That is an excellent question! I believe there are three main points to be made. We should be “financially responsible” towards God, our fellow-man and our family.

  1. Towards God…You mentioned “tithing,” which is actually an Old Testament term where the children of Israel were to give 10% of their money/crops to God to support His work. In the New Testament we have a different thought. 1st Corinthians 16:2 reads, “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, AS GOD HATH PROSPERED HIM.” Unlike the Jew who was to give 10%, the Christian is to give back to the Lord “as God hath prospered him.” It may be MORE than 10%; it may be less. We also see in this verse that our giving should be SYSTEMATIC; that is, we should give regularly, preferably on the “first day of week” when we come together with other believers to worship the Lord. Another principle is found in 2nd Corinthians 9:7: “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver” (NKJV). Here we learn that we should really be exercised about how much we give AND that it should be with a willing and cheerful heart.
  1. Towards our fellow-man…A powerful verse that teaches this is Romans 13:8, “OWE NO MAN ANYTHING except to love one another” (NJKV). In a word, we should NOT “be in debt to our fellow-man!” Does this mean we should never borrow money? Some believe the answer to that is YES, and they will quote Proverbs 22:7 to support that view. That verse says, “The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.” In their view the Christian who borrows money becomes enslaved to a financial institution. I think that would be going too far, for the reality is that most of us who own a home had to take out a loan to buy it. So, I believe Romans 13:8 is teaching us to MAKE OUR PAYMENTS ON TIME.  If we don’t, we are guilty of what we read in Psalm 37:21: “The wicked borrows and does not repay.” In 1st Corinthians 4:2 it says, “Moreover it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful.” As good stewards of the money the Lord has given to us, we need to be faithful and this includes paying our bills and loan payments ON TIME.
  1. Towards our family…In 1st Timothy 5:2-10 the apostle Paul addresses the subject of GIVING TO WIDOWS IN NEED and this is especially true if they are in your own family. In verse 8 Paul states, “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” These are strong words and they show us how important it is to be financially responsible towards those in our own family. A Christian may be “giving to the Lord” faithfully and “paying their bills on time,” and yet fail in “providing for their own family.” I have literally seen men who meet their financial obligations to God and their fellow-man, but their family is suffering in some way because they aren’t providing for their needs. This would surely include providing food and clothing for them, along with other “necessities.” We are living in a very materialistic world (and this is especially true in the United States) and the temptation for a man is to buy the best car, a lake home, a new boat, or some other “luxury item” that we really don’t need, while our family lacks their basic needs. May we Christian men (or women if you are the “bread-winner” in the family) take these words to heart. (219.1) (DO)