Christian Financial Responsibility

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Responsibility to Family

The scriptures teach that Christians should be diligent to provide for their families. Any Christian who is able to work but makes no effort to support his or her family “is worse than an infidel”. Jesus Christ Himself taught that a Christian should first provide for his or her family before using personal income for other purposes, including offerings to God. Jesus condemned the Jews who gave offerings, or “corban,” to the temple treasury while neglecting their needy parents. God does not want Christians to neglect the basic needs of their families in order to give tithes and offerings. Those Christians who have a limited income and are able only to meet their basic needs have no actual increase from which to tithe. God desires mercy and not sacrifice.

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Responsibility to the Needy

Christians are commanded by Jesus Christ to support the poor and needy among them with compassion and understanding. A Christian attitude of true love and service should be the basis for all giving. God desires each one whom He has prospered to give cheerfully and willingly from the heart as he or she is able. Those who have an abundance but do not give because of a selfish attitude are guilty of covetousness and are sinning before God.

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Responsibility to the Church

In today’s world, money is required to fulfill the commands of Jesus Christ to preach the gospel, to feed the flock of God and to care for the needs of the church. Therefore, Christians are directed by the Lord Jesus Christ to share their financial resources with those who serve in the ministry of God. Paul wrote, “Don’t you know that those who are laboring in the sacred things of the temple live of the things of the temple, and those who are ministering at the altar are partakers with the altar? In the same way also [Greek houtoos, likewise, in the same manner] the Lord did command [Greek diatassoo, to order, to direct, to command] that those who preach the gospel are to live of the gospel” (I Cor. 9:13-14).

Those who receive support from their brethren are accountable to God and to the brethren as to how these tithes and offerings are used. Any minister who merchandises the brethren by using intimidation, compulsion or fear in order to extract tithes and offerings from them will receive stern judgment from God.

God warns His servants against exploiting the poor of His flock and taking from the meager provisions of the needy. However, God honors and blesses the poor who give as they are able, no matter how small the amount, even as Jesus commended the poor and needy widow who gave her mite.

Scriptural References

The Scriptural Principle of Tithing

God created the earth and all the resources of the earth from which physical wealth is derived. Although God owns all the resources of land and sea, He has given all these things to mankind to use and to enjoy. By using what God has created, mankind is able to grow food, raise animals, harvest the forests, mine the earth and fish the seas. Because God has given all these things to mankind, He requires that men acknowledge Him as the Almighty Provider and Sustainer. The Scriptures reveal that God instituted the principle of tithing in addition to freewill offerings as a perpetual way for mankind to honor Him. The Old Testament declares that tithes and offerings belong to God and are “holy unto the Lord.” Jesus reaffirmed this truth when He said, “Render ... unto God the things that are God’s.” The account of Abel’s offering in the book of Genesis makes it clear that this practice existed from the beginning of mankind and was not restricted to God’s covenant with Israel at Sinai.

Before the establishment of the Old Covenant, tithes and offerings to God were given to Melchizedek, the priest of the Most High God. The book of Genesis records that Abraham gave tithes to Melchizedek. Isaac and Jacob undoubtedly gave tithes and offerings to Melchizedek as well. When God established His covenant with Israel, the tithes and offerings were transferred to the Levitical priesthood. God said, “And behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel.” Under the Old Covenant, God required His people to give Him the firstfruits of their harvest and the firstborn of their livestock as well as a tenth of the increase they derived from their crops, livestock, mining precious minerals from the earth, and profit from merchandising.

God said through the prophet Malachi that the priests were violating God’s commands by offering polluted offerings and robbing God. Likewise, those who did not give the tithes and offerings to the Levites as God had commanded were robbing God.

Under the New Covenant, the priesthood of Melchizedek has replaced the Levitical priesthood, and the scriptural authority to receive the tithes and offerings of God has been transferred back to the order of Melchizedek. Jesus Christ, sitting at the right hand of God the Father, now holds the eternal office of High Priest of the order of Melchizedek. Christians today give their tithes and freewill offerings to support the work of Jesus Christ through His church, or they are robbing God.

In following the scriptural principle of tithing, each Christian is individually responsible to determine his or her true increase. Jesus said, “Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s,” showing that taxes should be paid to “Caesar” (civil governments). Taxes are excluded in determining one’s increase. Also excluded are expenses related to one’s business or employment, which reduce actual net income. Christians whose incomes are so limited that their entire net income is required to meet basic living expenses have no true increase in God’s eyes on which to tithe. The giving of money is not required for salvation. However, if God has financially blessed a Christian, he or she should willingly give as led by the Holy Spirit. Each Christian should give from the heart in a willing attitude of love and service, according to the blessings that God has bestowed—both spiritually and physically. God has promised to bless those who tithe and give offerings with all sufficiency in all things.

Scriptural References

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