Is it a Sin Not to Tithe?
By Nate Corley
“Is it a sin for someone who doesn’t have a job to not tithe?”
Let’s start with a bombshell: I don’t think it’s a sin for ANY Christians not to tithe.
*record scratch* “Wait, what?? You’re telling me I don’t have to give money to church? Aren’t you a pastor??”
I guess we’d better define some terms. In the Old Testament, to “tithe” meant to give 10% of your produce or livestock to support the worship in the temple (but it was likely closer to 20%, when everything is accounted for). In the New Testament, though, this command is never repeated. Christians, instead, are told to give generously to those in need (Acts 2:43–47; 4:32–37; 11:27–30; Gal. 2:10; 1 Cor. 16:1–4; 2 Cor. 8:1–9:15) and to support the work of those who preach the gospel (Matt. 10:9-10; Luke 10:7; 1 Cor. 9:6–14; 1 Tim. 5:17–18).
So in other words: Christians are called to GIVE…but not locked into a 10% figure. If anything, there are some among us who should be giving a lot MORE than 10%. The basic idea is to give freely, cheerfully, and generously. For more on why Christians aren’t required to tithe, you can check out this excellent article by Dr. Tom Schreiner:
So what does that mean if you don’t have a job? Well, let’s just note that your situation is not unique in church history. Most Christians in the church’s earliest days weren’t working a regular ol’ 9-to-5. Many were slaves, without regular income (though most slaves in Bible times DID earn some money and were allowed to own property, and even in some cases purchase their own freedom). Others were agricultural laborers or farmers, whose income was seasonal and irregular. Kind of reminds me of my life as a teenager before my first “real” job, when I would earn random money here and there for mowing a lawn or getting a check in my stocking at Christmas.
So are you required to give if you’re broke? Or have random money coming in here and there?
The answer is: yes. You’re not exempt from the call to give even if you have very little (look at the example of the poor widow Jesus commends in Luke 21:1-4!). But don’t think you’re locked in to only giving money. If you don’t have cash, you can give time: volunteering for Impact service opportunities; signing up to help prep communion before church; even calling Jim Ricco or Chuck Tucker and offering to help with church maintenance projects. You can also give other materials: clothing for a clothing drive; food for a food drive; or whatever (most of the offerings people “tithed” in the Old Testament were sacks of vegetables or small herds of livestock…not Venmo transfers).
The main things you don’t want to miss out on are:
The privilege of worshiping God through giving what you have
The way giving fills your heart with gratitude for God and care for others
The way giving loosens the grip of materialism on your heart. Those are things God wants you to benefit from, whether you have a job or not.
So don’t tithe, but DO give…no matter how much you have in your bank account.
For more on how giving generously transformed two uber-rich Harvard business majors, check out this excellent podcast episode from the Bible Project called “God and Money”
Reflection:
Take some time to read all of the Biblical passages listed in this article and write down anything that stands out to you.
What are some practical ways that you can be generous with your money, your time, your gifts, etc? Make a list.
Pick one of the things on your list and put it into practice this week!