I have a question about tithing.

I’ve read some places where tithing is a biblical commandment & others that say it is not, that it is from the Old Testament & Christ’s sacrafice took care of that.

I’ve read very little about it in the bible, so I’m hoping someone can give some suggestions.

Also, if tithing is biblical for today, should you give 10% of gross or net amount. I get different answers for that too.

Hi Christine, here is my take on it. The New Testament encourages generous giving (1 Corinthians 16:1-2, 2 Corinthians 8-9). I believe the Old Testament tithe (10%) is the starting point while all giving must be from a cheerful heart. For example, “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.” 2 Corinthians 9:7 (TNIV)

I see taxes as a mandatory payment, and a worker should tithe from the gross. When it comes to owning a business, a good business owner might make millions of dollars while his business runs at a 9% margin. For example, a 9% margin on 100 million dollars in sales is a 9 million dollar profit while 91 million dollars goes to business expenses such as inventory. So in the case of a business like this, the business owner can tithe only on the profit while trying to tithe on gross sales would put him in debt.

Just help out the poor and be generous to all and all will be well. Giving is fun…

C. S. Lewis’ dictum is useful and challenging: if we aren’t giving so much that we have to go without something we want that we would otherwise be able to afford, then we aren’t giving enough.

That being said, there isn’t any point giving so much that you’re crippling yourself from being able to continue giving, either. (Unless you’re making a choice to effectively sacrifice yourself for someone else’s sake as an emergency martyrdom effort; but that’s for unusual super-special-case situations.)

Personally, in today’s world I tithe from the paycheck, since I don’t consider the other money to have been ‘paid by me’ to the government; companies take that stuff out from the outset and we never see it. On the other hand, I tithe from the gross of income that I would be taxed on later; and I tithe on any money I get back from the government as tax refund (or whatever) since I hadn’t tithed on that already. Once it’s in my power to actually give something from it, I do.

I’m also in a position where I can give between 25% and 33% of my income to charity each month, which I hope to increase the percentages of over time; coincidentally, it’s also roughly what devout Jews were expected to tithe when they had the ability to do so: the 10% is a starting point.

But, not everyone can do that. And the main point is to try to help other people. Give prayerfully, and don’t kill yourself doing it; you should be okay.

Thank you, Everyone. I appreciate it.

I want to do what’s right, but financially it’s pretty scary right now.

I feel that I don’t have enough faith in God to take care of my finances. That bothers me and I want to overcome those feelings & trust in God for everything, but I don’t know how to get to that point.

So, give a little more than you feel comfortable giving.

And remember, if you don’t have money to give for charity’s sake (after all, you might be one of the people who should be receiving! ), there are other things you can be tithing, such as your time and skills.

Excellent advice Jason.

Thanks, again.

Who should we tithe to? I am struggling in giving to the church because I feel like most of the money spent is to make members comfortable? I do know I need to give however.

From a UK perspective this seems to be a particularly American thing. I haven’t experienced all the UK denominations but those I have (including Brethren, Baptist, United Reformed (formerly Congregationalists), Church of England/Wales, Wesleyan, Pentecostal and probably a few more that I can’t now recall) the amount given by an individual is never mandated in any way. The plate goes around during services and people give whatever they feel. Members also contribute over and above that voluntarily in most of those denominations; but I was never told how much to give and the term tithing I never heard spoken in relation to the offerings (of course I knew the word itself).

Maybe other UK members here have had a different experience.

That resonates with me Jason in a secular way - My wife has recently had to retire on grounds of ill-health so quite legitimately we felt we should reduce some of our charitable commitments. However after discussing it more fully we both felt that we would rather absorb the hit of the reduction in monthly income ourselves rather than deprive the charitable causes. One’s gut reaction isn’t always the best guide to the right thing to do.

The contemporary Prostestant understanding of the tithe is an almost total misunderstanding of Hebrew society in the OT. For the Hebrews, the giving of one’s money, goods, etc. was in effect paying to run the local government (the Levite Priesthood–a theocracy). It amounted to around 30% (hmmm, sounds like our modern government taxation system).

We “secular” nations have separated church from state, and so the church found itself “needing” a way to keep financially solvent since they weren’t taxing the people any more. Enter the tithe (or at least the modern misconception). In many churches, the majority of tithe money goes to keeping the machine (the building’s rent, utilities, staff salaries, etc.) running–very little actually goes anywhere else (I know this firsthand). The church becomes in essence, another form of a democratic republic, where we pay others to serve/represent us. Authentic giving on the other hand, was never intended to be a number or a rule (applied to the group). It is individual and based solely on conscience between God and the person. This I why, I believe, that you can’t find any mention of a tithe in all of the New Testament’s letters to the first churches. First of all, in the first century churches weren’t businesses (no one claimed the vocation of “pastor” or “worship leader”); Paul had a job that paid him and it was tentmaking, not preaching. Furthermore, what we do find (as in Acts) is a type of total communal living where everything is shared amongst one another. And this is where church nowadays misses the point–we do not make a certain amount of money and then give back 10% to “God”, i.e. the church; it is all God’s and what I do with it as His representative is between me and Him. But following rules is always so much easier!

I would love for some of the pastors I know would read this and explain how its not true.