Free in Christ: Personal offerings

“Honor the LORD with your wealth” (Proverbs 3:9). Read how two Christians requested and received direction on how to plan their offerings.

“Emily” asked on the WELS website, “I was just confirmed last Sunday and was wondering where I should start with my offerings. How should I figure out what to give?”

Old Testament ceremonial laws gave God’s people specific instructions on what to give back to him, including laws dealing with tithes (10 percent of income). New Testament followers of the Lord are free from those ceremonial laws (Colossians 2:16,17). But while we welcome Christian freedom, we also welcome some guidance.

First Corinthians 16:2 offers such guidance: “On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income.” That Bible verse instructs us to plan our offerings with a proportionate (percentage) view toward our income. But what percentage? That is where Christian freedom enters the picture.

Let’s say that you earn money from babysitting or doggie day care. What would 5 percent of that money be? (Here’s where your math classes are practical!) That could be your offering. What would 7 percent be? Ten percent? You get the idea. No one can tell another Christian what money to give back to God. Essentially, the guidance from Scripture for our offerings is giving ___ percent of our income back to the Lord, who gave it to us in the first place. You have freedom in filling in the blank. Recognizing how blessed we are through Christ provides every reason for filling in that blank with higher, rather than lower, numbers.

A question from “Howard” was a little more specific: “When I give weekly offerings of 10 percent, should I be giving 10 percent of my gross earned income or 10 percent of my net earned income (after taxes)?”

Sometimes we think there was just one tithe in the Old Testament ceremonial laws. A tithe of crops and cattle (Leviticus 27:30-32) supported God’s representatives in the church (Numbers 18:21). A second tithe aided God’s representatives in the government (1 Samuel 8:15). There also appeared to be a triennial tithe for the aid of the needy (Deuteronomy 14: 28,29). So the giving level of God’s Old Testament people was approximately 23 percent each year. Recognizing your freedom from those tithes could be helpful in determining your offerings.

There is no right or wrong answer to this question. But the question does illustrate the value of having an offering plan. Without a plan, offerings can be haphazard. But with a plan, offerings can be regular. And a plan with a percentage-based approach enables the giver to follow the plan even when income fluctuates.

Recognition that our money belongs to God (Psalm 24:1; Haggai 2:8) and gratitude for our salvation (Romans 12:1) provide good reasons for proportionate giving that is generous and cheerful (2 Corinthians 9:7)—whether it is based on gross or net income.