The doctrine of the tithe is rooted in creation—that God made all things and thus is the owner of all things, including our income. In acknowledgment of this truth, we are commanded to honor the Lord with our income. Proverbs 3:9 commands us to "Honor the Lord with your wealth…." And so, we honor God by paying his tithe. The tithe "belongs to the Lord," not to pastors, elders, the church, or anyone else. It is holy, set apart, and given to God.
The first explicit reference to the tithe appears in Genesis 14, where Abram gave Melchizedek a tithe. Then Jacob follows his grandpa's example and promises to pay a tenth. But where did the idea to tithe come from? Why do Abram and Jacob tithe? Did Abram come up with the idea? Although surrounding nations did practice a tithe, Scripture points in a different direction.
Mankind's second generation offers sacrifices to God: Cain brings fruit, Abel offers a lamb, and the lamb's fat, which means that blood has been shed. God declares that he is pleased with Abel but not Cain. Why? One reason, among many that we explore, is that Abel brought his "firsts" – the firstborn. Scripture makes a point to mention this, whereas Scripture does not mention Cain bringing the firstfruits. His offering was an afterthought, bringing the leftovers and not the best.
The principle of "firsts" is integral to the doctrine of the tithe. Not only are we to bring the tenth, but it is to be our first – our first payment before the mortgage, rent, car, or groceries—our firstfruits. This is clearly seen in the second half of Proverbs 3:9: "Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your increase."
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Kurt Snow serves as a ruling elder at Covenant Reformed Church of Sacramento (RCUS). He served as a member of the Board of Governors of City Seminary of Sacramento from 2000 to 2020.
