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Common Questions About Giving

What is a tithe?  

A tithe—which just means “tenth”—is bringing the first 10 percent of a person’s income back to the local church. Tithing is a principle taught through the entire Bible. When we tithe, we are expressing worship in a tangible way by putting God first in our lives.

Why do we tithe?  

We believe the top competitor for our devotion to Jesus is money (Matthew 6:24). Giving allows us to demonstrate that He is more important to us than material things.

The idea of bringing the first 10 percent of our income to the Church seems overwhelming. The thing is, it doesn’t matter how much or how little we make, God promises to pour out blessings on us when we tithe. Tithing is about training our heart to trust God at His Word.

In Malachi 3:10, the Lord says “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this…and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.”

When we bring our first and best back to God, He promises to bless the rest.

Do I tithe on the gross or the net?  

Proverbs 3:9-10 says, “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing,and your vats will brim over with new wine.”

We may not live in agricultural society any more, but the concept of firstfruits still applies. Giving the first of our income to the Lord shows that He is first in our hearts.

So when it comes to tithing on the gross or the net, we have to ask ourselves: Is God first or is He not? Putting God first means putting him at the top of the list, so our tithe comes off the top, or the gross, before anything else is considered.

Should I tithe on gifts?

2 Corinthians 9:11 says we will “be enriched in every way” so we can “be generous on every occasion.” For some, being enriched might come in the form of income earned for work performed. For others, God might choose to enrich you in any number of other ways. Putting God first means we bring the tithe back to Him regardless of the way He chooses to bless us.

Can I designate my tithe?    

The tithe is about trusting God to know better than we do and to do more with what we bring to Him than we can imagine. Retaining control by designating a tithe is not fully trusting God to know better or that He will keep His promises. The opportunity to designate for specific purposes can come in the form of gifts and offerings above and beyond the tithe.

The mistake we make when it comes to tithing is focusing on dollar amounts instead of the role tithing plays in our hearts.

Giving is an overflow of the recognition of what Jesus did for us — saving us from our sin — and what He wants for us — an abundant life. When we allow Jesus to guide our giving decisions, we will always be generous to the church.