Tithing and Consecration

The Church recently made some minor edits to the select study helps for both the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants. Many were minor factual changes in the section summaries for the Doctrine and Covenants; for example, section 98 originally said “In July 1833” and now says “On July 20, 1833.” To me the most significant change comes in the heading of section 119. Previously it said this: “The Lord had previously given to the Church the law of consecration and stewardship of property, which members (chiefly the leading elders) entered into by a covenant that was to be everlasting. Because of failure on the part of many to abide by this covenant, the Lord withdrew it for a time and gave instead the law of tithing to the whole Church. The Prophet asked the Lord how much of their property He required for sacred purposes. The answer was this revelation.” Now it says this, “This revelation came after the Saints had suffered financial challenges in Missouri and Ohio due to the construction of the Kirtland Temple; persecutions in Jackson County, Missouri; and a nationwide financial crisis. The Saints were also continuing to build up communities in Missouri.” The summary of the changes highlights the fact that “this removes the implication that the law of consecration was replaced by the law of tithing and is no longer in effect.” Indeed, the original language does suggest that the law of tithing was given to replace the law of consecration, and one might assume from this that we don’t live the law of consecration because we have the law of tithing. That, of course, is false as all those who are endowed in the temple know. The law of consecration is in full force today, even if the way we give of our financial means is not like it was originally (i.e. deeding all our property to the Church). The Church describes the law of consecration as lived today this way on its website: “Which means dedicating our time, talents, and everything with which the Lord has blessed us to building up Jesus Christ’s Church on the earth.” That is what the Lord expects us to do, even if He doesn’t (for the time being) ask us to give up all our possessions to Him. Consecration is much more than the offering of money and property.  

               It is interesting to note, though, that the revelation on tithing did require more of the Saints than just giving ten percent of their increase. The first verse reads this way: “Verily, thus saith the Lord, I require all their surplus property to be put into the hands of the bishop of my church in Zion, For the building of mine house, and for the laying of the foundation of Zion and for the priesthood, and for the debts of the Presidency of my Church.” This was the first step; then came the ten percent part: “And this shall be the beginning of the tithing of my people. And after that, those who have thus been tithed shall pay one-tenth of all their interest annually” (v1-4). Bishop Partridge in Far West explained how he understood this requirement: “The saints are required to give all their surplus property into the hands of the bishop of Zion, and after this first tithing they are to pay annually one tenth of all their interest.” There was to be an initial offering of all that was surplus for each individual, and then they were to continually give one-tenth annually. One historian describes what happened, “As they were taught the will of the Lord, the Saints became accountable stewards who could choose whether or not to pay their tithes of their own free will. ‘Saints have come up day after day to consecrate,’ the Prophet’s journal says, ‘and to bring their offerings into the store house of the lord.’ But not all Saints exercised their agency to be wise stewards. Brigham Young later lamented that some Saints were stingy with their offerings.” This revelation might cause us to reflect on what our own surplus is and what we should give to the Lord. Ultimately, as it was then, it is up to each individual Saint to use his or her agency to determine what they will offer to the Lord. But this change in the section summary should remind us that the law of consecration has not been taken away because of tithing; rather, tithing is one way that we manifest that we are willing to consecrate our possessions to the Lord. But money certainly is not the only way that we consecrate our lives to God, and as we give of our “time, talents, and everything with which the Lord has blessed us” to His kingdom, we will surely reap the great blessings of living this law.