Giving – Ithaca Presbyterian Church

Membership Course

About Lesson

What Does the Bible Teach About Financial Giving?

There is a lot of confusion about what the Bible teaches on financial giving. What does God require of us? Is it a tithe? Do we give 10% before tax or after tax? How much money should we give? Some of these questions might be helpful, but they miss the heart of the Bible’s teaching on financial giving.

At the end of the day, the way we relate to money and handle money is an issue of the heart and an indicator of our spiritual health. We’ve placed some of the relevant Biblical passages below so that you can do your own study on giving and tithing, but here are some Scriptural answers to our questions about giving:

Why Should I Give?

God’s deep generosity to us in Christ makes us generous people. When Paul wanted to motivate the Corinthians to generosity, he didn’t command them to give, he reminded them of the extraordinary spiritual riches they received through the gospel. Read this slowly: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9). Wow. Isn’t that beautiful? God isn’t pleased when we give under compulsion or guilt. God loves it when we give with hearts full of gratitude knowing that everything we have is not our own making, but a gift from his generous heart.

Where Should I Give?

In the Old Testament, God commanded his people to give tithes to the priests who served at the Temple, to share what they had with the vulnerable, and to enjoy what God had given them. Today, these principles remain at play.

While there is no literal Temple today, there are those set apart by the church to devote themselves to gospel work. The New Testament explicitly tells us to support these gospel workers, and retains the Old Testament ethic of caring for the poor and vulnerable, especially other believers and churches. There really is no limit to where we can give. Instead, the New Testament teaches generosity.

Here at Ithaca, we ask every member to partner with us financially by giving to the work we’re doing together. We believe this honours the New Testament’s teaching to support gospel work and makes sense if we’re committed to having an impact together as a local church.

How Much Should I Give?

It’s the age-old question, isn’t it? But it’s not exactly the right question. When we ask, “How much?”, we are in danger of basing God’s love for us on some standard we need to meet. We’re in danger of forgetting that God demonstrated his love for us even while we were sinners (Romans 5:8). God’s love for us is not dependent upon what we do, it is his free and generous decision. So, instead of asking “How much should I give?”,, God’s love fills our hearts and we ask, “How much can I give?”. We can’t just approach giving with a “set and forget” attitude. We need to regularly check our hearts and think creatively about how to be a generous blessing to others. This is a discipleship issue with eternal significance (Luke 12:13-21). You might like to start at 10%, which is the Old Testament principle of the tithe. Another good benchmark is to think about how much you spend on pleasure (e.g. entertainment, holidays, meals out) and make it your aim to at least give more away than your spending on personal pleasure. Approach this prayerfully and use wisdom. Remember the Bible also commands us to care for our family and to strive for financial independence so as not to burden others. Bring your heart to God, and ask him to free you from the love of money. And then, enjoy being generous. Have fun with it and enjoy using money to help more people find life in Jesus.

What Does the Bible Teach About Financial Giving?

Why Should I Give?

Where Should I Give?

How Much Should I Give?

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