus is the first fruit because he was the first to be resurrected.The household of Stephanas was firstfruits of Achaia because they were the first to get born again in Achaia. Therefore you’re not obligated to give your January salary as offering. That’s NOT the first fruit in the New Testament era.You may however choose to follow Solomon’s advice and give the differential of your increase. He called that differential “firstfruit”. My advice? Give as the Holy Spirit directs. It’s not about percentages, it’s about leading. And oh, it’s wise to be generous towards God.