BE GENEROUS FOR GOD
A good steward.
Being a good steward for God is managing the resources God has entrusted to you for God’s glory, such as your time, talents, and treasure. Your treasure includes your money and possessions. God has a lot to say through the Bible about money and possessions. It is estimated that one out of every ten New Testament verses, including about a third of Jesus’ parables, deals with money and possessions.
One of the most contentious Christian in-house secondary doctrine debates is over one particular question about managing your money: How much money should you give to your local Christian church and other worthy Christian ministries? The specific issue is whether God requires a tithe, which means the returning of the first 10% of your income to God. Or does God want you to give cheerfully without compulsion and without a regard to a tithe? How generous you are with your money is a significant declaration about your relationship with God.
Tithe.
Some Christians contend that tithing is a practice for believers of all times. Hundreds of years before tithing became part of the Old Testament Law that Moses introduced, Abraham was the first biblical tither and gave 10% of his possessions to God (Genesis 14:20). Also long before Moses, Jacob promised God he would give God a tenth of all that God gave him (Genesis 28:22). Moses instructed the Israelites that by tithing, they could learn to revere God always (Deuteronomy 14:23). Hank Hanegraaff, The Complete Bible Answer Book Collector’s Edition (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2008), 447. The prophet Malachi warned the Israelites that they were robbing God by their failure to pay tithes and offerings to God (Malachi 3:8). Also, Malachi told them that they could test God by giving the whole tithe and he would bless them (Malachi 3:10-12). In the New Testament, Jesus commented on the Old Testament Jewish practice of tithing and told the teachers of the law and the Pharisees that they were hypocrites because they gave “a tenth of their spices-mint, dill and cumin. But [they] neglected the more important matters of the law-justice, mercy and faithfulness. [They] should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former” (Matthew 23:23 NIV). Christians that support tithing point out that tithing is an opportunity to show God that you are seeking God’s kingdom and righteousness, and that you trust God to meet your financial needs (Matthew 6:33). They also calculate the tithe as a tenth of your income before you pay your taxes, bills, or anything to yourself because God tells us in Proverbs that tithes are part of the “firstfruits” of our wealth that we should give to God to honor God (Proverbs 3:9-10). Most pastors and Christian ministries recommend that you first pay your tithe to your local church, and thereafter give to other Christian ministries over and above your tithe.
Other Christians contend that tithing only applied to the Jewish people in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, the words “tithe” and “tithing” appear only eight times (Matthew 23:23; Luke 11:42, 18:12; Hebrews 7:5-6, 8-9). All of these passages refer to the Old Testament Jewish legalistic practice. Nowhere does the New Testament expressly command Christians to tithe. In addition, if Christians are going to literally follow the Old Testament commands to tithe, there were actually three tithes and they included tithes of the land, the fruit of the trees, and every tenth animal of their herds and flocks. These tithes calculated to about 23%, not 10% (Leviticus 27:30-32). The tithes were to be given to the Levites because the Levites did not receive a land inheritance like other tribes of Israel (Numbers 18:21-32). The tithe was also given to meet the needs of the stranger, the fatherless (the orphan), and the widow (Deuteronomy 26:12-13). Christians that oppose the tithe contend that a major portion of the tithe was in essence a spiritual tax similar to how we pay income taxes today for a safety-net to care for those in need. The Israelites were also to take their tithes to the city of Jerusalem (Deuteronomy 12:5-7, 11-12, 17-18). However, virtually all Christians do not contend that all these additional Old Testament commands associated with the tithe apply to Christians today. Whether you tithe or not, at least God has given you some type of guidance regarding a ball park figure/amount/income percentage that you should give. God’s reference to the 10% tithe communicates that God understands that to function in this world, you need the overwhelming majority of your money to pay for shelter, food, and other living expenses. At the same time, you should recognize that your ability to earn money and all of your wealth and possessions are gifts from God, and that you honor God when you give a significant portion of your money to your local church and other Christian ministries.
Freewill cheerful giving.
Although the Old Testament describes individuals giving sacrificial offerings and offerings to the work of the LORD, it also describes these offerings as “freewill offerings” for all the work that the LORD commanded through Moses that the Israelites were to do (Exodus 35:29), to construct the sanctuary (Exodus 36:3), a sacrifice (Leviticus 19:20), gift for a burnt offering (Leviticus 22:18), an animal without defect or blemish from the herd or flock (Leviticus 22:21; Numbers 15:3), a deformed or stunted ox or a sheep (Leviticus 22:23), and in addition to offerings for the LORD’s Sabbaths (Leviticus 23:38). In the New Testament, the apostle Paul addressed giving generously in chapters 8 and 9 of his letter of 2 Corinthians in the context of encouraging the Corinthian church members to give to meet the needs of Christians in Jerusalem. Paul wrote about some general guidelines from God about giving. First, Paul did not command the Corinthians to give (2 Corinthians 8:8). They should each give what each decided in each person’s heart, and not reluctantly
2 Corinthians 9:7. Image by BiblicalStewardship.net.
or under compulsion. Instead, giving should come from a freewilling heart because “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7 NIV). They should also give according to their means and not according to what they did not have (2 Corinthians 8:11-12). However, Paul stressed that they should remember, “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. … God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all your needs, you will abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:6, 8 NIV). Tithing Christians contend that the freewill cheerful giving that Paul described only applied to giving over and above the tithe. But Paul does not specifically exempt the tithe from freewill cheerful giving and the Old Testament describes free-will tithing.
Based on the above, God does not require you to give a minimum of exactly 10% of your income. But at the same time, God does not limit you to only giving 10%. If you have been financially blessed by God and you have an income that allows you to freely and cheerfully give more than 10%, then you can give more than 10%. The more you freely and cheerfully give, the more God will bless you spiritually, not necessarily financially. You should not give out of compulsion or guilt or if you can’t meet your other financial obligations.