What Does the Bible Say About Generosity?

Picture this: You’re checking out at the grocery store, loading your stuff back in the cart, when you notice the lady with three kids behind you. The kids are being kids, with plenty of noise to go around. She looks tired, maybe even a little worried—rummaging through her purse to find enough money to pay for everything. You suddenly get a feeling that you need to do something. So you tell the checkout clerk that you’d like to pay for her stuff. When the clerk tells her this, her eyes fill with tears of sincere gratitude.

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That sounds like a pretty cool thing to do, doesn’t it? We’ve all read or seen stories about amazing generosity. And these stories always warm the heart and even leave your eyes a little misty.

This is because we were made to be generous and help others. That’s the way God set things up. And for those who follow God and believe His Word, generosity isn’t just something you do every so often. The Bible repeatedly calls us to live generously toward everyone.

Let’s dive into how the Bible talks about generosity.

What Is Generosity?

Basically, generosity means freely giving something to others for their benefit and expecting nothing in return. There are many ways to be generous, like giving material resources (donating clothes or money to charity, for example) or giving your time and talents to worthy causes.

And those worthy causes can be anything from helping one person (like the mom we mentioned earlier) to supporting an organization like a church. The point isn’t who you give to or how much—it’s the condition of your heart. Why you’re giving.

And that why comes straight from the spirit of God that’s in all of us—the source of all goodness and love in this world.

What Does the Bible Say About Generosity?

The Bible has a lot to say about generosity. There are literally thousands of Scripture verses that talk about how to bless people with what you have. Rather than list every single verse (which would make this a very long article), let’s look at the main ideas the Bible uses to frame generosity.

It’s Part of God’s Character

The God of the Bible is a generous God. He loves us with a love we can’t even fathom and delights in giving His children (that’s us) good gifts (Matthew 7:11). He gave us life and the breath in our lungs (Genesis 2:7). God made this world and everything in it for us to enjoy (1 Timothy 6:17). Sunsets, puppies, grassy fields, the Grand Canyon—every beautiful thing reflects His generous love.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16 NKJV)

But His ultimate act of generosity came in the form of a baby in a manger. God, in His infinitely generous nature, created a way for us to be with Him through His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus gave His life for us so we might live, restored from sin. God gave us the ultimate gift—and it was a gift that has changed the world. He didn’t have to. We didn’t deserve it. But God gave us this gift because He loves us.

It’s a Way of Life

God intended His generosity to change hearts and minds. That’s why those who follow Him and accept His generous gift of salvation are both encouraged and commanded to be givers—spreading His generous nature to all of humanity. Our generosity is a reflection of God’s generosity. And He set the example by being generous to us first.

It’s About Cheerful Giving

Now, just because Christians are commanded to give doesn’t mean we’re forced to give. You’re not under threat if you don’t give to your local church—it isn’t the IRS, after all!—and God isn’t going to punish you or take back your salvation if you don’t give.

“So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7 NKJV)

God wants us to give freely and happily, not under pressure. That’s because giving is more about the condition of your heart than the amount you give. You should want to give to show your love not only for your fellow human and your church family but also for God and the generosity He has shown you.

It Includes Tithes and Offerings

But how much does the Bible say we should give? The baseline for generosity when you’re following God is a tithe—or 10% of your income—to your local church. This idea goes all the way back to the Old Testament (Leviticus 27:30). And it’s not 10% of what’s left over when you spend your money, but 10% right off the top, called the “firstfruits” (Proverbs 3:9).

The tithe is used by the church to be the church—provide for the pastor, maintain the building (if there is one), meet community needs, support missionaries, and all that. We’re keeping the church’s storehouses full with our tithes (Malachi 3:10).

While the tithe is a specific amount that you give first and on a regular basis, an offering is anything beyond that. So after you’ve tithed and paid all your bills each month, you can use any extra money to bless people or the church. This could include giving money to a charity, helping a friend (or a stranger), or contributing to a specific church project. Offerings can also be non-monetary gifts like your time, talents or materials.

Why Does God Teach Us to Be Generous?

So it’s true that God wants us to be givers. But let’s get one thing straight: The point of generosity is not to meet some obligation to God. It’s not a guilt trip. You don’t tithe to gain His favor. He loves you already.

Because the truth is that God doesn’t need your money. He’s God, and it’s all His anyway (Psalm 24:1). We are just stewards of His property.

For Christians, generosity acknowledges God’s ownership of everything and reflects His nature as a giver. God wants us to be like Him, walk with Him, and have “life in abundance” (John 10:10), because learning how to steward what’s His teaches us to become good givers.

Transformation Through Generosity

Generosity is more than just what’s in your wallet—it’s an attitude. God wants us to go beyond the “normal” sinful tendency of human beings to hold on to what we have. When we’re generous, we show our love for Him by showing God’s love to others.

Think of a time when someone was generous to you. It changed you, softened your heart, gave you a sense of gratitude, right? Well, it works the same with giving, only even better (Acts 20:35). Every time we give, God breaks and re-forms our heart. And little by little, generous act by generous act, we are transformed.

And how are we transformed? Giving makes you a less selfish person, reorienting your thinking toward others instead of yourself. It feels good to give, and your attitude changes. Which is why generous people are more attractive than selfish people—not in appearance, but in character. When you’re generous, you’re a pleasure to be around, and that makes you a better husband, wife, employee and friend.

How to Be More Generous

Maybe you’re feeling the pull to be more generous but are hesitant to follow through. That’s understandable—especially if you think you’re not in a position financially to do it. You might feel afraid to let go of your money, worried that you won’t have enough for yourself.

As we talked about earlier, God has us take our giving off the top before we do anything else with our money. That’s how important it is to Him. And the Bible never mentions anything about hitting the pause button on tithing for any reason, even low finances.

Because here’s the thing: If you’re generous and tithe, God actually promises to bless you and provide. He even wants you to test Him on it—the only time in Scripture where He invites you to do that (Malachi 3:10).

Being generous also makes you more reliant on God’s generosity. During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus points out that God provides enough for the birds and flowers to survive. And because He cares much more for His children (us again) than the birds, we should know that He will provide what we need (Matthew 6:26–28). This leads to contentment with where we are and gratitude for what we have.

So look at it like this: When you tightly clench your fist to hold on to a dollar, sure, nothing can go out, but nothing can come in either. When you keep the dollar in an open hand, it can leave your hand, but more can come into your hand as well. So approach giving with an open hand and an open heart so more can flow in and out. You can’t lose by giving.

And if you can’t give beyond a tithe, make an offering of your time or talent to bless others. Again, it’s not about money—it’s about your heart.

How to Teach People to Be More Generous

It’s one thing to humble yourself to be generous. It’s another thing to teach fellow believers about generosity. You can tell people that giving makes you feel good and will improve your life (both true), but people are often hesitant to give when their own money situation feels like it’s out of control.

A Budget Is Important for Giving

Real financial peace comes when you are giving, saving and spending God’s way. And the road to that peace is paved with a budget.

Most people are very disorganized when it comes to money—it’s the “normal” way. They don’t know where their money goes each month. And consumer debt—from car payments to credit cards—chains up their finances even more, preventing them from gaining margin and building real wealth. Teach people to be weird with money and create a budget so they can put their money to work—saving, spending and giving faithfully to their church.

Once people know where their money is going and get their house in order, they suddenly realize that they do have the margin to give—they’ve just been spending it on stuff they don’t need to impress people they don’t like!

Financial Peace University Can Help

And how do you teach people to get on a budget? Well, we think the best way is to sign up for Financial Peace University. This is the tried-and-true method to kick debt to the curb and live and give like no one else. It’s an easy-to-follow-system that’s worked for millions of families for over 30 years—helping people realize, among other important principles, that generosity is the backbone of wealth-building.

As you progress through the Baby Steps, you’ll become more empowered to give. During Baby Steps 1–3, when you’re focused on getting out of debt and building an emergency fund, your giving might look like tithes or charity with occasional extra gifts. When you break through to Baby Steps 4–6, you’re free to think a little bigger about who to bless. And by the time you hit Baby Step 7, you can practice some truly outrageous generosity!

Bring FPU to Your Church

You can help bring Financial Peace University to your church to get the whole congregation beating debt, building wealth, and giving like never before. You’ll have your own dedicated Ramsey church advisor to walk you through the process and help pick the plan that’s right for your church. And if you’re a pastor, you get to go through FPU absolutely free!

Bring that transformational change to your church. Contact our team of church advisors today!