You’ve probably heard it said before that according to the Bible, “Money is the root of all evil.” Well, 1 Timothy 6:10 actually says it is the LOVE of money which is a root of evil. And money is always such a fun topic when it comes to church!
It’s not a give to get proposition. It is actually just a give out of gratitude and in appreciation concept.
Grace age believers should gladly give offerings to the church and other charities, but we are not bound by a tithing requirement. Some may see it as only an issue of semantics, but biblical accuracy is important. Of course, it makes budget calculations a whole lot easier for churches if they can depend upon a flat ten percent from the congregation. However, to demand something which not even God demands for membership is rather interesting. The whole concept of church membership is contradictory to the Bible’s concept of belonging to the Body of Christ, which you are automatically a member, once you put your faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ alone for your salvation.
I knew of at least one church which used Matthew 6:21 as a justification for their requirement to tithe for membership. However, it actually doesn’t even mention tithing at all. In fact, the only place in the New Testament referring to the ten percent figure is in “The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector” (Luke 18: 12) and it is used as an example of what not to do (e.g. exalting yourself). A tithe is among the “works” of the Law, along with animal sacrifices, circumcision, Saturday Sabbath observance, avoidance of “unclean” foods, etc.
I’ve heard it said that New Testament does not abrogate tithing, so it should still be enforced. However, tithing was only ever applicable to Israel and was never given as a command to Gentile or Grace age believers. If something was never commanded to someone, then it does not have to be repealed!
Can you give more? Can you give less? Can you give ten percent? The answer is “Yes” to all of these questions. Everything that we give is an offering to the church, in appreciation of God’s grace. You won’t find anywhere in the Bible where it says that those of us in the age of grace must tithe. However, it does definitely support giving offerings as 2 Corinthians 9:7 says:
“each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”