HERSCHEL HOBBS: SOUTHERN BAPTIST

HERSCHEL HOBBS’ TITHING ERRORS

Rebuttal by Russell Earl Kelly, Mar 11, 2007

Herschel Hobbs (1907-1995) was the architect and spokesman for The(Southern) Baptist Faith and Message. From his book, The Baptist Faith and Message, The Message of Stewardship, 103, 104.

To his credit in this book, Herschel Hobbs is only suggestive rather than being dogmatic or demanding about tithing. His comments about the widow’s mite emphasize the condition of the heart rather than the percentage of what was given. And to his credit, it must be pointed out that the 1963 Baptist Faith and Message which greatly influenced still did not contain the words “tithing, tithes, tithe.” We must conclude that the committee decided against including those terms in 1963 and also in the two following revisions.

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HOBBS: The truth that all belongs to God means that all should be used for his glory. Even that which the Christian spends for personal needs should serve God. But what portion should be given for direct support of God’s work in the world?

The Old Testament clearly taught the giving of the tithe or one tenth of the increase.

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COMMENTS: The Old Testament clearly taught that only those who earned their living inside Israel as farmers and herdsmen were required to tithe the increase which came from God’s hand. Although money was already essential, money and the crafts from man’s hands were never included in the tithe definition.

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HOBB: Actually the Mosaic Law includes three tithes (Lev 27:30-33; Numb 29:39; Deut 12:5, 6). The first tithe was to support the Levites and the tabernacle. The second tithe was to provide food to be eaten before the Lord. The third tithe, given every three years, was for charity.

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COMMENTS: First, the first tithe went to support the Levites, but those Levites were NOT the ministering priests: they were the builders, guards, bakers, choir, musicians, judges and political rulers who were servants to the kings and to the priest. The Levites only gave one tenth of their tithe to the priests. There is no continuity found here between the old and new covenants. Second, it is wrong to say that tithes went “to support the tabernacle.” Tithes supported the Levites and partially supported the priests. Only temple taxes of money, free-will offerings and spoils of war supported the tabernacle. Third, why does the church not teach three tithes of 23 plus percent if that was the so-called standard?

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HOBBS: Malachi 3:8 speaks of “tithes and offerings” probably the first tithe plus offerings.

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COMMENTS: Wrong. Free-will offerings existed before and alongside tithes. The phrase refers to tithes “from farmers and herdsmen” and free-will offerings “from everybody.” The widow gave a free-will offering of money; she did not give a tithe of food.

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HOBBS: There is some question as to whether or not the tithe is binding upon the Christian, since it is a part of the Mosaic Law. It should be noted, however, that the tithe antedates the code (Gen 14:19-20; 28:22).

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COMMENTS: This is the basic false assumption of all tithe-teachers. They falsely assume that if something is very old, very common, and very widespread, then it must somehow be an eternal moral principle. However the same logic could be applied to idol worship, worship of the heavens, child sacrifice and temple prostitution which predates Abraham’s tithe. Abraham’s tithe merely proves the existence of pagan Arab custom regarding tithing from spoils of war.

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HOBBS: Furthermore Jesus never lowered an Old Testament standard. He lifted each from the letter to the spirit (Mt 5:20-48).

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COMMENTS: The universal false assumption #2 is that the Mosaic Law required everybody to begin their giving level at 10% and Christians under a higher standard must begin at that level. The problem is a total lack of Bible evidence. Only farmers and herdsmen were required to BEGIN at the 10% level. Craftsmen, tradesmen, the poor, the needy and the stranger had no beginning level of giving. Finally, Matthew 5:17-48 proves too much. Either we are still under ALL of the law (not just tithing) or we are under NONE of the law (including tithing). One must be honest with 5:18 and 19.

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HOBBS: He [Jesus] commended the Pharisees for tithing but condemned their lack of mercy (Mt 23:23).

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COMMENTS: Why? Because they were the accepted interpreters of the law (23:2, 3)! The Pharisees did not tell the church what to do and Jesus was not instructing the church. Also, no church literally obeys Matthew 23:23 in the tithing of kitchen spices and herbs!! If this verse is going to be used to teach tithing, then it should be obeyed exactly as it reads!

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HOBBS: No mention is made of Jesus tithing. But certainly Joseph who was “just” (one who lived strictly by the law) did. In all likelihood he taught Jesus to do so.

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COMMENTS: Jesus and Joseph were carpenters. They were not farmers or herdsmen (Lev 27:30-32). They possessed no miraculous increase from God’s hand to tithe! They did not qualify as tithe-payers.

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HOBBS: As a Jew, Jesus never broke one of the Mosaic laws. Tithing was a pet doctrine among the Pharisees. They criticized Jesus for ignoring their rules of conduct. But no record shows criticism of him for not tithing.

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COMMENTS: One only obeys those rules which apply to him or her. In Matthew 12 Jesus and his disciples were not rebuked for not tithing their gleaned food because the law did not require the poor to tithe gleaned food.

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HOBBS: Much of this is inductive reasoning and argument from silence, but it is highly suggestive.

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COMMENTS: It ignores the basic definition of tithing found in 14 Bible verses. It is not an argument from silence because of the incident in Matthew 12 and Acts 20:21.

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HOBBS: However, having said this, it is clear that Jesus taught that God owns all, man is but a steward, and all things should be used for God’s glory.

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COMMENTS: Nobody disputes this. However this argument cannot be extended in the Old Covenant to lands outside Holy Israel or even to Israelites living outside that holy land. Legitimate tithes could only come from a holy people under a holy covenant living in God’s holy land where God gave the miraculous increase.

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HOBBS: He did not count or weigh the gift, but measured the love behind it. In the event of the widow’s mite (about one fifth of a cent) Jesus made no comment about the large gifts of the rich. He said that the widow had given more than all of them (Mark 12:41-44). She gave “all her living” and probably went hungry that night because of it.

The Lord measures the gift by the love and sacrifice it involves. He does not look simply at what one has before the gift is made but at what is left after it is given. Christians should not claim to have given the widow’s mite until they have given all that they have. Truth “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).

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COMMENTS: Hobbs is very gracious in these statements which cannot possibly be a full recommendation of tithing. Many poor and needy in the church are able to fully meet these standards while being unable to give 10%.

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HOBBS: Paul’s words to the Corinthian church present a pattern in Christian giving (1 Cor 16:2). “Upon the first day of the week [day for Christian worship] let every one of you lay by him in store, as God has prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.” Note the period, persons, place, proportion, provision and purpose of the collection. Verses 3-4 give the plan for the protection of the collection. There is also a stewardship in administering the Lord’s money.

Some note that here Paul made no mention of the tithe. Such would have been given for the normal support of the Lord’s work. The issue here is offerings given as a special gift for Palestinian relief. But the principles given here may apply to all Christian giving.

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COMMENTS: The underlined remark is the worst by Hobbs. It is totally unsupported in God’s Word! First, no effort is made to explain the fact that the tithe went to Levites who were servants (not ministers) and also forfeited land inheritance. Second, the priesthood of believers replaced the Aaronic priesthood (not the pastoral ministry). Third, nowhere in the New Covenant instructions to the church is there any discussion of supporting (full-time?) pastors from tithing. Fourth, early church history proves that church leaders practiced extreme asceticism and worked to support themselves until at least the fourth century. Fifth, church history records the fact that tithing was not introduced as a church doctrine for over 500 years after Calvary and did not the force of secular law until AD 777. In fact, the history of Hobbs’ Baptists in their own documents proves that early Baptists opposed tithing and their ministers worked to support themselves far into the 19th century.

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HOBBS: “According to the Scriptures Christians should contribute of their means cheerfully, regularly, systematically, proportionally and liberally for the advancement of the Redeemer’s cause on earth.”

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COMMENTS: This is how the stewardship statement reads in the Baptist Statement of Faith. The words, “tithing, tithes, tithe” do not appear.