Do Christians need to tithe?

The New Testament says very little about tithe, but it also does not condemn or cancel it. Tithing is a system that God employed to support the ministry of His Word. Both Abraham and Jacob practiced tithing, meaning the practice predates the time of Moses (see Genesis 14:20; Genesis 28:22). Later, when the Jews neglected tithing, the people backslid because the priests were unable to teach them.

I believe ministers still need to be sustained by the tithe so they can focus on teaching. I’m a pastor, and I work all through the week—from performing funerals and weddings, visiting the sick, counseling, and preaching to the lost. If I had to work another full-time job, I could not effectively minister as I do. So I believe God also designed the tithe for today.

Christ mentions tithing just once, in reference to how hypocrites pay their tithe but omit weightier matters of the law and love. “These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone” (Matthew 23:23). Do not leave tithing undone—that’s a pretty clear statement from Jesus!

The apostle Paul adds, “You should not muzzle the ox that treads the grain” (1 Timothy 5:18). He appeals to Old Testament laws in connection with tithing, even though he doesn’t explicitly call it tithing, saying, “Those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:14). It seems this Old Testament principle is still intact.

Finally, I believe that God still opens up the windows of heaven. When I first came to Jesus, everything I owned fit into a backpack. When I started paying tithe, even on my meager income, the Lord blessed my family! I’ve seen countless miracles in the lives of people who claim the promises of tithing; they’re still available today. “Prove me now,” says the Lord, and He’ll bless you.

Key Bible Texts

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. (Malachi 3:10 KJV)