So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. - 1Peter 5: 1-3 (ESV)

For the uninformed, Perry Noble is the lead pastor at New Spring Church in South Carolina. New Spring boasts 10 campus locations and claims over 27,000 in attendance every week. Noble is one of the brash young gun pastors in this country who has taken the Warren theology of a purpose driven church and jacked it up on steroids. A lightning rod for controversy and false teaching Noble seemingly doesn't care and routinely tells people in his church they are welcome to leave. His altar call and preaching are devoid of any semblance of sound doctrine, leading to over 10,000 potential false conversions every year. Today however we will take a look at a subject so many false teachers mangle in their pursuit of money - tithing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mzQkHTG3iY

The clip above starts in a typical Noble fashion. He calls anyone who believes tithing is Old Testament law stupid and accuses them of not knowing their Bible. The next words out of his mouth are so revealing as he says, "You don't want to play the Bible game with me on this subject." As we proceed through the remaining two and a half minutes of this clip, we watch as Perry Noble eviscerates the Bible to try and prop up his bad theology. He goes through nearly every false tithing teaching I have ever heard of in less than three minutes and does so by beginning his discourse by calling it a game. Because that is all the Word of God is to Perry Noble. A game. A game to make more money. A game to write more books. A game that goes expressly against the key verses for today which say a Pastor must never shepherd the flock for shameful gain. Must not be domineering over his flock. So I tell you what Perry Noble. I do want to play this game with you. His first unscriptural argument is that it isn't really the law of firstfruits but the principle of firstfruits which he claims was established in Genesis 4 in the story of the sacrifices offered by Cain and Abel. Noble gleefully says that Cain brought "some" but Abel brought the firstfruits. Therefore he concludes - the principle is established. Let's take a look at what God's Word actually says:

In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. The Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it." - Genesis 4: 3-7 (ESV)

Beloved, you do not create doctrine out of thin air. If the Bible does not expressly state why something happened we are not free to guess. These verses in no way state why God was displeased with the offering of Cain. Frankly, the usage of the term, "Abel also brought of the firstborn might indicate that the Cain offering was firstfruits anyway! Now Hebrews 11 tells us that Abel's sacrifice was more excellent but again the "why" is missing. That brings us to one last verse regarding this story:

For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous. - 1John 3: 11-12 (ESV)

God is clearly making a distinction not of the type of sacrifice but rather of the condition of the heart of the one making the offering. Cain was evil and Abel was righteous. Either way, to take the expression "firstborn of the flock" and create doctrine out of it is not only poor theology - it is false theology. And Noble goes farther than that! He claims that this establishes a principle! Well, if by principle he meant that God honors righteousness and abhors evil then yes. That is not what Noble is preaching here though. He is claiming that this one expression lasting all of four words establishes a bedrock principle that says you have to give him 10% of your income. That is absurd to the point of criminal. Next up Noble claims that tithing was established in Genesis 14 when Abraham tithed. Once again, let us look at Scripture:

After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) And he blessed him and said, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!" And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. And the king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself." But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have lifted my hand to the Lord, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, 'I have made Abram rich.' I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share." - Genesis 14: 17-24 (ESV)

Because hustlers and charlatans like Perry Noble strip mine the Bible they never truly understand it in context. He just sees the word "tenth" and jumps off the theological cliff to pretend that it confirms tithing. The context however debunks such nonsense. First of all, the King came out to give to Abram - not the other way around. Yes, Abram is so touched apparently that he gives a tenth of the plunder of war. But it is not a tithe beloved. How do we know? Because he only gave from the plunder, not from his own personal wealth! Later in these verses we see that he actually gives all of it away! He doesn't want the glory for his prosperity to go to anyone but God! Lastly on this example - if this is a model for tithing, why did Abram only do it once? Because it was not tithing. It was a tribute or tax for the king of the land. That's all. No foundation for tithing. No principle. Just Perry Noble showing he does not know how to read his Bible. Next up, Noble flips to the 28th chapter of Genesis and claims that Jacob tithed. Really?

So early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at the first. Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you." - Genesis 28: 18-22 (ESV)

This is not God saying that the firstfruits belong to Him. This is Jacob making a conditional vow. IF God does this and that THEN I will give you ten percent. That is certainly not the model of tithing. Perry says that it is a principle God has set up yet he provides an example of Jacob demanding something before releasing his tenth. Sorry, that is not doctrine. The next reference from Noble is from the most abused chapter in the Bible, Malachi Chapter Three. Rather than rehash this here, I will simply provide a link to my exposition on that chapter, which clearly shows that this is NOT what tithing preachers purport it to be.

http://www.828ministries.com/articles/Malachi-Chapter-Three--Ti-by-Anthony-Wade-130825-597.html

Now Perry Noble transitions from the ridiculous to the disgusting. He brings up Matthew 6:33 and claims that this verse is actually about money. No Perry it most certainly is not. Not one commentary believes that. Not any good steward of the Word believes that. The "context" Perry speaks so passionately about just happens to contain the admonition about not being able to serve two masters! It is certainly not affirming tithing, nor is it hearkening back to Genesis 4, the fake principle Perry thinks he has fooled us with. Only in the greedy and twisted world of Perry Noble can verses which implore believers to seek God be translated into giving the preacher 10% of their revenue. We seek the kingdom through prayer and staying in His Word, trusting that we do not have to pursue nor worry about the more carnal things of this world, such as money, because God will always take care of us. To pervert that into a direct admonition to tithe is simply revolting. Now on a roll, Noble starts randomly spouting off any Scripture he thinks he can get away with. First up is Matthew 23:23.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. - Matthew 23: 23 (ESV)

Hate to point out the obvious to Perry but first of all, Jesus had not gone to the cross yet so tithing was still the LAW. People who correctly debunk tithing are not suggesting it never existed! It did for the nation of Israel. Secondly here we see that the tithe is NOT money! It is what it always has been - agriculture. It was a tenth of the crop because the Levites did not raise their own crops. While Israel was an agrarian society they had money. There were monetary systems in place. So Jesus reveals here that even when tithing was the law it never had anything to do with money! Next up we have another poor understanding of contextual history:

Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come. - 1Corinthians 16: 1-2 (ESV)

Noble fails to understand if is that this was an offering of relief for those in Judea suffering from a famine.

Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius). So the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul. - Acts 11: 27-30 (ESV)

Everyone was to give according to their ability - not a blanket ten percent. This is the other point the tithing abusers like Noble fail to understand. People who preach the truth about the tithing scam are not against giving. There is a real principle about sowing and reaping and the New Testament teaches us the God loves a cheerful giver. Not a coerced and manipulated giver. Mr. Noble then has the audacity to say that Hebrews 7 talks about the tithe. This is the chapter comparing Jesus Christ and Melchizedek. With all the rich theology in this chapter all the greedy Perry Noble can see is that in retelling the story of Abram and Genesis 14, the writer of Hebrews mentions the tenth he was giving to the king. As a point of historical review. Not as a point of doctrine. Not as a point of principle. Nowhere again is the word tithe ever mentioned!

Perry wraps up in a most vile manner. He uses the story of the death angel and passover to warn his flock that "either you're going to give your ten percent - or God is going to take it!" Ahh yes, there's some good ole Christian love! Give your ten percent to Perry Noble or else God will send the death angel to your house and claim your firstborn! Not content with that he closes this snippet with...

"For some of you:

There's a reason your car keeps breaking down.

There's a reason you can't get your kid out of the doctor's office.

There's a reason you can't keep a job.

You're trying to mock God."

Perry Noble is a disgusting excuse for a pastor. To imply that God is visiting sickness on your child because you are not actively participating an a farming regulation that has not existed since the days Jesus walked the earth is beyond reprehensible. It is abuse of the very sheep you were entrusted with. To mangle the Bible to suit your own desires for illicit gain is just as inexcusable. The story of Cain and Abel has absolutely nothing to do with tithing; nor does it set up a Biblical principle of firstfruits. If it did, there would have been no need to establish firstfruits in the law! Abram never tithed. He gave ten percent once, and only from the spoils of war, which he then gave 100% of. Jacob never tithed. He made a conditional promise. Malachi Chapter three was written to the priests, not the congregation! It was referring back to the entire law, not just tithing. Either way, it has nothing to do with believers under grace. Matthew 6:33 which you offer up actually convicts you of your greed! Matthew 23 proves that tithing was agricultural not monetary. First Corinthians 16 deals with a personal collection to help out the brothers and sisters in Judea who were suffering from a famine. Hebrews 7 establishes Jesus as our High Priest! These verses have nothing to do with tithing. Lastly, Perry left out the true outline for Biblical New Testament giving:

The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. - 2Corinthains 9: 6-7 (ESV)

I honestly believe that Pastors sell God so short by demanding tithing. If you left giving to the work of Jesus Christ up to the believer and the indwelt Holy Spirit - you'd get more than ten percent. That's the problem for the Perry Noble's of the world. He boasts over 11,000 decisions for Christ last year alone. What he means of course is over 11,000 people were manipulated into coming forward in a staged altar call and made to recite a three sentence prayer that cannot save anyone. Can some have genuinely found God? Sure if they were really looking because God is not hard to find even in the fog that is the theology of Perry Noble. The majority however are still goats without the Holy Spirit. If Perry left it up to them, he wouldn't have 10 campus sites. So he has to bully them. He has to lie to them. He has to shred the precious Word of God to suit his own carnally greedy ways and literally threaten his sheep with the very death angel of God. Despite your admission, the Bible isn't a game Perry.

Reverend Anthony Wade -