Should We Tithe?
The past several months we’ve been talking about giving in our newsletters. The most practical reason for this is that last year’s giving didn’t cover our expenses; this is all more pressing because in September we started to cover 60% of Pastor Wes’s salary. (We covered 40% of it last year.)
But we also believe that giving is an area we need to grow in as a church. If each household gave just 5% of their income (based on the average household income in West Jordan) we wouldn’t just cover our budget for this year; we would have enough to pay 100% of Pastor Wes’s salary, something we weren’t planning to do for another 2 years!
I do want to thank you for the ways so many have responded. Though we had a significant deficit a few months ago, our funds are almost back to where they were a year ago. Through your generosity, we essentially erased our deficit!
When it comes to this topic, the question people ask most is how much should I give? I've intentionally waited to address this. It’s important to first build a foundation on the principles in Scripture. To jump straight to, “But how much?” bypasses the heart work that God wants. If we go straight to a dollar amount, we’ve missed out on the part of giving that God cares most about: our heart.
But in the end you do need to make a decision on how much you should give. In the Old Testament there was something called the tithe, where you would give 10% of your income to God. Some churches today encourage a tithe, but not everyone agrees on whether this is still binding for Christians today. Our government and church operate much differently from Old Testament Israel. Let’s briefly examine what the tithe was, whether it is still applicable today, and what we can use to help determine how much to give.
The idea of a tithe first shows up in Genesis 14:20 when Abraham gives Melchizedek, a high Priest of God, a tenth of everything. As Israel grew into a nation the tithe (which generally meant 10%) was required of everything that came from the land, including grain, fruit and livestock.
These tithes supported the Levites, essentially acting as their income and retirement benefit (Num 18:21). It also went into storehouses to provide for the poor (Deut 14:28-9). When all the various tithes and offerings were added together you might be surprised that it almost certainly ended up being more than 10% for an Israelite household. Thomas Schriener writes, “In fact, the number was probably somewhere around 20 percent per year.”
People were also encouraged to give above the minimum with freewill offerings. This might help finance the building of the temple, or it could just be a way to give thanks to God for his blessings.
Is a Tithe Required of New Testament Believers?
Personally, I’m inclined to say that the tithe isn't binding in the same way it was for the Israelites, but that we are still called to show generosity—often greater generosity.
The strongest case for Christians to tithe today is found in Luke 11:42. Jesus says, “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.” Jesus is condemning the Pharisees for taking care to tithe from their herb gardens while ignoring the more important aspects of following God. Notice what he says they should have done: not only should they tithe from their herb gardens, but they should also attend to the justice and love of God. So here in a New Testament context Jesus does command a tithe.
I hesitate to say this requires New Testament believers to tithe because the Gospels are in something of a transitional zone between the Old Testament Church (Israel) and the New Testament Church. Some aspects of the New Testament church are present (the 12 Apostles) while other parts have not been instituted yet (baptism).
But this is where another applicable verse comes in. 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 says, “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.”
It’s hard to reconcile what Paul says about not giving under compulsion with the requirement to tithe as we see in the Old Testament, where God required a specific amount. But compare our position to that of Old Testament believers. We now know the fullness of the Gospel in Christ and can see more clearly how generous God has been with us—he sent his only son!. And consider our material blessings compared to people who lived thousands of years ago. It’s hard to say that we should be less generous now. This is why I believe we should all have a goal to give away more than 10% of our income, especially if the Israelites were actually giving 10-20% in total.
In short, I believe all Christians should be giving something, and we should work to be able to give more than 10% away, especially as we earn more money. There may be seasons when you give less, but I don’t think there is a situation when we should never give anything. Even if we can just give $2 a month, that can still show our gratitude to God. But for most of us with steady jobs and income we should ask God to help us give beyond a ten percent. It may take a few years to work up to this, but it’s a good goal.
Not all of that money needs to go to your local church, but I believe that, in general, the bulk of it should. In the next newsletter I’ll explain why.
In Christ,
Pastor Jon