Gifts, Offerings, Tithing: Giving with Joy and Freedom

Introduction

The New Testament contains around 150 references to money. It is impossible to act as if God's word says nothing about it. In this message preached at Porte Ouverte Chrétienne in Mulhouse, Jean-Marie Ribay revisits a subject he had not addressed in a good twelve years: gifts, offerings, tithing, and the finances of the Church. His line is clear: no pressure, no compulsion, no spiritual tax — but a call to give freely, with joy, trusting that God provides for everything.

Outline of the Message

1. What Jesus Said About Money

Jesus himself was not rich, but he never lacked anything. He stood apart in his relationship to money in a way that surprised even his disciples.
The rich young man (Matthew 19:21): Jesus invites him to sell everything, not because poverty would be a virtue, but because his possessions were keeping him from following Jesus. The real issue is being free or not free.
The widow and her two small coins (Mark 12:41-44): Jesus sits facing the treasury and watches how people give. The widow gives less in quantity, but far more in reality, because she gives out of her need while others give out of their surplus.
What God looks at is not the amount on the coins and bills, but the intention and quality of the heart.
"There is more happiness in giving than in receiving" (Acts 20:35).

2. What the Rest of the New Testament Says

2 Corinthians 9:7: "Let each one give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." Note the context: this concerns a relief collection for the poor of Judea, not a text about tithing.
1 Timothy 6:18-19: "Command them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share."
Generosity is measured by what one gives. Liberality is measured by what one keeps back — giving without restraint, without calculation, in total freedom.

3. The Question of the Tithe

The word "tithe" comes from the Latin decima, the tenth part. In the Old Testament, the tithe was the economic engine of Israelite worship (Numbers 18:21): the other eleven tribes supported the tribe of Levi, which did not work and was devoted to the service of the tent of meeting.
This doctrine cannot simply be imposed on the Church today as it stands. Nothing in the New Testament establishes it as an obligation.
The rare allusions to the tithe in the New Testament (Matthew 23:23; the Pharisee who boasts of tithing all his income; the comparison between Abraham's tithe and Levi's, which shows the passage from the old to the new covenant) establish no rule for the Church.
Had the apostles preached tithing, it would have caused considerable trouble: Christians of Jewish origin would have had to keep paying it to the temple, plus a second tithe to the Church, plus Roman taxes.
The Reformers and the revivalists (Wesley, Finney, Moody) never put churches under the tithe. They always repeated what the Bible says: that each one should give freely, with generosity, without compulsion and with joy.
Teaching the tithe as an obligation is, by definition, turning it into compulsion — and that contradicts the biblical foundation.
Jean-Marie Ribay testifies: with his wife Brigitte, when they understood that the tithe was not a legal rule, they never gave less because of it. On the contrary — if Jews under the law could give a tithe, how much more should Christians who have received so much more in Christ.

4. Finances Are First a State of Mind

Everyone puts their money into what they love. No one is surprised that a smoker spends 200 euros a month on cigarettes. The day he is converted and gives that same amount to the church, suddenly it looks suspicious.
We do not have to be ashamed to say that we love God, his kingdom, and souls, and that we want to put our finances there. These are eternal assets — the dividends are far more serious.
Breaking free from the fear of lack: this fear is often etched into the soul since childhood. A full bank account does not heal the soul; one can be a millionaire and still be gnawed by the fear of lack.
Jesus taught us to pray "give us this day our daily bread." This is not an empty prayer: it is the implicit promise that God will answer.
Breaking free from cravings: when we are freed from needless cravings, the lock that keeps the wallet shut disappears, and we begin to love what is given away.

5. To Whom Do We Give, and For What?

We do not give to the church as a structure. We give to the Lord, so that his work may be done. The local church is necessary, but it is not an end in itself — the body of Christ is the true goal.
Concretely, what is given serves the running of the church (including heating, which benefits everyone), the poor, evangelism, and the support of full-time ministries.
1 Corinthians 9:14: "The Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel."
To the brothers and sisters who serve in ministry without being paid by their church and who work outside jobs: "You are courageous, sometimes truly heroic, and the Lord sees it." But when it becomes possible for a minister to be freed to devote himself fully, the whole work benefits.

6. Our Experience at Porte Ouverte

The Lord has never let us lack anything. The pastoral team and the board are often amazed as they look at the accounts.
Two safeguards: not acting out of unbelief (which would prevent doing what God wants) and not acting out of recklessness (which would push into doing what God has not asked).
Since Papa Jean and for sixty years, no pastor of the church has acquired real estate wealth through the church. The pastors of the PO have not become rich.
If a pastor is wealthy because he inherited it or was wealthy before, that raises no biblical question. But if it is the ministry that made someone rich, that raises a question.
To the brothers and sisters who follow the church online: "We did not develop the internet so that you would send us money. If you have a local church, that is the church you should support first."

7. Walking by the Spirit

Walking in faith, certain that Jesus takes care of us. Without this assurance, we keep our hand clenched on our wallet out of fear.
Nothing belongs to us — not even our own body (1 Corinthians 6:19). Everything belongs to God. What is in our pocket is no exception.
If God ever asked us to give everything away, a mature Christian can do it, because God never takes away only to leave us in distress.
We cannot say we love God and refuse to devote anything to him. We cannot say we love the kingdom of God and refuse to put a single coin into it.

Key Takeaways

The real biblical issue is not being rich or poor, it is being free or not free. Whatever keeps us from following Jesus is an obstacle, whatever form it takes.
What God looks at is not the total amount, it is the quality of the intention. The widow who puts in two small coins gives more than the rich who pour their gifts in from on high to make it "clink."
The tithe is not a New Testament obligation. The biblical principle for the Church is: let each one give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, but with joy (2 Corinthians 9:7).
We put our money into what we love. Giving to God's work is simply putting our finances into what has eternal value.
No sacrifice can impress God. He owns everything, the earth is his. What he looks at is the heart.

Personal Application

When you look at your spending over the past month, what do you actually put your money into? What does that reveal about what you truly love?
Have you ever given to the Church out of compulsion, guilt, or legalistic obligation — rather than "as you had decided in your heart, with joy"?
What is your relationship to the fear of lack? Does it hold your hand back, even when your account would allow otherwise?
If God asked you today to part with a specific possession to give it away, would you be able to do it without hesitating? What would hold you back?
Have you ever been hurt in a church by manipulative teaching about money? What would Jesus want to say to you today to restore you?

Verses Cited

Frequently Asked Questions

Is tithing mandatory for Christians today?

No. The tithe was the economic engine of Israelite worship in the Old Testament: it sustained the tribe of Levi, which was devoted to the service of the tent of meeting (Numbers 18:21). The New Testament never establishes it as a rule for the Church. The New Testament principle is different: "Let each one give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7). This does not mean giving less. Many Christians who have understood this freedom have gone on giving just as much, or even more — no longer out of legalistic obligation, but out of love and liberality.

Who are we really giving to when we put an offering in the church's collection?

We give to the Lord, so that his work may be done. The local church is not an end in itself: it is a structure at the service of the body of Christ, which is the true goal. Concretely, this money serves the running of the church (which benefits everyone, including for heating), the support of the poor, evangelism, and freeing ministers to devote themselves fully to the work. 1 Corinthians 9:14 reminds us that "the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel."

What should we think of preachers who promise that God will bless those who give financially?

We need to keep a critical distance. If we give in order to receive, it is no longer a gift, it is a trade. We give because we love, not to get something back. Some teachings also promise that all Christians should be rich and healthy, but that does not match Scripture: the apostle Paul himself knew scarcity, and Jesus did not even have anywhere to lay his head. The biblical issue is not being rich, it is being free — free with regard to money, free to follow Christ, free to love God and our neighbor.

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