Giving: how much, and to whom
How much to give?
The New Testament doesn’t have any commands about how much to give. There is no one-size-fits-all answer in deciding what percentage to give. People often say time is money. And I think it is similar to how God doesn’t tell us exactly how we should spend our time. It’s possible he wants us to each develop our own convictions.
10% of your gross income is a good starting point, based on the Old Testament idea of a tithe, which means 10 percent. But this is by no means a minimum nor a maximum. One cannot say that another believer is sinning if he does not meet this threshold of giving. However, the reason I say 10% of your gross income is a good starting point is in my experience, it’s never been a comfortable level of giving. There have been times where I’ve thought, wouldn’t it be nice to save more (and implicitly give less)? But the commitment I’ve made to Christ is this tithe that I give represents my understanding that everything is from God. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” (James 1:17) And when I give to Him, it is an expression of gratitude.
Another question to ask while giving is how are you giving? “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Cor 9:7) God wants us to give cheerfully, not begrudgingly.
Who to give to?
There are so many good causes and organizations one can give to. For the Christian though, the local church should be the place where your giving goes. Galatians 6:6 says, “Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor.”
Randy Alcorn in this sermon says:
Into the “storehouse.” This was something in Israel that you didn’t decide for yourself. The whole tithe went into the temple, for the work of the Levites. Closest parallel today to the temple is the church, the closest parallel to the Levites is the elders of the church. (You see that in Acts 2 in Jerusalem, where it says the money was laid at the feet of the apostles, who then decided how to distribute it.)
Seems to me the tithe should go to where the center of God’s program, which is the local church. Not to Focus on the Family, Prison Fellowship, Campus Crusade, mission boards, or Eternal Perspective Ministries. Now, the ideal is for the church to support those ministries. The New Testament church is not a storehouse, has a world evangelism focus temple didn’t have. It’s more a clearing house than a storehouse. Acts—apostles pass on to the needy.
Freewill offerings can go anywhere. Beyond the 10% we’re free to invest in eternity with freewill giving.
Giving above the tithe is called an offering and for these there is freedom to decide where to give. Some causes the Bible speaks of are:
- The work of proclaiming the gospel. The letter to the Philippians is basically a missionary support letter. And in Phil 4:15-16, Paul thanks them for their support in his missionary efforts.
- Giving to the needy. Galatians 2:10, “All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along.”
- Having a heart of generosity. Galatians 6:10, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” There are going to be needs all around us, treating people to a meal, opening up one’s home to others, helping those that are unemployed. If one has a heart that wants to “do good to all people” you will not only see these opportunities but desire to seize them.