It was these that Jehovah prophetically invited: “‘Bring all the tenth parts into the storehouse, that there may come to be food in my house; and test me out, please, in this respect,’ Jehovah of armies has said, ‘whether I shall not open to you people the floodgates of the heavens and actually empty out upon you a blessing until there is no more want.’”​—Malachi 3:10.

13. Why are Christians not required to give a literal tenth of their income?

¹³ What about tithes, though? Are Christians obligated to put aside a tenth of their material income and give it to Jehovah’s organization, comparable to what is done in some churches of Christendom? No, that is not required. There is no scripture stating such a rule for Christians. When Paul was collecting contributions for needy ones in Judea, he did not mention a specific percentage that should be given. Rather, he said: “Let each one do just as he has resolved in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7) In speaking of those in special ministries, Paul showed that while some were quite properly supported by voluntary contributions, he was prepared to work and support himself. (Acts 18:3, 4; 1 Corinthians 9:13-15) There were no tithes assigned for this purpose.

14. (a) Why does bringing in a tithe not represent our giving of our all to Jehovah? (b) What is represented by the tithe?

¹⁴ Clearly, for Christians the tithe symbolizes, or represents, something. Since it is a tenth and the number ten often symbolizes earthly completeness in the Bible, does the tithe symbolize our giving of our all to Jehovah? No. When we dedicate ourselves to Jehovah and symbolize this by water baptism, that is when we give our all to him. From the time of our dedication, we have nothing that is not already Jehovah’s. However, Jehovah allows individuals to dispose of what is theirs. So the tithe represents the portion of what is ours that we bring to Jehovah, or use in Jehovah’s service, as a token of our love for him and of our recognition of the fact that we belong to him. The modern-day tithe does not have to be just a tenth. In some cases it will be less. In others it will be more. Each individual brings what his heart impels him to bring and what his circumstances permit.

15, 16. What is included in our spiritual tithe?

¹⁵ What is included in this spiritual tithe? For one thing, we give Jehovah of our time and energy. The time we spend at meetings, in attending assemblies and conventions, in the field service, all of this is something given to Jehovah​—a part of our tithe. The time and energy we spend visiting the sick and helping others​—again, these are part of our tithe. Assisting in constructing Kingdom Halls and sharing in the work of maintaining and cleaning the hall are likewise a part.

¹⁶ Our tithe also includes our financial contributions. With the extraordinary increase of Jehovah’s organization in recent years, financial obligations have increased. New Kingdom Halls are needed, along with new branch facilities and new Assembly Halls, together with the upkeep of those already built. Covering the expenses of those who have made themselves available for special service​—often making great personal sacrifices to do so—​also constitutes a formidable challenge. In 1991 the cost of maintaining missionaries, traveling overseers, and special pioneers alone amounted to more than 40 million dollars, all of which was provided by voluntary contributions.

17. Just what should we give as our spiritual tithe?

¹⁷ Just what should we give as our spiritual tithe? Jehovah does not set a percentage. Nevertheless, a sense of dedication, a genuine love of Jehovah and the brothers, as well as a sense of urgency from realizing that there are lives to be saved, encourage us to bring in our whole spiritual tithe. We feel impelled to serve Jehovah to the greatest extent possible. If we were to stint or give grudgingly of ourselves or our resources, this would be tantamount to our robbing God.​—Compare Luke 21:1-4.