THREE BIBLICAL REASONS TO TITHE
Many of us don’t have a great plan for what to do with our money. Especially when it comes to generosity. Most people want to be generous, but it can be hard to get started, and there’s always a reason to hold on a little tighter.
It’s especially challenging if we think generosity is just about money. It’s not. Really, generosity is about trust. Generosity is a choice based on how you answer this question: Who am I trusting to take care of me?
I want to make a case for an ancient habit that cuts straight to the heart of that question.
It’s called the tithe. Giving the first ten percent (10%) of your income back to God for the work He’s doing in the world. Tithing is a great strategy for being generous and I believe it may be among the best ways to learn how to trust God.
1. Tithing Honors a Biblical Principle as old as Abraham
Most people assume tithing is just a piece of Jewish law, an ancient religious accounting that we read about in the Old Testament that Jesus came to retire. Turns out, it’s actually older than the Jewish law.
The first time anyone gave a tenth in the Bible, there was no law requiring it. In Genesis 14:20, Abraham has come home from rescuing his family from an invading army, and out of sheer gratitude he gives a tenth of everything he has to a priest named Melchizedek. There was no commandment requiring it. He knew God had fought for him, and giving was how he said thank You. This was the first tithe.
Abraham’s grandson Jacob does the same thing. God promises to be with him and Jacob makes a vow: “Of all that you give me I will give you a tenth” (Genesis 28:22). It wasn’t until generations later that Moses wrote the tithe into law, telling Israel that a tenth of everything belongs to the Lord (Leviticus 27:30). The practice did not start with the law. The law simply continued something people were already doing.
Jesus, who had no patience for religious box-checking, rebukes the Pharisees for tithing their spices while ignoring justice and mercy, then adds: “You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former” (Matthew 23:23). He doesn’t cancel the tithe, He reinforces it, while calling out people who were using it as a substitute for actually caring about people.
Tithing came before the law, was supported by the law, and was affirmed by Jesus Himself.
It is not a burden God ended. It is a foundation He laid to teach us trust.
2. Tithing Provides for God’s Church & God’s Mission
In addition to teaching us trust, there’s a practical reason the habit exists. Tithing provides for God’s work and the mission of the Church.
In Old Testament times, the Levites were the priests. They received no land of their own. Instead, they lived off the tithes of the other tribes so they could give themselves fully to the work of God (Numbers 18:20-21). The arrangement was simple: most people worked ordinary jobs, and their generosity made it possible for others to serve in full-time ministry.
Paul carries the same logic into the New Testament: “in the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:14). The church still practices that today. Some people are called to give their lives to teaching, shepherding, and reaching the lost, and the rest of us get to make that possible.
When you give, you are an active partner in making ministry happen and completing the Great Commission.
3. Tithing Exalts God as the Creator and Owner of All
We call it our money, but the truth is none of it was ever ours to begin with.
“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it” (Psalm 24:1).
Every dollar you have is on loan to you from the God who made you. He gave it to meet your needs, care for others, and build up His work in the world. You’re a steward, not an owner.
If that’s true, it changes what giving means. If everything is God’s in the first place, then giving a tithe isn’t a fee you’re paying. It’s God letting you use 90% and you giving back 10%, as an expression of trust and an opportunity to put His resources to work in the world.
A Lifelong Lesson of Trust
I started tithing when I was sixteen. My first job was at a movie theater. Someone taught me to take the first part of every paycheck and give it away before I spent a cent on myself. I had no idea how much this tiny gesture of trust would impact my life.
In college I lived on two hundred dollars a month and gave twenty of it away. Twenty dollars could have been groceries or gas, but I gave it anyway, and God always took care of me. I started to see that a cool thing about percentage-based giving is that it grows with you. Ten percent is ten percent, no matter how much you’re making. The more you make, the more you get to give.
I’ve kept the habit since those days. It’s grown with me and honestly, it’s never felt like a burden. It feels more like a joy because I know where it all came from, and I would rather see people come to God through the ministry it supports than cling to it for myself.
Take Action
God has taught me so much as I’ve learned to trust Him first through tithing. If you want to move from thinking about this to actually doing it, here’s a good place to start.
One. Look back at your generosity over the last three months. Ask yourself if you’ve given generously in trust that God will provide for you.
Two. If tithing isn’t your habit, decide on a percentage you want to start giving to the work of God and commit to giving that for three months. Give first, before you pay any bill or anything else. Putting it first is what makes it an act of trust instead of an afterthought. Ten percent and beyond is the goal, but you could start smaller and work your way towards more.
Three. Watch to see what God does in your heart and in your life as you trust Him.
When you give the first part away, you are telling God you trust Him to carry the rest.
That trust is the whole point, and it is worth more than the money ever was anyway.
All for Jesus,
Brad D. Jenkins
P.S. — If this has been helpful, please send me a message at brad@bradjenkins.me and let me know. My writing aims to help people enjoy a vibrant relationship with Jesus, and it is an honor to be on this journey with you. To read previous newsletters or to sign up so that you don’t miss future posts, visit www.bradjenkins.me/blog.