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Are Christians required to tithe?: Difference between revisions
→What does the Old Testament teach?
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Many message ministers (as well as denominational pastors) use the argument that, because Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek, we are obligated under the Abrahamic covenant to pay tithes to the church. | Many message ministers (as well as denominational pastors) use the argument that, because Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek, we are obligated under the Abrahamic covenant to pay tithes to the church. | ||
====Abraham did not practice tithing==== | ====Abraham did not regularly practice tithing==== | ||
Genesis 14:20 states that Abraham “gave Melchizedek a tenth.” Does this offering refer to a pre-Law tithe? Genesis 14 says nothing about a system or pattern of tithing that had become part of Abraham’s worship of God. The remainder of the narrative about Abraham does not discuss him tithing. A few factors are present that argue against this being a reference to systematic tithing: | |||
#Abraham was '''not under obligation''' to pay tithes, he paid them freely. There is no evidence in scripture that Abraham was required to pay a tithe. | #Abraham was '''not under obligation''' to pay tithes, he paid them freely. There is no evidence in scripture that Abraham was required to pay a tithe. | ||
#Abraham | #The offering in Gen 14:20 was made to Melchizedek, the priest. If Abraham was tithing consistently, who received the other tithes? Did Melchizedek engage in an itinerant ministry and collect tithes on behalf of God. | ||
#Abraham | #Gen 14:20 states that Abraham gave a tenth of what “he recovered.” Hebrews 7:4 refers to Abraham’s giving a tenth of the “spoils,” not continuously giving a tenth of all of his possessions for the rest of his life. The present passage likewise does not indicate that Abraham continually gave a tenth of his increase. The modifying phrase “he recovered” also suggests that this was a one-time action rather than a continual pattern. | ||
#Some have argued that Abraham was following the Mosaic Law prior to its being given, as it were. However, according to Num 31:27–29, people were commanded to “set apart one out of every five hundred [of the spoils] as the LORD’s share” and to give it to the priest as an offering to the LORD. Hence the amount for spoils won in victory stipulated in the Mosaic Law is different from what Abraham actually offered Melchizedek in Gen 14. For this reason the argument that Abraham in Gen 14 gave to Melchizedek a tithe in accordance with the Mosaic Law is invalid, because there a different amount for the giving of spoils is prescribed. | |||
#Abraham also was '''required to be circumcised''' as part of the covenant, does that mean that circumcision is also required today? | #Abraham also was '''required to be circumcised''' as part of the covenant, does that mean that circumcision is also required today? | ||
: | Gen 14:20 provides no evidence that Abraham continuously or regularly tithed. Abraham was never commanded to give a tenth on a regular basis, and there is no evidence that Abraham ever tithed again. His giving of a tithe to Melchizedek should therefore be considered a voluntary gift for the priestly functions performed by Melchizedek and a thank offering given to God for military victory. The context of Gen 14:20–24 seems to assume that Abram had the right to keep the spoils for himself. Indeed, if Abram’s tithing is any kind of model for Christians, it provides support only for occasional tithes of unusual sources of income. | ||
====Jacob also paid tithes==== | ====Jacob also paid tithes==== | ||
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However, it is also clear that non-farmers were not required to pay any of the three separate tithes. | However, it is also clear that non-farmers were not required to pay any of the three separate tithes. | ||
:''Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, t“Cursed is everyone who is hanged uon a tree” — so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.<ref>The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Ga 3:13–14.</ref> | |||
==If you want to follow the Old Testament tithing rules== | ==If you want to follow the Old Testament tithing rules== | ||