On the fence about tithing? Take this crash course in tithing and learn why these Bible truths can turn your financial situation around!
To tithe or not to tithe, gross or net, Old Covenant or New Covenant—the tithing debate rages on. Yet, like so many other biblical truths, there isn’t really a debate. You might say, “Well, I tried tithing, and it didn’t work.” But tithing isn’t something you try, it’s something you live.
Like anything else, God looks at the heart. One who puts a tithe in the bucket in a grudging manner and out of obligation is no better than the one who fights tooth and nail against giving God anything at all. If you want to live in the benefits of a tither, you’ve got to first become a real tither—one who gives continually, year after year, no matter the circumstances—with a tither’s heart.
If you’re already a tither, these truths will only strengthen your resolve. If you’re not, and you feel like you need to have revelation in this area to truly embrace the concept, these truths are for you, too.
No matter which way you slice it, tithers are blessed. The Bible is chock full of benefits, rights and privileges for tithers. You don’t want to miss them! You can live the life of a tither—a blessed life—with these top 10 Bible truths you need to know.
1. The Tithe Is the First 10 Percent
“Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year.” –Deuteronomy 14:22 (NIV)
Wondering how to calculate your tithe? It’s easy! The tithe is the first 10 percent of your gross income—before any expenses or obligations, including taxes. How do we know? Proverbs 3:9 says, “Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase” (NKJV). The dictionary defines firstfruits as “the first agricultural produce of a season, especially when given as an offering to God.” (See also Genesis 28:22; Leviticus 27:32; Hebrews 7:2, 4).
There’s something spiritually significant about giving God your first and best, rather than the leftovers. And it means something to Him, too. In Malachi 1:6-12, some of the priests at the Temple got a bright idea. Instead of offering unblemished animals as sacrifices to the Lord, they decided to make sacrificing more convenient and cost-effective. So, they began encouraging people to give their blind and lame animals, instead of the best of the bunch. The priests were giving God the leftovers instead of the first and best. In response, God said, “Where is My honor?… Where is my reverence?” (Malachi 1:6, NKJV). He viewed this as dishonoring to Him—and it was!
When God gave His first and only Son as a sacrifice for our sins, He gave His first and best. He deserves nothing less than the same from us.
2. The Tithe Belongs to God
“Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.” –Matthew 22:21 (KJV)
Some people get real defensive when a pastor or minister talks about the tithe. “All they want is my money!” they’ll say. That kind of attitude comes from a spirit of fear and judgment, and it is outside the love walk. Most pastors are trying to help you understand the principle of tithing for your own benefit! But the real question isn’t about whether or not a pastor is trying to get your money—it’s whether you understand that the tithe belongs to God.
Is He really first in our lives? If He is, there won’t be such strong opposition to the idea of giving Him our first and best. Leviticus 27:30 says, “A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord” (NIV).
In other words, when you tithe, you aren’t giving your money to a pastor or a church—you’re giving it to God. Certainly, it’s important to be sure you are giving into good soil, but once you’ve made that determination, your heart should release the tithe into God’s hands.
If we don’t, there’s no way around it—we’re robbing God (Malachi 3:8). And, as Gloria Copeland says, “There’s no blessing in robbing God.”
3. We Present Our Tithes to Jesus
“Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he (Jesus) receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives.” –Hebrews 7:8 (NKJV)
In the Old Covenant, the people would present their tithes to the high priest. Today, Jesus is our High Priest, so we present our tithes to Him (Hebrews 4:14-16). That’s why tithing isn’t about money—it’s about honor. We honor God with our tithe when we present our tithes to Jesus. How do we do this? First, we do it joyfully—we don’t murmur. Then, we make it a deliberate act of worship.
Gloria Copeland has shared how she and Kenneth present their tithe to the Lord each time:
“Ken and I, we take our tithe and we worship God. We do this at home. We pray and have Communion over our tithe. We worship God with our tithe. We say, ‘It is our privilege to tithe, and we love You, Lord, and we honor You and we thank You for everything You’ve given us.’”
Proverbs 3:9-10 says, “Honor the Lord with your wealth…then your barns will be filled to overflowing.” You know, it’s good to have barns, but it is better to have them filled to the top. So, every time you give, tithe and sow—present your tithe to the Lord with honor. That is the heart with which we increase; that is the heart with which we tithe.
