What Does the Bible Say About Christian Tithing? Should a Christian Give 10%?
What does the Bible say about Christian tithing? Should believers today still give 10 percent of their income as the Israelites once did? These are common questions for modern Christians seeking to live faithfully and generously. The concept of tithing, meaning “a tenth,” originates in the Old Testament, where Israel was commanded to give a tenth of their produce, flocks, and income to support the Levites, temple worship, and the poor (Leviticus 27:30–33; Numbers 18:21–24; Deuteronomy 14:28–29).
However, the New Testament never commands Christians to give a fixed percentage. Instead, it redefines giving around grace, freedom, and joyful generosity. While the principle of tithing remains a helpful model, the emphasis shifts from obligation to willing participation in God’s work. The heart, not the percentage, becomes the measure of Christian giving.
1) The Old Testament Background: Tithing as Covenant Obligation
In the Old Testament, tithing was part of Israel’s covenant life under the Law. God required his people to give a tenth of their increase as an expression of gratitude and dependence. This tithe supported both worship and justice in the community.
Key Features of Old Testament Tithing:
Worshipful: The tithe was holy to the Lord (Leviticus 27:30), a tangible acknowledgment that all provision came from God.
Communal: It provided for the Levites who had no inheritance (Numbers 18:21–24).
Charitable: Every third year, tithes helped the poor, the sojourner, the orphan, and the widow (Deuteronomy 14:28–29).
Consecrated: Giving was an act of covenant obedience tied to the sacrificial system and the land’s harvest.
Israel’s tithes were not voluntary offerings; they were commanded as part of the nation’s worship structure. When Israel neglected tithing, prophets rebuked them. Malachi 3:8–10 challenged the people for “robbing God” by withholding tithes and offerings, promising blessing for obedience. Yet, this system functioned within the Mosaic covenant—a law code that Christians are not under in the same way (Romans 6:14).
2) The New Testament Shift: From Law to Grace
The New Testament never commands believers to tithe a specific 10 percent. Instead, the focus turns to generosity shaped by love and freedom in Christ. Jesus affirms the goodness of giving but rebukes legalistic motives. In Matthew 23:23, he tells the Pharisees, “You tithe mint and dill and cumin, but have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness.” The issue was not the tithe itself but the absence of a transformed heart.
Paul develops this idea further in his letters to the Corinthians. He does not mention a fixed tithe but calls believers to give deliberately and joyfully:
“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).
“On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper” (1 Corinthians 16:2).
The pattern is clear. Christian giving is:
Deliberate: Thoughtful and planned, not impulsive.
Proportional: Based on one’s means (“as he may prosper”).
Voluntary: Never forced by law or guilt.
Cheerful: Flowing from gratitude and trust in God’s provision.
Thus, the New Testament replaces legal tithing with a principle of Spirit-led generosity. The question for Christians is not, “What must I give?” but “How can I best express love and gratitude to God with what I have?”
3) Should Christians Give 10 Percent?
While Christians are not bound to give a tenth, many view the 10 percent tithe as a helpful starting point for generosity. The number itself carries symbolic meaning—it represents wholeness and stewardship. Yet Scripture encourages believers to think beyond percentages.
Biblical Principles for Christian Giving:
Proportionate giving: Those with more are able to give more; those with less are not burdened beyond their ability (2 Corinthians 8:12–14).
Sacrificial giving: The widow’s offering in Luke 21:1–4 demonstrates that generosity is measured by devotion, not by amount.
Faith-filled giving: Giving expresses trust that God will supply every need (Philippians 4:19).
Abundant giving: Grace transforms duty into delight—Christians give not to fulfill law but to share in God’s mission.
Therefore, 10 percent is neither a ceiling nor a floor but a guidepost. For some, 10 percent may be an act of faith; for others, it may be far less or much more. The goal is not equality of amount but equality of sacrifice and joy in the Gospel.
4) The Purpose of Giving: Supporting Ministry and the Poor
The New Testament continues the Old Testament pattern of supporting God’s servants and caring for the poor, but under new covenant freedom.
Supporting ministry: Paul teaches that “those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:14). Just as Levites were supported by tithes, pastors, missionaries, and teachers are to be supported by the offerings of God’s people (Galatians 6:6; 1 Timothy 5:17–18).
Helping the needy: Early Christians regularly collected offerings for poor believers, especially in Jerusalem (Acts 2:44–45; 2 Corinthians 8–9).
Honoring God as Provider: Giving reminds the church that all possessions belong to God (Psalm 24:1) and that generosity is a form of worship (Philippians 4:18).
In both testaments, giving demonstrates covenant faithfulness. The difference lies in motivation: the law demanded obedience; the Gospel invites participation in grace.
5) The Heart Behind Christian Tithing
The heart of Christian giving is not a fixed rule but a transformed relationship with God. Jesus Christ gave everything for his people, and that grace inspires reciprocal generosity. In 2 Corinthians 8:9, Paul writes, “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 by his poverty might become rich.”
Christian Giving Reflects the Gospel:
It mirrors God’s generosity. The Father gives his Son; the Son gives his life; the Spirit gives his gifts.
It expresses gratitude. Every act of giving is thanksgiving for redemption.
It fuels mission. Generosity extends God’s kingdom through ministry, mercy, and discipleship.
It anticipates eternity. Giving now reflects the reality of Christ’s kingdom, where possessions no longer enslave and joy abounds in self-giving love.
For this reason, Christians are not commanded to tithe in the legal sense—but they are called to live generously as citizens of the kingdom. The question is not “How much do I owe?” but “How can I honor God with everything I have?” (Proverbs 3:9).
6) Giving and the Hope of the Kingdom
Christian giving carries eschatological hope—it points toward the day when the kingdom of God is fully revealed. The generosity of the church is a foretaste of that coming reality, where righteousness and peace dwell. Every act of generosity declares that wealth, status, and security are temporary, but God’s kingdom is eternal.
As the early church practiced in Acts 4:32–35, believers shared “everything in common,” and “there was not a needy person among them.” This was not forced redistribution but voluntary generosity rooted in love. In a world of greed and scarcity, the Gospel proclaims abundance in Christ.
The tithe foreshadowed this reality, but the Gospel fulfills it. Giving is no longer a requirement—it is participation in God’s eternal plan to renew creation through his Son.
Key Summary Points
The tithe in the Old Testament was a covenant requirement for Israel’s worship and justice.
The New Testament does not command Christians to give 10 percent but calls for free, joyful, and proportionate generosity.
Giving supports ministry, relieves the poor, and honors God’s provision.
The principle of the tithe continues as a model of gratitude, not a legal burden.
True Christian giving flows from grace and participates in the mission and hope of God’s kingdom.
Bible Verses about Tithing and Christian Giving
“Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the Lord’s; it is holy to the Lord.” (Leviticus 27:30)
“Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.” (Malachi 3:10)
“You tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness.” (Matthew 23:23)
“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion.” (2 Corinthians 9:7)
“On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside… as he may prosper.” (1 Corinthians 16:2)
“Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” (2 Corinthians 9:6)
“Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches.” (Galatians 6:6)
“Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce.” (Proverbs 3:9)
“If the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.” (2 Corinthians 8:12)
“Freely you have received; freely give.” (Matthew 10:8)
