What is Tithing?
Tithing is a principle taught throughout the entire Bible. A tithe is defined as the first 10% of a person’s income that is given back to the local church. Tithing is first introduced in Genesis 4:4 and continues through to the New Testament when Jesus spoke of it in Matthew 23:23. It is not an Old Testament Law, but it is an overarching teaching throughout the Bible. As a matter of fact, there are over 2,000 scriptures in the Bible that address money and money management.
God is rich. He owns it ALL! Everything we see, feel, touch, smell, and hear is His possession. That makes us all managers of God’s stuff. He doesn’t NEED our money. His Church doesn’t NEED our money. The Church needs people passionately in love with Jesus who desire to see the Gospel advanced and lives changed eternally!
The Rewards of Tithing
The Bible says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21) When we as followers of Jesus tithe, we are expressing worship in a tangible way. We are showing that we have put God first in our lives, that He has our hearts.
Bringing back a percentage (a small one at that) of our income in tithes is an opportunity for us to give God our thanks, show God we trust Him, and fight against greed. The love of money will compete as the number one competitor of our heart. 1 Timothy 6:9-10 reminds us that, “Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
Most importantly, tithing allows us to be a part of the most important work in life: spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ! By being obedient to scriptures, we are positioning ourselves as faithful followers to receive the abundant blessings God has promised to us in scriptures like Malachi 3:10.
We don’t serve a God of addition and subtraction. We serve a God of multiplication. He is Faithful to fulfill His promises!