CHURCH FINANCES, by Scott Landon
Director of Finance and Administration
BIBLICAL GIVING:
If ‘Money Talks,’ What Is Our Money Saying?
The following article was based on the content of position papers written by Pastor Rob
and his friend and counterpart at Christ Community Church in St. Charles, Dr. James
Nicodem. We thank them for their careful examination of biblical teachings on this
important subject and for allowing us to draw from their more extensive documents.
A huge part of your life and mine
revolves around money. A lot of our
time and effort goes into making,
spending, budgeting, investing, and
worrying about money. No doubt
that’s why God’s Word has so much
to say on the topic.
Did you know that Jesus talked about
money in 16 of his 38 parables? And
although the Bible has 500 verses on
prayer and 500 on faith, more than 2,000
verses talk about money and possessions.
So what does the Bible teach us about
how we are to handle the financial
resources God has entrusted to us?
What does God’s Word teach about
giving? What about tithing? Is there a
difference between how God spoke
to His people in Old Testament times
about giving and how He speaks to
the church today? Most important,
what does biblical giving look like for
those who desire to be fully devoted,
obedient, and joyful followers of Christ?
Old Testament Teaching
The word tithe (in its various forms) is
mentioned 31 times in the Old Testa-
ment, and in each case it means “a tenth
part.” The phrase “a tenth” also occurs
more than 30 times in reference to
giving. The Law instructed the people
of Israel in the giving of tithes, but it is
interesting to note that Abraham tithed
even before the Law was given (Genesis
14:20). He understood that tithing was
key to both worshiping God and giving
Him first place in our lives. Tithing was
also practiced in other early cultures,
37 LIFE at Wheaton Bible Church | Winter 2010–2011
even predating Abraham. Perhaps
this is the way God wired us from the
beginning. The Old Testament’s teaching
on tithing affirms our belief that God is
the source of all income and wealth.
New Testament Teaching
The phrase “a tenth” appears 11 times
in the New Testament in the context of
giving; however, Paul doesn’t use the
phrase, nor are there any commands
to either “tithe” or give “a tenth.” In the
New Testament, believers are taught
to pay taxes (see Matthew 22:15–22;
Romans 13:1–7) and give generously to
the work of Christ. The local church,
God’s ordained vehicle for ministry, is
the focus of New Testament giving.
These six principles describe key
New Testament teaching on giving
to the Lord:
• Giving is investing with
God (see Matthew 6:19–21;
2 Corinthians 9:6).
• Giving is to be substantial, if not
sacrificial (see Mark 12:41–44).
• Giving amounts are pro-
portionate to one’s income
(see 1 Corinthians 16:2).
• Giving is to demonstrate love,
not law (see 2 Corinthians 9:7).
• Giving is to be planned, not
haphazard; regular, not infre-
quent (see 1 Corinthians 16:2).
• Generous giving always
results in God’s blessing
(see 2 Corinthians 9:6, 10).
Proportional Giving?
So is tithing an Old Testament practice
that has been superseded by New
Testament teaching? Some have said
yes, concluding that since the New
Testament doesn’t command tithing,
tithing is now passé. They would use
the phrase proportionate giving to sum-
marize New Testament giving. But unless
proportionate giving is seen through
the baseline of the Old Testament tithe,
that terminology is too often reduced
to something much more random and
thoughtless than the biblical ideal.
The fact that Jesus endorsed tithing
in Matthew 23:23 is an important
indication that the giving of a tithe is
a specific application of proportionate
giving and is a practice for believers
of all times. The Christ follower who
practices tithing is simply practicing
basic obedience—and obedience is
foundational to our relationship with
God. Tithing says, I love you, Lord.
What does biblical giving
look like for those who
desire to be fully devoted,
obedient, and joyful
followers of Christ?
The Truth about Money?
Everything we have and the ability to
earn more comes from God, and when
we give the Lord the first 10 percent of
our income, we’re acknowledging the
fact that 100 percent of what we have
belongs to him. When we withhold
our tithe, we are acting as if the money
were ours to do with as we pleased. God
says this even more strongly in Malachi
3:8-10: “Will a man rob God? Yet you
rob me. But you ask, ‘How do we rob
you?’ In tithes and offerings . . . . Bring
the whole tithe into the storehouse.”
Today there is a growing gap between
what God’s people can and should give
and what they actually do give. A 2003
survey among evangelicals reflects that
they gave 4.4 percent of their income
to God’s work. Even though we are the
richest nation in history, we are becoming
less generous toward God with our
money. In light of Jesus’ consistent
teaching on the subject, this reality is
alarming. Far too many of God’s people
are living in disobedience in this area of
their lives. Few Christ followers today
are experiencing the blessing that
comes from bringing in the whole tithe.
It is infinitely better to face
our financial challenges
with 90 percent of our
income plus God than
to be hanging on to 100
percent of what we make
and leave God out of
the picture.
Two common responses:
I can’t afford to tithe. What if we told
the government that we couldn’t pay our
taxes until we had paid off our debts?
The government would probably remind
us that our taxes belong to them and
we are not free to withhold them for
any reason. Similarly, our tithes belong
to God and should be given to Him.
Obedience always brings God into the
equation. It is infinitely better to face
our financial challenges with 90 percent
of our income plus God than to be
hanging on to 100 percent of what we
make and leave God out of the picture.
I’ll grow into it. Does tithing seem
like “advanced Christianity” to you:
801- or 901-level course work? Many
believers reason that someday they’ll
grow into tithing. In the meantime,
they figure, there are more-basic steps
to be taken on their spiritual journey.
Nothing could be further from the truth!
Not only is tithing one of the basic steps
to spiritual maturity, but also, the Bible
teaches that learning to manage our What you should
money in a God-honoring way is a key to
experiencing overall spiritual progress: know about
Online Giving
“If you have not been trustworthy in
handling worldly wealth, who will trust
you with true riches?” (Luke 16:11).
If we get tithing wrong, it will be very
difficult to get anything else right in to Wheaton
our relationship with God. Tithing is
foundational! The greatest roadblock
to spiritual growth in the lives of many
Bible Church
Christ followers in an affluent culture
is their attitude toward money. We
cannot expect God to bless us if we This free and convenient service:
are not faithfully obedient, and we
cannot become mature Christians if • simplifies the giving process
we’re not generous. We long for you
to experience the blessing and joy • allows you to give 24/7
that obedient giving produces.
• improves stewardship
Take Up the Challenge! • encourages consistency
In Malachi 3:10, God issues an amazing
challenge to His people: • increases our administrative
effectiveness.
“Bring the whole tithe into the
storehouse, that there may be food
in my house. Test me in this,” says
the lord Almighty, “and see if I
will not throw open the floodgates Try it today! Go to
of heaven and pour out so much wheatonbible.org and click
blessing that you will not have on Online Giving at the
room enough for it.”
bottom of the home page.
Will you take up God’s challenge? Will You can either create a
you tithe for the next six months and
watch what happens? The blessing
login account—or “Pay as a
Guest” for a one-time gift.
God promises may not come in the
form of financial reward. It may be the
blessing of answered prayer, peace of
Easy to start, change, or stop!
mind, spiritual growth, clear direction No check writing!
in a decision, or healing of a broken
relationship. Some people have found No mail delays!
that just the simple act of calculating
the tithe brings structure and discipline No bank charge!
to the overall management of their
finances—and that, too, is a blessing!
May we be joy-filled, generous Questions? Email the Finance Department
stewards of our time, talent, and at financedept@wheatonbible.org or
treasure—fully devoted, obedient, call 630.876.6625.
and joyful followers of Christ who are
experiencing the blessing of being fully
devoted, obedient, and joyful givers. n
Winter 2010–2011 | LIFE at Wheaton Bible Church 38