Should you tithe while trying to get out of debt?

I agree with you one hundred percent. We were both unemployed for two months this time last year and still tithed off of the savings that we were living off of. I wrote about this in my short e-book (http://www.whereyouarenow.com/blog/journey/) and believe that in order to be blessed, you must bless. We acted in faith and were provided for.

Good article!

I agree with you as well. My wife and I got married in the fall of 2006 and as we looked at our income decided to have over 10% of our total income automatically withdrawn from my wife's paycheck and put into a separate account. When I became unemployed in 2007 we didn't make any adjustments to that and never used the separate account for our own gains. We continued the model when we moved at the beginning of 2008.

Our problem is actually giving the money away! We believe that the tithe isn't just for supporting the local church but also the wider Kingdom. So we support missionaries, charities, and our church out of the separate account we have setup.

We almost always have money to give away when asked.

Great post! I would agree with you 100% that we should tithe no matter what as I don't find any conditions on tithing in the Bible. It's our duty as Christians.

I certainly believe you should continue tithing. It teaches us to trust in God with one of the most important things in our life, our money. And the thing is, our tithes are what runs the church. I have no problem giving to the local church because I know that money is going toward getting people saved, and isn't that what this life is about.

This is something my boyfriend and I fight over almost every Sunday! I make less than $140/month and I have no savings, no emergency funds, and often I'm very close to not making my bills. He doesn't think I should be tithing, and I'm pretty adamant about it now that I've started. Very timely post!

I would agree also. My wife and I have paid off a significant amount of debt the last couple of years while tithing. We believe tithing is right! And God blesses obedience.

I like the article. Your precepts are on point, and i agree with your conclusion.

It's amazing how the money stretches when we tithe. I've experienced God's provision time and time again, when we've tithed in hard times.

Like you and others above, we hit hard times when we felt God's call for me to quit my job and stay home but we continued to tithe. Big shocker … God has provided for over a year now. Why are we so surprised when God provides? It's like being surprised that water quenches your thirst. He is always faithful.

I am glad to see so many others who have had similar experiences. The post I mentioned at the beginning of the article seems to only get comments arguing 101 reasons why you shouldn't tithe - I guess it is how people are finding it in the search engines… But for those of us who have seen firsthand the benefits of tithing, it is hard to do anything else!

Great article and comments. I will also jump on the tithing while paying off debt bandwagon. I give my father and mother all the credit for teaching me about tithing from an early age. My wife and I tithed faithfully while paying off the debt we accumulated until we became debt free about 7 yrs ago.

I agree too. One year my husband's division was eliminated and though he wasn't fired, his salary was cut in half. When we were figuring out how to handle our budget he insisted that we continue tithing as much as we had been so we continued to tithe on what our salary was before the cut. Well, I became a believer in the tithe after that experience because some how we always had enough money at the end of each month. And within 2 years, my husband had a better job with better pay and benefits than he did before. I'm a tither for life.

[...] Should you tithe while trying to get out of debt? [...]

Can a man serve two masters? Can he serve both debt and God with his money? How can God accept a gift from someone who still is a slave to something else? If there are no other options, I would say stop tithing and get out of debt.

- jared b.

Adamantly YES! God provides in amazing ways, as you have shared personally. And, we have too had the experience where a check has unexpectedly come in the mail when it was tight. We firmly believe it was God's way of saying He would take care of us.

[...] Should you tithe while you are trying to get out of debt? Does God expect you to contribute money to your religious organization while you are struggling to make you own ends meet? Bob from Christian Finances believes that the answer is yes. @sublingual's debt reduction tip: don't read catalogs you get in the mail." [...]

Tithing is a principle without conditions, and since it is a principle of firstfruits, there is no reason not to do it. If you put your tithe first you have the entire 90% left to pay your bills. When we return to God that which belongs to Him, we are demonstrating our love and trust in Him.

I do tell people that giving free-will offerings above and beyond their tithe is something they should stop (unless directed by God), while getting out of debt.

I do not agree. I do not tithe and I have many stories of how God has blessed me financially and in other ways. I think God would want you to first pay your debts. I would never agree that God would want you to short pay those you owe because of your tithe. I also think it is obsurd to believe that people would place giving to there local church over taking care of their family's needs.

Further-more the tithe is part of the law of which we are not under the law.

@Joshua We are to honor God first, family second, self third. Honor God first and the rest will fall into place. Give to God with what he has blessed you with and he will make sure your need are met.

Joshua: Why would you think its absurd that people would give to their local church over their family needs? Jesus told the Rich Young Ruler to sell all he had and give it to the poor. The early church put all their possessions together.

And as far as not being under the law anymore. In Luke Jesus did say that the Pharisees tithed but neglected loving God. But he tells them to do both.

Luke 11:42

42"Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.

Its obvious from your post that your looking to yourself to take care of your family needs, and I think God would want us to look to Him instead.

The answer to your arguement with Luke 11:42 is very simple the Pharisees were under the law prior to the resurrection as jews.

Out of respect I will avoid pasting links to a 22 part video series on youtube of why tithing is not for today. I will also not post links to numerous web site that offer biblical proof that tithing is old covenant. You reader "if they want to" find proof there are plenty of materials available through google.

I will have fun having this debate with you later because my lunch is over. I am a seasoned Bible scholar.

@Joshua No debate necessary: Why don't you WANT to give? Law or no law, we should WANT to give.

I do give, but I do not give to fund the churches mortgage on a building they only use 20% of the week.

I give directly to the needy because then I get the reward of seeing the smiles on the faces of the people I help. Why pay the church to do what God asked us to do directly? We all are responsable to give to the least of these.

Hope your readers like the challenge I am issuing. Some will see depriving the institution to care for the needy directly as the christian robin hood approach. If churches have to choose between saving the institution or taking care of the needs of the average people they will likely choose the paying the church mortgage every time. Why should I short pay my mortgage so they don't have to short pay theirs? That means that single mother trying to raise a family on her own will likely be forgotten.

@Joshua I agree with you on that argument and practice the same giving habit.

Good then I am glad I stopped by.

Nice to meet you!

[...] Christian Personal Finance discusses tithing while you get out of debt. [...]

Only 90% of your money is yours. You can give 10% with a cheerful heart in the form of a tithe, or it will be taken from you in the form of an untimely expense, perhaps a home or car repair, or an unexpected medical bill. Do the math. That expense often adds up to 10% of your income.

anonymous:

Glad I don't serve your God. Tithe is old testament and if you want to debate just ley me know and I will have a ton of resources posted in my next comment that biblically prove that the tithe is the law that we are no longer under. You how ever sound like a person that has placed themself under the law. God is not an extortionist. God cannot be manipulated by the remote control of our giving. I have been blessed with every spiritual blessing and yet I give directly to the needy and refuse to give to the institutional church. New Testament giving is completely different. Even in the old testament the tithe was ALWAYS food NOT money. If you want to debate let me know.

Joshua: I don't care to debate you on the tithing issue because I believe you're right in saying that it was required under the old law and the only time its found in the New Testament is when referencing the old law. I give to my church not because I believe God is going to strike me down if I don't, but because I believe in supporting my local church and their mission to reach the lost.

Do you attend a church? By what you've said it seems that you think giving to the church is almost a waste of money because they're not used very much. And I can see where you're coming from because a lot of churches build large buildings, fellowship halls, and gyms and rarely use them.

A church in my community built a huge gym a few years ago that probably cost them close to a million dollars and its never open to the public, you either have to be a member or come with a member to get in when it is open. I wouldn't want to give to that church either. But why not find a church that shares your same mindset for giving to the needy and support them.

Youreverydaychristian:

I see no reason to join a institutional church. My spiritual church are the friends I gather with for fellowship. The say study to show yourself approved. Plus church is more of a spectator sport dominated by a dream team of leaders and clicks. Giving directly to the needy is an act of worship in itself. The modern model of church does not allow the members of the body to participate in the service which is contrary to the first churches in the book of ACTs. Now we have created fast food communion compared to the first christians in the book of ACTs having an actual meal in remembrance of what Christ did. Maybe considering the way a healthy human body functions is a better example of how the church body should function. We should have a church without walls instead we have a church body that is all head and no body. Maybe this is another topic for another day. Consider this…. in America it is a fact that the most prescribed drugs are for anxiety and depression. The institutional church is so busy trying to preserve itself that it is disconnected with the pain of the average struggling American and the needy people sitting in it's pews week after week.

Great article. I am a single parent and am having a hard time financially. I have not been tithing and am having trouble going out on that limb, since I can't make ends meet as it is. I do donate my time to my church, but not tithing financially. I know that I need to tithe, and am praying that God will strengthen my faith in this area. Please pray for me in this area. Thank you.

Tammy is a perfect example of what I was saying above. The church should be giving to single mothers like Tammy and never taking from or accepting tithes from people who struggle. How did we become a church that takes instead of gives? Let me see???? Should I pay the church mortgage or my own? I have never given to the institution and God is blessing me. The tithe is law and we are not under the law. If we are obligated to tithe then we are obligated to follow all the laws in the book of Leviticus.

Hi Joshua,

No one questions that God blesses you for choosing not to tithe - you're not alone; for He blesses many others, INCLUDING those who actually tithe. What you should calmly consider is that Scripture does not advocate the idea of making your own anti-tithing experience the law for others who are tithing. Let God be God in responding to those who tithe.

Like you, I once vigorously argued against tithing for Christians, using the same retired argument as you did - "The tithe is law and we are not under the law." For example, so many people go around such verses as Matt. 23:23 on tithing by arguing two things, that:
1. Jesus addressed the Jews, not Christians;
2. He spoke those words before Calvary:
. . . and then they conclude Jesus' statement ("these ought ye to have done, and NOT TO LEAVE the other UNDONE") in Matt. 23:23 is NOT for Christians! It was not until recently that God graciously humbled me to see that most of these anti-tithing arguments are mere excuses.

You said: 'The tithe is law and we are not under the law. If we are obligated to tithe then we are obligated to follow all the laws in the book of Leviticus.'

If that idea stands, then perhaps no Christian should take anything from the Law into his/her Christian faith. What's more, we could also make the excuse that 'loving God' is also Law, and we are not under the Law!! Please let me explain:

In Matthew 22, a Pharisee asked the Lord Jesus about "the great commandment in the LAW" (v. 36). Jesus responded by quoting a verse from the LAW (like Deut. 6:5) - "And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." (see Matt. 22:37).

The amazing thing is that these dear folks cannot use the same argument againt Matt. 22:36-37! WHY? Was He not also addressing the JEWS? Did He not quote the same LAW of Moses? Did He not speak these things BEFORE Calvary? So why makes excuses for Matthew 23:23 and shy away from using the same rule of arguments against Matthew 22:36-37?

Let's come back to your assertion: "If we are obligated to tithe then we are obligated to follow ALL the laws in the book of Leviticus".

Unfortunately, that misses the true spirit of God's ways and Word. Should we also argue the same for Matt. 22:37 by saying: "If we are obligated to love God then we are obligated to follow ALL the laws in the book of Deuteronomy"?!?

God is not asking you to follow ALL the Laws of Leviticus or Deuteronomy in a legalistic manner. Indeed, we're not under the Law, but God has laid some godly principles in the Law for the people of faith, ie. Christians. Arguing wholesale against the Law is the reason why many people fail to consider what the apostle Paul declares: "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, WE ESTABLISH THE LAW" (Romans 3:31).

God does not call us as Christians to make our lives and worship a matter of "obligated" or "required" - that is legalism. He simply invites our hearts to participate in the fellowship of His Son in joyfully giving to God what belongs to Him, in as much as we render to Caesar what belongs to Caesar (Matt. 22:21).

Slowly, I'm healing from these typical anti-tithing arguments that sadly mishandle the Law. I've closely watched a few people who were tithing while they were heavily in debt. God has quietly proven His power in their lives in such a way as to challenge me and my friends deeply. I hope that you would calmly consider this as well, while looking to God to demonstrate that He is more than our clever human arguments against His Word and ways.

Many blessings.

Just for the record I do tithe directly to the needy. The reason I do this is to make sure the money addresses the specific needs of people I intimately know. I do not want money going toward church mortgages or rent payments when people in this economy are struggling to survive.

God loves a cheerful giver and I have found a way to cheerfully give.

Okay Josh, no worries. My deepest apologies where I might have wrongly read you. Before posting my comments, I'd taken some time to read through those preceding mine and had mistakenly concluded you had chosen to not tithe - from your comments earlier:

'I do not agree. I DO NOT TITHE and I have many stories of how God has blessed me financially and in other ways.' [see yours of January 14, 2009 @ 1:58 pm, emphasis mine]

.

However, if you're sharing with us just above that you DO tithe, good to know.

Warm regards.

Hi Bob,

I'd like to thank you for the very helpful resources on your website. It's amazing to read many people testifying of God's response to their faith in tithing - that's quite a challenge, and reinforces a confirmation of those other few that I've witnessed firsthand. It may not make sense to those of us who have once vigorously argued against it; but God has been merciful in bringing conviction to help me follow this example of faith.

May the Lord Jesus enlarge you and bless the fruit of your labours for His Name sake.

Gwaine.

Gwaine:

Just drawing a differentiation between the needy and the institution.

Josh

I appreciate your distinction. However, giving to the needy (Gal. 2:10) does not negate giving in church (2 Cor. 8:24). We should not confuse them in order to prefer one to the other, for doing so simply means we're setting our own prejudices over God's Word.

Gwaine:

Actually in God's word the poor get more preferential treatment then the temple / priests.

I like the words of Jesus:

Matthew 19:21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

I wonder why Jesus didn't say give the money to the temple or the priests because this would have been the perfect opportunity.

There's actually a balance in Scripture on these matters, while not deviating from the core subject here (tithing while in debt).

First, the basic issue is about tithing - and I observed in your initial post that you 'DO NOT' tithe, although you tried to correct any wrong impressions that may have left me. Second, the point was made to not confuse giving 'to the poor' for giving 'in church'.

However, how many people quoting Matthew 19:21 actually obey Jesus' statement in that verse in all honesty? This was why I said that God is more than our clever human arguments on matters like this.

You said: "I wonder why Jesus didn’t say give the money to the temple or the priests because this would have been the perfect opportunity."

Well, if we have to raise issues from Jesus' direct statements in the Gospels on giving, perhaps Luke 21 answers your quest for giving 'money to the temple'. There Jesus commended the poor widow for giving "ALL she had to live on" (vv. 1-3). Do we truly give "ALL we have to live on"? And oh, you won't find that in the Law of Moses - yet, that is precisely what the Lord Jesus commended to challenge our hearts.

It's not quite a healthy practice for us as Christians to cherry-pick verses to buttress our prejudices and preferences. We could give to the poor in whatever way we choose - and there are loads of verses in both the OT and NT to inspire and encourage that. However, there are also verses pointing us to the proof of our love in committed giving in Church.

The one is not confused for the other; nor does God's Word make the sort of partisan choices we often try to force-read into the text. Apart from the convenient excuses we sometimes make to justify why we choose just one aspect over the other, we find at the end of the day that Scripture sets a sound balance before us.

Gwaine:

You will find no model in scripture for the way institutional churches are conducted today. You arguement can work against you in as much as it can work against me.

In the old covenant we were engaged to God and in the new covenant we are married to God. These are two entirely different positions. True some of the old rules in dating are applied, but not all. As a believer I am now God's bride.

I respect your opinion, but still choose not to give to the unscriptural institution man created.

Joshua,

Thanks for your reply. A discussion on the 'institutional church' is a different thing from what we're discussing. If you "refuse" by choice to give anything in church, that's your preference - and I can respect that. However, that argument simply falls flat on its face because it is the sort of unrelated illation that most people wave for their anti-tithing stance. I know - because I've been there. What you call 'institutional churches' does not mean Hebrews 10:25 is no longer applicable in our lives. That is another subject on its own, so let's not deviate from the present one.

The second point in yours is also unrelated. I don't see how Scripture bears testimony to your distinction between the old covenant (we were "engaged") and the new covenant (we are "married") to God. First, please be consistent - the OT never said that "we" (as Gentiles) were "engaged" to God. I may have missed it, so please share if you find it actually teaches so (we're all learning). However, the apostles did not mix up Jews and Gentiles together in the privileges and blessings of the old covenant. In fact, Paul writes in Ephesians 2:11-12 that the Gentiles were "aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise" (KJV). Yet, indeed as Christians we're constituted to be His bride (Rev. 21:9).

Second, in the OT it is God who called Himself the "husband" of His people ISRAEL (Isaiah 54:5 and Jeremiah 3:14), and also describes how Israel in a figure became His "wife" (Ezek. 16:8ff). In other instances, He prophetically declares that they would be bethrothed to Him (Hos. 2:19-20).

We cannot hold just a few verses to make unbalanced assertions, even though they are unrelated to the present subject being discussed.

Gwaine:

I am off to run some errands, but here is my final comment of the moment.

I have read the scriptures you have referenced and do encourage others to read them before they assume either you or I are correct on this matter. I am confident that the scriptures can speak for themself. There are also many great articles that come up both for and against tithing if you do a simple google search.

I used to be for tithing and after graduating from Bible College my views changed.

One thing I've always encouraged is for people to check and re-check whatever is being said by anyone. So yes - the references are there for what we've shared both ways. It's interesting how our previous views have changed to the present, but I'm still wondering what to make of your last line above. You used to be for tithing; then you DO NOT tithe; and yet again "just for the record" you DO tithe directly to the needy. Am I missing something here?

Google has been a great help in my checking the arguments on either side - and it was precisely that exercise that convicted me of one simple fact: most anti-tithing arguments often recycled are tenuous.

No reason for any debate here, but I happen to know that a lot of the old testmant fundamentals apply to my life and walk with Christ.

True we are NOT under the Law "which brings a curse now" and "no flesh shall be justified by the works of the Law"

Jesus Christ spilt His blood as the ultimate sacrafice for all mankind. Those of us under the New Covenant look to Jesus as our great High Priest now. With the Law, you could not go directly to God, but you would have to bring them to the High Priest, and the High Priest would represent in behalf of those. That is what 1/3 of Hebrews is talking about, "why would you want to back to the Law?"

However, the Old Testmant is still valid and still pertains to us, and also show us the heart of God.

Examples: Under the Law, man was forbidden to eat the blood of any animal, whatsoever. You had to drain the blood out first and then cut it up to eat.

But that Law is still valid today, as it says in Acts 15:19-20 "Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God,
but that we write to them to ABSTAIN from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, FROM THINGS STANGLED, AND FROM BLOOD."

We are still told by God to keep abstaining from drinking blood, yet we are not under the law, but it still applies to us.

The #1 Commandment in the Old Testament is still the #1 Commandment in the New Testament, to this very day "To love thy God with all your heart, mind, and soul"

The 10 Commandments. Even though our salvation does not depend on living up to them, because Jesus has already done that. Most still apply to us today. At least me anyway…If I happen lie, or keep overgiven change, then of course I bow down and repent asking for forgiveness.

Everytime I see a rainbow, It reminds me of the covenent He gave to Noah and to all generations there after, and no one can take that away.

Bottom line, "ALL scripture is inspired by God" Old and New Testament. Jesus said His Word will never pass away, and He has spoken as the Great I AM in the Old and New testament. He tells us to "meditate on it" "learn from It", and also says "His Word will never return back to Him void"

Either we believe the whole bilbe or don't believe it all. If we did not have the Old testament, the New testament would make no sense to us, and just as we try to obey the 10 Commandments, we are also still held under a Old Testamant Law "Do not drink the blood of any animal"

My whole point here is, I have read this post from top to bottom, and I can see how Satin creeps into churches or believer's to start arguing and debating, when we should be typing about winning souls over to Christ.

I love my walk with God, and would not replace it for nothing! I have gave to people in need, bible league, church and many other places.

I do not consider my offerings as a tithe to God anymore. That is like me telling God how He should spend His money.

I love to take 10% of my money first and tell God "here is your money, you know where this needs to go a lot more than I do" Then I thank Him for the rest that I have left over. There is just something so ausome that happens when we stand in faith, even during hard times because I know He will never break His promise to make sure I am feed. If you ever stop to think about it, there are only 2 things that Jesus ever marveled here on earth. It was a person's "Faith" or "Unbelief"

God is just, and has never failed me in 5 years. I recently got layed of here in California, and I am on unemployment right now, and I can't wait to give to God. Like it was said above "giving is better than recieving" and I give to God and those in need.

It reminds me of when Jesus and all the desciple where gathering up money together, and a woman came up and cheerfully and willingly gave what she had with all her heart, which was: with two mites. That is why Jesus said "this woman has given more than anyone here, for she gave her last.."

Jesus concludes "Give unto what Ceaser's and give to God, what is God's"
cut and dry.

Advise: Pray to your Best Friend (and Father) in Heaven, and listen to Him and His Word.

May God Bless You all and keep us all on the right track!
Todd

Todd, that was awesome - thank you for sharing your heart.