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It is sad that many Christians consider that once they have given a tithe of their income to God, the rest belongs to them! They then think that they have total freedom to do whatever they like with what is left with them. Then they tend to be guided by the society around them, the standards their friends follow, and they try to live at the highest level of luxury which they can afford, even buying things on loan to match the standards of their peers. They don't feel anything awkward about this because they think they have already met their responsibility towards God!

This is why it is very important for us Christians to understand why God started with the old covenant and then moved on to the new. The old covenant was at the introductory level suitable for the people of Israel who had lost touch with God during 400 years of stay in Egypt. It emphasised only external behaviour and gave many rituals, festivals etc., symbolising what God had in mind. But it did not actually come to His standards. Two such examples are God asking for just a tenth of their income and a seventh of their time. But when Jesus came, He introduced the new covenant which touched every part of us, including our heart and mind, dealing with the attitudes and intentions. It was no longer enough to avoid physical adultery, but to be free from adultery in the heart.

The new covenant came into force when Jesus shed His blood to purchase us from the hands of Satan. Now, the whole of us and all that God had given us became His again. The independence that Eve had declared from God is now reversed when we surrender ourselves as living sacrifices to Him to do His will (Ro.12:1). Now we cannot get away with the old covenant law of tithing and consider the rest of the money as ours to spend as we like.

Now we can see that all the money we have as well as all the possessions we have are given to us as a stewardship. Just as we have to give an account to God for every word we speak (Mt.12:36), we have to give an account of how faithful we have been with His money (Mt.25:19)!

"He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much, and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you? And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth" (Lk.16:10-13).

Jesus has not clarified details about how we ought to handle money. He has entrusted different amounts with us, and our circumstances, needs, abilities, opportunities, etc., are different. But we must each learn to be faithful to God, recognising that everything belongs to Him and that we have to give an account to Him.

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