What does the Bible say about tithing is one of the most-asked questions of Christian search engines — and the answer is more layered than a flat "give 10%." Scripture's witness is that giving is a spiritual practice rooted in trust, not a tax for membership.
The tithe is established in the Old Testament — Abraham gives a tenth to Melchizedek (Genesis 14:20), the law commands it (Leviticus 27:30), and Malachi 3:8-10 famously calls Israel's withholding of the tithe a kind of robbing of God. That passage also contains scripture's most direct invitation to test God: "prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven."
In the New Testament, the principle deepens but the exact percentage opens up. Jesus criticizes the Pharisees who tithed mint and rue but neglected justice and mercy (Matthew 23:23) — he didn't tell them to stop tithing, but he refused to let them use it as a substitute for the weightier things. Paul's framework in 2 Corinthians 9:7 sets the standard for Christian giving: "every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver."
A faithful default in most Christian traditions is to begin with 10% and grow from there — not because the percentage is sacred but because the practice forms generosity faster than reasoning does. Where you give matters too: the local church first, but also missions, the poor, and people God puts in your path. See also generosity, money, and worship.
Verses
Malachi 3:8-10
Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you ask, ‘How do we rob You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, yet you—the whole nation—are still robbing Me. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this,” says the LORD of Hosts. “See if I will not open the windows of heaven and pour out for you blessing without measure.
2 Corinthians 9:6-8
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not out of regret or compulsion. For God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
Matthew 23:23
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay tithes of mint, dill, and cumin. But you have disregarded the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.
Proverbs 3:9-10
Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your harvest; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.
Luke 6:38
Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”
1 Timothy 6:17-19
Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be conceited and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of wealth, but in God, who richly provides all things for us to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, and to be generous and ready to share, treasuring up for themselves a firm foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.
Reflection
If your bank statement told the story of what you love, what would it say?
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