Are Christians required to tithe?: Difference between revisions

Are Christians required to tithe? (view source)

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 :''Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “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==
+====Other OT passages on tithing====
-If someone truly wants to tithe according to the Old Testament rules, they would have to do the following:
+After the Pentateuch, tithing is mentioned in seven passages:
-#Quit their job and buy a farm so that they can raise herds and grow crops.
+#2 Chron. 31:5–6, 12 - this relates to the people starting to tithe once again. and records tithing of both harvested crops and animals
-#Find some Levitical priests to support.
+#Neh 10:32,38–39; 12:44–47; 13:5, 12 - This passage is again a reinstitution of tithing but also Nehemiah imposes a tax, to be paid yearly, of a third part of a shekel. This was a tax, first, used for various items in the temple (see Neh 10:33). It was completely separate from the tithe.  This passage raises some interesting questions for those who say that tithing continues. Does the tax Nehemiah imposed in Neh 10:33 continue (obviously not one-third of a shekel, but in some equivalent amount)? Is there any parallel to supplying firewood for the temple? How does the firstfruits command apply? Finally, and most intriguingly, should pastors (who have replaced the Levites/priests) go out to collect the tithes to make sure they are being paid? The problem during Nehemiah’s time was that the people were not bringing in the tithes, so his solution was to go and collect the tithes. Today’s church, too, has people who are delinquent in paying their tithes.89 If tithing continues into the present administration, and a church has a problem with members not tithing, should the pastors go and collect the tithes as Nehemiah prescribed for his time?
-#Use their crops to observe the Old Testament religious festivals like Passover, Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, and Tabernacles.  Since they are under the Abrahamic Covenant, the men would also need to be circumcised.
+#Amos 4:4 - The message of the prophet Amos regarding tithes in some ways anticipates Jesus’ message in Matt 23:23 and Luke 18:9–14 that his contemporaries ought not to neglect the weightier matters of the Law, or their tithing will essentially be in vain.
-#Begin by giving at least 20 per cent of all their crops and herds to God for the first six years.
+#Mal 3:6-12 -  this passage has been used and misused by many preachers. The major purpose of the prophet’s message was to rekindle the fires of faith in the hearts and minds of a discouraged people. The fact that the Jews were withholding the tithes was an indication of a greater disobedience of the nation. The main purpose of this section is a call to repentance, which Malachi then applies to the specific problem of tithing.94 In spite of people’s sins, God loved them and patiently waited for them to return.  The question of whether the command to tithe is applicable also for the new covenant era cannot be decided from this passage.
-#Pay no tithes every seventh year.
-#Expect God to curse them with material deprivation if they were unfaithful or bless them with material abundance if they were obedient.
-=How do you pay tithes to Melchizedek?=
-A significant portion of the Old Testament tithes were paid to the Levites and then the priests. But Hebrews 7:12 says,
-:''“For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law”.
-Jesus is then identified as a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. Hebrews 7:23-24 says,
-:''“And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.”
-And Jesus Christ is alive today, our priest forever.
-This means that '''your pastor is not a symbol of a priest who should receive tithes'''. No, Jesus is our high priest, and he is sitting on His throne in heaven (Hebrews 8:1). So how do we give to Jesus? Do you believe that your pastor fits into the role of '''vicarious fillii dei'''?  Can he receive tithes as a representative of the Son of God, or as a representative of Melchisedec?
-What did Jesus say?
-:''“And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” (Matthew 25:40)
-Jesus was not talking about the least being a pastor in a luxury car, with luxury clothes and a luxury home. He was talking about people who were hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, in prison, and strangers. These are the words of the King.
-And Melchisedec, after all, is the King of righteousness and peace.
-If you truly want to give your tithes to Melchisedec, '''give to those in need'''.
+:But what is the reference to “offerings?” One fact that may explain why this passage is frequently misapplied is that not many interpretations of this text deal with the question of how the term offerings is to be defined. This is a reference to the peace offerings and other sacred gifts, in the form of the wave offering, the thigh of the ram of ordination (Exod. 29:27, 28; etc.), cakes of leavened bread, etc. (Lev. 7:14). It was one of the chief sources of the priests’ livelihood.  Like tithes, these were compulsory contributions required by the Mosaic Law for the temple staff.
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