Why We Tithe
Will God curse you if you don't tithe? Most of us have heard some version of that warning, usually with a threat attached. This message takes the question head on, and the answer is better news than fear ever offered.
The tithe, a tenth of income given to the church, is often dismissed as an Old Testament rule that passed away with the law. Yet the first tithe in Scripture appears centuries before the law was given, when Abraham, a man who walked with God by faith, gave a tenth to Melchizedek. So the practice still stands. What has changed is the curse. Malachi's warning was true for Israel under the old covenant, but Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. Fear is no longer the motive.
That clears away another assumption too. God does not need our money. Every animal of the forest and the cattle on a thousand hills already belong to Him. Funding the gospel matters, but it is a byproduct. What God asks for is the heart: "My son, give me your heart." Tithing becomes a practical way to remind ourselves that God, not a salary, is our source, and to choose faith over sight when every visible need pulls the other way.
The message closes with a warning against treating generosity as a transaction. God is not a slot machine, and giving is not a way to bend His arm. Giving grows out of relationship with a Father who loves us whether we give or not, and our motive matters more than the amount.
In this episode:
- Why the tithe predates the law, and what Abraham and Melchizedek show us
- How the cross changes the way we read Malachi 3
- Why God does not need your money, and what He asks for instead
- Tithing as a practical step from living by sight to living by faith
- Why giving from relationship outlasts giving from fear or formula
- Generosity was never about what God could squeeze out of you; it was always about your heart.
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