The Fallacy of Compulsive Giving
The fifth fallacy we need to address that influences adherence to the required at least 10% tithe is compulsive giving. To be compelled is to be coerced or forced to do something. Floyd adds to his prescriptions, proof-texting, piecemealing and guilt-tripping by browbeating Christians into giving more and more and more. Enough is not enough. Too much is never too much. Although we should applaud Floys for making a case for a lifestyle of generosity resulting from the love of God towards us, there is ZERO support anywhere in the Scriptures that support a type of mafia-like tactics of collecting funds from Christ’s disciples.
Suppose we remove a few direct references Floyd makes here regarding tithing. In that case, this entire section could stand alone in making the case for why Christians are to engage in an ongoing lifestyle of abundant generosity without being compelled to do so. Just on one page, Floyd makes a few key reflective statements that summarize this life of generosity: 1) “The Bible teaches generosity; the world does not. Generosity is an investment into eternity, not an investment into this world.” 2) “Generosity is a lifestyle that gives freely and lives openhandedly. 3) “When you are practicing over and above giving, you are giving freely from your heart and you are living openhandedly.” (Floyd, 77) YES! Then, as an example, Floyd references tithing: “Living like this will lead you not only to give God the first ten percent of all He gives you, but it will also lead you to practice over and above giving.” (Floyd, 81) If we remove the tithing reference it would say, “Living like this will lead you to practice over and above giving.” YES! Giving without compulsion!
So, what would “over and above giving” look like without the tithing dynamic? Floyd provides an answer in his apt commentary on 2 Corinthians 8 and 9. First, Floyd refers to 8:9:
This verse teaches us the Lord Jesus Christ is the grace of God given to us. He was rich with the full glory of God in Heaven, but He lowered Himself and became obedient to death, even death on the cross. He poured Himself out completely, giving His all for us so we could become rich by experiencing His grace and a personal relationship with Him as our Lord and Savior.
Ronnie Floyd. TEN PERCENT: A Call to Biblical Stewardship (Nashville: Convention Press and Ronnie W. Floyd, 2020), 82.
YES! He then asks, “Here is a personal question for you: Have you given your entire life to Jesus Christ and committed yourself to follow Him the rest of your life?Again, YES! As 1 John 4:19 reminds us, “We love because he first loved us.” Secondly, Floyd makes a brilliant reflection on 2 Corinthians 9:6-10:
Please understand this clearly. It is the Law of the Harvest, but, greater, it is the principle of generosity: What you sow, you reap. If we give sparingly, what we would call selfishly, we will receive sparingly. If we give generously, we will receive generously. Living with open hands moves a loving God to bless you from His bountiful supply with His hands. When you give freely, voluntarily, and generously, you are being like God. When your heart is right, your hands are open. We learn in these verses that a free, giving heart is cheerful, gives with a great attitude, and trusts God all the way. Living generously means you are living with open hands and you are giving freely. This is the nature of God and His Son, Jesus Christ. APPLICATION: Be reminded of these things today:
- God is able: When He sees generosity, He moves.
- Grace is overflowing: When God sees generosity, His grace extends more toward you so you can give generously.
- God meets your needs: When He sees generosity, He takes care of you.
We cannot out give God. Whatever we shovel out, God’s shovel is bigger than our shovel. He multiplies the seed that He gave us originally. Anything we give, it comes from what God gives us anyway.
Ronnie Floyd. TEN PERCENT: A Call to Biblical Stewardship (Nashville: Convention Press and Ronnie W. Floyd, 2020), 79.
YES! This is where you could easily see the proverbial “mic drop.” Enough said, right? Well, not according to Floyd due to his next and immediate claim by quoting Randy Alcorn saying, “’Tithing isn’t the ceiling of giving; it’s the floor.’” (Floyd, 80) What? NO! Floyd and Alcorn are not alone, Dayton also erroneously claims tithing is the “beginning, not the final goal.” (Howard Dayton. “Tithing amid Economic Downturns.” Baptist Press, 15 Apr. 2009, www.baptistpress.com/resource-library/news/tithing-amid-economic-downturns/) Floyd just clearly established that God is the source of our giving and giving generously is the natural lifestyle of a believer since God first loved us and our reaching out to help those in need is a direct result of His love towards us. But, hanging on to the work(tithing)/reward dynamic and insisting that there is a current required at 10% tithe, Floyd continues to insist that tithing is essential to it all. NO! In Christ, there is NO CEILING and NO FLOOR to our generosity! We are to give out of the abundance of God’s gifts to us, for He first loved us, and there is to be no dictates as to how much or how often we are to give for God loves a “cheerful giver”! For Floyd here, tithing 10% is enough, but not good enough- you must give more.
So, how does Floyd address the glaring omission of Paul to mention tithing to the Corinthian church in these passages? In the small group session here, he tells us:
Why do you think tithing is not mentioned in 2 Corinthians 8-9? The answer is the tithe has already been established in other places of Scripture. Paul is talking about over and above giving, which is beyond giving the first ten percent to God through your church. The focus here is upon offerings, which are over and above the tithe, the first ten percent of all God has entrusted to you.
Ronnie Floyd. TEN PERCENT: A Call to Biblical Stewardship (Nashville: Convention Press and Ronnie W. Floyd, 2020), 80.
Could there be an alternative reason why Paul did not mention tithe? Could the new covenant have anything to do with it? YES! He didn’t mention it because it no longer applies. How short would our New Testament writings be if nothing was ever restated if it “has already been established in other places of Scripture”? If this reason for not mentioning tithing is true, then Paul would not even address any of this. Living a lifestyle of “over and above” giving has no minimum and no maximum- NO COMPULSION!
If we, indeed, take the faulty logic and erroneous basis of Floyd’s reasoning for Paul’s omission here through to it’s determined end, we have no other conclusion than Paul was derelict in his duty to reinforce the essential doctrine of the tithe. More importantly, if a required at least 10% tithe is truly crucial, then it is an entirely logical conclusion that Paul’s omission of such a foundational tenet of Christianity amounts to nothing than pure false teaching.It is illogical to assume Paul did not mention such a central tenet because he didn’t want to be redundant or chose to ignore it and discuss another less important aspect of giving. It is extremely logical, however, that Paul did not mention tithing here because it did not apply to believers under the New Covenant and did not need addressing here while discussing the issue of giving.
Near the conclusion of the sermon for this section, Floyd references Luke 6:37-38, only quotes v. 38 then makes this statement: “When we survey the gracious and giving nature of God, we should want to not only give the first ten percent, but over and above to extend the work of His Kingdom globally.” (Floyd, 80) If we look at the immediate context of Jesus’ words in this passage, do we see this overwhelming support for tithing? NO!
‘Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.’
“Give”? Give what? Tithes? NO! Give forgiveness! This verse is about giving forgiveness as you have been forgiven. Why not provide this context? Again, this is another use of a proof-text in the attempt to validate the fallacy of compulsive giving.