I have a little problem with how tithing is being preached today.
I simply don’t believe that you should give to God out of fear of being cursed. Instead, you should tithe because you love. Some preachers scare people to tithe by quoting Malachi 3.
They read,“Dare a man rob God? Yet you are robbing me! And you say, ‘How do we rob you?’ In tithes and in offerings! You are indeed accursed, for you, the whole nation, rob me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse . . .”
But this is tithing seen as an Old Testament law.
There’s a tithing that’s of the New Testament, and there’s a nuance I want you to see.
God Isn’t a Tyrant
What if my mother, Pilar, told me, “Bo, give me money. Or I won’t talk to you again. In fact, I will put you under a curse.” What kind of parent is that? She won’t be nominated for the Mother of the Year Award, that’s for sure.
But that’s exactly how we imagine God to be!
Instead, I believe that Malachi is speaking about the natural consequences of violating a specific law of the universe.
Let me give you an analogy.
Do this experiment in your spare time. Try jumping off the 30th floor ofyour office building but be sure your insurance is up to date.
Will it hurt a bit? Unless you’re Spiderman, absolutely. Simply becauseyou’re not “following” the law of gravity. Now God doesn’t have to enter the picture, does He?
He doesn’t have to say, “Aha! You’re not following the law of gravity! You’re cursed!” and with His finger poking from the sky, He flicks your body down to your death on the pavement below.
Gravity takes care of that.
Same thing with giving. When you give or don’t give, there are natural consequences that just happen. No “supernatural” intervention necessary.
Why Do You Give?
Here’s my point: I’m not saying you shouldn’t tithe. You should! There is such a thing as New Testament tithing. But you should throw away the idea that God will curse you if you don’t tithe. Don’t tithe because you fear. Tithe because you love.
Going back to my example above, yes, I gave to my mom when she was still alive. She didn’t have to force me to give by threatening me with a curse. Why?
Because I love her. It’s my great joy to give her money.
Sacrificial Giving
If you’re going to ask me, “Bo, what kind of giving is taught by the New Testament?” I’ll answer, “Tithing is great. But more than tithing, it calls us to sacrificial giving.”
Here’s the passage from the New Testament: “And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves a person who gives cheerfully” (2 Corinthians 9:7).
Do you see the difference from the Old Testament’s threat of a curse?
If you ask me, “Bo, what percentage am I going to give?” I’ll still say, “Start with ten percent. It’s a wonderful guideline.”
But from its very definition, sacrificial giving is something you must decide from your heart—not because you’re pressured, not because of fear, not because you’re forced to give.
Give sacrificially.
Not to earn brownie points with God. Not to avoid curses.
But because you love.
P.S. Do you want to grow your finances but don’t know how?
