Collecting… for the Saints
1/17/2013
“Now concerning the collection for the saints,
as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon
the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as
God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. And
when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters, them will I
send to bring your liberality unto Jerusalem.” 1 Corinthians 16:1-3. First notice that Paul says “concerning the collection for the saints” Paul specifically states who the collection is for… the Jerusalem saints.
The purpose of the collection was to help provide the saints in
Jerusalem with sustenance – apparently they were in great need.
Secondly,
we find the true understanding of the verse above to be somewhat
diverted in our English translations. The English phrase “the first day
of the week” is translated from the Greek words “mia sabbaton”. The Greek word “mia”
means “only one or someone” and it comes from a root word that simply
means “one”; it does not mean “every” such as every week. The Greek word
“sabbaton” is translated into Greek from the Hebrew word “Sabbath”. Sabbaton means seventh, as in the seventh day of the week, or it can simply “week.”
If
we back up a few chapters to 1 Corinthians 7:1 we find that Paul has
received a letter from Corinth. He’s attempting to answer the concerns
of that particular assembly. In chapter 16 Paul continues his reply to
that same assembly, this time it’s in regards to a collection for the
saints in Jerusalem. Paul spends two chapters on this subject – the
ministering to the saints. He’s concerned for the plight of the saint’s
in Jerusalem. As Paul did with the assemblies in Galatia, he requests
that those in Corinth help their brethren in Jerusalem.
I’ve
received numerous letters from my readers who’ve requested a biblical
explanation of tithing. I’ll not attempt to turn my brethren away from
giving. On the contrary, I wholeheartedly convinced that giving of our
abundance as we purpose in our own hearts is of God. We, as the children
of God, more than any other people on earth should be of the mindset of
helping our brothers and sisters “in Christ” who are in need. In this
commentary I will attempt to set many minds at ease when it comes to
tithing, using the inerrant word of God as our guide.
What
is God’s view of tithing? There is no example of tithing in the New
Testament. The tithe was a requirement of the law in which all
Israelites were to give 10% of everything they earned back to God. One
reason for giving back a portion of what God had blessed them with was
the need of the Levites. The Levites were priests, thus they had been
given no land. Without any land they had no way to sustain themselves.
They relied on the rest of the Israelite tribes for their sustenance.
“Every man according as he purposeth in his heart…” 2 Corinthians 9:7. On the other hand, the “ekklēsia”
(the called out congregation of Jesus’ followers) was never given the
commandment or directive to tithe. Giving with a glad heart pleases God,
giving one percent or ten percent of our abundance, or giving
everything we have, is a decision based solely on how we purpose giving
in our own heart. No man should be provoking another brother to give or
to give more than they’ve purposed in their heart.
We are given confirmation of the Greek word “mia” meaning “one” and not “every” in another verse in Matthew. “In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher.” Matthew 28:1.
Clearly Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to the sepulcher only
once. They didn’t arrive “every week” seeking to prepare the body of our
Lord for burial, but one time only.
“For as touching the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you:” 2 Corinthians 9:1. The Greek word “perissos” is
translated into our English word “superfluous”, and a more defined
meaning would be: over and above, more than is necessary. In other words
by now its apparent from Paul’s statement above that the assembly at
Corinth were keenly aware of what Paul expected of them concerning the
collection for the saints… unto Jerusalem.
1
Corinthians 16 and 2 Corinthians 9 are the two main chapters used by
those who wish to bind the Ekklesia of Christ with a stumbling block -
one of tithing. Yet, as we study the original Greek language, we find
these two chapters have nothing to do with tithing or giving on a
continual weekly basis. Nor do we find in Paul’s admonition to the
Corinthians any exhorting of the faithful to collect weekly, not to
mention for the purposes for which they are collected today.
Basically what Paul is requesting
is “one” offering to take place on the seventh day of the week.
Remember who he’s writing to. These were Gentiles who had become
Christians, they had never been observers of the Sabbath. Nor did this
offering have anything to do with worship services; Paul wasn’t telling
the Corinthians to worship on “Sabbaton” but to collect liberality
(a onetime gift)… on the seventh day. And, as I’ve already mentioned,
to give it to those saints who were suffering in Jerusalem. Don’t take
my word for the correct rendering of the original Greek but look them up
in your own concordance/dictionaries.
The
correct interpretation of 1 Corinthians 16:1-3 indicates that the
collection Paul requested was not something he admonished the
parishioners to repeat every week. It was a onetime blessing for the
saints in Jerusalem collected from the assemblies in Galatia and
Corinth. Paul made it clear he intended to send one of the brothers of
the Corinth congregation to Jerusalem with this one time offering. That
was it. Paul never says bring your tithes every Sabbaton so we can build
new beautiful buildings, pay pastoral salaries, pay for grounds upkeep,
musical instruments, stages, lighting, sound systems, and all the rest
of the entertainment specialties that people seem to need today. These
verses have been used to accommodate the hierarchy (the clergy) for
hundreds of years, but as I’ve just demonstrated this was clearly not
God’s intent.
Please
don’t misunderstand my intentions with this commentary. I’m only trying
to give my readers a clearer picture of the correct interpretation when
it comes to tithing – from scripture. There are many pastors who are
under extreme pressure from their board of directors to squeeze more
from their congregations in regards to funding. In most cases these
funds are not used to help the suffering brethren but, as I’ve already
mentioned, to add sources of entertainment or pay for overhead to an
already bloated building fund.
Supporting
others in need through our own abundance is exactly what Jesus teaches
us in the parable of the Samaritan. Almost immediately, as Jesus begins
this parable, He uses the word compassion. However, He never mentions
that this Samaritan was under orders from his pastor or anyone else to
help the man who had been attacked by thieves. The parable tells us that
the Samaritan purposed in his own heart to help this man. Instead of
passing by, Jesus showed that this Samaritan loved this man with a
sacrificial love. He didn’t wait to be asked; seeing the need right in
front of him was enough to compel him to action. He also gave freely of
both his time and his resources. He
didn’t filter his giving through a “benevolence” fund or send it to a
charity where most of the funds were siphoned off for administration
purposes, but shouldered the responsibility himself. By
laying out this parable, Jesus was attempting to answer the question
“Who is our neighbor?” What we come to understand from this parable is
that everyone is our neighbor. We should have compassion for our fellow
man, no matter who that person may be.
“If
a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of
you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled;
notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the
body; what doth it profit?” James 2:15-16.
In many cases we pray for the hungry, naked, and destitute but give
them little if anything at all to eat, cover themselves with, or help
them pay their monthly heating cost. If we are of no help to others what profit, or what benefit, is it to them? Here’s
a suggestion. Look around your own community or congregation and see
who is in need, then help them directly. Even if you want to stay
anonymous there are ways to accomplish that also.
Anyone
who tells you that if you don’t tithe you can’t be born again is
mistaken. Many in Christian leadership continually insist that the
members of their congregations who don’t tithe are standing against
God’s precepts. Jesus Christ is our Saviour and He is our King, and a
King doesn’t tax his own children. We’re free to give as we prosper and
as we purpose in our hearts.
“…so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:7. The Greek word “lypē”
is translated into our English word “grudgingly”, and it means: sorrow,
pain, grief. We aren’t to be in serious state of wanting ourselves when
we give because then we will be giving grudgingly. The Greek word “anagkē”
is translated into our English word “necessity” and it means: imposed
either by the circumstances, or by law of duty regarding to one’s
advantage, custom, argument, calamity, distress, straits. In other
words, no one should be provoking us or brow beating us into giving or
tithing. Clearly when we give we are to give out of our love for someone
else – God says give cheerfully, joyfully; when we do so we honor God
pleasing Him in love.
God bless you all,
Ron Graham
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