Tithing is the God-appointed manner in which His ministry on earth is funded. For the Israelites, tithes primarily supported the priests who did God’s work since they had no other income (Deuteronomy 14:27-29). Jesus directed His disciples to receive support from those to whom they ministered (Matthew 10:9-10) and He Himself was supported by several women “from their own means” (Luke 8:1-3). The Apostle Paul affirmed Jesus’ teaching outright (1 Cor. 9:14), was himself supported by the Macedonians (2 Corinthians 11:9) and took up offerings to provide for those in need in Jerusalem (1 Corinthians 16:1-4; 2 Corinthians 9:5-15; Acts 24:17). For a modern-day Christ-follower, tithing supports all that the church does, whether purchasing curriculum for children’s ministry, rescuing women from the sex trade, or planting a church in a new community to reach more people who are lost and hurting. Tithing funds everything God has called the church to do, and importantly, tithing plays a large role in determining the church’s ability to fulfill the specific vision God has for it.

God promises blessings when we tithe (Malachi 3:10; Proverbs 3:10). While such blessings may come in various forms, such as financial blessings, protection, favorable health, and the like, there is no limit to what this may mean. Indeed, being “blessed” quite simply means having supernatural power working for us. While God doesn’t “need” our money, we most certainly need His blessing.

Scripture teaches that when we return to God a tenth of our income, that we do so first, before we use our income for other purposes. Various scriptures refer to bringing God “firstfruits” or the “firstborn” (See Exodus 23:19; Deuteronomy 14:23; Proverbs 3:9).

This is in keeping with the understanding that when we tithe, we put God first and trust in His provision. Of course, it takes faith to give to God first, before we know if we will have “enough” money. Perhaps that is why God says to “test Him in this” (Malachi 3:10). Just as the Israelites would give the firstborn lamb before they even knew whether the ewe would produce more animals, giving God our “firstfruits” means we return to God the first of our income, not whatever is left after all the bills are paid. By doing so, we then actively trust Him to meet our needs.