Mal. 3:10-12; D&C 119:4; Gen. 14:20; 28:22; Lev. 27:30-34; Improvement Era, June 1928, pp. 633-645; Ensign, May 1995, p. 40; Improvement Era, Apr. 1968, p. 38; Improvement Era, Nov. 1948, p. 757
“By this principle the loyalty of the people of this Church shall be put to the test. By this principle it shall be known who is for the kingdom of God and who is against it. By this principle it shall be seen whose hearts are set on doing the will of God and keeping His commandments, thereby sanctifying the land of Zion unto God, and who are opposed to this principle and have cut themselves off from the blessings of Zion. There is a great deal of importance connected with this principle, for by it it shall be known whether we are faithful or unfaithful. In this respect it is as essential as faith in God, as repentance of sin, as baptism for the remission of sin, or as the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Joseph F. Smith, Conference Report, Apr. 1900, p. 47)
[Speaking of the question ‘will a man rob God?’] “I picture … in my mind … a masked burglar, sneaking about under the cover of darkness, taking that which was not his. To represent the theory of embezzlement I thought of a non-tithe payer. The Lord’s share came into his hands lawfully, but he misappropriated it to his own use. This seems to be the accusation… .” (Howard W. Hunter, Conference Report, Apr. 1964, p. 34)
“Tithing is not a donation. It is not optional for members. It is a commandment from God, with great blessings and promises given to those who obey. The Lord’s promises to those who faithfully comply with this commandment are that spiritual and temporal blessing will be poured out on them; bounteous harvest (that is, hunger will not stalk the door of that home); and a blessing to an entire nation. (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, pp. 470-474)
“Tithing is a commandment with a promise… . The promised blessings are temporal and spiritual… . (3 Ne. 24:10-12; Mal. 3:10-12). I believe these are promises to the nations in which we reside. When the people of God withheld their tithes and offerings, Malachi condemned ‘this whole nation’ (Mal. 3:9). Similarly, I believe that when many citizens of a nation are faithful in the payment of tithes, they summon the blessings of heaven upon their entire nation. The Bible teaches that ‘righteousness exalteth a nation’ (Prov. 14:34), and ‘a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump’ (Gal. 5:9; see Matt. 13:33). The payment of tithing also brings the individual tithe payer unique spiritual blessings. Tithe paying is evidence that we accept the law of sacrifice. It also prepares us for the law of consecration and the other higher laws of the celestial kingdom.” (Dallin H. Oaks, Ensign, May 1994, p. 34)
“The Lord has promised that he will rebuke the devourer for our sakes… . May not that rebuke of the devourer apply to various of our personal efforts and concerns? There is the great blessing of wisdom, of knowledge, even hidden treasures of knowledge. We are promised that ours shall be a delightsome land if we wil walk in obedience to this law. I can interpret the word land as people, that those who walk in obedience shall be a delightsome people. What a marvelous condition to be a delightsome people whom others would describe as blessed!” (Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, May 1982, p. 40)
“The promise following obedience to … [tithing] is that the windows of heaven would be open and blessings would be poured out that we would hardly be able to contain. The opening of the windows of heaven, of course, means revelations from God to him who is willing thus to sacrifice.” (Harold B. Lee, Ensign, Nov. 1971, p. 16)
“God has commanded the Latter-day Saints to keep His commandments. Ever since I can remember we have had preached unto us what our duties and obligations are. Well do I remember, when a boy, hearing President Brigham Young, in the conferences that were held in the old bowery, teach the Latter-day Saints their duties and obligations. I say as Nephi of old said, that God has required nothing at our hands save He will prepare a way whereby we can accomplish it. What does God require at our hands? He requires that we shall overcome our selfishness; that we shall be honest in our dealings with Him, and that we shall pay an honest tithing.” (Heber J. Grant, Conference Report, Oct. 1900, p. 34)
“Only a small percentage of the Church members worldwide are tithe payers today. For many who live in conditions of material poverty, there may be no other way to escape their impoverishment than to give obedience to this law. As I visit among the stakes of the Church, I find it is not uncommon to discover that fewer than 50 percent of the households are contributing to the fast offerings of the Church, and the trends are not improving.” (Dean L. Larsen, Ensign Nov. 1992, p. 42)
“My mother was a widow, with a large family to provide for. One spring when we opened our potato pits she had her boys get a load of the best potatoes, and she took them to the tithing office; potatoes were scarce that season… . When we drove up to the steps of the tithing office, ready to unload the potatoes, one of the clerks came out and said to my mother, ‘Widow Smith, it’s a shame that you should have to pay tithing.’ … He chided my mother for paying her tithing, called her anything but wise or prudent… . My mother turned upon him and said: ‘William, you ought to be ashamed of yourself. Would you deny me a blessing? If I did not pay my tithing, I should expect the Lord to withhold His blessings from me. I pay my tithing, not only because it is a law of God, but because I expect a blessing by doing it. By keeping this and other laws, I expect to prosper and to be able to provide for my family.’” (Joseph F. Smith, Conference Report, Apr. 1900, p. 48)
“During World War II, my widowed mother supported her three young children on a schoolteacher’s salary that was meager. When I became conscious that we went without some desirable things because we didn’t have enough money, I asked my mother why she paid so much of her salary as tithing. I have never forgotten her explanation: ‘Dallin, there might be some people who can get along without paying tithing, but we can’t. The Lord has chosen to take your father and leave me to raise you children. I cannot do that without the blessings of the Lord, and I obtain those blessings by paying an honest tithing. When I pay my tithing, I have the Lord’s promise that he will bless us, and we must have those blessings if we are to get along.” (Dallin H. Oaks, Ensign, May 1994, p. 33)
“I bear witness—and I know that the witness I bear is true—that the men and the women who have been absolutely honest with God, who have paid their tithing… . God has given them wisdom whereby they have been able to utilize the remaining nine-tenths, and it has been of greater value to them, and they have accomplished more with it than they would if they had not been honest with the Lord.” (Heber J. Grant, Conference Report, Apr. 1912, p. 30)
“During the Great Depression, … some of our bishops observed that members who paid their tithing were able to support their families more effectively than those who did not. The tithe payers tended to keep their employment, enjoy good health, and be free from the most devastating effects of economic and spiritual depression (see Church News, Dec. 1961, p. 16). Countless tithe-paying Latter-day Saints can testify to similar blessings today… . Some people say, ‘I can’t afford to pay tithing.’ Those who place their faith in the Lord’s promises say, ‘I can’t afford not to pay tithing.’” (Dallin H. Oaks, Ensign, May 1994, pp. 33-34)