I am enjoying your articles on GraceThruFaith, however, I have a question about New Testament tithing. Where in any of the NT epistles (not the Gospels) is the NT believer told specifically to “tithe”? (giving 10% of gross income).
My husband and I do not “tithe”, but we give “what God purposes in our hearts to give” and we give 100% of that. I believe giving has nothing to do with “how much”, but has everything to do with the heart of the giver.
Thanks for writing. Every now and then I receive letters that argue against tithing from people who don’t tithe, but I’ve never received one from someone who does. People who’ve developed the habit of tithing out of gratitude for what the Lord has done for them always seem to be looking for ways to give more, not less. They understand that tithing is not a goal, it’s a minimum standard. The Lord says that he’ll give to us in proportion to how we give to Him (Luke 6:38).
People who experience the joy of giving beyond the minimum soon learn that the more they give, the more blessed they become, (as long as they don’t fall into the trap of giving with the expectation of receiving, which isn’t really giving after all). I know of many who have experienced the promise of 2 Cor. 9:11, “you’ll be made rich in every way so you can be generous on every occasion” by making generous giving the number one priority of their lives. They learn that you can’t out give God, and will always wind up ahead of the game.
So I’m willing to be held accountable for my teaching on tithing, and wouldn’t think of discontinuing the practice personally. By the way, in all my years of ministry, I ‘ve never asked for a dime, so don’t get the mistaken idea that I teach tithing as a way to increase contributions to the ministry. I truly believe that done with the proper motive, tithing is the antidote for greed and the remedy for every financial problem.