10. Under the Old Testament Law, everyone had to tithe on their income. T /
Wrong! 100% belongs to God! Jesus showed that God’s ultimate ideals far exceed the requirements of the Old covenant Law. Instead of not murdering, we should not even hate in our hearts; instead of refraining from committing adultery, we are not supposed to lust in our hearts (Matt 5:21-28). So why do we want to stick to the letter of the law when it comes to giving?
Instead of just a wooden giving of 10%, we are to emulate Him who held nothing back but gave us all that He has and is in His Son (Eph 5:1-2; Rom 8:32; 2 Cor 8:9; Phil 2:5-8).
This doesn’t revolve around giving a particular percentage of all we earn – but the giving of our whole selves back to Him (Rom 12:1-2). And if He has our hearts, He has our money anyway – and we will truly be prepared to give whatever amount He asks us to give, when, where and how He asks us to give it.
Going back to Abraham’s example of tithing to Melchizedek … most people never finish the story to find out what Abraham did with the rest of the spoils (which were actually other people’s belongings). In order to show his faith in the one true God as his provider, he actually gave back the remaining 90% (Gen 14:21-24). We shouldn’t really be using Old Testament examples as the ideal models for giving in the New Covenant, but if people want to tell you to copy Abraham’s example, then you’d really need to start at 100%, not just 10%!
Some people practice ‘reverse tithing’ – giving 90% and keeping 10%. This would not be practical for many people, but may be a healthier mindset to have. But the overall point is that there is no law stating an amount to give – it’s all His anyway. Just give whatever he tells you to give, or whatever is in your heart to give – whatever percentage that is, big or small. It may not even be a percentage, but may be a specific amount, and that may vary according to time and place. If you are not sure where to start, I suggest starting (or continuing) at 10% anyway, and then adjust from there as you need to and as you hear God leading you. The most important thing is that your heart motive is right – and then any amount you give, big or small, is acceptable to God.