Should You Give While Getting Out of Debt? (2024)

FAQs

Should You Give While Getting Out of Debt? ›

Always. We encourage you to continue doing it even as you dig your way out of debt. Once you're debt-free and you've taken care of your own household's needs (1 Timothy 5:8), you can blow people away with your generosity, and maybe even win a few hearts for Christ.

Even while you're paying down debt, you can still have an attitude of generosity. Now, there are extreme situations where people literally cannot cover their Four Walls (aka the basic expenses for survival). But most people, even if things are tight, can cover their bills and still tithe.

No one has ever become poor by giving. Give away at least some of your money, whether through a tithe, charitable contribution, or gift to a friend in need. Not only does it generate good, but it generates contentment. Giving liberates the soul of the giver.

Some may say "God won't curse you for not tithing, but if you don't tithe you won't be blessed. And without being blessed, you will continue to stay under the curse." No, this is not the truth. Jesus took the curse you deserved and bore it away.

Ps 37:21 - The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives. The Bible is clear that when something is borrowed is should be paid back. Someone refusing to repay reveals a wicked heart and not the generous and giving heart God wants us to have.

You're giving first to the desires of your own heart. If you tithe with your credit card, you're going into debt to give to God. Paying your tithe with a credit card means you're likely making the minimum payment each month, so you're paying interest on the money you tithed.

The rule of 6%

For many people, it generally makes sense to first pay down any debt with an interest rate of 6% or greater.

Remember, tithing was an Old Testament obligation that was incumbent on the Jews under the Law of Moses. Christians are dispensed from the obligation of tithing ten percent of their incomes, but not from the obligation to help the Church.

If you can't afford to tithe due to a tight budget, you can always volunteer your time and talents, says Deborah L. Meyer, CPA/PFS, CFP®, and the author of Redefining Family Wealth: A Parent's Guide to Purposeful Living. “Giving both your money and your time are forms of tithing,” Meyer explained.

You don't have to make a contribution for each paycheck, though. If you have a thorough, well organized monthly budget, you probably have a good idea of how much money you'll have coming in every month, and when it will be coming. A good budget should have a tithe built into it.

Should I tithe if I'm in debt? ›

Although we aren't commanded to give 10% of our earnings to God, he does expect us to be givers. Don't look at the requirement to not tithe as an opportunity to be stingy. In the Old Testament, God required Israelite farmers and herdsmen to give the tithe regardless if they were in debt or not.

Jesus Christ called the Holy Spirit "Spirit of Truth" (John 14:17; 15:26; John 16:13) and warned us, "All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men; but the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven unto men" (Matthew 12:31).

So tithing is a factor in “going to heaven” because without unselfish gratitude to God and a willingness to give back, one is kinda stuck somewhere a bit short of full when it comes to faith and love for God. a long time follower of Christ, still working at it.

Do I need to tithe on loaned money? Generally speaking, we tithe on our income. Loaned money from a bank or lending institution is not income, but debt that must be paid back with interest. Therefore, loans are not sources of income, but sources of expense that would not require a tithe.

The forgiveness of debt is a core principle of Christianity. As Romans 13:8 says, we should “let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law” (NIV).

If you can't afford to tithe due to a tight budget, you can always volunteer your time and talents, says Deborah L. Meyer, CPA/PFS, CFP®, and the author of Redefining Family Wealth: A Parent's Guide to Purposeful Living. “Giving both your money and your time are forms of tithing,” Meyer explained.

While you can't give money you don't have, it's possible to do your part to save the world even with, say, thousands of dollars in student loan debt. You're financially ready to give if you are: Earning more money than you spend. Paying at least the minimum on your debts, on time, every time.