What The Bible Says About Tithing And Giving
God calls us to live generously through tithes and offerings. Tithing is an intentional practice to remind us of Godâs sovereign ownership of all we have. It can be easy to go through the motions, so we need to intentionally decide how we want to use our resources to further His kingdom and take care of others.
14. God loves a cheerful giver
âNow this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed â
15. Do not be hardhearted or tightfisted
âIf anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfited toward them.â
16. It is more blessed to give than to receive
âIn all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, âIt is more blessed to give than to receive.ââ
17. When you give to the needy, do not announce it
18. I will give a full tenth to you
If you want to dig deeper into what scripture has to say about tithing, head to our blog post: 20 Bible Verses about Tithing and Offerings.
Bible Verses About Generosity & Giving
One of the primary biblical themes about money centers around giving to others. Generosity, sacrificing, tithing, and being selfless are foundational values found in scriptures about money that Christians have been living out for thousands of years.
Today, scientific studies have even confirmed that there are many positive effects from being genuinely generous, including better overall health and quality of life, increased happiness and self esteem, and more feelings of contentment!
Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you. Deuteronomy 16:17
Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops. Proverbs 3:9
Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. Proverbs 3:27
Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God. Proverbs 14:31
The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor. Proverbs 22:9
“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says the Lord Almighty, 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. Malachi 3:10
Jesus answered, If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me. Matthew 19:21
Financial Principles That Are Biblical
Some people mash cans, crunch bottles or shred newspapers and magazines to further the cause of modern ecology. As owner and manager of a collection agency for 17 years, I believe in preserving the nation’s natural and human resources too-particularly from a personal finance perspective.
There are ten financial principles found in God’s Word to counsel and to help “recycle” many people, especially Christians, who have been all but mashed, crunched or shredded by the miseries of indebtedness and poor money management.
To put it plainly, I’ve seen firsthand the full spectrum of financial woes that can hopelessly trap people in a society victimized by the credit-card, “buy-now-pay-later” syndrome.
As a bill collector, my business is to try to collect accounts that creditors have been unsuccessful in collecting. Daily, I see people in deep financial trouble. Thousands in this country have got themselves into financial messes that can lead to more serious consequences.
For years all of my personal financial counseling ended in failure. Then I discovered God’s mighty Word and His ten financial principles. Financial counseling became a matter of revealing these principles and allowing financially troubled persons to choose whether to obey them or not. These principles reveal God’s instructions to His children for conducting their financial affairs.
God is Source
Giving Essential
Live On Margin
Bible Backs Saving
Keep Out of Debt
Secret of Contentment
Keep Records, Budget
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It’s Wrong Not To Repay Your Debts
“The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously.”
I remember when we were paying off debt on a low combined income, struggling to pay our rent and water bills each month, that I considered bankruptcy. I am not here to judge and can undoubtedly understand times when bankruptcy is the only option for people, but as a Christian, I felt that I had a moral obligation to pay my debts.
Why? Because the debt was mine and mine alone.
Our debt was a choice. I chose to open a business on credit cards.
No one forced me to spend money I did not have to build a business I had not yet proved could sustain itself. So when I lost my 9-5 job, and so did my husband, we had a load of debt and no income to pay it off.
I knew I was a capable, young woman and would need to figure out a way to make it work. So I sold off the inventory, found a new job, and worked a few side hustles to make sure we could pay our debts.
Now, at one point, we were behind on paying one of the credit cards, so it went to collections. At that point, I was able to negotiate the debt with the collection agency for the balance I had accrued minus fees and interest.
It would have been better for me to pay all that was owed, including interest and fees, but I still paid the balance that I had actually charged on the card. I want to dive deeper into this concept on another episode,but the main point is:
Repaying our debts honors God and is the morally right thing to do.
Why Does The Church Talk So Much About Money
There are two good reasons why the Church talks so often about money. First, the reason the Church talks about money is because God talks about money. Consider these statistics on bible verses about money:
- 16 out of 38 of Jesusâ parables deal with money and possessions
- Nearly 25% of Jesusâ words in the New Testament deal with biblical stewardship
- 1 out of 10 verses in the Gospels deal with money
- There are more than 2,000 scriptures on tithing in the Bible, money, and possessions in the Bible, which is twice as many as faith and prayer combined
Many verses in the Bible talk about money, and for a good reason too, which leads me to my next point.
Second, bible verses about money are frequently used because thereâs a direct correlation between the way we handle our money and our faith.
When it comes to money, we will either worship wealth or worship with our wealth.
Read that again.
Thereâs a big difference between the two.
From the seduction of success to the lure of lust, many things in this world will vie for your affection and devotion. But the most significant idol you will face is money .
God desires our devotion, and he knows you will come face-to-face with the temptation of money, which is why he speaks so often about it.
Money itself may be amoral. But itâs our attachment to and our worship of money that will lead us into sin and making poor financial decisions.
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Bible Verses About Being Ethical And Not Cheating Others
Proverbs 13:11 Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.
Proverbs 22:16 Whoever oppresses the poor for his own increase and whoever gives to the rich, both come to poverty.
Proverbs 12:2 Good people obtain favor from the LORD, but he condemns those who devise wicked schemes.
Proverbs 22:1 A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, loving favor rather than silver and gold.
Proverbs 12:22 The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy.
Proverbs 28:8 Whoever increases wealth by taking interest or profit from the poor amasses it for another, who will be kind to the poor.
James 5:4-6 Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you.
Proverbs 29:27 An unjust man is an abomination to the just: and he that is upright in the way is abomination to the wicked.
1 Thessalonians 4:6-7 and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.
Proverbs 20:10 False weights and measures the LORD detests them both.
How Does ‘the Love Of Money Is The Root Of All Evil’ Show Us Bad Motives About Money
If money in itself isn’t bad, but the love of money is the root of all evil, let’s dissect where bad intentions come into play. There are also many wrong motives to save money, such as the following:
- Saving money for the future out of fear means we are not trusting God to provide .
- Its not wise to make money our security .
- 1 Timothy 6:10 warns against greed among the people of God.
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Bible Verses About Money
The Bible has a lot to say about money, wealth, greed, contentment and a variety of other topics as they pertain to our financial and spiritual lives. Over the years Ive heard it said more than once that the Bible has well over 2000 verses about money.
While I wont be able to list all 2000+ verses here, I want to give a selection of verses in a variety of topic areas.
Topics:Wealth | Contentment | Giving | Greed | Debt | Ethics | Work & Laziness | Rest | Rest | Planning | Saving | Stewardship | Guidance | Gods Provision | Worry | True Wealth
Bible Verses About Tithing
Malachi 3:6-12For I the LORD do not change therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. But you say, How shall we return? Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, How have we robbed you? In your tithes and contributions.You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the LORD of hosts. Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the LORD of hosts.
Matthew 23:23 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.
Proverbs 3:9 Honor the Lord with your money, with the first fruits of all your labor
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How Can Money Be Used Unselfishly
Jehovah is a generous God, and we imitate him when we are generous, ready to share. We can use our money unselfishly by supporting the congregation and by helping others in need, especially fellow worshippers. Jehovah is most interested in, not the amount we give, but our motive for giving. When we give generously from the heart, we will be happy and we will please Jehovah.Read Acts 20:35.
What Does The Bible Say About Money
The bible says many things about money, but the heart of the matter is this: money can become something that rules our livesâan idol ofsorts. God’s desire is for us to have life to the full andHe knows that worshiping money will keep us from that.
From the seduction of success to the lure of lust, many things in this world will vie for your affection and devotion. But the most significant idol you will face is money .
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Pauls Warning To Those Who Want To Be Rich With Money
Paul was bringing the letter to its close with a final word against the false teachers, a word that turned out to be such a strong judgment against their greed that it included a warning to all those who want to get rich . But there would have been some in the church who were already rich in this present world , especially those in whose homes the church met .
However, since Pauls first concern was with the false teachers and Timothys own role in combating them, he followed his words about them with an immediate final exhortation to Timothyto keep contending in the noble contest until the End. Now, having given that noble charge to Timothy, he returns to say a few words for the already rich, lest they feel condemned by verses 610.
Reduce Risk As You Age
Ecclesiastes 5:13-14 I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owners, or wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when they have children there is nothing left for them to inherit.
In this story from Ecclesiastes, a father loses everything on a bad investment and has nothing to leave to his son. This is unfortunate for the son, but in the modern world, it could be a disaster for the father as well. Thats because his bad business venture wouldnt just wipe out his sons inheritance it could wipe out his own retirement savings as well.
People today live longer than ever before. According to data from the National Institute on Aging, the average life expectancy in many developed countries is more than 80 years, and about 12% of the population is over 85 years of age. This number is expected to grow dramatically over the next few decades.
Because people are living longer, theyre also spending more years in retirement. Todays 65-year-old retirees could easily need their retirement savings to last them 20 years or even longer. So if you speculate with your income when youre in your 60s, its not just your kids inheritance youre putting at risk its the money you need to live on for the next 10, 20, or even 30 years. If you lose a big chunk of your nest egg, you could end up having to put off your retirement because you dont have enough savings to support yourself.
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Giving Is The Only Antidote To Greed
Imagine the greediest person you know: the person that focuses only on themselves, who thinks the world revolves around them and uses people only to further their own interests. Is that the kind of person you want to be around? Is that the kind of person you want to be? Absolutely not! Many people still wear the emotional scars of being around greedy people concerned only with their own interests. This is why the Bible speaks so strongly against greed.
“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.” Colossians 3:5-6
Greed is a cancer which, if left unchecked, will grip your soul and never let go. Whats the antidote? Giving. When you willingly give your money away, when you choose to live a life of generosity, you break the power of greed in your life.
How You Handle Gods Money Now Is A Trial Run For Greater Riches
Lets say youve got a cousin that always asks for money. They promise to pay it back, but all theyve done is waste it on useless and selfish things. How tempted would you be to give them even more money? Lets say you have a financial or money manager that has managed to waste away all of your retirement. How tempted would you be to give that manager even more of your money?
God looks at us in the same way. Weve been called to manage or steward his riches on earth. For many of us, weve wasted away the little amount of money we have on useless and selfish things, and were angry that God wont give us any more. We ask God for more wealth, but we cant properly manage what we already have. Why would God give us any more financial blessing when we cant take care of what we already have? In the Parable of the Talents Jesus drives home this point in a story of a master who went away and entrusted his servants with money. When they managed it well, here was the masters response:
“His master replied, Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your masters happiness! For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.'” Matthew 25:21-29
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