What does the Bible teach about tithing? Was it just an Old Testament concept, or is it also a command that Christians should obey from the New Testament?
Old Testament Passages About Tithing
Below are several passages from the Old Testament about tithing.
30 “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
26 “Moreover, you shall speak and say to the Levites, ‘When you take from the people of Israel the tithe that I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you shall present a contribution from it to the Lord, a tithe of the tithe.
Numbers 18:26
24 And if the way is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry the tithe, when the Lord your God blesses you, because the place is too far from you, which the Lord your God chooses, to set his name there,
Deuteronomy 14:24
5 As soon as the command was spread abroad, the people of Israel gave in abundance the firstfruits of grain, wine, oil, honey, and of all the produce of the field. And they brought in abundantly the tithe of everything.
2 Chronicles 31:5
The Old Testament commanded several tithes that add up to about 23.3 percent.
Tithing in the New Testament
The New Testament does not command tithing in the same way that the Old Testament does. Here are several relevant passages:
2 On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come.
1 Corinthians 16:2
18 For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.”
1 Timothy 5:18
From these passages, we learn that Christians should want to give money to those who labor for the gospel. They do not specify exactly how much Christians should give, but 1 Corinthians. 16:2 uses the phrase, “as he may prosper,” which means that giving may look different for different Christians.
In any case, a Christian who has been regenerated by God will want to give generously to the church and to the poor. It is a serious warning sign if a Christian does not feel any desire to give any money.
