Financial Stewardship means you are taking on a posture that what’s in your possession doesn’t actually belong to you but you are the manager.
This means it’s important for you to know how to manage it.
Before Abraham was Abraham, he was Abram.
Highly paraphrased, but In Genesis 14, his nephew Lot was losing a war. Abram took 318 trained men, went and got him back, and came home with many possessions. The king of Salem, Melchizedek, saw this and blessed him in the name of the Most High God where then Abram, on his own, gave Melchizedek 10% of everything they’d just obtained.
Later in Genesis 28, Jacob is dreaming about a ladder to heaven. God tells him this land is his, and his descendants will outnumber the dust. So when Jacob wakes up, he makes a vow that if God provides for him, he will give a tenth of everything God blesses his portion with, back to him.
I bring this up because giving 10% of our portions / what we “obtained” is what we call tithing. And these two men and their voluntary tithes, happened a very long time before Moses ever came down a mountain with any kind of law.
So because of this, there had to already be a cultural understanding that handing over a tenth of what you had was how you honored someone. Because when Israel got to Sinai and Moses came down with the Law, the tithe didn’t show up as some brand new command out of nowhere; it took something people already recognized and turned it into a requirement.
Where that requirement gets interesting today is the fact Christians in America give an average of somewhere around 2.5% of their income ‘faithfully’. And depending on whose research you trust, somewhere between 5% and 25% of a normal congregation actually tithes at the full amount, and most of the rest give something randomly.
But every one of those numbers gets read the exact same way from the pulpit: not enough faith, not enough obedience, not enough trust in God.
Almost nobody stops to ask a different question: are we even still under the obligation those numbers are being measured against?
And the few who actually ask this usually get beat up by a Pastor for questioning their beliefs. But if the tithe started as a voluntary act of worship before the Law existed, and the Law itself got fulfilled on a cross, what exactly are we still bound to today?
And it’s not because the answer is complicated; it’s because most of us have never actually looked. Most of us have no real relationship with our Father in Heaven, and a different group has a relationship with their Pastor but not God. He gives us the answer plain and clear on this topic which means anyone’s opinion about this is irrelevant given they’re not God!
But rather than me saying the answer, I want to know what you think it is? Are we still required to tithe? Why or why not. I’m here for any discussions.
Let’s sharpen the iron.
May God Bless you and yours,
EJM
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Ten TIYLs that take you from mindset to a plan you review for life.
Rates apply to taxable income, by filing status. Each rate applies only to the income within its range.
| Rate | Single | Married Filing Jointly | Head of Household | Married Filing Separately |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | Up to $12,400 | Up to $24,800 | Up to $17,700 | Up to $12,400 |
| 12% | $12,400 – $50,400 | $24,800 – $100,800 | $17,700 – $67,450 | $12,400 – $50,400 |
| 22% | $50,400 – $105,700 | $100,800 – $211,400 | $67,450 – $105,700 | $50,400 – $105,700 |
| 24% | $105,700 – $201,775 | $211,400 – $403,550 | $105,700 – $201,750 | $105,700 – $201,775 |
| 32% | $201,775 – $256,225 | $403,550 – $512,450 | $201,750 – $256,200 | $201,775 – $256,225 |
| 35% | $256,225 – $640,600 | $512,450 – $768,700 | $256,200 – $640,600 | $256,225 – $384,350 |
| 37% | Over $640,600 | Over $768,700 | Over $640,600 | Over $384,350 |
| Std. deduction | $16,100 | $32,200 | $24,150 | $16,100 |
Source: IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32. Applies to income earned in 2026 (returns filed in 2027). For general information only; not tax advice.
