How much do I have to tithe?

- VBVM Staff - July 08, 2009

Does the Bible require a Christian to tithe? My pastor says a Christian should give ten percent to the church, but I can’t find that in my Bible. - C.G.

 

Tithing in the church has often been a source of confusion and debate, but as usual, Scripture gives us clear direction.

First, the word tithe simply means tenth, and the first use of the word occurs in Gen 14:20, when Abraham gives a tenth of his war spoils to the high priest, Melchizedek. Later, God incorporated the principle of tithing into His Law, and specified the rules Israel would follow in tithing.

In the Law, God requires three distinct kinds of tithing for Jews. First, Jews were required to tithe to support the Levite priests (Num 18:21-24). Since the priests were devoted entirely to serving the Lord in the temple, tithes were collected from the other tribes to support priests.

Secondly, the Jew were required to give an additional tithe in support of the three festivals of Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles (Deut 12; Deut 14:22-26). These three key festivals were funded by the tithes of the Jewish community.

Finally, Jews were instructed to give another tithe every third year for the poor (Deut 14:28-29). Taken together, all three tithes totaled between twenty to thirty percent of a Jew's income, depending on the year.

Where did a Jew give their tithe? In Malachi 3:8-10, a Jew was taught to tithe to the "storehouse," which meant the Temple coffers. The Jew brought his gifts to the Temple, and the Temple authorities distributed the funds according to God's Law and direction. Under the Law, the Jew was not free to decide for himself where to direct his tithing but always had to give it to the Temple.

Interestingly, there are no New Testament tithing requirements. Remember, the Christian is not bound by the Law of Moses (Rom 6:14; 7:6; Gal 5:18), therefore New Testament believers are not obligated by the tithing requirements given to the Jews in the Law.

Furthermore, the concept of tithing is never carried over to Christians or repeated in New Testament scripture. Tithing was intended to support the Levitical priests, the operation of the temple and the observance of the Jewish festivals in Jerusalem. The Levite priesthood and the Temple no longer exist and the Jewish festivals are not commanded for Christian observance, therefore the tithe instructions in the Law have no relationship to Christian giving.

Instead, the Christian is called to live in accordance with the grace and freedom of the Spirit. We are still expected to give generously to the needs of the saints, and the New Testament contains many scriptures encouraging Christians to give according to the leading of the Holy Spirit.  Paul taught this point specifically in 2Corinthians 8, as did James in his letter.

However, the New Testament never directs how much a believer should give, because all financial giving is voluntary and to be done without compulsion. The believer has liberty in the area of giving just as he does in many other areas of his life.

This is not to say that the Bible gives us no instruction on giving. On the contrary, the BIble gives clear direction on how a Christian should pattern financial giving in 1Cor 16:1-2:

Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also. On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come.

In writing to the church in Corinth, Paul said he gave these same instruction to the church in Galatia, therefore we know Paul viewed this direction as a model for all Christians. In this verse, Paul outlines seven requirements for Christian giving.

First, Paul directed that giving should be a regular, consistent habit. Giving should be a way of life for a Christian so that it becomes a part of our financial routine. When giving isn't routine, we may find ourselves less willing to give generously when needs arise. 

To ensure regularity, Paul directed the church in Corinth to give on the first day of every week. Paul wasn't necessarily establishing a rule for what day we must give. Rather, Paul was giving an example of how to become regular and consistent in giving. Whether we give on Sundays or any other day, we should discipline ourselves to give in a consistent pattern (i.e., weekly or monthly) rather than only when it's convenient.

Secondly, Paul says "each of you" should give. Giving is the responsibility of every individual Christian, not just of a Christian household. Even if the head of the household produces all the family income, it is still important for every Christain living in the home to participate in the distribution of the family giving. This opportunity trains younger family members to give and allows everyone to share in the blessing of giving.

Thirdly, Paul specified that our giving be "to the saints." Just as the Jewish tithe was for the benefit of the priesthood or the Jewish people overall, likewise Christian giving is for the benefit of other Christians, whether for their personal needs or for official ministerial functions. Though our giving to the Lord should always be directed to Christian individuals or causes, we are always free to make additional charitable contributions to other organizations as we please. 

Fourth, Paul asked that collections not be made "when I come." This curious addition suggests Paul was concerned that his arrival might become an occasion for taking a special collection. Paul knew that if giving were based merely on special occasions (i.e., Paul's visit) rather than as a result of regular, disciplined sacrifice, it would lead to an unhealthy and unsustainable pattern. Paul didn't want regular giving to become an exception rather than the rule.

More importantly, Paul was did not want his visit to be exploited by church leaders for fundraising. Paul wanted his arrival to be refreshing rather than a reason for personal sacrifice. Paul's teaching on this point is a sobering rebuke of any minister who requires an honorarium or other stipend as a prerequisite to teaching or ministering to a body of believers.

Fifth, Paul instructs that our giving should be in keeping with our prosperity (v.2, "as he may prosper"). The New Testament believer is to give according to the Spirit, but the specific amount of our giving should vary according to our means. Poor believers will naturally give less than rich believers. Again, Paul didn't specify the amount, but he did connect the Christian's degree of generosity to his prosperity, so we should expect to give more as we earn more.

Sixth, Paul gives no specific destination for our giving, but says our giving is to be done by "putting aside in savings." This is an important (and rarely followed) practice. The literal phrase in Greek in verse 2 means "to store up privately." Paul's expectation was that the believers in Corinth would consistently set aside some of their earnings reserved for the needs of the saints. The believer wouldn’t distribute these funds until a need presented itself, so until there was a need, their weekly giving would remained "stored up" privately.

Giving was conducted this way, in part, because the early church didn't own buildings, nor did it maintain church bank accounts. Therefore, the church wasn't in a position to collect and store tithes. Instead, the money remained in the hands of the individual believer until it was needed for some specific purpose within the Body, at which time each believer would be asked to withdraw some funds from their savings and give it in support of the need. This is why Paul wanted believers to save each week - so that they could be ready to give a donation when asked!

Storing up privately is a perfectly appropriate form of New Testament giving today as well, provided the Christian is self-disciplined enough to store and distribute the funds as the Holy Spirit leads. Like all New Testament giving, it should be done freely, without obligation, according to the Holy Spirit and for the benefit of the saints.

In light of these six requirements, there is nothing wrong with a Christian following the traditional practice of sending ten percent of his income directly to a local church every month, just as many Christians have chosen to do. Any Christian who feels led by the Holy Spirit to contribute in this manner should do so.

Just remember there is no Biblical requirement for all Christians to give in this manner. Every believer should guard against falling into any rigid practice of giving that isn't under the direction of the Holy Spirit. Christians are to be Spirit-led, not rule-driven.