Is Tithing Really What God Wants?

The issue about whether tithing is something believers should do has been a subject of debate for so long. In the past, the concern some people had was, “How will ninety percent of my income be enough to meet my needs if the hundred percent barely got around?” Most recently, the debate has been on whether tithing is only an Old Testament practice, which is the subject I’d be mostly dealing with in this article.

So, what is tithe? A tithe is the tenth of your income (salary or business earnings). Tithing was practiced by the Israelites. In fact, it was first commanded by God in Leviticus 17:30 – “And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's: it is holy unto the Lord.” The Israelites were to bring in to “God’s storehouse” a tenth of everything they made. The supply was to be used mainly to care for the needs of their relatives from the tribe of Levi. Levi was one of the twelve Israelite tribes. They were separated for the service of God in the tabernacle. This means that they did not till the soil or make “money” from secular activities. Deuteronomy 10:8-9. The tithe that was brought by the other eleven tribes helped to take care of their needs and the needs of the temple.

In today’s terms, the Levites would be likened to fulltime ministers, who do no secular work in addition to ministry. As the Apostle Paul said, since they attend to the spiritual needs of the church, their physical needs should be met by the church – 1 Corinthians 9:9-14. So, in theory, tithing will be used to take care of these needs.

But does God really want your tithe? Is your ten percent so significant that God won’t run His Kingdom work or provide the needs of His ministers without it? Is tithing really what God wants?

To answer these questions, I’d begin by stating what tithing means to me. (Note: It’s a personal definition and not gotten out of scriptures).

My tithe (a tenth of what I earn as income every month) is the lowest amount of money I release for the work of the Kingdom every month. The very lowest barest minimum. Meaning that if for one reason or the other something happens and I can’t give to Kingdom work, I’d at least give a tenth. It can be called tithe or offering or sacrifice - what it is called is not what is particularly important. The act of giving is where the blessing is. There is no special blessing in the name an offering or giving is called. I even personally do not think God is super impressed because you faithfully give your tithe. Are you shocked?

Think about it! Your tithe is only ten percent of what you earn. That’s not enough. God wants your ALL. He wants 100% of your earnings, 100% of your time, 100% of your resources, 100% of your attention, 100% of your network, 100% of everything that makes you! So, a tenth is really nothing.

As a new creation believer, you give all. EVERYTHING.

WHY DO I TITHE?

• First of all, as I mentioned earlier, it is the barest minimum I release of my finances every month to Kingdom work. So, tithing gives me a starting point for giving financially to the work of God.
  

• Secondly, tithing helps me support the organizing of finances in my local assembly. Here is what I mean: To be able to properly manage and administer finances where required, churches organize giving from members and volunteers by naming it. For example, they use the tithes to pay ministers, use welfare offering to support the needy or charitable ventures, use project offerings for building needs, etc. Knowing this, if I lump up my giving into one whole sum, I make it difficult for the ministers in charge to organize the finances.
  

• Thirdly, but most importantly, I tithe because I am a seed of Abraham. You see, tithing was first mentioned in the Bible in Genesis 14:18-20. This was where Abram encountered Melchizedek and received a blessing from him. Melchizedek was a type of Christ (Hebrews 7); Abram saw that and honored him by giving him ten percent of what he had gathered from the battle he had just won. This was centuries before the law of tithing came to be for the Israelites.
  

Galatians 3:17 says, “And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.”

Even before God gave commandment to the children of Israel to tithe, Abraham tithed. Jacob also promised God a tithe (Genesis 28:20-22). It wasn’t stated that he did, but I believe he gave that tithe to God.

So I agree with those who say “do not tithe after the manner of the law”. We are not of the Old Covenant, so we cannot give in that manner. Many times, when they gave or fulfilled a law, it was done mostly out of obligation and not out of love for God.

Isaiah 29:13 - Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:

We definitely should not give in that manner. To us, tithing is not a “law” thing. It is an act of faith.

Galatians 3:7-9 - Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

We are people of faith and our giving to God has to be done in faith. All our giving – tithes, offerings, first fruits, sacrifices, etc. should be done of love.

One mistake a lot of people make is that they give so that they can receive from God. This is a bad motive for giving. It is selfish and places no importance on God, but rather on self. This attitude stems sometimes from how giving as a Christian obligation is taught to the church by pastors. If giving is always tied to what you’ll receive from God, it is no longer done in love. It is rather transactional. Giving with this intent is not worship and does not glorify God.

So why should we give?

1. Because every believer is a product of a gift. God gave His one and only Son to pay for the sin of mankind. I cannot, in my finite mind, completely understand the importance of what Christ did for me at Calvary. Since everything I am is Him, everything I have is also His. He can demand it at anytime. I can wake up in the morning, set to eat the most delicious breakfast, and God can tell me, “No eating today, Temi, we’re hanging out together all day. You’re fasting.” And I have to respond and say, “Yes, Lord.”
   
   A short story: Years ago, after I got my first job in Nigeria, I had one banking agent come around my office a lot persuading me to start a mutual funds saving. I had poor financial knowledge at the time, but I decided to put in very little money into the funds every month. It was supposed to mature in 5 years with some interest. At the end of 5 years, I was excited about what I was going to receive (because it had accumulated to something quite substantial); I was ready to cash out, when I had a leading in my spirit to give all of it (capital and interest) to meet a need my church had at that time. And I said, “Yes, Lord.” There is only one response to your Lord. It is “Yes!”. He owns me completely, so my financial resources are always available to Him. Even how I spend, save, invest, I commit to Him. He owns me.
   

2. Because the work of God must move on. We, as believers, are God’s hands and feet on the earth. Souls need to be won. There is a ripe harvest out there and it must not become rotten. We must bring the harvest in. God is Point A, the world is Point B, and we are nothing but the conduit through which He reaches the world. Part of how He does that is through our financial resources. The spread of the gospel requires funding, and we must fund it.
   

3. Very similar to the second point above, because we are also channels through which God helps to meet financial needs of others. It is not right that unbelievers outgive believers in meeting charitable needs. Part of the needs Jesus met as He preached the gospel was welfare needs (John 6:1-14), part of the needs the early apostles met as they spread the gospel around the earth was welfare needs (Acts 6:1). Our giving makes life a little more bearable for other people.
   

That said, is there blessing in giving?

ABSOLUTELY!

1. Think about it this way: If I am a conduit, a pipe, through which Point A (GOD) reaches Point B (other believers and the world), it means I’ll constantly have resources flow through me. As a channel of blessing, I am always blessed.
   Have you seen a well-oiled pipe get corroded? Every believer who opens up him/herself to be a channel of blessing for God to reach others through is as a well-oiled pipe – it will never get corroded and will never run out of resources.
   

2. When we constantly make ourselves completely available to the Master, He sees value in us and expands our capacity for more. Any good businessman will invest where He yields the most. If God sees that anytime I pour into Temi, she’s opens the other end of the pipe to pour into other people, He’ll continue to pour into Temi. Why? Because she continues to get the resources across to the audience He wants them to reach. But if I hoard the supply from Point A (God) and do not release to Point B (the world and others), I fail to position myself to be used more for God.
   

   A pipe that fails to release substance put into it will stink. A pipe that locks up resources inside it will explode out of pressure. A pipe that doesn’t receive continual supply from the source will soon run out of resources and end up corroded.
   

I’ll conclude with a few verses from 2 Corinthians 9 (AMPC) that speak of the blessing of giving.

WHEN YOU GIVE:

• You reap generously

[Remember] this: he who sows sparingly and grudgingly will also reap sparingly and grudgingly, and he who sows generously [that blessings may come to someone] will also reap generously and with blessings. - 2 Corinthians 9:6

• You will not lack (for yourself and others)

And God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need be self-sufficient [possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation]. - 2 Corinthians 9:8

• Your good works are remembered

As it is written, He [the benevolent person] scatters abroad; He gives to the poor; His deeds of justice and goodness and kindness and benevolence will go on and endure forever! - 2 Corinthians 9:9

• You receive divine provision and multiplication

And [God] Who provides seed for the sower and bread for eating will also provide and multiply your [resources for] sowing and increase the fruits of your righteousness [which manifests itself in active goodness, kindness, and charity]. - 2 Corinthians 9:10

• You are enriched in all things, in every way, so that you can give more

Thus you will be enriched in all things and in every way, so that you can be generous, and [your generosity as it is] administered by us will bring forth thanksgiving to God. - 2 Corinthians 9:11

• Your giving causes people to thank God (Matthew 5:16).

For the service that the ministering of this fund renders does not only fully supply what is lacking to the saints (God’s people), but it also overflows in many [cries of] thanksgiving to God. Because at [your] standing of the test of this ministry, they will glorify God for your loyalty and obedience to the Gospel of Christ which you confess, as well as for your generous-hearted liberality to them and to all [the other needy ones]. - 2 Corinthians 9:12-13

• People pray for you

And they yearn for you while they pray for you, because of the surpassing measure of God’s grace (His favor and mercy and spiritual blessing which is shown forth) in you. - 2 Corinthians 9:14

In summary:

1. Your tithe is too small for God. He wants your all. Remember He gave you all.

2. We tithe not because it was a law to the Israelites (we are not under the Old Covenant), but because we are faith children of Abraham, who tithed centuries before the law came.

3. We do not give to God because we want to receive from Him. That’s a selfish motive for giving and there is no blessing in that.

4. When we give selflessly, in faith, and of all that we have, there is abundant blessing in it.

Nourish Your Spirit