The mandatory giving of a tithe is a point of contention in many Christian churches, and many pastors and authors have written to give their two cents on the subject (pun intended). Are we supposed to give a certain percentage of our income to the church on a regular basis? Did Jesus do away with the tithe? What about people who cannot afford to give 10 percent or who want to give offerings beyond the tithe? What about supporting other Christian ministries? Let’s take a look at what the Bible says about the purpose of tithes and offerings and how they differ.
A tithe is not merely giving a certain amount in the collection plate at church. It is a symbol of gratitude and trust in God, which began with Cain and Abel. God gave both brothers gifts that enabled them to produce food, and they gave back their “firstfruits” in faith; they gave their best to God before they took for themselves (though God wasn’t pleased with Cain’s “best”).
The word “tithe," or one tenth, is first mentioned in the Bible in Genesis 14 when Abram (before God changed his name to Abraham) gave one tenth of what he had to a man named Melchizedek. To understand this encounter, we need to go back to Genesis 13, when God told Abram, after he had settled in Canaan, that God would give him and his descendants all the land he could see to the north, south, east and west.
Then at the beginning of Genesis 14, a battle erupted between two groups of kings, and Abram’s nephew was caught in the crossfire and captured. Abram gathered his men and rescued Lot and all of his stolen possessions. When Abram was returning to his homeland, he met with a man named Melchizedek who was not mentioned previously. The Bible says he was the King of Salem and a “priest of God Most High." To this man Abram gave one tenth of everything (Genesis 14:20). We are not told why, but we can assume that if he was giving it to a priest, then it was a tithe to the Lord.
Over a thousand years later, as God gave his law to Moses, the mention of a tithe came up again. Leviticus 27:30 says, “A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD.” The intention was to give of one’s “firstfruits," not to present God with our leftovers, but with the very best we can give. Today, many churches still incorporate the teaching of giving the first 10% of one’s earnings to the church.
It’s easy to confuse a tithe and an offering, especially when they are often cited together. As mentioned, a tithe is an amount that represents regular giving to God (the church) before giving to ourselves and others. An offering is any gift beyond this amount that also shows gratitude to God. Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology says, “Even before the revelation to Moses at Sinai, offerings and sacrifices were a key part of the practice of relationship with God from Cain and Abel, to Noah, to the patriarchs, to Jethro the priest of Midian, to the ratification of the Mosaic covenant by sacrifice before the tabernacle was built.”
Like the tithe, this giving is to be done with a cheerful heart, knowing that we are giving back to God from what He has provided for us (see 2 Corinthians 9:7). The Bible talks about many different kinds of offerings for specific occasions or for specific reasons. For example, the Mosaic law talks about:
Simply put, tithes and offerings should be important to us because they are important to God. God owns everything, so what we give, we give from what God has already given us. There are several examples of God telling His people to give of their possessions in the Bible, and while we are not under Mosaic Law, many believe the spirit of tithes and offerings are still legitimate in showing God that we can let go of anything; that nothing has claim on us like God does. In Matthew 19 we learn that Jesus was encountered by a rich young ruler who questioned him about how to earn eternal life. After saying he has kept all of the commandments, Jesus, who knows this man’s heart and financial situation, tells him to go and sell all he has and give it to the poor. “When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven’” (Matthew 19:22-23). Clearly, this man was owned by his possessions, instead of realizing the true riches of following Christ.
The more we learn to trust God with our money, the more we appreciate His sovereignty over our entire lives. Abraham was a great model for us because of all of the pivotal moments in the Bible that we read about his trust in God. First, he trusted God when he was told to move to a new country with his entire household (Genesis 12:1). He believed God that he was going to be made into a great nation (Genesis 12:2), even though he didn’t have a child until decades later when it would have been humanly inconceivable to conceive. In one of the most heart-wrenching stories in the Bible, he trusted God to provide when God told him to sacrifice the son he had been given (in other words, give that child back to God). Of course, God did provide, and in a way that Abraham couldn’t have imagined.
We can learn a lot about our relationship with money when we commit to giving. Are we more concerned with the things of this earth than heavenly things? Are we considering Jesus' words to “store up treasures in heaven”? Are we fearful of never having enough? Has it become an idol in our lives that we worship? How would we feel if it was all taken away? Can we adjust our budgets to reorient toward more giving, and how does that make us feel? These are all questions that are helpful to ask ourselves when we are considering giving our firstfruits to the church and others in need.
There is a two-fold purpose in tithing: demonstrating trust in God to provide for our needs, and supporting ministries that promote the Gospel and serve those in need. Obviously God does not need our money, but what He wants is our complete trust. One way to demonstrate that trust is to unclutch our wallets and give tithes and offerings. This is not the “prosperity gospel” message where the more that you give to the church, the more God will bless you financially. This is a trust that everything we have ultimately belongs to God, and we are simply stewards.
Our tithes and offerings are also meant to support the work of the church. Tithes are meant specifically to fund the operation of the church and its outreach. Offerings can be given over and above the tithe for the church or to other Christian ministries that are spreading the gospel and caring for “the least of these.”
Consider what Jesus said about giving in the New Testament. First in relation to tithing, He called those Pharisees who tithed hypocrites because they neglected “justice and mercy” (Matthew 23:23). That doesn’t necessarily mean that He was against tithing, but He was against giving in order to look good in the eyes of others or to obey the letter of the law without engaging our hearts. In terms of giving to others, He told His followers to give freely (Matthew 10:8), give to everyone who asks for help (Luke 6:30), and when giving, don’t make a big show of it or “let your left hand know what your right hand is doing” (Matthew 6:3).
Some churches impress upon the congregation the need to tithe, and many Christians give weekly to their local church as an act of worship. Some believe that a tithe must still be 10 percent and give this amount to their church or other ministry organization. Purists will say that to give anything less than 10 percent is not a true tithe.
Others say that we are not under Mosaic Law, and therefore can do away with the 10 percent rule. Britt Mooney, in his article, “7 Things Christians Get Wrong about Tithing," states, “The Old Testament tithe, however, isn’t mentioned or supported in the New. It can be a personal conviction, but not a universal obligation placed on the whole church.” Following that logic, one can give the percentage that they have prayed about giving, making sure that it is a symbol of sacrifice and trust, given cheerfully. The same can be said about offerings; if we are in consistent communication with the Lord about our finances and do our due diligence about organizations to donate to (besides the church), then we will be giving the way Jesus taught.
As you can see, there is much to discuss about this subject. I would encourage you to meet with your pastor to open the Bible together and see what the Holy Spirit teaches you about how God wants you to give.
Further Reading
What is the Definition and Meaning of Tithing in the Bible?
7 Things Christians Get Wrong about Tithing
5 Ways God Blesses Us When We Live Generously
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Marinela Malcheva
Mary Oelerich-Meyer is a Chicago-area freelance writer and copy editor who prayed for years for a way to write about and for the Lord. She spent 20 years writing for area healthcare organizations, interviewing doctors and clinical professionals and writing more than 1,500 articles in addition to marketing collateral materials. Important work, but not what she felt called to do. She is grateful for any opportunity to share the Lord in her writing and editing, believing that life is too short to write about anything else. Previously she served as Marketing Communications Director for a large healthcare system. She holds a B.A. in International Business and Marketing from Cornell College (the original Cornell!) When not researching or writing, she loves to spend time with her writer daughter, granddaughter, rescue doggie and husband (not always in that order).