Finance Friday: Tithing FAQs

I made a mistake.

I made a very recent (this week-ish) mistake in tithing, and this honest mistake led me to write a follow-up post about it. 

Another thing that led me to write this post about tithing were the questions I received from last week's post, and, hey, that's a great thing!

So last Friday, I talked about the reasons why we should want to tithe. Take note that I continue to highlight “want” in my statements. The message I want to relay is this: tithing should be more than a mere obligation. It should root from a deep desire to serve God. Thus, we should want to do it.

I just want to clarify that, before anything else, tithing should be done willingly and not begrudgingly. Perhaps the Filipino phrase, "bukal sa loob," describes it best.

What was that mistake I made? I want to talk about it later in my post, so if you're patient enough, please read through this entire thing first hehe. I promise I'll make it worth your time.

You see, tithing is not like ordinary saving where you take a portion of your income and take it somewhere else. It is something that you need to mull over and pray over. I am, in no means, an expert on tithing but I want to help you (and my sole reason is to bring you to God). To do that, let me share with you the questions I received about tithing.

1. Can I tithe to charity organizations and not the church?

Please, please, please, if you have deeper Biblical knowledge about this, correct me if I'm wrong! What I know is that in the Bible, tithes are meant to be the means of livelihood of the church-workers before anything else. What I understood is that even though tithes are also given to charity, they are, before anything else, meant to feed the church-workers and their families. This means the priority is not charity though it is included.

However, I understand that many are still not rooted to a church. Frankly, I am not yet rooted to a particular church (but let me clarify that this is because of circumstance and NOT by choice). My tithes don't have a regular recipient but I do give to a certain charitable institution sometimes. Now, let me clarify that this institution is run by a Christian church, which means my tithes do benefit the church-workers, too.

In a nutshell: I think that yes, you may give to charity, but to fulfill the Biblical purpose of tithing, it should be one run by a Christian church.

What if God is prompting you to give to an individual? Let's talk about that later.

2. Can tithes be less than 10% of my income?

I am not the best person to answer this because I can be legalistic. However, I want to try. If we base it on the Old Testament, I guess the answer is no. This is because in many verses about tithes, God specifies 10% and not just any portion of the income.

Leviticus 27:32
And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the Lord.

But God is a gracious God and, while He is also just, I feel He would favor Grace over legalism. If you're not used to tithing, I guess you can begin with a smaller portion of your income. Keep in mind that the keyword is "begin." You should eventually be used to tithing until you can give the Biblical 10% - and even more! Don't make stealing from God a habit!

Also, if you commit to give a certain amount to God, remember that this is a regular commitment and not a one-time thing. Again, don't make it a habit to steal from God because the only one who will reap the disadvantages is - wait for it - you!

In a nutshell: 10% is the Biblical standard, but I guess (I'm not sure!) you can begin with a smaller amount. However, you should aim to give what the Lord requires and give whatever you commit to give regularly.

3. What if there's nothing left from my salary to tithe?