My Biblical Case Against Tithing

Before you haul me to the stake and strike a match, know this: John Piper makes the same case. And if that jars you, consider the possibility that we’ve absorbed an assumption the Bible never actually makes.

Is the Bible crystal clear that Christians must give ten percent to their local church as the baseline of generosity? No on both counts. The fixed 10% isn’t binding under the New Covenant, and believers aren’t required to hit a quota at their church before giving elsewhere.

Here’s the biblical case.

Tithing Was Law Not Gospel 

Tithing belonged to the Mosaic Law given to Israel. Under that covenant, God required a tenth of produce and livestock to support the Levites and the temple system (Leviticus 27; Numbers 18). It was woven into a theocratic nation where worship, economics, and civil life were fused.

It was largely agricultural. It sustained priests. It functioned within Israel’s covenant structure.

Christians are not under that covenant. Paul insists we are justified by grace, not by works of the law (Galatians 3). To reinstall a mandatory percentage risks smuggling legalism back in through the side door.

Give 10% if you like—it can be wise and generous. But the New Testament never commands believers to tithe as law. Making it compulsory overreaches. No bueno.

The New Testament Reframes Giving

When you turn the page to the New Testament, the tithe vanishes. In its place you have giving from transformed hearts.

“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).

Just look at those categories: Decided. Not compelled. Cheerful.

That’s a very different architecture than an enforced percentage. The emphasis shifts from external rule to internal resolve. In Acts, believers gave freely—even sacrificially—but never under a mandated quota. Their generosity surged from gratitude and unity, not obligation.

Under grace, generosity is Spirit-led, not spreadsheet-driven.

New Testament Giving Met Needs

Early Christian giving targeted real needs: the poor, famine relief, persecuted believers, and gospel workers (Acts 4; 1 Corinthians 16). The priority wasn’t underwriting an institution—it was sustaining people and advancing mission.

That doesn’t make church budgets wrong. It does mean we should hesitate before baptizing them with a binding “tithe law.” The modern idea of a tithe primarily engineered to fund operations or building projects simply doesn’t appear in the New Testament.

The early church looked more like a family sharing resources than a corporation collecting dues.

Grace-fueled generosity will often exceed 10%. But it flows from freedom, not force.

Practical Counsel 

Give where there is integrity and vision. Join a church whose leaders steward money wisely and deploy resources with thoughtful, mission-focused, Kingdom-driven clarity. If trust or wise allocation is absent, cheerful giving will be scarce. As a pastor friend said to me on social media, why would anyone stay at a church they don’t feel is using financial resources well.

Support a church known for financial transparency and faithful ministry—but you need not assume it is the only, or even the chief, avenue for your generosity. The New Testament leaves room for bold, discerning, impact-oriented giving wherever real needs and effective ministry appear.

I’m personally reexamining old reflexes—the ingrained idea that you “pay your 10% first” and only then consider other causes. That script runs deep. For years, I heard appeals that treated the tithe as non-negotiable and special offerings as “faith promises” layered on top of the tithe.

That method may boost revenue. But it shouldn’t be pinned on Scripture.

My hope isn’t that anyone becomes less generous—but more. More liberated. More intentional. More shrewd in the best sense. If a legalistic framework has capped your giving or narrowed your vision, perhaps grace can widen it.

Decide in your heart.
Give with joy.
Meet real needs.
Fund work that advances the Kingdom.

Law demands a percentage, but grace ignites generosity.