Previously we considered why we should give. Now we turn our attention to another question: What should we give?
Notice the question – WHAT should I give? The question is not how much money should I give. God owns all of us (cf. Romans 12:1-2; 1 Cor. 10:31). Money is just one thing that we give and until we understand that God owns everything we will not live lives completely marked by generosity, both monetarily and otherwise. With that said, let’s begin to focus on what we should give regarding money.
Before giving some specifics, let’s discuss two extremes we need to avoid. The first extreme says that no matter what, for every person in every circumstance, God wants you to give a certain percentage of your money, usually 10%, and after that you can do whatever you want with your money. The danger with this approach is that it sets giving to be merely a duty to be fulfilled rather than an act of worship to be enjoyed. Taking this approach acts as if you ‘owe’ God a certain percentage and then the rest is yours.
The other extreme says that no matter what you are currently giving you should be giving more. Whereas the first extreme motivates you to give based on duty, this position compels you to give out of guilt. God does not want us to give begrudgingly and out of compulsion, but joyfully (cf. 2 Corinthians 8:9). A proper theology of giving should not always leave us with a guilty feeling of “I should be giving more.”
So with those two extremes in mind, what should we give? Throughout the Old Testament God’s people were commanded to give upwards of 25% of their income and material goods each year.[1] Surprisingly, the New Testament gives no such percentage requirement regarding our giving.[2] Rather, the repeated theme is that we should give liberally and sacrificially and proportionately. In 2 Corinthians 8-9 we find several instructive statements on giving: “according to their means…beyond their means” (8:3); “out of what you have” (8:11); “according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have” (8:12); “whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (9:6). People with greater wealth should give more than those with less; however, both should be generous and sacrificial in their giving (cf. 1 Cor. 16:2).
Our goal is not to tell you exactly how much to give – that’s up to each person. A heart captivated by the generosity of the gospel longs to be generous toward God and his people, often leading to giving more than 10% – but that’s not a legalistic standard. Ultimately, the question you have to ask yourself is, “Am I being generous and sacrificial in my giving?” Remember, everything rightly belongs to God so we are not asking “How much of my money should I give to God?” but rather we are asking, “How much of God’s money should I keep?”
[1] In the Old Testament God commanded a practice of giving that included an annual “Levitical” tithe (cf. Lv. 27:30-34), an annual “Festival” tithe (cf. Dt. 12:11-12; 14:22-27), and a triennial “Poor” tithe (cf. Dt. 14:28-29; 26:12). So each family gave at least 20% of their goods to God, with an extra 10% every third year; thus each family gave ~23 1/3 percent annually. This is in addition to the temple tax (cf. Ex. 30:11-16), gleaning rights (cf. Lv. 19:9-10), sacrificial offerings and other benevolent giving (cf. Neh. 10:32-33).
[2] Some argue that “tithing” ought to be normative for all believers. However, the “tithe” is only referred to three times in the New Testament (cf. Mt. 23:23; Lk. 18:12; Hb. 7:1-10), and each of these instances provides no direct teaching on giving.