The essence of ‘sin’ is independence from God; it is the refusal to acknowledge God’s position and role as God in our lives. The most serious sin that human beings commit is to reject God and choose instead to be autonomous, that is, to become the ‘gods’ of our own lives. The propensity to autonomy is, since the fall of mankind (Genesis 3), so deeply ingrained into human nature that it takes continual intentional effort to change from this. Where that effort is not spent, human nature will take its course and we will find ourselves living lives independent of God, in other words, living in sin. One of the ways that the Bible instructs us to counter this human tendency is to continually give back to God a portion of what he has given to us. Not surprisingly this is one of the hardest biblical injunctions to practice, simply because it strikes right at the heart of the autonomous attitude that lies at the basis of our sinful nature. Giving to God is an expression of trust. When we give back to God a portion of what sustains our lives (in our case this is money), we are giving him the very thing that we are most likely to depend on instead of him. This is why it is so important to sustain the regular habit of tithing, that is, giving at least ten percent of your money to the work of God’s Kingdom through the church. It trains the heart to trust God and habituates the mind to recognise the source of our well-being.
Take a step in the right direction today and give back to God.
Read Deuteronomy 26 and 27
