Giving To the Lord Part 1: What Does the Bible Say About Tithes and Giving?
Are you a generous giver to support God’s work? Do you tithe?
Generous giving is a crucial part of being a passionate follower of Jesus Christ. Giving of our time, our talents and our money are all important.
However, generous giving of our money is often the hardest for most people.
This is because people are so emotionally tied to money. We work so hard to get it and, let’s face it, we need money to survive and prosper.
We need money for the necessities — food, clothing, transportation and a roof over our heads.
But we also want money for those “extras” that make life better for us: Smartphones, computers, nice clothes, a nice car, dinners out, the ability to live in a nice home in a nice neighborhood. And we need to save money for college for the kids and for our own retirement.
There just never seems to be enough money to go around.
And giving it away seems so counterintuitive. If we don’t have enough now, won’t we really suffer if we start giving money away? And why is that necessary anyway? Doesn’t God want us to have the very best life possible?
Just the thought of giving money away brings stress and anxiety to most.
So what is the answer? How should we, as followers of Jesus, resolve this dilemma?
Well, it all starts with our thinking. We need to establish a Biblical money mindset. And we need to understand giving from God’s perspective.
In this four-part series, we will provide a Biblical foundation for giving so you will know what is expected of you. How much you should give. God’s incredible promises to givers. How to get started giving. And where you should give.
Giving should bring you great joy, not stress and anxiety. We’ll help you get your thinking right so that you can become a joyful giver. And God loves joyful givers.
First, here in Part 1, let’s look at what the Bible teaches us about giving.
The Old Testament Tithe:
The word tithe means one tenth and tithing is an Old Testament concept. It was part of the 613 laws that God gave to Moses, often referred to as the Mosaic Laws.
Under these laws, tithing was required. It was not voluntary or optional. It was a law.
The Israelites were commanded to tithe 10 percent from their flocks and everything from the land, including grain and fruits, to support the Tabernacle, and later the Temple. The tithes were collected by the Levites who ran the Tabernacle and Temple.
New Testament Teachings:
The New Covenant, described in the New Testament, does not mention tithing or any specific percentage that should be given.
Instead, the New Covenant teaches that we should give generously, in proportion to what we have been given.
And our giving should be sacrificial.
Jesus wasn’t impressed by the rich who gave just a small token of their income, even though it was a large sum of money. In contrast, He commended the poor widow who gave two small copper coins; a tiny amount of money, but everything she had at the time (Mark 12:41-44).
It’s not the amount that counts; it’s the impact on our lives that is important. We should give enough so that we have to sacrifice some of our wants and toys. Enough so that we know that we have given up something to make God first in our lives. To demonstrate that God is important in our lives.
And giving sacrificially teaches us to be unselfish, something that is very important to God and a crucial quality for all followers of Jesus.
Finally, Paul teaches that it is the Christian’s duty to support those that teach the Gospel so that they can make their living from their teaching (1 Cor. 9:14). However, Paul also taught that we don’t have to give more than we have or to impoverish ourselves through our giving.
“For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.” (2 Corinthians 8:12 NIV)
God Blesses Joyful Givers:
The Bible states in unequivocal terms that God blesses those who give freely and generously to Him.
In the Old Testament, God even invites us to test him on giving, promising to shower incredible blessings on those that give:
“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 there will not be room enough to store it.” (Malachi 3:10 NIV)
It doesn’t get any clearer than that.
And this promise was made to the ancient Israelites who were ordered by law to give. How much more will it apply to those of us who live under the New Covenant and give freely and joyfully to God?
King Solomon, probably the wisest man who ever lived, also promises blessings to those who give:
“Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine” (Proverbs 3:9-10 NIV)
“Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything.” (Proverbs 11:24 NLT)
“The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.” (Proverbs 11:25 NLT)
In the New Testament, wonderful blessings are also promised to those who give generously and joyfully.
Jesus himself tells us:
“Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” (Luke 6:38 NLT)
Paul writes:
“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:6-8 NIV)
Finally, Jesus tells us:
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21 NIV)
Here, Jesus is telling us that, by giving, we will also be amassing blessings in Heaven for our eternal life.
Randy Alcorn translates these versus into his “Treasure Principle:”
“You can’t take it with you — but you can send it on ahead.”
Generous giving brings us blessing here on earth and in heaven. How great is that!
We should not give to get. Getting should not be our motive. Instead, we should give out of love and gratitude because we’ve already received something of incredible value from God: Our salvation.
However, because God knows how difficult it is for us to give of our money, he promises to return to us much more than we give. And God will bless all areas of our lives if we give, not just our finances.
Summing Up:
As followers of Jesus Christ, it is our Christian duty to support God’s work with financial offerings.
Under the Old Testament Law, the Israelites were required to give one tenth of their crops and flocks to God.
Under the New Covenant, there is no formal percentage requirement to give. Instead, we are instructed to give generously and sacrificially.
Although giving can be stressful at first, God has promised abundant blessings to those who give to his work. He wants us to be joyful givers. Not only will he take care of us and our families if we give, but he will bless us abundantly.
Use God’s promises about giving to alleviate your fears and doubts. Memorize and internalize them. Immerse yourself in them. Imprint them on your subconscious mind. Then recite them in your mind whenever you have reservations or are anxious. Drive out your doubts and fears with God’s promises.
And remember, giving sacrificially strengthens our faith, and it is through faith that we can finally achieve true peace, joy and happiness in life.
In Part 2 of this series, we will establish how much we should give.
Stay tuned.
