The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints asks each member to pay ten percent of personal income, along with as generous an offering to the poor as we can give. Critics have snorted at the idea that God would ask people to part with money. Why does God need our cash?
While we can point at Temples, chapels, institute buildings, and an impressive program for helping the poor and assisting in times of natural disaster or other need, there is an essential reason for paying tithing that is not as obvious. It has been said that we pay tithing, not with our money, but with faith.
If it would be nice to have the extra money, or we are in a pinch financially, yet we still tithe and donate faithfully, it shows everyone—God, angels, mortals, and ourselves—where our priorities truly are. It demonstrates where are hearts are located.
Our ownership of things is illusory; God is the actual owner of the materials of this world, and they obey Him. When we make sacrifices of time, talents, or possessions, we are giving back to God things He already owns. There is only one unique possession we truly own that we can offer to God: our free will—our agency—in other words, our hearts.
Sincere Offerings
Summary notes on one of the Prophet Joseph Smith’s sermons included the following idea:
“God would not exert any compulsory means [upon us], and the devil could not…” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 187). He will not override our agency—we are agents unto ourselves, to act and not be acted upon. So all obedience, sacrifices, etc., that we offer to God are really demonstrations of how we choose to commit ourselves. They reflect the true orientation of our free will, our hearts.
“…I the Lord, require the hearts of the children of men…
“Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind; and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days” (D&C 64:22, 34).
We Latter-day Saints hear the word “willing” each week in the sacrament prayers. It is possible to keep the commandments grudgingly. What we intend, plan, hope, are ready, wanting, waiting, willing to do—that is what the Lord cares about most. Willingness is an internal state; we witness to God that we are willing, not grudging, when we partake of the sacrament each week.
“…for if he offereth a gift, or prayeth unto God, except he shall do it with real intent it profiteth him nothing.
“For behold, it is not counted unto him for righteousness.
“For behold, if a man being evil giveth a gift, he doeth it grudgingly; wherefore it is counted unto him the same as if he had retained the gift; wherefore he is counted evil before God” (Moroni 7:6-8). Yes, it is safer to keep the commandment, even if we hate doing so, but in the long-term that mode of being and doing will fall short and deny us the blessings that come from having the faith to trust that God knows what He is doing, the faith to obey Him more willingly.
What about times when we are willing, when we are truly motivated to obedience by our love for God? When we sacrifice whatever He asks of us, externally and internally?
“And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost…” (3Ne. 9:20). When we offer our whole selves to God, not just a convenient percentage, then we have really given Him what He wants.
Because our agency is out of His way, He can do whatever He wants with us. He wants to baptize us with His Spirit, to change our natures and make us into new beings. This cannot happen if obedience is grudging or perfunctory or apathetic.
Our love for God must at least approximate His intense love for us. Sacrifices allow us to show that we care more about Him than whatever is on the altar. They demonstrate the magnitude of our love.
Mechanics
Agency requires a few elements, internal and external, to exist. One is knowledge of what our choices will lead to. If we are ignorant of consequences, we do not have agency. Another other is actual options, good and bad. We also need the freedom to choose between those options. One standing at a crossroads needs the ability to actually move in order to walk the right or left path.
God telling us the consequences of our actions is not the same thing as forcing us to do anything. He forewarns us of consequences of our actions for our benefit. He gives us enough information, and sets us loose to act for ourselves.
Agency Misconstrued
Cain gloried in murdering Abel, declaring “I am free” (Moses 5:33). His ability to choose joy was quickly lost, however.
“And the Lord said: What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother’s blood cries unto me from the ground” (Moses 5:36).
Cain goes from exultation to whining in a few verses:
“My punishment is more than I can bear.
“Behold thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the Lord, and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that he that findeth me will slay me, because of mine iniquities, for these things are not hid from the Lord” (Moses 5:38-39).
Notice Cain’s selfish bent—he goes from self-determination proponent to insisting that others modify their behavior, become his keeper. He thought anonymity would prevail, but his secret murder was publicized, and is to this day. He gloried in murder, but laments that others will kill or ostracize him out of self-preservation.
Should those who exploit others also expect acceptance from people they intend to exploit? Or will people avoid them? Hypocrisy and secrecy and double-standard thinking always follow sin (whether or not it is as extreme as Cain murdering his brother).
This is the inevitable course of sin—fleeting pleasure at first, followed by the loss of light, disillusionment, the hung-over morning after feeling, the regret, the dull ache or pervasive misery that lingers (until we repent). It becomes obvious to others that we have sinned, and shame cripples our interactions with others, and with God.
Righteousness, following the instructions of God, tends to have the opposite effect—difficulty at first, followed by an increase of light, communion with God, blessings both spiritual and temporal, and a deep, abiding sense of peace and assurance that everything will turn out alright. Virtue enables us to look others in the face without flinching, and even be open and kind and confident with them, and with God.
Help to Choose Well
While the Lord does not compel anyone, He does help those who strive to keep His commandments to clear the bar He has set for them.
“…the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them” (1Ne. 3:7).
Whatever barrier we face in keeping His commandments, the Lord prepares a way to overcome it.
This assistance can come directly from Him; it can come in the form of a messenger sent by Him; it can come as grace from Him.
Dispelling Darkness
Consider a much more joyful account than Cain’s. Moroni explains that,
“Behold, it was the faith of Nephi and Lehi that wrought the change upon the Lamanites, that they were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost” (Ether 12:14).
Nephi and Lehi were brothers and missionary companions who went to teach the Lamanites, who then threw them into prison.
“And after they had been cast into prison many days without food, behold, they went forth into the prison to take them that they might slay them.
“And it came to pass that Nephi and Lehi were encircled about as if by fire, even insomuch that they durst not lay their hands upon them for fear lest they should be burned. Nevertheless, Nephi and Lehi were not burned; and they were as standing in the midst of fire and were not burned” (Helaman 5:22-23).
This is the point in our modern fictional tales when the heroes would inflict vengeance upon their foes, destroy them (or at least humiliate them). But that is not what happens; as emissaries of Jesus Christ their goal is to save, not destroy, sinners—even the ones who jailed them, starved them, and intend to kill them.
“And it came to pass that Nephi and Lehi did stand forth and began to speak unto them, saying: Fear not, for behold, it is God that has shown unto you this marvelous thing, in the which is shown unto you that ye cannot lay your hands on us to slay us” (Helaman 5:26).
The earth shakes, a cloud of darkness suddenly encircles the Lamanites, but then they receive instruction from the Lord Himself:
“And it came to pass that there came a voice as if it were above the cloud of darkness, saying: Repent ye, repent ye, and seek no more to destroy my servants whom I have sent unto you to declare good tidings” (Helaman 5:29). Instead of condemnation, the Lord offers them repentance and forgiveness, good news.
“And it came to pass when they heard this voice, and beheld that it was not a voice of thunder, neither was it a voice of a great tumultuous noise, but behold, it was a still voice of perfect mildness, as if it had been a whisper, and it did pierce even to the very soul…” (v. 30).
The Voice tells them again to repent, and the walls of the prison shake, but the cloud of darkness around them remains. Then one of the Lamanites, Aminidab, a believer who had dissented, turned toward Nephi and Lehi,
“…and behold, he saw through the cloud of darkness the faces of Nephi and Lehi; and behold, they did shine exceedingly, even as the faces of angels…
“…And it came to pass that this man did cry unto the multitude, that they might turn and look. And behold, there was power given unto them that they did turn and look; and they did behold the faces of Nephi and Lehi” (v. 36-37).
In a state of darkness, shock, and fear, they were paralyzed by the miraculous things they were experiencing, but God gave them power to turn and look. They saw the faces of Nephi and Lehi as they conversed with the angels of God.
They cried, “What shall we do, that this cloud of darkness may be removed from overshadowing us?
“And Aminadab (the dissenter who was once a believer) said unto them: You must repent, and cry unto the voice, even until ye shall have faith in Christ, who was taught unto you [by previous missionaries of God]; and when ye shall do this, the cloud of darkness shall be removed from overshadowing you.
“And it came to pass that they all did begin to cry unto the voice…even until the cloud of darkness was dispersed.
“…they saw that they were encircled about, yea every soul, by a pillar of fire” (v. 40-43).
This is an extremely generous God they are dealing with. They imprison and starve, and then intend to murder, Lehi and Nephi, but after they have repented and prayed for forgiveness, the Lord has encircled them with the same glory as Nephi and Lehi. These same people
“…were filled with that joy which is unspeakable and full of glory” (v. 44).
The voice of God again assures them:
“Peace, peace be unto you, because of your faith in my Well Beloved, who was from the foundation of the world” (v. 47).
Angels then minister to these same Lamanites, and
“…they did go forth, and did minister unto the people…insomuch that the more part of the Lamanites were convinced of them, because of the greatness of the evidences which they had received” (v. 50).
Whether an actual or figurative cloud of darkness is settled upon us, we can cry to God our Father for forgiveness. We can choose repentance. We can leave behind our sins (and any who encourage us to sin). We can have power given to us to turn and look—to look to Christ, to see things from the perspective of faith God wants us to have.
Faith in Jesus Christ will allow us to break free from sin, if we will choose it. If the offering seems too big for us to make, we can receive power from God to turn and look, to make that offering.
