Should I tithe while trying to get out of debt?
One very common question I get in workshops and through e-mail is how much to give while trying to get out of debt.
Before answering the question, it’s important to understand biblical teaching on generosity. The tithe, or 10 percent of one’s income, is the historical biblical starting point of generosity. The first example of tithing can be found in the book of Genesis which was well before introduction of the Mosaic Law. By the same token, since every positive New Testament example of generosity goes beyond 10 percent (read about Zacchaeus in Luke 19 and the poor widow Luke 12), it’s fair to say that the tithe is not the intended stopping point of biblical generosity.
When it comes to giving while in debt, one issue to consider is whether the person asking the question is in such dire straights that they literally cannot provide for their family while giving at the level of a tithe. I have met people whose finances have been so devastated by a divorce, an extended period of unemployment, medical problems, or other issues that they truly could not afford to give. In those cases, they should be on the receiving end of other people’s generosity until they get back on their feet.
The more common situation, though, is one where someone has taken on a load of debt through lifestyle spending or unwise investing. They now recognize their mistakes, want to get out of debt, and figure they could be out of debt much faster if they gave less for a while. For anyone in that situation, here are three ideas to pray and think about.
3 Ideas to Pray About
First, before deciding to give less than a tithe, consider all other options for freeing up money to put toward your debts.
Proverbs 3:27-28 says, “Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, ‘Come back later; I’ll give it tomorrow’—when you now have it with you.”
A good paraphrase of those verses is: “How serious are you?” Could you accelerate the payoff of your debts while still tithing if you went from a two-car household to a one-car household? What about going without your cable television subscription or even your home Internet connection? Or how about a temporary fast from buying new clothes? Take a hard look at every single line item in your budget.
When I read the depth and breadth of biblical teaching on generosity, starting with God’s instruction to make generosity our highest financial priority (Proverbs 3:9) and including the example made of the Macedonians, who in their “extreme poverty” pleaded for “the privilege of sharing” (2 Corinthians 8:2-4), it seems only right that other areas of lifestyle spending would be reconsidered before reconsidering the tithe.
My second suggestion is to pray for discernment . I have met numerous people who continued to give at least 10 percent while they were deeply in debt simply because they sensed that was what God was encouraging them to do. Most recently, a couple told me their story of starting their marriage with $50,000 of debt and continuing to tithe during the six and a half years it took them to pay it all off. The woman acknowledged that it wasn’t always easy. “Sometimes I would see our year-end giving statement, and I would say, ‘Gee, we could have gotten out of debt so much faster if we had put that money toward our debts.’” But they will never forget sending in their last debt payment. “It was amazing,” she said. “We felt like it was a hard road we had traveled, but we did it, and we did it in a God-honoring way.”
I have also met people who have sensed God’s grace, feeling very much at peace with the idea of giving less than a full tithe for a season, which brings me to my third suggestion. If you do decide to give less than a full tithe, at very least give an amount that constitutes a choice gift. That admittedly subjective standard goes all the way back to Cain and Abel. The spirit of biblical generosity is to give a meaningful gift—a costly gift, not a token gift.
Have you personally ever had to wrestle through the question of how much to give while trying to get out of debt? If so, what did you sense God instructing you to do and how did it turn out?
{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
I am still struggling with not giving a full tithe. I have been praying about how much to give, and I feel God is leading me to give about 5%. I am living on one income, and a full tithe would allow almost nothing for debt reduction. I have cut out everything that is not a necesity and have cut my spending money to about 1% of my take home pay. However, I have been looking for a part time job to supplement my income, and I just got called in for an interview later today. If I get the job, I am going to use those extra wages to fully tithe (on both incomes). While I truely feel God is leading me on the amount to give each month, I am so eager to be in a place financially where I can tithe and give more beyond the tithe. I agree everyone should tithe. For those who are not able to financially, they should pray and allow God to lead them. They should give something, though, even if it is only a very little bit.
Jennifer, don’t beat yourself up too much about not tithing. What matters most is giving with the right heart/spirit. God loves a cheerful giver. Your 5% may be more than many give.
Fact is, less than 3% of Christians tithe. I think for two reasons.
1. too much debt.
2. they don’t fully trust God to provide.
I suffer from both personally sometimes. I know God will provide, but my earthly “brain” wants to use logic and do things myself. We all do this I think.
I am facing a utility shut off and I am having a very difficult time trusting that God is going to provide. It is not that He doesn’t have the power, it is that He actually will do it. Maybe He is trying to teach me something. Maybe I did something wrong. Maybe it is because I don’t tithe regularly. I don’t tithe regularly because I don’t know how much to give and I am poor and can barely keep up with the bills now. I’m afraid that if I do tithe, I will have even less money to tithe and will end up in a worse situation than I’m in now…
I knew a man who had taken out a loan in order t have money to tithe. He could have benefited from this article. Thanks for posting.
I agree with the advice not to beat yourself up about not tithing, Jennifer. While I believe it’s appropriate to think of the tithe as a biblical benchmark — a place to move toward if we’re not there, and a place to move beyond if we are — it’s obvious that you have a desire to grow in generosity. I have to believe that’s pleasing and honoring to God.
True biblical holy tithes were always only money from inside Israel which God had miraculously increased. Only food producers inside Israel could tithe. Jesus, Peter and Paul could not tithe.
Mt 23:23 is before Calvary and is under the full jurisdiction of the law; therefore it is still Old Covenant. Read the text itself: Jesus was discussing matters of the law.
Firstfruits are never the same as tithes. Firstfruits were very small token offerings per Deu 26:1-4; Neh 10:35-37a. According to 1st Timothy 5:8 the Christian’s first should pay for medicine, food and essential shelter.
NT pastors are allowed to own and inherit property whereas OT Levitical tithe-recipients were not. NT giving is primarily sacrificial in nature and is not a percentage per 2 Cor 8:1-15.
My #1 spiritual gift is giving, but in January I slipped into a financial jam and decided to “delay” my tithe for that month. My faith in God providing, which is usually there, was lacking this time. Fast forward to February and I came across Leviticus 27:31: “If a man redeems any of his tithe, he must add a fifth of the value to it” (NIV). The Lord convicted me and I ended up giving the tithe + 20%. Honestly, it was hard at the time but yet I felt happy because I had no doubt it was what God wanted me to do. Even though I still have $23,000 of student loans that I so desperately want gone I believe that I am blessed with a good job and healthy family because I am faithful with my tithe.
My money is not my own – it is God’s and I am merely a steward of it.
God doesn’t want my money, He wants my obedience. It is for that reason, that no matter what the situation ( my husband and I are currently on the last months of our journey of getting out of debt, and for a while there it was pretty scary), we tithe first before even looking at a bill statement. It has been a journey of faith for me, and I can tell you many stories about how He has blessed us as we have gone along!
We were in debt for several years and as we prayed and also made some fairly drastic lifestyle changes we never felt like we could not tithe while decreasing our debt. After we were out of debt, the Lord spoke to us about giving more than a 10% tithe and in fact one year we felt like we should give 50% tithe of all our additional income received (we were self-employed and bid for our contracts). Oh my goodness! we started getting contracts coming out of the woodwork after that decision and we had so much work we could hardly get it all done! God is so good and whether you can tithe or not at this point – that is still true!
What if you live on a poverty-level income and have no expectation of being able to increase your income? Like if you’re subsisting and living with a scarcity mentality that says you have to hoard what little you can, because there will never be abundance..
This is a great article and a subject I’ve been struggling with. Right now as I tackle our debt with snowballing and snowflaking, I am giving half of my normal monthly tithe. I have however given more time to my church volunteering in different ministries. I know a tithe is meant to be monetary, and necessary for the church, but I feel as though giving my time is honored by God and necessary for the church is well. Maybe I’m just guilty of justifying putting my debt goals before Christ. Thoughts?
Tithing is really put to the test when one’s resources are meager or none. It takes alot of personal [stubborn] discipline to be able to break out of this enslavement. Tithing is a faith factor in one’s life. If you read Malachi 3:11 closely, you will notice that those are the blessings!
The poor widow’s attitude is a classic example of faith being put to the test whether the Lord would repay her back or not. It was her genuine love and fear of the Lord that moved her to do what she did.
I think the big question for me is whether the tithe should consist of gross or take-home pay. If the government takes the money before you even see it, I have a hard time with it being included in the 10%.
When I was at my lowest point financially (see “Surviving and thriving on $12,000 a year” on MSN) I nonetheless decided to give $20 a month to my church, along with the occasional “special offering” and $2 in the collection plate every Sunday. I just felt it was the right thing to do.
Every year since then I have increased the donation. Personally, I feel that each person has to do what’s right for him or her — and that God will guide each person in making that decision.
couldnt agree more donna, this is defintiely somethign that each person needs to figure out. the 10% is more of a guide than an expectation, at least it should be in these tough times. I have a hard time making my credit card payments, and i dont think i should be going deeper into debt just so i can keep up my donations.
I currently have no debts, have a paid off home, old cars with no loans, and no kids in school or college debts. But I’m not rich. I am in the poverty level and do at times have trouble between paychecks when the rent, insurances, taxes, and fees fall on the right day in a month. But a wise man at a church once said that God loves the one who give when they really cant. Now I realize all the televangelists tell you to send them $1000 even if its your last bit of money and God will make you a millionaire. Actually he says that you can join his millionaire club of which you are making him one. Sure enough he is one if you research his background. He lives in a San Diego development of $25 million dollar homes. He has his own $40-million dollar 30 room mansion on 25 acres of a double-gated compound. So he quotes the seed gift passages out of the Bible as his basis for you supporting his “ministry.”
Well, first of all he is the exact person Christ tossed out of the Temple for money changing. Second, the story of the widow’s mite comes to mind.
Third, do you believe God can see your actions regardless of how small? I believe he can and does see us do the little things and is pleased. Isn’t it great to know God is pleased with us at any given time in our lives. Remember the first time your kid opens the door for someone else at a mall? That’s the same thing. So I think the blessing part of giving is that God can truly take that dollar bill you give to your church when you are broke and turn it into $1000. As for giving 10 percent I hate to try to circumvent Biblical principles although how tempting it is to pay bills right away. I have been there and it just makes me feel bad. One pastor even preached on Christian welfare when you don’t tithe. So I found when I’m obedient with the tithe my life goes better personally and financially. I don’t know why its that way. Maybe I make better overall decisions when I’m in tune to the Lord. When I feel guilty then the Lord cannot get to me. But when obedient he may just give me wisdom necessary to easily replace the amount I tithed and then some.
But it goes further than that. Remember the tithe is the minimum, you still should help those in need. I found that being a liberal giver makes you more happy and productive in every aspect of life. Maybe giving is not money either. But I know this destitute and divorced mom with an ex who does not pay support for the 3 kids. She is an absolute saint and beautiful woman with 3 absolute darling kids. She is the biggest giver who works her hands to the bones and then takes time to help others and she is at her local church if the door is unlocked. She cooks for the kids in extended session and during choir rehearsals. God has blessed her beyond her imagination and its not financial. But I believe that will come later when God sends her a Godly husband of great resources.
What I struggle with when I read these comments, or anything encouraging one to tithe, is all of the statements saying that God will bless you when you give, and He will give so much more back to you. So, how many of us are giving just to be given something in return? How many are testing God? Or how many of us are actually giving simply because they want to, out of a joyful heart, expecting nothing in return?
I am currently doing all I can do to pay off debt (owe approx $22000 atm and have gotten rid of all extra expenses – no cable tv, use the library for all books, dvds, and etc.) and don’t give a 10% tithe. I did, however, receive a raise recently, and have since doubled my tithing amount per month. So, I have increased my tithe recently as well as money I am putting towards debt.
Even though I don’t give 10% at the moment, I firmly do not believe God holds it against me. How many times did Jesus speak against legalism in the Bible? God is not religious. He cares about love and a relationship, not a dollar figure. I want to give more, and that’s the very reason I am trying so hard to pay off my debt, so I can. But through it all God will always be by my side, holding my hand!
The widow’s mite is not an example of how to give; it’s an example of how the scribes were “devouring widows’ houses”. Consider:
1. Jesus actually says NOTHING to commend the widow for what she did. Words of praise are ABSENT.
NOTE: THERE ARE NO ADJECTIVES
2. Jesus’ statement is one of RELATING FACTS as He observes (She gave more than they all because she cast in all her living)
3. Jesus says NOTHING about how the widow FELT about what she gave.
NOTE: THERE ARE NO ADVERBS.
4. The warning to beware of the scribes “who devour widows’ houses” in vs. 40 parallels Jesus’ use of a widow as His example.
5. If this were a lesson on giving, Jesus could have just as easily chosen a “poor man” as His example – or simply a “poor woman”, but He was very specific in His choice of “a poor widow.” This ties it to His criticism of the Scribes who He said were “devouring widows’ houses in vs. 40.
Scripture repeatedly reveals God’s care for the widow, the poor, the fatherless and the stranger, and also reveals His anger at those who deprive them of what they need to live.
If we have read all of our Bible, the story of the widow’s mites, given in context of Jesus’ condemnation of the religious leaders, should make us cringe. The story reveals the repetition of their abuses and consequential inevitable judgment. If we teach the story of the widow’s mites as an example of how to give, we are no better than the Scribes and Pharisees of Jesus’ day….and we will receive the same judgment.”
Most pastors take this story out of its context. It makes no sense that Jesus, who is in the middle of a warning to His disciples about the scribes devouring widows’ houses, would suddenly interrupt the lesson with a story on giving by poor widows. I believe that the story is part and parcel of His warning and an illustration of how the scribes were “devouring widows’ houses.”
I have heard preachers and bible study teachers go so far as to say that the widow probably received more than she gave. This is patently ridiculous considering that the corrupt religious leaders were “devouring widow’s houses.”
Additional food for thought: Jesus had just condemned the corrupt system of Judaism – if this is an example of how to give, and if we are to follow the widow’s example, we would be giving everything we have to corrupt, apostate religious institutions.
Russel Kelly’s article at http://www.tithing-russkelly.com/ is very good and Bible-based, i.e. based on the word of God, not popular teaching. My only criticism is that I wish he would have more thoroughly repeated the content of his introduction in his conclusion, because his introduction offers a positive definition/description of what New Testament (i.e. disciples/followers of Christ) giving should look like.
Please, believers, for the sake of your love for what God Himself says in His word, stop stretching the definition of “tithe”. You cannot liberally redefine “tithe” to mean “giving ten percent of my money to ministry”. To do this is to distort a word that God uses to describe something very different and that is narrowly defined by God Himself in His word. Many believers and pastors are in error when they use the term “tithe” to describe a believer’s “duty” to give ten percent to the local church. This is NOT tithing. There is nothing unbiblical about New Covenant followers of Jesus Christ “giving” to the Body of Christ for the sake of God being glorified through the poor being cared for or through the spreading of the Gospel; but, again, this is NOT tithing.
I hope you take into account that in the time of the old and new testament, they lived
by not only giving 10 percent of whatever they earned, but, they had debt forgiveness.
We don’t have that. And, we are charged interest, which they were never charged.
Also, the idea of charitable giving for income tax purposes was also not something ever
heard of then.
People with jobs, families, household debt not to mention cars, student loans and
the cost of living are actually not making any money. It’s unrealistic to expect parishioners
to pony up money for churches. I mean, it’s not like you’re going to be burning it on an alter, or
letting the Levites have their share.
And, speaking as a church musician, even though I pay for my own instruments, lessons, education, I’m expected to play for free. (Even though pastors and administrators gets paid.)
Also, church boards are the ones who:
a. have the money.
b. choose how to spend the money.
So, as a lowly member of a church, it’s actually inconsiderate to expect me to give you my measley 10 percent.
And, if I were to charge for the music I do provide, it would actually be considerably more than the 10 percent I would be otherwise making as a teacher. So, I think that makes it square.
However, because I do believe in giving at least some monetary tithe, I do.