What Does the Bible Say About the Tithe or Tithing?

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What Does the Bible Say About the Tithe or
Tithing?
Frequently Asked Questions
• Does the Bible require me to give 10% of my
income to my church?
• Should I tithe based on gross or net income?
• Am I obligated to give to my church even if I am
having trouble paying my bills?
• What does the Bible say about church offerings?
• Will I receive blessings if I give "seed money" to
a ministry?
Old Testament
"Tithe" means a tenth or 10 percent. The Old
Testament law required that a tenth of all
produce, flocks, and cattle be given to support
the Levites (the priestly class in ancient Israel). In
turn, the Levites were to give a tenth of that for
support of the high priest (Leviticus 27:30-33,
Numbers 18:21-28).
An additional tithe, collected every three years,
was to be used to meet the needs of the Levites,
foreigners, orphans and widows. (Deuteronomy
26:12-13). Additional tithes were taken for
festival purposes.
In addition, everyone was to be generous with
those in need:
If there is a poor man among your brothers in any
of the towns of the land that the LORD your God
is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted
toward your poor brother. Rather be openhanded
and freely lend him whatever he needs. (NIV,
Deuteronomy 15:7-8)
New Testament
The New Testament does not give any specific
rules about tithing, and most aspects of the Old
Testament Law do not apply to Christians. (See
What Does the Bible Say About the Old Testament
Law?)
However, Jesus made it clear that we are
obligated to be generous to those in need
(Matthew 25:31-46).
Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn
away from the one who wants to borrow from
you. (NIV, Matthew 5:42)
Giving is to be done cheerfully, rather than as an
obligation (2 Corinthians 9:6-7), and not for the
purpose of public recognition (Matthew 6:1-4).
The amount to give is not necessarily ten percent
(Matthew 19:21, Luke 18:22, 21:1-4, Hebrews
13:16, 1 John 3:17). Generous giving is an
acknowledgment that everything we have is a gift
from God, and is to be used in His service (Luke
12:33, Acts 20:35, 1 Timothy 6:17-19, James
1:17, 1:27, 1 Peter 4:10).
Rather than give a certain amount as an
obligation, Christians are urged to share
generously of whatever talents, abilities and
wealth God has entrusted to them:
We have different gifts, according to the grace
given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him
use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let
him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is
encouraging, let him encourage; if it is
contributing to the needs of others, let him give
generously; if it is leadership, let him govern
diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it
cheerfully. ( NIV, Romans 12:6-8)
There is nothing in the Bible saying we should
give a certain amount or a certain percentage to
a church.
Conclusion
The tithing rules in the Bible were based
specifically on the religious and social system of
ancient Israel and on an agricultural economy.
Modern day questions about what percentage we
should give and whether it should be computed
on gross income, net income or wealth are not
answered in the Bible. Nor does the Bible tell us
how much of our giving should go to a church
and how much to help the needy. In today's
world, we must pray and listen to our
consciences and consider the needs of ourselves
and our families (1 Timothy 5:8) when deciding
how much to give and to which organizations or
individuals. No one should feel pressured to give
a certain amount of money to a church or other
ministry.
Also, there is no requirement in the Bible to give
"seed money" to a church, preacher or ministry,
and no promise that any blessings of any kind will
come as a result.

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