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Kyle wrote:
Perhaps you would benefit from reading what I said earlier:
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There were three tithes instituted for ancient Israel:
1) An annual tithe which was to be taken to Jerusalem and used for festival celebration (Deut. 14:22–23).
2) A triennial tithe which was to be deposited in one's town in order to support the Levites and the poor (Deut. 14:28–29; Deut. 26:12).
3) An annual tithe which was given to the Levites in return for their priestly services (Num. 18:21).

Which of these is continually binding on the church? Surely neither the first nor the second is binding: we do not travel to Jerusalem once a year (imagine paying the tithe solely to feast!), and we do not live in towns in ancient Israel that are made up entirely of members of the church. Is the third binding? Well, if you think the Levites are still around performing priestly functions, perhaps it is! But actually, the levitical priesthood is done away, and we are all priests in Christ Jesus.

Thank you, Kyle. I benefitted from it more THIS time than last. I guess I am confused by this:

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Kyle wrote:
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Please forgive me for any confusion I may have caused, Jeff. I do NOT believe that the "tithe" is binding upon new covenant believers.

or

Please forgive me, Jeff, but I just don't see how "the tithe was specific to theonomic Israel" and, specifically how one can get that from the passages you quoted from Colossians.

Ted, which is it? If it's not specific to theonomic Israel, the command to tithe is BINDING on believers today!

I must be dense. Why are my two statements above contradictory? I don't see where there is ANYTHING that is "binding" upon new covenant believers in the manner of "law." However, I like what Randy Alcorn writes:

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I'm a strong believer in the new covenant's superiority over the old (Romans 7; 2Corinthians 3; Hebrews 8). On the other hand, I believe there's ongoing value to certain aspects of the old covenant. The model of paying back to God the firstfruits (tithing) and giving freewill offerings beyond that is among those. Because we are never told that tithing has been superseded, and because Jesus directly affirmed it (Matthew 23:23) and prominent church fathers taught it as a requirement for Christian living, it seems to me the burden of proof falls on those who say tithing is no longer a minimum standard for God's people. The question is not whether tithing is the whole of Christian giving or even at the center of it. Clearly it is not. Many people associate the command to keep the tithe with the command to keep the Sabbath. New Testatment Christians are not obligated to keep the Sabbath with all its legislated rules under the Mosaic covenant (Colossians 2:16). However, a weekly day of rest based on God's pattern of creation was instituted before the Law (Genesis 2:2-3). It's a principle never revoked in the New Testament. The special day of observance changed to Sunday, "the Lord's day," yet the principle of one special day set aside for worship remained intact.

Christ fulfilled the entire Old Testament, but he didn't render it irrelevant. Old Testament legislation demonstrated how to love my neighbor. Although the specific regulations don't all apply, the principles certainly do, and many of the guidelines are still as helpful as ever. Consider the command to build a roof with a parapet to protect people from falling off (Deuteronomy 22:8). When it comes to the Old Testament, we must be careful not to throw out the baby (ongoing principles intended for everyone) with the bathwater (detailed regulations intended only for ancient Israel).

We don't offer sacrifices anymore, so why should we tithe? Because sacrifices are specifically rescinded in the New Testament. As the book of Hebrews demonstrates, Christ has rendered inoperative the whole sacrificial system. But where in the New Testament does it indicate that tithing is no longer valid? There is no such passage. With a single statement, God could have easily singled out tithing like He did sacrifices and the Sabbath. But He didn't.
- page 181 of Money, Possessions and Eternity by Randy Alcorn