Are We Really Supposed To Tithe To The Church?

I had someone tell me that the reason that she and her family stopped going to the church that they used to attend was because everything was all about money. "Money, money, money... that is all they talked about." And I am sure that there are some churches that would sound like this but that is not why I am writing this post today.

I keep seeing various articles online saying that we as pastors have lied to our congregations by saying that they are supposed to give their tithes (10% of their income) to the church each week. Their argument such as this one entitled "You've Never Tithed To Church (And Neither Have I)" is that tithing is an Old Testament command that applied to Israel and not to the church today. And they will point out the fact that tithing is not commanded or taught in the New Testament. The only times that tithing is mentioned in the New Testament are...

1. Matthew 23:23 (ESV) — 23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. (Very similar wording in Luke 11:42)

2. Luke 18:12 (ESV) — 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ (which is a Pharisee bragging about himself)

3. Four verses in Hebrews chapter 7 pointed back to the Old Testament such as Hebrews 7:9 (ESV) — 9 One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham,

What does the New Testament say about giving? 2 Corinthians 9:6–7 (ESV) — 6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

1. Verse 6 describes the motive of a person's giving. If a person "sows sparingly" (holding back for selfish reasons), God is not glorified and that person will only "reap sparingly". If a person "sows bountifully" (generously sacrificially), God is glorified and that person will "reap bountifully".

2. Each person should determine how much they give based upon what "he has decided in his heart". Notice that Paul did not say "decided in his mind". He said "heart". What does the heart represent? Love. We are to give because we love God, not "reluctantly or under compulsion". Why? Because "God loves a cheerful giver".

So how much should we give each week? I challenge you to think about this. In Old Testament, in addition to the tithe, there were also other offerings that they were supposed to give such as the burnt offerings, the sin offerings, the grain offerings, the first fruits and so on. My point? If God required all of that from the Israelites, do you really think that God expects any less from us? Look again at 2 Corinthians 9:6. Do you think that being legalistic or stingy is pleasing to God? Personally, I don't think 10% is the target for our giving. It is just the beginning. That is my opinion but I am confident in the fact that the phrases "whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully", "Each one must give as he has decided in his heart" and "God loves a cheerful giver" enforce the practice of going beyond that 10%.

Before I end this post, let me say one more thing. When Paul said "whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully", he was not saying that we could give "bountifully" with the intention of receiving "bountifully". In other words, the idea of giving to get something from God does not work with Him.

Today, I challenge you to give some serious thought about how much you give to your church each week? Are you giving "sparingly" or "bountifully"? Are you giving because you love God or because you feel you have to? Are you glad to give to God or mad about it?