What Does The Bible Say About Giving?

People often complain, “Churches today only care about money.” They often wonder if their money will be used wisely. Perhaps because people see so much abuse and misuse of tax dollars by the government, they think the leaders of the church do no better.

The church needs funds to operate. The Barna Group has reported that church giving and tithing in recent years have shown a decreasing trend. Barna notes several reasons people do not tithe: (1) They withhold money because they do not see a sufficient return on their investment. (2) They do not understand how their gifts are making a difference in the world. (3) They are ignorant of the financial needs of the church. (4) They are ignorant of what the Bible teaches about our responsibility to give financially to the church. (5) Some are selfish and their priorities revolve around their personal needs and desires.

One couple expressed their motivation to give this way, “We love to give because we have learned that we get blessed when we give to God. Although most of our giving goes to the local church, we don't give to a church. We don't give to the pastor. We give our offering to God alone. In fact the Bible teaches us to give, for our own good and for our own blessing, from a cheerful heart.”

What does the Bible say about giving? First and foremost, God want us to give because it shows that we recognize He is truly the Lord of our lives. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17)