Tithe is a Hebrew word meaning one tenth. In the Old Testament Law, God’s people were instructed to give the first tenth of what they earned or produced as a payment to the Lord. This payment was given to the local priests and was used to provide for the needs of those serving in ministry.

Leviticus 27:30 (TLB)  “A tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain or fruit, is the Lord’s, and is holy.”

Proverbs 3:9 (NIV) “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops.”

The truth at the heart of this law was that God provided the entire harvest, so this first part was returned to Him. It was a reminder to His people that all things they had were His and was also an act of thankfulness for His provision.

Offerings are gifts given above or in addition to your tithe. Unlike the tithe which is intended to be given to your local church, offerings can be given to your church for other needs outside of the general operations (missions, outreach, etc.) or also given to other ministries that need support to continue the work God has called them to do.

The Old Testament (OT) had 613 laws regarding giving, relational rules, food regulations and more. It would be wrong to think that we are still under some, but not all of the OT laws. As Christians, we are now under the New Covenant in Christ and not the law. 

Galatians 3:23-25 (NLT) “Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith.  And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian”

With this said, God established many principles intended for blessing before the law was given. For example, the principle of sabbath rest was established at creation and added as a law later. Similarly, the principle of tithing was established 430 years prior to the law of Moses being given.

The First Tithe

Genesis 14:19-20  “And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.”

Out of gratitude for God’s blessing, Abram gives the priest, Melchizedek, a tenth of his possessions. He doesn’t do it to invoke God’s blessing; he does it in response to God’s blessing. The main point to remember here is that when God establishes a principle it is because of the wisdom and blessings attached to it that benefit the one who participates.

The Old Testament law required God’s people to pay a tithe and additional offerings that equated to 10-23% of their harvest or provisions (Deut 12-14). In contrast, the New Testament doesn’t give us a strict amount to give and instead instructs us to approach our giving personally in light of all that Christ has given us through His grace.

2 Corinthians 9:6-8 “You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”  And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.”

This passage shows that the condition of our heart when giving and our willingness is more important than the amount we give. It also has a promise that God will be generous in provision to us in return, so that we can continue in our generosity towards others. We encourage all of our church family to aim at being even more generous under the grace of Jesus Christ, then what was required by the law!

To tithe is to give 10 percent of our earnings. Recent national statistics around tithing indicate that fewer than one-quarter of any congregation tithes. According to a report in Christianity Today, most Christians give on average 2.5% or less of their income to their local church (compared to 3.3% during the Great Depression). So to answer this question no, most Christians do not tithe.

In short, no, you don’t “have” to tithe. With that said, the Bible clearly tells us that tithing is a way to show that we trust God with our lives and our finances. Remember, God does not need our money to accomplish anything. Instead, tithing is an invitation meant for our benefit. Honoring the Lord with the first portion of our income shows God that we acknowledge His current provision and trust him for our future needs. It is also a pathway God uses to give back to us, so that we can grow in our faith in Him and continue increasing in generosity.

Luke 6:38 (NLT) “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”

Our challenge to anyone who calls Gig Harbor Foursquare home is to ask the Holy Spirit what he wants you to be giving financially and for the strength to be obedient to what he says. This may require sacrifice on our parts. We understand that if you’re not used to tithing it may be difficult to start at the recommended biblical entry point of 10%. Trust the Lord to help you rearrange your finances in a way that allows you to give what He is asking you to. It may take a little while to get there—that's okay! God sees your heart and will help you every step of the way on your journey of giving.

One recommendation is to begin to give regularly (monthly or with every paycheck is a great practice) and make sure you have a clear system of tracking your income and spending (a budget). This way you can see where your money is currently going and how to redirect unnecessary spending to the Lord as you work towards giving a tithe. There are also some great resources online that can teach you to steward your finances according to biblical principles. Our pastoral team is always here if you need additional counsel in this area.