Jesus spent a lot of time talking about money, but we consider it a touchy topic. This need not be so.

Our treatment of giving here will help answer the questions of why, what, where, and how we as Christians should give.

I. Why Should We Give?

A. Giving Shows How Great God Is
B. God Generously Gives to Us
C. Giving Promotes Godliness
D. Giving Brings Blessing

II. What Should We Give?

A. Everything
B. Tithes & Offerings

III. Where Should We Give?

A. Obligations
B. Opportunities

IV. How Should We Give?

A. Periodic
b. Personal
C. Planned
D. Progressive
E. Plentiful

V. Conclusion

VI. FAQs

A. Not Giving to the Church
B. Giving to Non-Christian Organizations
C. Online Giving
D. Leftover Income
E. No Leftover Income
F. Giving in Faith
G. Prosperity Gospel
H. Tithing

I. Why Should We Give?

A. Giving Shows How Great God Is

First and foremost, we give because it shows how great God is.

That’s what Moses thought. Hebrews says that, “[Moses] considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward” (11:26). When Moses gave up the treasures that the world offered, he was proclaiming that Christ was worth more, just like the man who gladly sold everything he had to obtain the pearl of great price (Matthew 13:46). It’s simple logic - give up what is valuable to gain what is more valuable. Giving for the sake of Christ shows how great our God is.

B. God Generously Gives to Us

Second, giving shows how great God’s gift is to us.

2 Corinthians 8:9 reads, “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.”

We can throw away our worldly possessions because God has given us something so much more valuable. In fact, generosity with the things of this world shows off how much he’s given us in Christ. In Scripture, we always give out of spiritual abundance.

C. Giving Promotes Godliness

Third, we give to become more godly.

For one, giving helps us keep our priorities straight. Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21). God gives everyone a finite amount of money. Some we need to live on. Some we should probably use to save or invest or pay down debt to be responsible with what He’s given. But we need to give away the rest - all of it. Because what remains - what we hoard, to use a Biblical term - is a spiritual acid. It will eat away at our commitment to Christ. Keeping what we should give is trying to put our trust in God and something else - which is impossible. “You cannot serve God and Money” (Matthew 6:24).

Beyond that, though, giving promotes godliness by reminding us that God owns all we have. That’s why God goes so far in Malachi 3:8-10 to accuse those Israelites, who had not given as he had commanded them, of robbing God (Malachi 3:8-10)! All we have is God’s - not just the portion we set aside to give to a religious non-profit.

Third, giving helps encourage others to give thanks and praise to God. That’s how Saint Paul follows his plea for gifts to the poor Judean Christians in 2 Corinthians 9:12: “For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.”

D. Giving Brings Blessing

Fourth, giving helps to bring about blessing. If we give, we’ll be blessed. Now this is often a misunderstood biblical principle. But before we go after the bad teaching, let’s understand what God’s actually saying. God’s promise of blessing is a real reason for why we should give.

Luke 6:38 – Jesus says, “give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

2 Corinthians 9:6-7 – Saint Paul says, “whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

We give because there is reward for giving. This is a godly motivation for us, and sticking our noses up to refuse God’s reward is not pious. Rather, it defames God and His delight in showing mercy. Giving in order to be blessed is a good and godly thing.

Unfortunately, some so-called Christian teachers get this wrong and skew what God has promised. They say that God’s blessing for giving must include material prosperity and that blessing is for now. So T.D. Jakes tells us that if we plant a “Miracle Faith Seed” by writing him a check, God will heal our marriages or our bank accounts. Or a more faithful - but still mistaken - teacher might tell you that the reason you’re not able to get out of debt is because you don’t give faithfully to your local church. Those that teach like this incorrectly define the blessings of happiness and success by the world’s standards instead of God’s. But material wealth is not a trustworthy measure of our holiness.

When Scripture speaks of rewards, it emphasizes eternal spiritual blessing - the gift of God’s own life - rather than material blessings (Ephesians 1:3). For us, trust and obedience to God doesn’t entitle us to worldly riches and comfort. In fact, God calls his people to suffering in this life (2 Thessalonians 1:4, Acts 9:16). But this suffering for Christ’s sake will be our deeper participation in God’s life of blessing (Matthew 5:11-12).

So to summarize all of this: if we give, we‘ll be blessed, and that blessing is a Godly motivation for giving. That’s why Paul says (2 Corinthians 9:7) that God loves a cheerful giver. Because that kind of giver advertises that the blessing they receive is worth more than the gift. Cold-hearted, dread-filled giving says nothing good about who God is - it merely advertises him as a hard-nosed taskmaster. Motive matters when it comes to giving.

Now, what if you’re not feeling very cheerful this morning, as you watch the offering plate coming down the aisle and look at that check in your hand? You think about all of the other things you could do with that money, but you give it anyway, trusting that God’s use of that money is better than your own. Have you gained nothing? Of course not! You’ve acted in faith, and that is its own blessing and speaks volumes about the trustworthiness of our God. God doesn’t want regretful givers because their gifts say nothing about his own worthiness. But gifts given amidst a battle of temptation? Those are gifts of faith that are of great worth in God’s sight.

So your motives don’t have to be perfect in order to give faithfully; we’re sinful people after all. But if your giving will only fuel resentment, bitterness, or the like then don’t give (2 Corinthians 9:7). God doesn’t need your money! He can fulfill His purposes without you. But in his kindness, he gives us the privilege and joy of participating in what he’s doing.

II. What Should We Give?

A. Everything

God owns all that we have - not just our money - and so our giving encompasses a lot more than money too.

For example, Paul writes in Romans 12, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship” (Romans 12:1). In 1 Corinthians 10:31, he says, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Money is just one piece of a large puzzle for how we can use every gift, every opportunity, every relationship, every dollar to proclaim the glory of God with every minute he gives us on this earth.”.

Sometimes we think that God’s goal for our money is that we live on as little of it as possible so that we can give as much as possible to the local church. Of course, that sacrifice will honor God. But that may well be too narrow a view of things.

For example, what would you tell a husband who felt that his wife was being ungodly for wanting to go out for dinner once a week, especially since they could have an equally good meal at home for half the cost and give the rest away? Would you encourage him in this? Probably not, if you wanted his marriage to prosper. Perhaps God might be more pleased if he used his money to build into his relationship with his wife rather than simply giving it all to the church. Did Jesus commend the Pharisees in Mark 7 for giving a gift devoted to God at the neglect of caring for their parents? Of course not!

Your money can do a lot of good things. It can fund the ministry of our church, but it can also pay someone to fix your toilet so you’ll have time to meet up with a discouraged friend. It can be used as God’s provision for a friend or family member struggling with debt. It can help you enjoy God’s creation on top of a distant mountain.

Your job as a Christian is to assess every opportunity you have in life - many of which can benefit from your money - and spend every bit of yourself for God’s glory.

What should we give? Everything - our entire lives are to be spent for God’s glory.

B. Tithes & Offerings

But with that in place, let’s consider a more specific question. How much money should we give to the church?

1. Old Testament Giving

A good place to start is with the Old Testament concept of the tithe, which was a bit like income tax. A tithe just means a tenth part and was to be holy, or set apart, to the Lord. There were three different tithes collected in Israel.

First, Leviticus 27:30-33 tells us that a tithe of all the produce and flocks was to be set aside for the Lord. This tithe was given to the Levites, enabling them to serve in the tabernacle full-time since they didn’t receive an inheritance of land. They, in turn, were to tithe to support the priests (Numbers 18:8-32).

Second, in Deuteronomy, we see that a tenth of one’s produce and flocks was to be eaten at the central sanctuary (Deuteronomy 12:17-18; 14:22-23). Interesting - God was commanding his people to save up for a big party once each year in his honor. Remember, part of bringing God glory is enjoying His gifts in ways that honor him (1 Timothy 4:4). God loves to bless his people.

Finally, we see that every third year, a tithe was to go into a local storehouse to feed the poor (Deuteronomy 14:28-29; 26:12-13).

In addition to these three tithes, Israel also had the temple tax (Exodus 30:11-16), voluntary offerings (Deuteronomy 12:6), gleaning of the fields that was to be left for the poor (Leviticus 19:9-10), and additional taxes levied during the monarchy (2 Kings 23:35). So the Old Testament system of giving was much more complex than just 10%. That said, if you’re new to giving, 10% can be a great place to start. After all, Abraham gave 10% to Melchizedek (Genesis 14:20), and Jacob promised 10% to God (Genesis 28:22) hundreds of years before the law was given.

2. New Testament Giving

But let’s move onto the New Testament practice of giving. What we see in 1 Corinthians 16:2 is a simple admonition to give in keeping with our income, which we’ll come to later.

What happens to the 10%? Well, the tithe - like animal sacrifices, the schedule of festivals, and priestly offices - were all parts of God’s regulations in the Old Testament of how his people were to worship him. Once Jesus comes along these things are no longer needed because One greater than the temple is here Matthew 12:6. That’s why Jesus declares the temple tax inapplicable to his followers in Matthew 17:25-26. We are sons of the king, Jesus says, and kings don’t tax their own sons.

So to summarize all of this, is it a sin if you don’t give 10% of your income to the church? Not necessarily. Notice I didn’t say “no.” For some of us, given how God has constructed our life, you might be in sin if you don’t give 50% of your income away. For others, God is very pleased with your 5%. Our job is not to meet a particular percentage but to prioritize God and his mission with everything we have and are, including the financial resources he has given us to manage.

In doing this there are two additional principles in Scripture that we’ll find helpful.

3. Sacrificial Giving

First: sacrifice. All through the New Testament, we’re taught that following Jesus will involve self-denial. Jesus actually makes this non-negotiable for being a Christian. “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24). And on at least two occasions we see sacrifice applied specifically to giving of financial resources - once when the poor widow gave all she had to live on (Mark 12:41-44) and once when the poor Macedonians gave beyond their ability (2 Corinthians 8:2-3).

What we can take away from this is that we should all be serving Jesus to the point of sacrifice. And one way that some of us will be called to sacrifice is in giving of our money to the point that it hurts. As we think about this truth, we need to avoid two errors.

The first error says if your budget isn’t painfully tight, you’re not following Jesus. That’s not always true. It’s not necessarily sin to accumulate wealth (e.g. Abraham). We should all live sacrificial lives (Romans 12:1), but that will look different for different people. We need to sacrifice for God’s purposes in our budget, our time, our relationships, and so forth. We need to give in all of these, not being selfish in any aspect of our lives. With the pain of sacrifice also comes a balm of joy, as we have the privilege to willingly sacrifice for our Savior and King.

The second error is the one that says comfort and Christianity can co-exist. We’re in a battle, after all. We’re called to sacrifice. That’s what it means to follow a crucified Lord. Our comfort is in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:3-7).

4. Generous Giving

The second theme that guides what we should give is generosity. Paul writes, “whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (2 Corinthians 9:6). This is a farming truism - if you plant just a little, you’re not going to get a large harvest. God loves it when we take risks and bet everything on him by giving generously. Liberality should mark every Christian. We should give generously to support our local church, to support missionaries, to help our neighbors in need, to love our families, to encourage our brothers and sisters in the Lord.

So how much should we give? Everything - both what we give and what we keep back are finally God’s. How much money should we give to the church? Quite possibly more than you do today. But certainly enough so that you can honestly say before God that the money you’re holding back to spend elsewhere brings him equal or greater glory than it would if you were to give it away. That is the gold standard for all of us. And for most of us, that’ll be considerably more than 10%.

III. Where Should We Give?

A. Obligations

The first thing that we need to consider is where we must give. Let’s start with our most basic responsibility. 1 Timothy 5:8 says, “if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” Providing for family seems to be our most basic responsibility.

But let’s say that you’ve met that most basic obligation. What’s next? Give to your local church. In Galatians 6:6 Paul writes, “Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches.” This seems to follow the Old Testament practice of tithing to support the Levites, those who taught God’s people. A good way to apply this is to say that most of your giving should support this local church.

B. Opportunities

Now, beyond these two, we don’t see commands of obligation in the Bible. But we do see descriptions of opportunity. For example, Paul made it clear he wasn’t commanding the Corinthians to give to the destitute churches in Judea, but he presented it as a compelling opportunity (2 Corinthians 8:8).

So you’re providing for your family, and you’re giving a faithful amount to your church. But you still have money left over that you don’t need. What do you do? You try to figure out the best, most strategic way to spend that money so that you’ll be able to give good account for it on that last day as you stand before Christ.

Perhaps you give more to your church because of the good things they’re doing. In fact, I hope that over time as your income grows, you give a larger portion of it to your church each year. God wants us to not only grow in our hope, faith, and love - he wants us to also grow and excel in our giving (2 Corinthians 8:7). Or you might use your excess money to have a big party in your neighborhood to help you meet new people who don’t know the Lord. Perhaps you give to support a local homeless shelter or a missionary overseas. You could lend your car on the days you don’t use it. You could loan money to help a friend struggling to get out of debt.

A side note here: a clear application of the biblical teaching on lending is that you should never charge interest on a personal loan made to a brother or sister in Christ (Exodus 22:25, Luke 6:34-36). After all, the person is needy, and we’re to show mercy to those in need. You don’t want to profit from their precarious situation.

So there are lots of opportunities for your money. Your job is to determine how you can make the most of them for the glory of God.

IV. How Should We Give?

Finally, let’s answer the question of how we should give. To do this, we’re going to primarily look at what Paul says 1 Corinthians 16:2: “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.”

There are 5 biblical admonitions that we can take from this verse.

Giving should be:

A. Periodic

We should give regularly. Paul says, “On the first day of every week,” when the church gathered. Do we prioritize our giving to the church? Do we give our firstfruits up front or do we give out of what’s leftover at the end of the year or the end of our lives?

B. Personal

We’re each responsible to give. Paul says, “each of you.” We can’t assume that just because the church is giving, we’re giving.

C. Planned

We should give deliberate thought to our giving. Paul says to put aside our money. When we plan our budgets, we should plan our giving. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 9:7, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart.” This is a decision to pray about and think about, not one to make in the hustle and bustle of a Sunday morning.

D. Progressive

We should give according to our means. Paul says someone should give “as he may prosper.” The more God prospers us, the more we give. Presumably, the more God prospers us, the higher portion we give.

So for example, let’s say that Believer A has an income of $30,000 per year and Believer B receives $60,000 per year. Both give 10% of their income. With all else being equal, has Believer B given progressively? No, he hasn’t. After giving, Believer A has $27,000 left to live on, and Believer B has $54,000, or twice as much. Believer B could actually give 20% and still have over $20,000 more to live on than Believer A.

Generosity is not measured by how much we give to God, but by how much we keep for ourselves.

E. Plentiful

Our giving is to be generous. Paul concludes his instruction saying, “so that there will be no collecting when I come.” We should give plentifully as we reflect on all that God has given us in Christ.

V. Conclusion

Jesus tells us, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35), and his words are really true. One of the greatest joys for Christians is being able to give generously. There is tremendous satisfaction that comes from seeing the fruits of our labor multiplied many times over in the lives of others. Money is a powerful thing, and when we use it well, it has potential to do incredible good. And that feels amazing. We should strive to excel in the grace of giving. Having been found faithful with little, God will be pleased to entrust us with more.

VI. FAQs

A. Not Giving to the Church

What should you do if you don’t want to give to the church because you disagree with how the funds are being used? Part of being a member of a church is that you may not agree with everything that the church does with its funds. The temptation then is not to give or to narrowly restrict how the donation may be used. Surely, if the church is no longer continuing in the teaching of Christ and his Church, we should not give the church our support (2 John 9-11). But if the disagreement is a secondary matter, such as paying too much for capital expenditures, then we need to continue to give but work toward unity (1 Corinthians 1:10). At the very least, we need to support the pastors among us (1 Timothy 5:17-18). If we were to stop giving completely, we would be disobeying God. We also need to make sure that narrowly restricting our gifts isn’t an act of selfishness on our part.

B. Giving to Non-Christian Organizations

Should we give to non-Christian organizations? God extends grace to everyone, so it’s not wrong to support a secular organization that feeds the poor, for example. That said, you don’t want to support an organization that is hostile to the gospel (2 John 9-11). But all things being equal, it would probably be better to give your funds to further the gospel by giving them to a Christian organization that feeds the poor.

C.Online Giving

Is it okay to give to the church through online giving? While scripture teaches that giving is to be regular (1 Corinthians 16:2) and part of corporate worship, giving can be done at other times, also, and should be a daily part of life. In fact, many people find that online giving actually helps with being regular in their giving. The normal objection to online giving is that such giving no longer becomes heartfelt because online giving is often automatically set up so that a certain amount is transferred each month. No doubt, you have to be intentional to give online. Such giving could supposedly make someone indifferent, but so could writing a standard tithe check each week. What God requires is a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7); that’s the important thing. The way you counteract any indifference in giving is by remembering Christ’s sacrifice for us and that all things are his.

D. Leftover Income

What do I do with leftover income after my giving and immediate expenses have been paid? There is a lot of freedom in answering this question. If you have debt, you can (and probably should) pay it off earlier. This provides more financial flexibility to support opportunities as they arise. You could give it all away; there’s nothing wrong with that, as you can bless many others through generosity. You could also save the money for anticipated expenses, such as a new car. The danger to avoid with saving is to make sure we don’t hoard riches and trust in our wealth.

E. No Leftover Income

Is it ever okay not to give, such as when you don’t have anything left over after necessary life expenses? Scripture expects that Christians will be generous and give (Matthew 6:2). Paul tells Timothy, “Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share” (1 Timothy 6:18). Therefore, it suggests that if Christians receive anything, they still should be in the practice of giving, even if it’s small. Otherwise, they lose out on the joy of giving and the opportunity to grow in faith. But there are certainly circumstances where a person is justified in not giving because of their impoverished position.

F. Giving in Faith

Should we give beyond our means as a way to stretch our faith? First of all, giving should always be planned and set aside (1 Corinthians 16:2). It would be foolish and reckless to give so much that you go into debt or become a burden to another. That said, God calls us to grow in the grace of giving (2 Corinthians 8:7). For example, the widow gave her two mites, all she had to live on. Having so little, she was surely mindful of what she had to live on. At the same time, we must give our firstfruits. This is practicing trust in God for the future, even when we don’t know what may happen the next month with our budget (e.g. our car may need repaired, and we don’t know how much it will cost). There’s no sure way to do this other than by faith. We don’t know the future, but we know our God and trust that he will care for his people.

G. Prosperity Gospel

What is the prosperity gospel and why is it wrong? The modern day prosperity gospel began in the early 19th century. Teachers of the prosperity gospel value Christianity for what we can get out of it materially. Followers of the prosperity gospel use God to achieve material prosperity. And so they elevate man, and reduce God to one who exists only for meeting the needs of humans. Biblical sacrifice, humility, and suffering are absent in such a theology. In the end, the gospel of salvation from sin is turned into salvation from a difficult, impoverished life.

H. Tithing

Are Christians obligated to tithe 10% to the church? 10% is no longer a strict requirement, as it was in the Old Testament, but it remains a helpful guide or bar to set for beginning to give to the local church. Under the New Covenant, God’s laws are written on the hearts of his people and giving is in proportion to what one has, which may mean more than a tenth of one’s income for modern-day Americans. New Testament Christians aren’t to give begrudgingly or under compulsion, but cheerfully. God is concerned that our devotion matches our donations.