Should churches require tithing? John Piper weighs in

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Pastor and author John Piper recently weighed in on an oft-debated topic within the Church: is tithing a binding New Testament requirement, or has the principle been transformed in the light of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection?

Piper, the 78-year-old chancellor of Bethlehem College and Seminary in Minneapolis, Minnesota, shared his thoughts on the issue on a recent episode of his “Ask Pastor John” podcast in response to a question from a listener. 

The question centered on a church policy requiring its leaders to tithe 10% of their income as a condition of employment, a practice the person found troubling.

The listener expressed concern that such a mandate could undermine the spirit of generosity. Citing 2 Corinthians 9:7, which emphasizes cheerful giving over compulsion, the listener contended that true worship stems from gratitude and sincerity, not obligation.

Piper said the “short answer” to such a question is that Christian generosity under the New Covenant is rooted in freedom and joy rather than adherence to Old Testament law: “I do not think tithing is a New Testament requirement the way ‘love your neighbor as yourself’ is a New Testament requirement (Mark 12:31),” he said. 

“I think the New Testament has put Christian generosity toward the cause of Christ on a new footing of freedom motivated by the joy of seeing Christ magnified in people’s lives. I think tithing was an integral part of the Old Testament sacrificial priestly system, which God designed for the support of the priesthood — a system that no longer exists in the Christian Church.”

The pastor outlined four key reasons why tithing should not be considered a binding practice in the New Testament era. First, tithing was instituted to support the Levitical priesthood under the Old Testament sacrificial system, which no longer exists in the Christian Church, he said. 

“Since that system of Levitical ministry is now gone, I think the designed support for it is gone,” he said.

Drawing from Romans 7:4-6 and Colossians 2:16-23, Piper explained that believers are no longer under the Old Testament law but are called to live by Spirit-motivated love.

He also highlighted passages such as 2 Corinthians 9:6-7, which promote giving as an act of personal decision and joy. “God loves a cheerful giver,” he quoted, underscoring the absence of compulsory tithing in the teachings of the apostles.

Finally, Piper noted that while Jesus acknowledged tithing in Matthew 23:23, these directives were given before His death and resurrection, which marked the end of the Old Testament law’s jurisdiction.

“So, my conclusion is that it’s a mistake for the leaders of a church to make tithing a requirement for church leadership,” he said. “I have always taught that Christian freedom in the light of the lavish generosity of God toward us in Christ will motivate Christians to give more than a tithe, but it will not be under compulsion because ‘God loves a cheerful giver’ (2 Corinthians 9:7).”

A 2022 study from Barna found that, among self-identified Christians, less than half could say definitely what the tithe is. More than half of practicing Christians, 59%, had a stronger awareness of the tithe and what it means, while 99% of pastors understood the traditional concept.

However, only 21% of Christians were found to give 10% of their income to their local church, while 25% didn’t give to their church at all. Among practicing Christians, the study found that 42% gave at least the traditional 10% to their church.

Meanwhile, a study released this year found that the share of Evangelical Protestant Christians giving financially to churches fell significantly in the last three years.

According to data from Infinity Concepts and Grey Matter Research, 61% of Evangelical adults donated to a local church the previous year, half (50%) donated to an organization outside of a church, and 42% donated to both church and charity. Nearly a third (31%) said they donated to neither a church nor a charitable organization. 

The share of Evangelicals who gave to churches fell 13 percentage points from 2021, which equates to a 17% decrease in giving. 

Previously, Dave Ramsey, CEO of Ramsey Solutions and author of Financial Peace University, revealed he regularly tells pastors to stop stressing the importance of tithing to congregants who aren't good stewards of their money.

"Unless," he clarified, "you've done two sermons on ... debt — one on getting out of debt and one on getting on a budget."

"That's the ratio for me instead of just tithe, tithe, tithe," he said. But when pastors fail to address debt and setting a budget, he said, the reaction to a sermon about tithing is often "Yeah right, I've got a light bill. That's a great spiritual concept. Maybe someday I'll get around to that.'"

However, in an op-ed, Ligioner Ministers founder R.C. Sproul emphasized the biblical principle of stewardship, which calls Christians to manage their resources for God’s Kingdom. Despite cultural cynicism toward giving — exacerbated by misuse of funds in some organizations and unscrupulous televangelists — faithful giving remains a biblical mandate, he stressed.

The pastor cited Malachi 3:8–10 to stress that "we systematically rob God when we don’t tithe." The verse reads, in part: "Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you."

"Let me repeat that. Malachi’s teaching indicates that when we fail to tithe, we are not merely robbing the church, the clergy, or Christian educators — we are robbing God Himself," he said. "But note that God had words not only of condemnation for the people but also a promise of prosperity were they to change their ways. God challenged them to be faithful, giving His own promise that He would open the windows of heaven and pour out blessings upon them.”

When people fail to tithe, Sproul said, they "reduce the ministry of Christ," adding: "One of the greatest barriers to expanding the kingdom of Christ in this world is financial. A fundamental principle is at work here. If we have $100 to work with in ministry, we are limited by that dollar amount. We can waste that money and do only $10 of actual work. But even if we are expert managers and scrupulous stewards, we cannot do $110 of ministry. Christian ministry depends upon Christian giving. That giving always and everywhere limits the work of ministry.”

Sproul encouraged prioritizing tithing "from the top" and teaching this principle to children. A person’s financial records, he concludes, reflect where their heart truly lies, as Jesus taught in Matthew 6:33: "Seek first the kingdom of God."