Questions & Answers

When you submitted your question you indicated that you desire to give generously in your offering of money to the Lord. This brings me joy. It is not surprising that you ask if there is a formula or some kind of helpful guideline provided in the Bible to indicate specifically how much we should give. I have also asked the question, and I imagine millions of believers before us have done the same.

Short answer: No, the Bible does not provide a specific formula or anything that comes close to determining a dollar amount that God's people are to give for the sake of gospel work and related efforts of believers to serve souls within and beyond the church. The Bible has many passages and sections that make it crystal clear that giving offerings is what God desires of us and what believers desire to do to God's glory and the welfare of many others. And the strong majority of passages that offer what might be called instructions or guidelines in giving deal mostly with attitudes, nor amounts. A good example of this is 2 Corinthians 9:7, "Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."

The guidance given in 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 tells us that our offerings are "based on income" and suggest some kind of percentage approach: "Now about the collection for the Lord’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made." There was obviously a correlation being made between the "sum of money" given and a person's "income" -- whether that be from wages, savings, interest, inheritance, or whatever. That's perhaps the closest thing to a "formula" we are given in the New Testament.

Discussions of the Old Testament tithing regulations often surface in this kind of conversation. The covenant regulations of the Sinai (or Mosaic) covenant that governed Israel prior to the arrival of Christ called for what appears to have been a series of tithes (10%) from the people. When all tithing passages are set side by side, many scholars conclude that each obedient Israelite family gave an average of 23.3% of income (including produce and animals) per year. It should also be noted that this did more than support the priesthood and tabernacle or temple worship; it also went to provide for many social and political functions that we today support through taxes to governing authorities beyond our religious freewill offerings. And there is no hint or suggestion that such an approach to giving is part of God's will for believers now. Today the amount or percentages are fully in the matter of Christian freedom.

Where does this leave us? Some voluntarily make use of the tithe (one of them, not several) or 10% as a guideline or starting point for determining their offerings. This is orderly, reflects one's income, and in the opinion of many is generous. And generosity is clearly to be part of our approach: "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give . . . (2 Corinthians 9:6-7). Other than that, retaining the emphasis on our attitude and keeping our focus on God's giving to us and for our spiritual and physical well-being will likely move us to find joy and comfort in giving generously and cheerfully. Does this offering accurately reflect my love for my Lord and my desire to help my neighbor and share the gospel here and elsewhere? Does this amount or percentage reflect my commitment to my Lord who loved me first and my commitment to show love for the bodies and souls of others in this world? Those regularly asked questions will hopefully yield rich dividends of joy and contentment along with offerings of integrity coupled with generosity.

It has been well said that our giving of money is not so much God's way of raising money but his tool to raise maturing children. May we always be counted among them!