Are Christians required to tithe?: Difference between revisions

Are Christians required to tithe? (view source)

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 :''Then Jacob made a vow to the LORD: “If you will be with me and protect me on the journey I am making and give me food and clothing, and if I return safely to my father’s home, then you will be my God. This memorial stone which I have set up will be the place where you are worshipped, and I will give you a tenth of everything you give me.”<ref>American Bible Society, The Holy Bible: The Good News Translation, 2nd ed. (New York: American Bible Society, 1992), Ge 28:20–22.</ref>
-The Bible never states that God commanded Jacob to give Him a tithe.  Along with Abraham's example, it appears that the giving of this tithe was voluntary on Jacob's part.  There is no evidence in the text to suggest that tithing was the general practice of Jacob's life.  If he did in fact begin to tithe after God fulfilled His promises to him, Jacob still delayed tithing for 20 years! What is also important is the question of how he gave this tithe to God.  Was it through sacrifice or by giving to the poor?  There is no indication that he ever met Melchizedek.
+Jacob’s vow is very revealing in that it is a conditional vow. “If” God does what he asks, “then” he will do the following. The “conditions” placed upon God in Gen 28:20–22 are as follows:
-In Abraham's life it appears that we have a tithe of the spoils of military victory given to God's priest on a one time only basis. Is the only evidence to obligate believers under the New Covenant to tithe resting on these two passages in Genesis?  That's it?
+:(1) if God will stay with Jacob;
+:(2) if God will keep him safe on his current journey;
+:(3) if God will provide him with food and clothes; and
+:(4) if he returns home.
+God had already promised to fulfill three of these four conditions, and the fulfillment of the fourth seems to be assumed. The “then” part of Jacob’s vow included:
+:(1) Yahweh will be his God;
+:(2) the pillar will be God’s house; and
+:(3) he will give a tenth of all that God gives him.
+While narratives in the OT can serve as examples of faith for all believers (see Heb 11), this is not one of those examples. Interpreters need to read these narratives critically; not every text presents the patriarchs or kings positively.  Gen 28:22 should not be read as suggesting that Christians ought to emulate Jacob’s behavior. Rather, it teaches believers to avoid spiritual immaturity or unbelief.  Jacob seems to be trying to bribe God and buy God’s blessing.  Jacob also seems to have been a specialist in the area of negotiation (see Gen 25:29–34; 29:18). In fact, he does not appear to be converted yet as his conversion appears to have taken place when he wrestled with God (Gen 32:24–30), not in his dream in Gen 28.
+As with Abraham's example, it appears that the giving of this tithe was voluntary on Jacob's part.  There is no evidence in the text to suggest that tithing was the general practice of Jacob's life.  If he did in fact begin to tithe after God fulfilled His promises to him, Jacob still delayed tithing for 20 years! What is also important is the question of how he gave this tithe to God.  Was it through sacrifice or by giving to the poor?  There is no indication that he ever met Melchizedek.
+'''How could tithing be a law from God when Jacob put a condition on it?'''
 ===Tithing in the Mosaic Law===