WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TEACH ABOUT TITHING?

What is tithing? Tithe means a tenth part. It's a word that God uses all throughout scripture. In the Bible, God tells us that we're to give the first ten percent of all we earn back to God. Giving less than ten percent is not tithing. Giving more than ten percent is more than tithing. Giving a tithe is giving ten percent of my income.

What's the difference between a tithe and an offering? A Tithe is giving ten percent of my income. An offering is anything I give in addition to my tithe (above and beyond).

WHY SHOULD I TITHE?

There are eight reasons in God's Word.

1. God commands it.
   Leviticus 27:10 says, "A tenth of all you produce is the Lord's and it is holy."  We could just stop right there. God could have said give ninety percent. But He just said ten. Simply because He says it, we ought to obey it. But He does give us many other reasons.
   
   
2. Jesus commended it.
   Not only did God command it, but Jesus commended it. In fact in Matthew 23:23, He commends the Pharisees -- the only thing Jesus ever commended the Pharisees for was their giving. He says that's one thing you guys are doing all right. In Matthew 23:23, He tells us, "Yes, you should tithe, and you shouldn't leave the more important things undone either."
   
   
3. Tithing demonstrates that God has first place in my life.
   Deuteronomy 14:23 says, "The purpose of tithing is to teach you to always put God in first place in your life." (LB) I can say God has first place in my life, but there are two things you can look at that will tell you for sure what is really first place in your life. If we look at our schedule and we look at our checkbook, that tells what's really first place, no matter what we say is first place. The way I use my money and the way I use my time confirms what's truly first place in my heart and life.
   
   
4. Tithing reminds me that everything was given to me by God.
   Deuteronomy 8:18 says, "Always remember that it is the Lord your God who gives you the ability to produce wealth." When I sit down every week and write out my check, it reminds me that, "God, everything I have has come from You. If it weren't for You, I wouldn't have anything.'
   
   
5. Tithing expresses my gratitude to God for his many blessings in my life.
   Psalm 116:12 says, "How can I repay the Lord for all his goodness to me?" The answer -- Deuteronomy 16:17 says, "Each of you should bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you."
   
   
6. God says that refusing to tithe is really stealing from Him.
   Malachi 3:8-10 says, "God says `Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing me!' But you ask, `How do we rob you?' God says `In tithes and offerings... Bring your whole tithe to my house.'" Not a half of a tithe, not a third of a tithe -- the whole tithe. The Bible says that when I use money that I ought to be tithing with for other purposes, then I'm robbing God. Money that belongs rightfully to God should be reserved for Him.
   
   
7. Tithing gives God a chance to prove He exists and wants to bless you.
   Malachi 3:10-11 says, "`Bring your whole tithe to my storehouse. Test me in this' says the Lord, `and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you won't have room enough for it!" This is one of the most amazing promises in the Bible. God actually offers you a challenge. Why did He choose finances? Because so much of our life revolves around money. God sees our attitude towards money as the true test of our hearts.
   
   
8. Tithing proves that I really love God.
   Jesus said, "If you love me, do what I command." (John 14:15) And it is commanded all throughout scripture. It's a life principle that was established by God long before the law was ever given.
   
   "I want you to be leaders also in the spirit of cheerful giving. This is one way to prove that your love is real, that it goes beyond mere words." 2 Corinthians 8:7b-8 (LB)
   
   
   

WHAT SHOULD I TITHE?

The Bible makes it real clear that the tithe is the first part of what I earn, not the leftovers. The Bible says in Proverbs 3:9-10, "Honor the Lord by giving him the first part of all your income." God deserves to get paid first before anyone else, doesn’t he? We owe Him everything! God is always faithful. That doesn’t mean that we will always have everything we want but we will always have everything that we need and God will never fail us.

WHERE SHOULD I GIVE MY TITHE?

The Bible says that I'm to give my tithe where I worship. "Bring your whole tithe into my storehouse." (Malachi 3:10). In the Old Testament, the place of worship was called the Temple. In the New Testament it was called the synagogue or the church. We are to bring our tithe to where we worship God and get spiritually fed. When we give to other worthy organizations, we do so as a special offering. But that is different from tithing. The Bible says that tithing should go to our place of worship, His storehouse.

WHEN SHOULD I TITHE?

1 Corinthians 16:2 says, "On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income…”. What is the first day of every week that the scripture is referring to? Sunday. What do you do on Sunday? You go to your place of worship. That's when we are to give.

GIVING WITH THE RIGHT ATTITUDE

The Bible tells us what is most important to Him when we give…

1. We are to Give Willingly.
   God is much more interested in my attitude than the amount that I give. 2 Corinthians 9:12 says, "For if the willingness is there, your gift is acceptable according to what you have, not according to what you don't have." When God looks at our giving, He's not impressed with the amount that we give. He looks at our hearts as expressed in our giving based upon what we have available to give.
   
   1 Corinthians 9:7 says, "Each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under pressure." The Scripture says you are to never give under pressure. You're to give willingly, not reluctantly. The issue is that I need to give out of my own desire to honor and please God in my life.
   
   
   
2. We are to Give Joyfully.
   2 Corinthians 9:7 says, "God loves a cheerful giver”. If you cannot give cheerfully, then don't give. What you need to work on is your attitude. God is more concerned about getting your attitude right than he is about anything else. How can you give joyfully when you have so many bills to pay? Remind yourself of and reflect on the benefits of what giving does for you. It makes me more like God, it draws me closer to God, it's the antidote to materialism, it strengthens my faith, and it's an investment for eternity.
   
   
   
3. We are to Give Generously.
   2 Corinthians 8:3-4 says, "They gave as much as they were able and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service." They gave beyond their ability. People ask, "What if I can't afford to tithe?" The truth is, "You can't afford not to." If you want God's blessings on your finances and in your life, you need to give in obedience to what He's made clear to us in His Word.
   
   
   
4. We are to Give Expectantly.
   2 Corinthians 9:6 says, "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will reap generously." God says if you want a big harvest, you plant a lot. If you want a little harvest, you plant a little. However you plant is how you will reap, it's up to you!
   

THE TRUE KEY TO GIVING

2 Corinthians 8:5 says, "They first gave themselves to the Lord." This is really the issue. If God owns me, He's going to own my wallet. If He doesn't own my heart, He doesn't own my wallet. We need to first give ourselves to the Lord.