Is there a theological fault line:
There is a substantial difference between
“God supplies the giver so that generosity can continue”
and
“give money to God so that God will give you more money.”
2 Corinthians 9:10–15 is much closer to the first idea.
Let’s put Malachi back into its own world first.
Malachi 3:8–12 — what is actually happening?
These are the famous verses:
“Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me… in your tithes and contributions.”
“Bring the full tithe into the storehouse…”
“Test me in this…”
“I will… open the windows of heaven…”
And that can easily become:
Give 10% → God opens heaven → you receive more.
Context First:
But Malachi isn’t addressing a New Testament congregation taking a Sunday offering.
He’s speaking to post-exilic Israel under the Mosaic covenant. The tithe supplied food connected with Israel’s Levitical/temple system; the promised blessing includes agricultural things—crops protected from pests and vines successfully producing fruit.
And that matters because Malachi’s language of curse and blessing isn’t floating independently. It belongs to Israel’s covenant world. Compare Deuteronomy 28: covenant obedience brings agricultural blessing; covenant unfaithfulness brings drought, crop failure and pests.
So I’d be very cautious about preaching:
“Christian, if you don’t give 10% of your paycheque to your local church, you’re robbing God and are under Malachi’s curse.”
That takes a covenant command given to Israel and applies it directly to the church without demonstrating from the New Testament that we’re supposed to make that move.
There is serious evangelical scholarship making exactly that objection: Köstenberger and Croteau conclude after surveying the biblical tithing texts that the OT and NT passages don’t establish a continuing mandatory ten-percent requirement for new-covenant believers.
But let’s give the pro-tithe argument its strongest case, because it isn’t simply invented.
Is there a biblical case for Christians tithing?
Yes—there’s a case. I just don’t think it’s strong enough to turn 10% into New Testament law.
People who teach tithing commonly build the argument from several texts:
Argument
Text
Reasoning
Tithing predates Moses
Genesis 14:18–20
Abraham gives Melchizedek a tenth
Jacob promises a tenth
Genesis 28:20–22
Tithing therefore isn’t exclusively Mosaic
The Law establishes tithes
Leviticus 27:30–33; Numbers 18:21–32; Deuteronomy 14:22–29
God establishes a regular pattern of giving
Malachi commands the whole tithe
Malachi 3:8–12
Withholding it is described as robbing God
Jesus speaks positively about tithing
Matthew 23:23 / Luke 11:42
“These you ought to have done”
Ministry should be supported
1 Corinthians 9:13–14
Paul draws an analogy between temple support and gospel workers
Abraham’s tithe appears again
Hebrews 7:1–10
Abraham gives Melchizedek a tenth
That’s not a silly argument.
But there are problems with making it binding law for the church.
Abraham’s tithe in Genesis 14 is descriptive, not a command to believers. Jacob’s tenth is likewise a particular vow. Hebrews 7 uses Abraham’s tithe to demonstrate Melchizedek’s superiority and ultimately Christ’s superior priesthood; the author doesn’t turn around and command Christians to tithe.
And Matthew 23:23 deserves special attention. Jesus absolutely says the Pharisees should tithe:
“These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.”
But Jesus is speaking to Jews still living within the Mosaic covenant before the cross. He’s criticizing people who meticulously obey Torah while neglecting “justice and mercy and faithfulness.” So it demonstrates that Jesus didn’t condemn tithing under that covenant; whether it establishes a tithe for the post-Pentecost church is another question.
And then something interesting happens.
Acts and the Epistles don’t say “10%”
Once we’re unmistakably dealing with the New Testament church, the language changes.
Consider:
Acts 2:44–45; 4:32–35 — people voluntarily share possessions to meet needs.
1 Corinthians 9:3–14 — churches should materially support gospel workers.
1 Corinthians 16:1–2 — believers should give regularly and proportionately, “as he may prosper.”
2 Corinthians 8:1–15 — generosity, willingness, according to one’s means, concern that others’ needs are met.
2 Corinthians 9:6–15 — purposeful, cheerful, non-compulsory generosity.
Galatians 2:10 — remember the poor.
Philippians 4:10–20 — financial partnership in gospel ministry.
1 Timothy 5:17–18 — material support for elders who labour in teaching.
So the New Testament certainly doesn’t abolish financial responsibility.
If anything, its vision can be considerably more demanding than 10%.
But it doesn’t appear to say:
Every Christian owes exactly 10% to the local church.
One NT commentary makes the same observation: Paul’s extensive treatment of Christian giving in 2 Corinthians 8–9 never establishes the tithe as his standard.
And this brings us directly to the passage you and Cheryl noticed.
2 Corinthians 9:10–15
Look carefully at Paul’s movement:
God supplies → we receive → we become generous → another person’s need is met → thanksgiving rises to God.
Paul says God:
“supplies seed to the sower and bread for food”
and will supply and multiply their seed and increase:
“the harvest of your righteousness.”
Then comes the purpose:
“You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way…”
That’s crucial.
Enriched → so that → generous.
Not:
Give → so that → enriched.
And where does the cycle finally terminate?
Not back in the giver’s bank account.
“…your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.”
Then:
“the ministry of this service is… supplying the needs of the saints…”
Then:
“they will glorify God…”
And finally Paul bursts out:
“Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!”
That’s a completely different economy from gambling.
Gambling says:
I risk something of mine because I hope to obtain more for myself.
Pauline generosity says:
God has supplied me with something; I release it for another person’s good; God continues supplying what is needed; their need is met; and thanksgiving returns to God.
It’s circular—but the circle is grace, not profit.
And Laurence, I think John 15 fits beautifully here.
John 15: the vine supplies the fruit
Jesus doesn’t tell the branch:
Produce enough fruit and perhaps the vine will reward you with more sap.
😂
It’s exactly backwards.
“Abide in me, and I in you.”
The branch receives life from the vine, and consequently bears fruit.
And then Jesus says:
“By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit…”
Now put that beside 2 Corinthians 9:
John 15
Christ → branch → fruit → Father glorified.
2 Corinthians 9
God → seed/supply → generosity → needs met → God glorified.
That is remarkably similar theology.
And suddenly something from Sunday’s sermon becomes considerably richer:
God is the SOURCE.
Money is a RESOURCE.
I think that part of the sermon is very strong.
Where I’d modify things is this: Malachi shouldn’t be necessary to establish Christian generosity.
The New Testament gives us something better than a percentage.
Not:
“God owns 10%; I get 90%.”
But:
“I belong to Christ. Therefore 100% is under His lordship.”
That doesn’t necessarily mean giving everything away. Stewardship can mean feeding your family, paying the mortgage, saving responsibly, helping your children, supporting gospel ministry, helping somebody quietly, enjoying God’s gifts—and giving generously.
The question becomes less:
“Have I paid God His percentage?”
and more:
“Father, what would faithfulness with what You’ve supplied look like here?”
And that takes us straight back to Matthew 6:24 from the sermon.
“You cannot serve God and money.”
The alternative to serving money isn’t necessarily tithing.
It’s serving God.
And generosity becomes one of the ways we discover whether money really has been dethroned.
There’s an interesting tension I’d love to explore next with you: Paul says “not under compulsion” in 2 Corinthians 9:7, while Malachi effectively says “bring the whole tithe.” Rather than trying to harmonize those immediately, I think putting those two passages side-by-side may show us something quite profound about the movement from old covenant obligation to new covenant generosity.
