Is tithing necessary to maintain your salvation?

by Matt Slick

No, tithing is not necessary to maintain one's salvation. The Bible does not teach that we have to obey God's commandments in order to stay saved. Instead, the Bible says that we are "justified by faith" (Romans 5:1). Therefore, our salvation is not dependent upon our ability to keep the law of God - and that includes tithing. Our salvation depends on the faithfulness of Christ, not in our abilities. Furthermore, the Bible says...

• "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all," (James 2:10).
• "For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them,” (Gal. 3:10).

As you can see, the Bible tells us that if we are going to keep the Law in any way as a part of salvation, we are obligated to keep all of it. Furthermore, if we stumble in just one area, we are guilty of breaking all the Law. This is why it is not possible for us to obtain our salvation, or maintain it, by our effort through keeping the law. This is what the Bible tells us...

• "being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus," (Rom. 3:24).
• "But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness," (Rom. 4:5).
• “nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified,” (Gal. 2:16).

So, it is not necessary to tithe in order to maintain your salvation because we are not saved by our effort, or our faithfulness, or our goodness, but by the grace of God in Christ Jesus.