Paying Tithes in Christian Marriage

Tithes and Offerings
Is Tithing Biblical?

Yes, tithing is Biblical. What is a tithe? A tithe is ten percent on all your earnings. Tithing is a demonstration of your faith. Making the decision to pay tithes or not will reveal four things about you:

1. Whether God's purposes are a priority in your life: "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteusness..." Matthew 6:33

2. What you treasure most:
" For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Matthew 6:21

3. How much you trust God as your source:
"And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19

4. Whether or not you believe the promise God made about tithing: "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." Malachi 3:10

It took us many years to begin paying tithes consistently. We were tithers but we were not consistent. We did things like using our tithe to pay bills, go shopping, and we even used it to help others.

What's wrong with giving my tithe to help out a sister or brother? you ask.

Well, Biblical tithing says that the whole tithe belongs to God and therefore it should not be used for anything else. Malachi 3:10 says, "bring ALL your tithes into the storehouse." All means all. So even if you use it to help someone else, this is not proper. Yes, you should help your brothers and sisters but use wisdom in doing so.

The money you use to bless others should come from your over flow. Your over flow will come from the other streams of income you create.

Well, what if one partner wants to tithe and the other does not? Okay, this question actually has two different answers depending on whether it is the husband who disagrees with tithing or the wife who disagrees:

The husband is the head of the wife according to scripture, so if the husband does not agree with tithing you as the wife can not go over his head, take money out of the account and give to the church, this is wrong!

Although you have good intentions, everything must be done decently and in order. This would go against God's order and would not be pleasing to Him.

If your husband does not agree with paying tithes, don't get an attitude. First, continue to show him unconditional love. Next, pray and ask God to give him new revelation in this area.

Lastly, be quiet about it and allow God to work. In other words ladies, don't nag him, instead trust God.

What if the wife disagrees with her husband tithing? According to the word of God, as we stated above, the wife is subject to her husband. And so the husband does have the final say.

So, pray and ask God to give you new revelation in this area. Then open your Bible and study tithing for yourself.