Concerning Tithes and Various Church Offerings

The passage above is what the apostle Paul said to the brethren in the church of Corinth concerning “the collection,” that is, the offering. In this way, the Bible teaches us that everything we give to God must be given “as each one purposes in his heart,” and with a “willing heart.”

Exodus 35:20-29 “20And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. 21And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the LORD’s offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all His service, and for the holy garments. 22And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing hearted, and brought bracelets, and earrings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold: and every man that offered offered an offering of gold unto the LORD. 23And every man, with whom was found blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair, and red skins of rams, and badgers’ skins, brought them. 24Every one that did offer an offering of silver and brass brought the LORD’s offering: and every man, with whom was found shittim wood for any work of the service, brought it. 25And all the women that were wise hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, both of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine linen. 26And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun goats’ hair. 27And the rulers brought onyx stones, and stones to be set, for the ephod, and for the breastplate; 28And spice, and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense. 29The children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the LORD, every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all manner of work, which the LORD had commanded to be made by the hand of Moses.”

As we can see from the bolded parts in this passage, all the things needed at that time for building the tabernacle of God were brought by those whose hearts were stirred up and who gave willingly. Later, David and the people, who desired to build a temple for the name of God in Jerusalem, had the same heart.

1 Chronicles 29:1-17 “1Furthermore David the king said unto all the congregation... 2Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God the gold for things to be made of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and the brass for things of brass, the iron for things of iron, and wood for things of wood; onyx stones, and stones to be set, glistering stones, and of divers colours, and all manner of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance. 3Moreover, because I have set my affection to the house of my God, I have of mine own proper good, of gold and silver, which I have given to the house of my God... 6Then the chief of the fathers and princes of the tribes of Israel and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the rulers of the king’s work, offered willingly, 7And gave for the service of the house of God of gold five thousand talents and ten thousand drams, and of silver ten thousand talents, and of brass eighteen thousand talents, and one hundred thousand talents of iron... 9Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the LORD: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy. 10Wherefore David blessed the LORD before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be Thou, LORD God of Israel our Father, forever and ever. 11Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is Thine; Thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and Thou art exalted as head above all. 12Both riches and honour come of Thee, and Thou reignest over all; and in Thine hand is power and might; and in Thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. 13Now therefore, our God, we thank Thee, and praise Thy glorious name. 14But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of Thee, and of Thine own have we given Thee... 16O LORD our God, all this store that we have prepared to build Thee an house for Thine holy name cometh of Thine hand, and is all Thine own. 17I know also, my God, that Thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of mine heart I have willingly offered all these things: and now have I seen with joy Thy people, which are present here, to offer willingly unto Thee.”

Through these passages, we can see that God gladly receives those who offer willingly and joyfully with an upright heart. We must understand that God never receives what is given under pressure, by compulsion, because of the eyes of people, or with a “double mind” (James 1:8), such as giving while feeling reluctant. This is because, as David said above, all things in heaven and on earth already belong to God. Therefore, God has no need to demand material offerings from us. What God seeks from us is not our possessions, but our hearts!

Micah 6:6-8 “6Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? 7Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”

Psalm 51:16-17 “16For Thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: Thou delightest not in burnt offering. 17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.”

2 Corinthians 12:14 “Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you; and I will not be burdensome to you: for I seek not yours, but you: for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children.”

It is very important for us to understand this. This is because God desires our hearts. If we do not give to God with a true heart, then regardless of the kind or amount of the offering, God will not receive it. On the other hand, even if what we give is small, if we give it with all our heart, God will gladly receive and bless that offering.

Mark 12:41-44 “41And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. 42And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. 43And He called unto Him His disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: 44For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.”

Therefore, churches today may need to seriously consider removing the various offering envelopes placed where everyone can easily see them, and also the offering time included within the worship service. This is because, through these things, the will of God, who desires a willing spirit, may be obscured. Church members also must not try to show themselves off within the church by giving a large offering. This is because an offering is not given to the church, but to God. And since everything given to God must be offered willingly from a heart that has been stirred up, anything given for another purpose has no meaning before God.

Isaiah 1:11-13 “11To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto Me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. 12When ye come to appear before Me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread My courts? 13Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto Me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.”

In this way, if God is not pleased, then no matter how many offerings there may be, they become completely meaningless. Therefore, churches must never, under any pretext, burden believers with various kinds of offerings. It is said that in the Korean church today, there are more than fifty kinds of offerings. Even if, because of this, a church’s finances become difficult, and it can no longer do many of the things it had been doing, or the things it wants to do, or even if operating the church itself becomes difficult, it would be better to stop doing those things than to take on excessive debt or demand money from believers. If something is truly necessary in the eyes of Jesus, Jesus will enable it to be done (Numbers 14:8). This is because the Jesus we believe in is almighty, and no purpose of His can be withheld from Him (Job 42:1-2). Therefore, we must not think of church operation like an ordinary business and manage it according to human thoughts and judgments. Rather, according to the Word that says, “having food and raiment let us be therewith content” (1 Timothy 6:8), if we humbly seek to live our life of faith by following only the Word of God in every situation, then surely Jesus will direct our paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).

The tithe is a law that God appointed for us (Numbers 18, Deuteronomy 14:22-27, Deuteronomy 14:28-29). It was a law appointed for the Levites who had no inheritance, and for the strangers, the fatherless, and the widows within the gates. Because it is the Word of God, everyone should give the tithe to God. Even the Levites had to offer a tithe of the tithe to God (Numbers 18:26). However, as we have seen above, it is also the Word of God that if the giver does not give joyfully with a willing heart, it is of no use. Therefore, if one’s faith is still weak and one cannot joyfully give the tithe to God with a willing heart, then he should not give the tithe until that time comes (Romans 14:1-2). This is because if God is not pleased to receive it, there is no meaning in giving it.

God also said that His people should not appear before Him empty-handed at the appointed feasts (Deuteronomy 16:16-17). But this too was not because God needed our possessions, but because He was looking at our hearts, that is, whether we feared God. Therefore, the church cannot use this Word as a pretext to force anyone to give offerings. And if anyone has a heart to give to God and decides to give of his own will, he must give honestly to God by faith. This is because if someone gives without faith, because of the eyes of people, then, as in the case of Ananias and Sapphira, the result may be worse than not giving at all (Acts 5:1-11).

When the Pharisees tempted Jesus, He told them to bring Him a penny and said, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:15-22). Therefore, with a joyful and willing heart, each of us must offer to God whatever He leads us to recognize as belonging to Him, whether it is our body or our material possessions. And we must believe that this is the way, as the apostle Paul said, to be loved by God (2 Corinthians 9:7).

Malachi 3:10-12 “10Bring 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. 11And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. 12And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.”

Amen.