The Truth about Tithing

December 26, 2007

At the end of the year there’s often a lot of focus on the practices of charitable giving and the beliefs behind it. One teaching that comes under scrutiny is the Christian practice of “tithing,” by which ten percent of a believer’s income is dedicated to God.

Non-Christians, and non-religious folks in general, sometimes have difficulty understanding just how tithing goes. Is this a loan that Christians expect to receive back from God with interest? Is it a downpayment on something that will appreciate over time?

Some versions of evangelicalism in America tend toward an affirmative answer to these kinds of questions. You reap what you sow, they say, and when you sow the seed of the tithe with God, he’ll reward you handsomely. The focus on giving here is finally and fully on what the givers get back.

Often those who reason in this way will make an appeal to the prophet Malachi, who records this message from God: “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it” (Mal. 3:10 NIV).

The teaching that we give in order to get even more is really a perversion of the biblical message. It’s a message associated with a particular form of evangelicalism in America, the so-called “health and wealth” gospel, or the “gospel of prosperity.” We shouldn’t understand the passage in Malachi, directed at the covenant people of Israel toward the end of the Old Testament monarchy, to so easily and directly refer to the situation of the American church.

The focus on the good brought to ourselves in the act of tithing is one that corrupts the purpose of the giving itself. C. S. Lewis provides an analogy to the proper view of marriage that fits here. Lewis said that you don’t get married to become happy, but rather to make the other person happy. Your own happiness is a by-product, a consequence, of maintaining the proper end. If, by contrast, you get married simply in order to make yourself happy, your true happiness is made that much more unlikely.

In the same way, whatever benefits we claim to receive from tithing, whether spiritual, emotional, or financial, these are not to be the reason that we give. We give out of obedience to God’s word.

The biblical basis for the tithe is primarily found in the Old Testament narratives about the divinely-ordered life of ancient Israel. For instance, when Melchizedek, the King of Salem, blessed Abram the Bible tells us that “Abram gave him a tenth of everything” he had recovered during battle (Gen. 14:20 NIV). This provides Christians with an example of a righteous action that is later explicitly referred to in the New Testament (Heb. 7:4-10).

When we give a tithe to God, we testify that everything we receive is a blessing from the Lord. He is the giver of all good gifts, and we are stewards of his creation, for “the earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it” (Ps. 24:1 NIV). So when we tithe or give other offerings to God, it isn’t the case that we’re simply giving him something of our own. We’re demonstrating that everything ultimately belongs to God and that part of our first responsibility as stewards is to give a portion back directly.

This is not to say that there are not good reasons beyond simple obedience to give to the church and to other charitable organizations. Evangelical activist Ron Sider estimates that if all Christians gave a full ten percent of their income, “there would be enough private Christian dollars to provide basic health care and education to all the poor of the earth. And we would still have an extra $60-70 billion left over for evangelism around the world.”

While evangelism should never be an afterthought or relegated to “leftovers,” Sider’s point is true enough. If American Christians were to focus on the simple obedience of giving back to God what is really his in the first place, the church would have the resources to do great things. But we should give not primarily because of the good we expect it will do the church, or others, or ourselves (although these may be valid considerations for how we give). Ultimately we should give because, as the children’s song goes, the Bible tells us so.

Comments

J. Ankrom:

I cannot help but notice the excellent list of biblical quotes provided by Mr. Manes. On the other hand, I find it a bit perplexing that Mr. Manes misses the correlation between these verses and his views on liberation theology, marxism, taxes, social security, and government mandated health insurance.

Most notably: "(First, support your family)"
1 Timothy 5 3 Honor widows who are real widows. 4 If a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn their religious duty to their own family and make some return to their parents; for this is acceptable in the sight of God. 5 She who is a real widow, and is left all alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day; 6 whereas she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives. 7 Command this, so that they may be without reproach. 8 If any one does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his own family, he has disowned the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Think it not strange how the word of God is used to fit a particular world-view when it suits a desired outcome?

Emem Young Francis: youngfranz007@yahoo.co.uk

Tithing means giving to God Ten percent of every increase you make,it may be on your bussiness, a gift, clothes, or any valueable.This means, it does not necceserily has to be money you have to tithe on,but anything of value that you have an increase on.It has no age restrictions and you don't have to wait till the end of the month.And remember you have to pay it in the Church where you belong to.Tithing is different from donations for help,so be sure that you tithing esle you'll be robing GOD. When you obey this rule God will open up the windows of Heaven and pour out blessings for you.The windows of heaven is open in only two times in the Bible:During Noah's flood and when you pay your tithe.Imagine that! Any christian who does not tithe is not mature in Christ.

Anto:

Thank you Jordan for this article. It has a message which are needed to be read by many people who are like me.
I agree with you, that we should give not because we want His blessings in return but because the Bible say so. Well, one thing that we may need to be clear would be understanding Tithe not only in the sense of Money.
Keeping this in mind, I also felt we should give Tithe because that's how we should respond to "who and what He is in our lives".
A grateful and thankful heart is what we need. And if we see from this perspective i'm sure there won't be any problem. I've met some of such people and they are a real blessing.
Yes, everything belongs to Him but what Rev. Amos Ortiz says, "Can any of us point a finger at Him and say that He is the owner of child-porn?" has some truth in it though "Freedom of choice" may have something to say.
Nevertheless, 'Tithe' should be one of the outward expression of our gratitude and thankfulness to Him without any anticipation in return as mentioned above.

God bless you Jordan! :)

Angel:

Tithing was part of the Jewish law that was given to the nation Israel. It is no more valid to expect people today to pay a tithe than it is to expect them to be circumcised, water baptized, sacrifice animals, restrict work or travel on Saturday, abstain from lobster or avoid wearing a cotton & polyester blended shirt.

Tithing does reveal that you are not “a follower of Christ” if you are suggesting that we keep the Jewish Law of Moses in part or in whole.

“We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine." 1 Timothy 1:8-10

"For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace." Romans 6:14

Our motivation to give as Christians is not to obey the Mosaic Law, not to reap an increased return, but to give in gratitude that we have been given all blessings, which include forgiveness of sins and eternal life. It is finished.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

Rev. Amos Ortiz:

Dear Mr. Jordan Ballor,

Excellent article!

You quoted Psalms 24:1 from the NIV.

Did you know that only the NIV & the NLT versions of the bible use the word, 'everything'?

The correct word is, 'fullness' and there is big difference in these two words.

For example, my house can be full, but that doesn't mean I have everything.

Or, at the buffet we can eat till we are full, but that doesn't mean we ate everything.

Truly, Mr. Ballor, God is not the owner of everything.

Can any of us point a finger at Him and say that He is the owner of child-porn?

God is not the owner of everything; nevertheless, all good gifts do come from Him; and for this He is worthy of all we have.

You're not far from the truth Mr. Ballor.

Thank you for the excellent article.

Lord be with you,

Rev. Amos Ortiz
www.tithedeception.blogspot.com
www.diezmodecepcion.blogspot.com

R. Scott Greenway: sgreenway@caledoniacrc.org

This timely article is right on the mark. The "Wealth Gospel" preached today confuses the very nature of giving, the message of the gospel, and the call to discipleship. Whenever God becomes indebted to us for anything, we can be sure that we're not listening to the Gospel of Grace and something is well off the mark.

More needs to be heard/written about giving. Beyond the three tithes in the OT, what about the Temple Tax? The extensive Offering Schedule? How do these - if they do at all - find a place in the NT church?

Ken Day ( Australia ):

On a light note. I thought this story might be acceptable to all the readers.
A young man came to his Pastor for help on tithing. He said " Pastor, when I was earning $30,000 a year, I could tithe. I have a new job and now earn $100,000 a year. I find I can't seem to tithe anymore ". The Pastor replied, " Son, we need to pray about this". He prayed " Lord God, could you please reduce this man's income back to $30,000 , so he can tithe again".

I agree with your article. Thank you for it. At last I have read something that is helpful for me, and puts it all in perspective. I believe in tithing, but have always been concerned about the " prosperity " teaching that we find in many churches.

Many thanks and God bless you and Acton.

Ken Day.

Steve Daskal: steved7@earthlink.net

** This is an issue which is worth discussing, but should not divide the church! There are different ways to interpret this issue, each based upon Scripture and historic practice.
** My thought on the subject is that the Old Testament tithe was intended to support the operation of the Tabernacle and later the Holy Temple, including the labor-intensive rituals of the Levitical sacrifices that required the services of thousands of Levites and many Kohanim -- priests. The Levites in that era were also responsible for education and for charitable care for widows, orphans, and others who could not care for themselves. The Levites performed many of the functions that today are carried out primarily by secular government or by direct payments. It is also absolutely true that Christ and the writers of the New Testament make frequent reference to the obligation of the church to provide for those who take up the responsibilities of leadership and serve as preachers and teachers (the elders/bishops/pastors), and that Christians are obliged to provide for the helpless poor -- first of all for believers, and then for all people. But the New Testament does not transfer the tithe obligation from the Temple to the church; rather, the Scriptures indicate that believers should support church leaders and the poor through generous, voluntary love offerings as the Lord leads -- from some more, from others less, than the fixed percentage of the tithe. There is also a sense that more of the offering is meant to be direct and within the local church where givers and recipients are known to each other and/or where there is direct accountability for the money's employment -- cutting out middlemen and the resulting tendency towards corruption. I see our offerings as being flexible and voluntary, focusing first upon the support of the local church (and the missions it sends forth or supports), then the support of the helpless poor. We should give out of appreciation for the generosity of God, not based upon a hard percentage laid down for the Jews under the Old Covenant.
** Similarly, the basis for all charitable giving should be appreciation, love, and thanksgiving -- not as an investment program with an expected, tangible, and immediate return. God will indeed reward generous givers -- but not necessarily in this world. Give generously. Give prudently. Give in a manner that does not deprive your family of their legitimate needs. If at all possible, give consistently (so that your support may be counted upon). Give without thought of reward, but out of gratitude for all that God has given us, starting with the immeasurably valuable gift of His Son, sacrificed on the cross, and the Holy Spirit, who guides, strengthens, encourages, and protects us from spiritual attack.

Dale Milne:

Charity, sharing, giving, offering, are all good. My understanding of the first "tithes" were that there were three main sorts of tithes. (So should we give 3 1/3% to each, or should we give a total of 30%?)

One was for local use or for the Levites (priesthood) (Lev. 27:30, Num. 18:21, Deut. 12:6; 16:16). Another was for personal or family use - it was a sort of savings - so a person and his family could attend national religious festivals (Deut. 12:17-18). A third was for the poor. (Deut. 14:28; 26:12-13, Josephus Antiquities IV.viii.22). I'm far from being expert on this, so don't quote any of this as Absolute Truth.

However, I have wondered if looking at tithing as a single offering, or for a single purpose, is too narrow of a perspective. Maybe I should either be giving more (closer to 30%) or giving to more causes (local, national, world). Just a thought.

Martin Van Dyk: awtmon@yahoo.ca

Give to the Lord everthing.
Nothing is ours.

Are our lives about us?

Is my life about me?

Was Christ's life about him?

How then shall we live our Christ-lives?

Shall we live to fulfill self-introduced legallities?

How shall we receive complete freedom, peace, contentment and joy?

John L. Kelly: kelly228@aol.com

If, as Father Sirico emphasizes, we have been given the power to create, then those things we create belong primarily to us. This means they do not belong to God. We say that God is the author of all good things, but that is, I feel a platitude. We are capable of sin or virtue. If we sin, we own the sin. If we do good, we own the good. It can't be one way but not the other.

When we speak of the ancient Israelites paying a tithe, it is very important to examine not only the context, but also the principles involved. God made the land. Having made it, He exercized ownership of it. He did not give it to the Israelites - He allowed them to rent it from him. "For the land is mine," is what He said. The tithe was the rent price of God's land - 10% of its production. There was no tithe demanded of wheelwrights, carpenters, or other tradesmen. Nor was there a tithe of stored up savings demanded.

Those things that were made by God needed to pay a rent to God. Those things that were made by man belonged to their makers: men.

Chris Manes: lokicsm@aol.com

This is one Acton Institute article I can finally agree with, more or less The prosperity gospel (that you make money by giving money away) is a perversion of what charity means -- that is, giving for the sake of giving, out of love, not the expectation of profit down the road.

I would only note that tithing is an Old Testament concept involving the Temple. It has no real New Testament conterpart. Enforced giving is not giving at all, according to Paul, who emphasizes that each Christian must make up his own mind about what, if anything, he should give. And furthermore, before a Christian gives to the church, he should first provide for his family and the poor. Giving to the church is tertiary to those concerns.

(First, support your family)
1 Timothy 5
3 Honor widows who are real widows. 4 If a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn their religious duty to their own family and make some return to their parents; for this is acceptable in the sight of God. 5 She who is a real widow, and is left all alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day; 6 whereas she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives. 7 Command this, so that they may be without reproach. 8 If any one does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his own family, he has disowned the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

(Then, support the poor based on how the spirit moves you)

2 Corinthians 8:3 - For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own free will,

2 Corinthians 8:12 - For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a man has, not according to what he has not.

2 Cor 9: 7 Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

(Preaches should support themselves, but we should pay them according to the value of the instruction they give)

2 Thessalonians 3:8 - we did not eat any one's bread without paying, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not burden any of you.

1 Cor 9:
Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord? 2 If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. 3 This is my defense to those who would examine me. 4 Do we not have the right to our food and drink? 5 Do we not have the right to be accompanied by a wife, as the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas? 6 Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living? 7 Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruit? Who tends a flock without getting some of the milk? 8 Do I say this on human authority? Does not the law say the same? 9 For it is written in the law of Moses, "You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain." Is it for oxen that God is concerned? 10 Does he not speak entirely for our sake? It was written for our sake, because the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of a share in the crop. 11 If we have sown spiritual good among you, is it too much if we reap your material benefits?

(Work to help the less fortunate, not to accumulate personal wealth)
Ephesians 4:28 - Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his hands, so that he may be able to give to those in need.

(Christains must give away their wealth according to the above principles; failure to do so indicates a false profession of faith -- there are no Christian millionaires)

Luke 19: 9-10. And Zacchae'us stood and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded any one of anything, I restore it fourfold." 9 And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10

Russell Earl Kelly: russkellyphd@earthlink.net

You missed the point of the tithing debate completely. Although money was an essential item of everyday life and worship it was never included in the biblical definition of tithe. The tithe was always only food miraculously increased by God off His holy land of Israel.

While it is true that most Christians should give much more than 10% it is also true that the poor are giving saacrificially when they only give 1% or 2%. That is where our complaint arises: tithe-teachers falsely teach that the firstfruit is a tithe and the first 10% must go to them befroe basic necessities are purchased such as food and medicine.

Russell Earl Kelly, PH. D., author of Should the Church Teach Tithing?

Acton Commentary