Money, Mission, and Faith — A Biblical Challenge About Tithing


Nobody denies that churches need money. Buildings cost money. Missionaries cost money. Helping the poor costs money. Any worldwide church must have resources to function.
But the real issue is not whether money is necessary.

The real issue is whether financial requirements match the teachings of Jesus and the early Christian church.

This question becomes especially important when examining the practices of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The LDS Church teaches what is often called the fourfold mission of the Church:
Proclaim the gospel.
Strengthen the members.
Perform temple work.
Care for the poor.

These are good goals. No serious Christian would object to them. Yes, these missions require resources. But Christianity is not built on efficiency. It is built on truth.

And that raises an uncomfortable question:
Did Jesus or the apostles ever require believers to pay a fixed percentage of their income in order to fully participate in worship? The answer from the New Testament is clear. They did not.

In the book of Acts, the first Christians shared their possessions so that no one would be in need.
They gave freely.
They gave generously.
But they were not taxed by the church.

No one was asked to prove they had paid ten percent before being accepted among believers.
The Apostle Paul made the principle unmistakable.

In 2 Corinthians 9:7 he wrote that each person should give what they have decided in their heart to give — not reluctantly and not under pressure.

That is the New Testament model.
Voluntary generosity.
Not enforced percentages.

Some argue that tithing is required because it existed in the Old Testament. But Christians are not under the Law of Moses. The book of Galatians explains that believers are justified by faith and not by works of the law.

Tithing was part of the temple system of ancient Israel. Christ fulfilled that system. Christians still give — but as an act of love, not as a legal obligation.

Yet the LDS Church teaches that members must pay ten percent of their income as tithing.
This teaching comes from the Doctrine and Covenants, which calls tithing a standing law.

Members must declare themselves full tithe payers in order to enter LDS temples. This creates a reality that is hard to ignore:
Access to the most sacred ordinances is connected to financial payment. Supporters call this obedience.

But many Christians see a serious problem.
In the New Testament church, the poor were never treated as second-class believers.

The Bible warns strongly against favoritism based on wealth. James 2 condemns treating rich believers better than poor believers.

Jesus himself warned about money more than almost any other subject. He said in Matthew 6:21 that where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

And in 1 Timothy 6:10 we are warned that the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. These warnings were not written by outsiders. They were written by apostles.

None of this means churches should not collect money.
Christians should support their churches.
Christians should give generously.
Christians should help the poor.

But the New Testament presents a clear pattern.
Giving is encouraged.
Giving is praised.
Giving is expected.
But giving is voluntary.

The early church grew across the Roman Empire without requiring a fixed ten percent from every believer. They changed the world without temple recommends. They spread the gospel without financial interviews. That should make us think.

The question is not whether the LDS Church does good things.It does many good things.

The question is whether required tithing reflects the teaching of Jesus and the apostles. The New Testament describes a church where generosity flowed from faith and love.

Not from policy.

Not from interviews.

And not from financial requirements.

That biblical model challenges every modern church. Including the LDS Church.Because in the end, the issue is not money.

The issue is the gospel.

At the end of the day, the question isn’t whether the LDS Church or any church does good work — they do. Missionaries serve, temples operate, and the poor are helped. But the real question is: should access to the most sacred ordinances, or full participation in faith, be tied to a paycheck? The Bible says generosity flows from the heart, not from a financial requirement. The early Christians changed the world without mandated tithing. They gave freely. They loved freely. They worshiped freely. That same principle challenges every modern believer: faith cannot be bought, and God’s grace is never for sale.

Sources
1. LDS Church mission and teachings

2. Tithing commandment

3. Temple recommend requirements

4. Acts 2:44–456


6. Galatians 2:16

7. James 2:1–4

8. Matthew 6:21

9. 1 Timothy 6:10



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