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Are Christians required to tithe?: Difference between revisions
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'''The ominous question “Will a man rob God?” was quoted by William Branham and has been plastered on bulletins, offering envelopes, and sermon titles, and has been preached upon enough to make its interpretation seem fairly straightforward.''' It is true that it is a sin to rob God of what is his. However, the issues involved are considerably more complex than many sermons on the subject may suggest. The question of whether or not believers today are to give at least ten percent of their income involves issues such as the continuity or discontinuity between the Testaments; the extent to which the Mosaic Law is still applicable to believers in the new covenant period; the relationship between the OT and NT at large; and the nature of progressive revelation and salvation history. | |||
While it is commonly agreed that the OT food laws and the OT practice of circumcision do not carry over into the NT era, there is less consensus on other OT practices such as tithing. In an attempt to adjudicate the question of whether or not all NT believers are required to give ten percent or more of their income today, we will study all the relevant references to tithing in the OT and NT and assess the applicability of this practice to NT believers in light of some of the larger issues mentioned above. We will also discuss NT principles for giving that are in effect whether or not they involve giving ten percent of one’s income.<ref>Andreas J. Köstenberger and David A. Croteau, “‘Will a Man Rob God?’ (Malachi 3:8): A Study of Tithing in the Old and New Testaments,” ed. Craig A. Evans, Bulletin for Biblical Research, Vol. 16, 2006, 53–54.</ref> | |||
William Branham taught that tithing is a biblical requirement for Christians today and many pastors outside of the message would agree with him. But there are also many biblical scholars and, in fact, entire denominations, who teach that tithing is not a command that can be found in the New Testament. This article will look at both sides of this issue and is based primarily on two articles by Andreas J. Köstenberger (Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) which appeared in the 2006 edition of the Bulletin for Biblical Research.<ref>Andreas J. Köstenberger and David A. Croteau, “‘Will a Man Rob God?’ (Malachi 3:8): A Study of Tithing in the Old and New Testaments,” ed. Craig A. Evans, Bulletin for Biblical Research, Vol. 16, 2006, p. 53 and Andreas Köstenberger, “Reconstructing a Biblical Model for Giving: A Discussion of Relevant Systematic Issues and New Testament Principles,” Bulletin for Biblical Research, Vol. 16, 2006, 237.</ref> | William Branham taught that tithing is a biblical requirement for Christians today and many pastors outside of the message would agree with him. But there are also many biblical scholars and, in fact, entire denominations, who teach that tithing is not a command that can be found in the New Testament. This article will look at both sides of this issue and is based primarily on two articles by Andreas J. Köstenberger (Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) which appeared in the 2006 edition of the Bulletin for Biblical Research.<ref>Andreas J. Köstenberger and David A. Croteau, “‘Will a Man Rob God?’ (Malachi 3:8): A Study of Tithing in the Old and New Testaments,” ed. Craig A. Evans, Bulletin for Biblical Research, Vol. 16, 2006, p. 53 and Andreas Köstenberger, “Reconstructing a Biblical Model for Giving: A Discussion of Relevant Systematic Issues and New Testament Principles,” Bulletin for Biblical Research, Vol. 16, 2006, 237.</ref> | ||