~ A place to find answers to gnawing spiritual questions ~
Question: I'd like to know what God encourages his people to tithe from....their gross or net? I'm not into legalism; I just want to do the right thing in His eyes. I hear both sides from credible sources in my life; I'm a bit confused. I'm praying about it, but would like your insight as well.Answer: Allow me to begin by saying that I appreciate your desire to give faithfully to the work of God. It seems that you agree a Christian should tithe, but "how much" is the question. Allow me to show you a number of scriptures and explain a few things about tithing first.
There are three world views of economic: Communism says the state owns everything; Capitalism says individuals own everything; Christianity says God owns everything! We are all "stewards" of the blessings of God; "steward" is the biblical word for "caretaker." A steward doesn't own anything, but he takes care of the possessions and investments of another. In reality, we don't own anything. All that we have, our abilities, energy, possessions and money are on loan to us from God. We are stewards of His resources. Therefore we should not be offended, when He directs us on how to use what is His.
Your question demonstrates a desire to obey God, and I know He is pleased by that. However, the question needs not be; "should I tithe my net income or gross income?" The truth is - God doesn't need your money or mine. I mean, when you think of it, doesn't God own everything? The tithe serves as a barometer of our spiritual condition. When we understand that we are stewards, and that anything we have has come via the grace of God; we will desire to show that gratitude through the tithe and offering. In Scripture, the tithe and offering are often used together showing the need for the 10% of income gift and additional offerings as the needs arise. Please follow with me.
I. Giving is an act of obedience.
In the Old Testament the giving of the tithe was required. A tithe is a tenth part or 10% of a person's income offered to God. Abraham presented a tithe to Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18-20). Jacob, upon his safe return, promised God, "of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You" (Genesis 28:22). Under the Mosaic Law, Israel was required to give the tithe in support of the Levites and the priests; with the tithe they cared for orphans, widows, and foreigners. Agriculturally the "first fruits" of the crops were offered as a tithe to the Lord.
"Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings." (Malachi 3:8) It seems that when it comes to the tithe, some people will always say, "Yes, but that was the Old Testament, we are in the New;" to that statement I refer to Luke 11:42. By the time of Jesus' ministry the religious leaders had added many human traditions to God's law. Jesus said to them, "But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone." Jesus was not implying that they should not tithe, but rather that they should not neglect the most important "weightier" matters of the law. He is saying that giving is not simply a matter of obligation, but a matter of the heart.
The New Testament does not specify how much we are to give. People under the Old Testament law were required to tithe. Under the New Testament age of grace we are not required to give 10% or any other percent. The words of Christ in Luke 11:42 seems to imply that 10% should be a minimum. The tithe or 10% is the only measurement for giving in the Scripture. However, should we who know the benefits of God's grace give less than those under the law? How much should we give? Some believe that the tithe is the standard; legalistically, they give 10% and no more. Others realize that under grace we are not bound by the tithe, yet often this becomes an excuse to give less. (Galatians.5:13)
God wants each one of us to give; so we must start where we are. Each one is to give "as God hath prospered him." A tithe is a good rule of thumb. Peter Marshall said, "Give according to your income, lest God make your income according to your giving." What you give is between you and God. Ask Him, He will guide you. However, a Christian who does not give, or does not give as He should give, is not in obedience to the Lord. Giving is where the rubber meets the road; it tests our obedience.
II. Giving is an act of worship.
Throughout the Bible when we see God's people coming before Him to worship, they always bring something in their hand. When we worship, we give God our hearts, our minds and our souls. To hold back our possessions is to fail to worship fully. Paul said "each one" is to give "on the first day of the week." Even if we are paid monthly, I think it is important that we give weekly. We don't pray monthly, sing monthly or preach monthly. Why just give monthly?
III. Giving is an act of gratitude.
Because the Lord has given to us, we give back to Him. Jesus said "Freely you have received, freely give." (Matthew 10:8) God has given me salvation, an abundant life, a home in heaven, a home on earth, a family, a ministry, a church and a wonderful future. Everything I have is a gift from Him. How can I withhold from Him? "Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, And declare His works with rejoicing." (Psalm 107:22) "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name." (Psalm 100:4)
IV. Giving is an act of trust.
You might say, "Pastor, I want to give, but I just don't have any extra money." That's just the point; God doesn't want you to give extra money. He doesn't want you to give Him what's left over. He wants you to give off the top and trust Him to make what's left over meet your needs. Don't make the mistake of thinking that 10% belongs to God and 90% belongs to you. It ALL belongs to God.
V. Giving is an act of joy.
Let's read 2 Corinthians 9:6-8. This passage is replete with instruction on giving. Let's focus on, "God loves a cheerful giver." "Cheerful" comes from the Greek word hilaros from which we get our word "hilarious." The idea is to give gladly or joyfully. Note we are not to give "grudgingly" wishing we didn't have to or "of necessity" fearing that God will zap us if we don't. The point is: if you can't give joyfully, you're giving with a wrong spirit.
VI. Giving is an act of love.
We always have money for what we love! When we give, we express our love for God and God's work. When we give through our church, we show love to our staff, our missionaries, and our community through our various ministries and future generations.
VII. Giving is an act of investment.
We all invest, but what are our returns? Examine Matthew 6:19-21. Luke 12:33 says, " Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth." 1 Timothy 6:18-19 says, "That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life." J.L. Kraft, head of the Kraft Cheese Corporation, who had given approximately 25% of his enormous income to Christian causes for many years said, "The only investment I ever made which has paid consistently increasing dividends is the money I have given to the Lord." Someone said, "Do your giving while you're living so you're knowing where it's going."
VIII. Giving is an act of selflessness.
Sir Henry Taylor is quoted as saying, "He who gives what he would as readily throw away, gives without generosity; for the essence of generosity is in self-sacrifice." Proper stewardship is the determination to put Christ first in everything even our money. God does not so much judge us by what we give, but by what we keep. Jesus said in Luke 6:38, "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you." Paul wrote of the law of the harvest in 2 Corinthians 9:6, "He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully." One person has said, ""As I shovel it out, He shovels it in, and the Lord has a bigger shovel."
As we strive to be obedient to the Lord, we must always remember that God judges the heart. The "ACT" of obedience is important, but most importantly is the "HEART" of obedience. I am going to give 10% of my income, plus whatever else God desires because: I want to be obedient to Him; I want to worship Him and show my gratitude; I want to live a life of joy and love, and I want to invest in eternity. Then most importantly, in view of His most selfless gift, the Cross of Calvary, I want to give of my income selflessly!
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