Tithing and Giving

Coercion or Conviction?

Photo by Connor Hall on Unsplash

Let me start by stating that I believe in tithing. I believe in putting God first. I believe in giving God the firstfruits of everything: your labor, your day, and your time. I also believe in giving. God is a giver, and we’ve been created in His image. Like Paul, I believe that you should give with a cheerful heart (2 Corinthians 9:7). Give what you have determined in your heart to give, and give what you can afford to give (2 Corinthians 8:12-13). Act according to the conviction of your own heart.

You cannot out-give God. This is true. God gave His Son (John 3:16). We cannot out-give this. Jesus gave His life willingly. We cannot out-give this. Once Jesus ascended into heaven, the Holy Spirit came to live in us. We cannot out-give this. I believe this fact is indisputable. God gave the best heaven could offer. We in turn give our sin, our brokenness, and our needs. The best thing we can give to God is our hearts when we accept and receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

Unfortunately, whenever I hear the expression of not out-giving God, it usually refers to money. I have lost count of how many times I have watched some televangelists coercing their viewers to give, and not only give, but to give more than they can afford because "you cannot out-give God." If you have not predetermined to give, and only do so once you have listened to this "you cannot out-give God" message, it's not conviction. It's manipulation.

I have a problem with this. Everything we have, we received from God. He gives us the ability and the opportunity to earn an income. He expects us to be good stewards of the things He gives to us (Luke 16). This includes our finances. I don't think God ever desired that we should treat Him as a slot machine, be irresponsible in our giving, and then expect Him to provide more than we sowed. I remember that Jesus, quoting Deuteronomy 6:16, told Satan that we should not test the Lord our God.

We are told that God wants to bless us financially, and when we sow we can expect up to a hundredfold return (Mark 10:29-30). Many Scripture verses are quoted to justify this, including that God will give until it overflows (Luke 6:38). Some said that Jesus was rich because He had a treasurer. I have a few questions about this. If Jesus was rich financially, why did so many affluent women (Luke 8:1-3) in particular provide for His and the disciples' needs? Why did Peter have to fish for temple tax? Why, in the Book of Acts (Acts 3:6) do Peter and John say to the crippled man, "Gold and silver we don't have" when they heal him in the Name of Jesus? Why did Paul have to work to maintain himself on his journeys, and even testify that he learned to live with both plenty and scarcity (1 Corinthians 4:11-12) if God wants us to be rich, and if we can sow our way into financial blessings?

So many televangelists seemingly became exceedingly rich while the sowers remained poor, or became poorer because they didn't exercise good stewardship. God is not a genie in a lamp. He doesn't use magic wands to supply our greed (1 Timothy 6:10). He's not a slot machine in which we can deposit money, press a button or pull a lever, and spews out our jackpot.

God blessed us in so many ways, but the greatest blessing ever was the gift of Jesus. I think it's an insult to God to treat Him as our personal lottery ticket.

These are my thoughts. What do you think?