“Now concerning the
collection for the saints, as I ordered the churches of Galatia, so you do
also. On the first day of every week, let each of you by himself store up
whatever he is prospered, that there be no collections when I come” (1
Corinthians 16:1-2).1
The perí dé (“now
concerning”) formula in 1 Corinthians draws attention to Paul’s answers to
questions these brethren had asked in their earlier correspondence to him (7:1,
25; 8:1, 4; 12:1; 16:1, 12). The current response, pertaining to “the
collection for the saints” (v. 1a), presupposes their previous knowledge
of it.2 Even though Paul is issuing an apostolic “order” or “command”
(diatassō) (v.
1b), it is not to be regarded as burdensome (2 Corinthian 9:7; cf. 1 John
5:3).
The same directives had been
communicated to the churches of Galatia (v. 1c),3 and the
Macedonian churches were also involved (v. 5; cf. Romans 15:26; 2 Corinthians
8:1–9:7).4 Paul goes on to reference the churches of Asia (v.
19), who apparently participated as well (Acts 20:4), plus all the churches in
the province of Achaia (Romans 15:26; 2 Corinthians 1:1; 9:2) that would have
included Corinth, Cenchrea, and potentially Athens (Acts 17:24; 18:18, 27;
19:21; Romans 16:1).5 Throughout 1 Corinthians the readers
have consistently been reminded of what is taught and practiced everywhere in
all the churches (1:2; 4:17; 7:17; 11:16; 14:33).
“On the first day of
every week” – katá mían sabbátou (v. 2a) – indicates a regular
occurrence on a specific day each week. The implication is that the Corinth
church and her sister congregations in various places were assembling weekly on
this particular day (cf. 11:17-26; 14:23, 26; Acts 20:7). The first day of the
week (Sunday) marks the historical juncture when our Lord conquered death (Mark
16:9), providing the cornerstone of the Christian faith (Romans 1:4; 6:4-11; 1
Corinthians 15:1-4, 12-22; 1 Peter 3:21). Thereafter it was this day of the
week on which the resurrected Christ appeared to his disciples (John 20:19,
26),6 the Lord’s church was established (Acts 2:1; cf. Leviticus
23:15-16; John 19:31), and early Christians assembled together to commemorate
Jesus’ atoning sacrifice (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 11:17-26; 16:1-2).
“Each of you by himself”
(v. 2b) describes a personal responsibility (cf. 2 Corinthians 9:7). The
expression “let him store up” (thēsaurízōn) (v.
2c) means to treasure up or store up in a common treasury. Just as the
observance of the Lord’s Supper involves both individual and collective
components (11:20, 26, 28), so too does the contribution. The qualifier
“whatever he is prospered” (v. 2d) is clearly not a set percentage (in
contrast to the old covenant tithing system).7 Contributions stem
from each one’s ability or level of prosperity (cf. Acts 11:29; 2 Corinthians
8:3). When Paul says, “that there be no collections when I come” (v. 2e),
he implies a communal church treasury as opposed to separate, individual gifts;
note the singular “gift” in v. 3. Their mutual “gift” at this time was to be
delivered to help meet the needs of their Judean brethren (vv. 3-4; see
also 2 Corinthians 8:16-24; Acts 20:4; 21:17; and compare Acts 11:29-30).
This benevolent aid that
was intended for a particular situation does not negate the broader
implications of how the work of the church is to be financed. These verses
constitute an apostolic command issued to multiple congregations in various
locations to be regularly observed on a specified day each week. Was the giving
to stop when the present need was met? Beyond this explicit injunction, there
are numerous examples of the Lord’s work funded through the free-will offerings
of Christians collected in a common treasury (cf. Acts 2:42, 44, 45; 4:32,
34-37; 5:1-2; 6:1-4; 11:29-30). The churches of Macedonia, apparently under the
same directives as the churches of Achaia and Galatia (2 Corinthians 8:1–9:7),
also contributed to evangelistic efforts (2 Corinthians 11:7-9; Philippians
4:15-20). Moreover, a one-time benevolent opportunity was not the only work the
Corinthian and Galatian brethren were expected to support (1 Corinthians
9:11-14; 16:6; 2 Corinthians 12:13; Galatians 6:6).8
No other method of
financing the Lord’s work is biblically sanctioned beyond the intentional and
generous giving of members of the local church. “Let each one give as he
purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God indeed loves
a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).
--Kevin L. Moore
Endnotes:
1 Unless
otherwise noted, scripture quotations are the author’s own translation.
2 For
additional information on this particular collection, see Galatians 2:10; Romans
15:25-28, 31; and 2 Corinthians 8–9.
3 Cf. Acts
16:6; 18:23; Galatians 1:2. These are probably the churches in the southern
region of the Roman province of Galatia, including Antioch of Pisidia, Lystra,
Derbe, and Iconium (Acts 13, 14, 16), rather than the North Galatia
territory. Note that Gaius of Derbe and Timothy of Lystra were part of the
delegation that carried the funds to Jerusalem (Acts 20:4). Unless Paul
had sent a letter or a representative that we do not know about, the last
opportunity he would have had to communicate this information to the Galatians
was nearly three years before 1 Corinthians was written (Acts 18:23).
4 Macedonian
cities where churches had been planted were Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea
(Acts 16:9–17:14). Representatives of the Thessalonica and Berea congregations
helped deliver the funds (Acts 20:4), and Luke may have represented the church
at Philippi (Acts 16:12; 20:6). The generosity of the Philippi saints is
further highlighted in Philippians 1:5-7; 2:25-30; 4:10-19.
5 A
summary of the churches potentially involved include those in the Galatia
cities of Antioch, Lystra, Derbe, and Iconium; the Asia cities of Ephesus,
Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea, Colosse, and Troas;
the Macedonia cities of Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea; the Achaia cities of
Athens, Corinth, and Cenchrea; and possibly more.
6 Christ’s
second appearance to his disciples, according to John’s testimony, was “after
eight days” (John 20:26), an idiom signifying “a week later.” John is writing
to a Gentile audience, and it was not uncommon for the ancients to count any
portion of a day as a whole day. If the counting began on the previous Sunday
(John 20:19), then eight days later would be the following Sunday. Compare
Matthew 17:1 (written from a Jewish perspective) and Luke 9:28 (written from a
Greek perspective). Note also John’s allusion to “the Lord’s day” in Revelation
1:10. He employs the adjective kuriakos, and the only other occurrence
of this word in the New Testament is in reference to “the Lord’s Supper” (1
Cor. 11:20), which was to be observed as often as these Christians assembled
together in one place (vv. 17-34), which was apparently every Sunday (16:2).
7 See my
article on Tithing.
8 The qualifiers “if you might approve” and “if it is suitable” in 1 Corinthians 16:3-4 indicate some degree of flexibility. We could also
include the churches of Rome and Asia in this discussion (Romans 12:6-8; 15:24;
Acts 20:35; Ephesians 4:28; 1 Timothy 5:17-18; 6:17-19). Furthermore, Jesus and
his immediate disciples received donations (Luke 8:3) and maintained a
collection of funds to finance their needs as they carried out their public
ministry (John 12:6; 13:29).
Related Posts: God's Ability to Provide, Questions about the Lord's Supper, The Frequency of the Lord's Supper, Church Benevolence
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