I don't want believers in the church today to operate under this heavy cloud of some sort of legal obligation that they have to measure up to some specific percentage in order to be pleasing to God and to be living a godly life.

Paul says later in 2 Corinthians 9, let each person make up his own mind.

In other words, you need to give as you have decided in your heart,

not reluctantly or under compulsion for God loves a cheerful giver.

Welcome to the Crossway podcast, a show where we sit down with authors each week for thoughtful

interviews about the Bible, theology, church history, and the Christian life.

I'm Matt Tully, and today I'm talking with Sam Storms.

Sam serves as senior pastor at Bridgeway Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and is the founder of

enjoying God ministries.

He's also the author of Tough Topics, Biblical Answers to 25 Challenging Questions

with Crossway.

Today, Sam and I discuss what the Bible teaches about tithing.

We explore the words Old Testament background and whether or not Christians are obligated

to give 10% of their income today.

He also offers advice related to living generously,

speaks to the sensitive issue of pastor's salaries, and reflects on how giving to support missions,

the poor, and other charities fits into this conversation. Let's get started. Sam Storms,

thank you so much for joining me on the Crossway podcast today.

It's good to be with you, Matt.

So we're going to talk about tithing today, the idea of giving to our churches.

But before we kind of jump in, could you just help us understand that word tithe?

It's kind of a, it's an odd word.

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