The mandatory giving of a tithe is some extent of contention in lots of Christian churches, and plenty of pastors and authors have written to offer their two cents on the topic (pun intended). Are we alleged to give a certain percentage of our income to the church frequently? Did Jesus get rid of the tithe? What about individuals who cannot afford to offer 10 percent or who want to offer offerings beyond the tithe? What about supporting other Christian ministries? Let’s take a have a look at what the Bible says in regards to the purpose of tithes and offerings and the way they differ.
What is a Tithe According to the Bible?
A tithe just isn’t merely giving a certain quantity in the gathering plate at church. It is an emblem of gratitude and trust in God, which began with Cain and Abel. God gave each brothers gifts that enabled them to provide food, and so they gave back their “firstfruits” in faith; they gave their best to God before they took for themselves (though God wasn’t pleased with Cain’s “best”).
The word “tithe,” or one tenth, is first mentioned within the Bible in Genesis 14 when Abram (before God modified his name to Abraham) gave one tenth of what he needed to a person named Melchizedek. To understand this encounter, we want to return to Genesis 13, when God told Abram, after he had settled in Canaan, that God would give him and his descendants all of the land he could see to the north, south, east and west.
Then firstly of Genesis 14, a battle erupted between two groups of kings, and Abram’s nephew was caught within the crossfire and captured. Abram gathered his men and rescued Lot and all of his stolen possessions. When Abram was returning to his homeland, he met with a person named Melchizedek who was not mentioned previously. The Bible says he was the King of Salem and a “priest of God Most High.” To this man Abram gave one tenth of every thing (Genesis 14:20). We aren’t told why, but we are able to assume that if he was giving it to a priest, then it was a tithe to the Lord.
Over a thousand years later, as God gave his law to Moses, the mention of a tithe got here up again. Leviticus 27:30 says, “A tithe of every thing from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it’s holy to the LORD.” The intention was to offer of 1’s “firstfruits,” to not present God with our leftovers, but with the highest we can provide. Today, many churches still incorporate the teaching of giving the first 10% of 1’s earnings to the church.
What is an Offering According to the Bible?
It’s easy to confuse a tithe and an offering, especially once they are sometimes cited together. As mentioned, a tithe is an amount that represents regular giving to God (the church) before giving to ourselves and others. An offering is any gift beyond this amount that also shows gratitude to God. Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology says, “Even before the revelation to Moses at Sinai, offerings and sacrifices were a key a part of the practice of relationship with God from Cain and Abel, to Noah, to the patriarchs, to Jethro the priest of Midian, to the ratification of the Mosaic covenant by sacrifice before the tabernacle was built.”
Like the tithe, this giving is to be done with a cheerful heart, knowing that we’re giving back to God from what He has provided for us (see 2 Corinthians 9:7). The Bible talks about many alternative sorts of offerings for specific occasions or for specific reasons. For example, the Mosaic law talks about:
- a sin offering that requires that the blood of an animal be spilled to atone for the sins of the people
- a guilt offering that was, in response to the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, “A special type of sin offering introduced within the Mosaic Law and anxious with offenses against God and man that might be estimated by a money value and thus covered by compensation or restitution accompanying the offering.”
- ISBE also mentions a “peace offering… sacrifices of friendship expressing or promoting peaceful relations with the Deity, and almost invariably accompanied by a meal or feast, an occasion of great joy.”
Why Are Tithes and Offerings Important for Christians?
Simply put, tithes and offerings needs to be essential to us because they’re essential to God. God owns every thing, so what we give, we give from what God has already given us. There are several examples of God telling His people to offer of their possessions within the Bible, and while we aren’t under Mosaic Law, many imagine the spirit of tithes and offerings are still legitimate in showing God that we are able to let go of anything; that nothing has claim on us like God does. In Matthew 19 we learn that Jesus was encountered by a wealthy young ruler who questioned him about the best way to earn everlasting life. After saying he has kept all the commandments, Jesus, who knows this man’s heart and financial situation, tells him to go and sell all he has and provides it to the poor. “When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Truly I inform you, it is tough for somebody who’s wealthy to enter the dominion of heaven’” (Matthew 19:22-23). Clearly, this man was owned by his possessions, as a substitute of realizing the true riches of following Christ.
The more we learn to trust God with our money, the more we appreciate His sovereignty over our entire lives. Abraham was an amazing model for us due to all the pivotal moments within the Bible that we examine his trust in God. First, he trusted God when he was told to maneuver to a recent country together with his entire household (Genesis 12:1). He believed God that he was going to be made into an amazing nation (Genesis 12:2), though he didn’t have a baby until many years later when it might have been humanly inconceivable to conceive. In one of the heart-wrenching stories within the Bible, he trusted God to supply when God told him to sacrifice the son he had been given (in other words, give that child back to God). Of course, God did provide, and in a way that Abraham couldn’t have imagined.
We can learn rather a lot about our relationship with money once we commit to giving. Are we more concerned with the things of this earth than heavenly things? Are we considering Jesus’ words to “store up treasures in heaven”? Are we afraid of never having enough? Has it develop into an idol in our lives that we worship? How would we feel if it was all taken away? Can we adjust our budgets to reorient toward more giving, and the way does that make us feel? These are all questions which might be helpful to ask ourselves once we are considering giving our firstfruits to the church and others in need.
What is the Purpose of Tithes and Offerings?
There is a two-fold purpose in tithing: demonstrating trust in God to supply for our needs, and supporting ministries that promote the Gospel and serve those in need. Obviously God doesn’t need our money, but what He wants is our complete trust. One approach to exhibit that trust is to unclutch our wallets and provides tithes and offerings. This just isn’t the “prosperity gospel” message where the more that you just give to the church, the more God will bless you financially. This is a trust that every thing now we have ultimately belongs to God, and we’re simply stewards.
Our tithes and offerings are also meant to support the work of the church. Tithes are meant specifically to fund the operation of the church and its outreach. Offerings could be given over and above the tithe for the church or to other Christian ministries which might be spreading the gospel and caring for “the least of those.”
Consider what Jesus said about giving within the New Testament. First in relation to tithing, He called those Pharisees who tithed hypocrites because they neglected “justice and mercy” (Matthew 23:23). That doesn’t necessarily mean that He was against tithing, but He was against giving in an effort to look good within the eyes of others or to obey the letter of the law without engaging our hearts. In terms of giving to others, He told His followers to offer freely (Matthew 10:8), give to everyone who asks for help (Luke 6:30), and when giving, don’t make a giant show of it or “let your left hand know what your right hand is doing” (Matthew 6:3).
How Can Christians Practice Giving of Tithes and Offerings Today?
Some churches impress upon the congregation the necessity to tithe, and plenty of Christians give weekly to their local church as an act of worship. Some imagine that a tithe must still be 10 percent and provides this amount to their church or other ministry organization. Purists will say that to offer anything lower than 10 percent just isn’t a real tithe.
Others say that we aren’t under Mosaic Law, and due to this fact can get rid of the ten percent rule. Britt Mooney, in his article, “7 Things Christians Get Wrong about Tithing,” states, “The Old Testament tithe, nevertheless, isn’t mentioned or supported within the New. It is usually a personal conviction, but not a universal obligation placed on the entire church.” Following that logic, one can provide the proportion that they’ve prayed about giving, ensuring that it’s an emblem of sacrifice and trust, given cheerfully. The same could be said about offerings; if we’re in consistent communication with the Lord about our funds and do our due diligence about organizations to donate to (besides the church), then we will probably be giving the way in which Jesus taught.
As you’ll be able to see, there’s much to debate about this subject. I might encourage you to satisfy along with your pastor to open the Bible together and see what the Holy Spirit teaches you about how God wants you to offer.
Further Reading
What is the Definition and Meaning of Tithing within the Bible?
7 Things Christians Get Wrong about Tithing
5 Ways God Blesses Us When We Live Generously
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Marinela Malcheva
Mary Oelerich-Meyer is a Chicago-area freelance author and duplicate editor who prayed for years for a approach to write about and for the Lord. She spent 20 years writing for area healthcare organizations, interviewing doctors and clinical professionals and writing greater than 1,500 articles along with marketing collateral materials. Important work, but not what she felt called to do. She is grateful for any opportunity to share the Lord in her writing and editing, believing that life is just too short to put in writing about anything. Previously she served as Marketing Communications Director for a big healthcare system. She holds a B.A. in International Business and Marketing from Cornell College (the unique Cornell!) When not researching or writing, she likes to spend time along with her author daughter, granddaughter, rescue doggie and husband (not all the time in that order).
