Do I Have to Tithe?

Do I Have to Tithe?

One of the questions that often comes up in Christian circles is, “Do I have to tithe?” The simple and straight answer to that question is “no.” However, there are multiple layers to that question and just asking the question, “Do I have to” is an indication of where your heart is. Jesus said this.

Matthew 6:19-21; 19 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 "but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

First, let’s look at where the tithe came from. In Genesis 14, we read about Abram rescuing Lot and his family from four kings that had attacked Sodom and carried off captives and plunder. God gave Abram and his 318 servants victory over the kings and Abram returned with the plunder. Upon his return, Abram was greeted by Melchizedek king of Salem, who was an Old Testament preincarnate model of Christ. Melchizedek blessed Abram and gave him bread and wine. (Does that sound familiar? Jesus gave bread and wine to His disciples on the night He was betrayed.) Abram gave Melchizedek a tithe, or ten percent of the spoils. Did Abram tithe out of obligation? No, he did not. Abram preceded the law. Abram gave an offering out of his own desire. Abram recognized the source of his success, God Almighty, and wanted to give.

The tithe became a law AFTER the ten commandments were given. A description of the law concerning the tithe can be found in Leviticus.

Leviticus 27:30-32; 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 to the LORD. 31 'If a man wants at all to redeem any of his tithes, he shall add one-fifth to it. 32 'And concerning the tithe of the herd or the flock, of whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to the LORD.

Did Jesus talk about tithing? Yes, to those that were under the law prior to His fulfilling of the law. In fact, He gave a stern rebuke to the scribes and Pharisees who were incorrectly enforcing the law.

Matthew 23:23 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.

But we have established that we are no longer under the law because of Jesus. Then why tithe? We tithe as an act of trust and worship. When we tithe, we are telling God that we trust that He will meet all our needs. Our trust is in Him, not in our resources. We are declaring to God that we know He can do more with our 90% than we can do with our 100%. Let’s look at the promise God makes to those who return to Him that which He has trusted us with.

Malachi 3:7-11; 7 Yet from the days of your fathers you have gone away from My ordinances and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you," says the LORD of hosts. "But you said, 'In what way shall we return?' 8 "Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, 'In what way have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation. 10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this," Says the LORD of hosts, "If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it. 11 "And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field," says the LORD of hosts.

Hallelujah! I want that promise! But God doesn’t want us to give begrudgingly. Paul writes this in 2 Corinthians:

2 Corinthians 9:5-8; 5 Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren to go to you ahead of time, and prepare your generous gift beforehand, which you had previously promised, that it may be ready as a matter of generosity and not as a grudging obligation. 6 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

If you give out of obligation and not faith, you miss the point of giving according to God’s economy. Like Abram, we should give from a position of desire. So, if it is not mandatory to tithe, why did Jesus speak so often about money? Because he knew the hold that money has on men’s hearts.  Jesus said this:

Matthew 6:24 "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

Mammon in Greek is mamōnas. It means “treasure” or “riches.” For an illustration of the Holy Spirit’s intention in this statement, let’s look at the story of Jesus’ encounter with the rich, young ruler.

Luke 18:18-23; 18 Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" 19 So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. 20 "You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Honor your father and your mother.' " 21 And he said, "All these things I have kept from my youth." 22 So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." 23 But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.

I absolutely love this story because it displays Jesus’ love and compassion. Jesus knew the heart of the rich young ruler. He knew he was sincere in his desire to do the right thing. Jesus didn’t try to call him out and break him down. He just showed him his own heart. Let’s break down this story together.

The first thing Jesus did was establish His authority. Jesus said, “…no One is good but God.” Jesus was saying “you are correct in calling me good.” Keep in mind, Jesus preached Old Covenant not New Covenant. The New Covenant could not replace the Old Covenant until after Jesus was sacrificed. Jesus preached Old Covenant because He was sent to the Jews who were under the law of Moses. Jesus highlighted the law, not because He expected the hearers to keep it, but to show them that it was impossible to keep it all. Jesus told the young ruler that he would have to keep all the law to which the young ruler responded proudly, “I have kept them all.” In that statement, he boasted of his own self-righteousness, not recognizing that he had only kept the letter of the law, not the intent of it.  Look at the love and compassion that Jesus displayed in His response. Jesus did not point an accusatory finger at the young ruler and say, “No you haven’t! Sinner!” Jesus, knowing the heart of the young man and his devotion to his wealth, told the young ruler to give away all his possessions and the young ruler went away sad because he loved his money. Without pointing to the law and telling the ruler which law he was violating, Jesus showed him what was in his heart. He showed him that he was incapable of keeping even the first law; you shall have no other gods before me. The rich young ruler made money his god, loving it too much to follow Jesus according to what Jesus required.

Was Jesus saying that we must give away everything to get into heaven? No. Jesus used the law to get people to come to the end of themselves, throw up their hands and say, “I can’t do it! No matter how hard I try, I can’t keep all the law”, to which Jesus responded, “I know. That is why I came.” And He laid down His life for us. Let’s finish the story.

Luke 18:24-27; 24 And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! 25 "For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." 26 And those who heard it said, "Who then can be saved?" 27 But He said, "The things which are impossible with men are possible with God."

God knows the hearts of men. He knows all of our weaknesses. Only Jesus could fulfill all the law, and He did it for us. Yes, tithing is a law, but we were freed from the law. God doesn’t need your money. He owns everything. He made everything from nothing.

Psalms 50:7-12; 7 "Hear, O My people, and I will speak, o Israel, and I will testify against you; I am God, your God! 8 I will not rebuke you for your sacrifices or your burnt offerings, which are continually before Me. 9 I will not take a bull from your house, nor goats out of your folds. 10 For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. 11 I know all the birds of the mountains, and the wild beasts of the field are Mine. 12 "If I were hungry, I would not tell you; for the world is Mine, and all its fullness.”

However, tithes and offerings are an act of worship to God. When we give WILLINGLY, we are essentially saying to God, “I trust you to meet all of my needs. My dependence is on You, not money.” That honors God and He blesses our faithful giving. The WORD Says that God loves a CHEERFUL giver, not just a giver. Giving is just another way of saying, “Father, I trust you more than I trust money. If you can feed 5000 with two fish and five loaves, you can certainly multiply my finances if I put them in Your hands.”

Philippians 4:19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

That is a promise from God. If you willingly return to God what is His, He will meet all your needs. When you give to God, you are showing Him that you trust what He can do for you more than you trust what money can do for you. And He will honor that.

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

I hope this helps. Jesus loves you!