Sermon Tone Analysis

*1 Corinthians 16:1… *Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also.* *

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*Commentary*

            /The purpose of giving to the church/… Now that Paul has given sufficient information regarding the resurrection of Jesus Christ, he moves on to the next question the Corinthians obviously asked them: /that of giving/.

In 15:58 Paul instructed the Corinthians to be “always abounding in the work of the Lord,” and one of the ways a person can put this command into practice is to give financially to the church.

The “collection for the saints” in 16:1 concerns the money the Corinthians needed to raise, and term itself, in the secular society, denoted taxation and~/or funds gathered for pagan temples.

Paul used the term only on this occasion, but he used it specifically in reference to money given for the “saints” (living Christians) for their needs and for the furthering of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The purpose for giving money in the NT is for the support of the church and its people, and this act serves as godly worship.

It is the Christian’s financial duty to give first to his~/her church.

Then it is the responsibility of the elders of the church to invest the money in the life of the church and her people (2 Cor.

8:1-5; 9:12-15; Phil.

4:14-16).

According to the text Paul had already preached on this same topic to the churches of Galatia (Acts 13-14).

The collection he spoke of was a collection /by/ the Gentile Christians in Corinth (cf.

Rom.

15:26) to the less fortunate Jewish Christians in Jerusalem.

As in modern times poverty in the ancient world was widespread.

Jerusalem at the time of Paul’s writing was basically a very poor city.

As the religious epicenter for the Jews it had become overpopulated – especially during the great Jewish feasts which occurred annually.

The feasts demanded the slaughter of many animals, and were it not for some of the faithful wealthy non-residents of Jerusalem the Jewish feasts might not have continued.

Furthermore, Jerusalem was still feeling the effects from a severe famine just years before (Acts 11:28).

But for the Christians in Jerusalem, in addition to the famine and the general poverty of the city, their economic situation was even worse due to the persecutions they endured.

Many had been expelled from their homes, had their belongings seized, lost their jobs, and some had even been imprisoned (Acts 8:1-3; 1 Thes.

2:14).

Though Christians had practiced having all things in common early on (Acts 2:44-45; 4:34), their resources had apparently dwindled to nothing.

Not only did Paul want to have a monetary collection taken up for the poorer Christians in Jerusalem, he also required it for the spiritual unity of the church.

Not only does giving of one’s resources to a common cause bring unity to those who give, but it also shows thankfulness to those the gift goes to.

Salvation comes from the Jews (John 4:22), and because of this Gentiles have a special gratitude to them.

Paul says in Romans 15:27, “For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews’ spiritual blessings, they are indebted to minister to them also in material things.”

Paul felt so strongly about the sharing of gifts and in the fellowship of other Christians that on three occasions he uses a Greek term that is normally translated as “fellowship” to represent the giving of financial gifts (Rom.

15:26; 2 Cor.

8:4; 9:13).

In other words, in Paul’s mind true fellowship among Christians comes as a result of sharing in one’s wealth with the church.

*Food for Thought*

            Giving money to the church is rarely an easy topic of discussion (especially for a preacher!).

But the next time the topic comes up and you get angry or uncomfortable, ask yourself why that is.

I’ve never heard one person who gives faithfully to their church get angry when the topic of money comes up.

It’s only those who choose not to give who tend to gripe.

*1 Corinthians 16:2…* On the first day of every week let each one of you put aside and save, as he may prosper, that no collections be made when I come.

*Commentary*

            The first principle of giving answers the question “When should we give?”

The answer is literally “on the first day of the seven” (Sunday).

This was the traditional day of worship in the first century (cf.

Acts 20:7) because it represented the day Christ rose from the dead.

Jewish Christians actually abandoned their reverence for the Sabbath (Saturday) and moved their worship day because of this.

So the day of corporate worship was the appropriate time to give.

Giving in itself is an act of worship.

The Apostle Peter said, “You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Pet.

2:5)./

/In the OT blood sacrifices were offered, but in the NT the sacrifice was spiritual, stemming from one’s talents, time, and finances.

Giving to the church should not be based upon the pastor’s sporadic pleas or one’s economic stability but from a willing heart that strives to worship God for what He did at the cross.

All that anyone possesses is God’s, and He grants us these for pleasure – His and ours.

A thankful believer acknowledges God’s provisions by giving back to Him a portion of his~/her earnings.

The second principle of giving answers the question, “Who should give?”

The answer is “each one of you.”

No one is exempt.

“Each of you” denotes everyone who calls upon Christ for salvation.

God is not interested in the excuses of the poor for not having enough – illustrated in the story of the destitute woman who gave what amounted to one cent in the Bible (Mark 12:41-44).

Jesus did not discourage her giving but held her up as an example of one who gave all she had.

A person’s true character is revealed through what he~/she gives when they have little.

The rich can afford to give large amounts without ever feeling the hit, but the poor must give of himself to help someone else – possibly one more fortunate than him financially.

Those who are faithful with a small amounts will be faithful with larger amounts; those who are unrighteous with a little will also be unrighteous with much (Luke 16:10).

Since all believers are called to give all believers must strive to be faithful with what they have if they choose to pray for more.

The third principle of giving answers the question “Where do we give?”

The answer is simply /to the church/.

Some folks attempt to sidestep giving to their church by giving to the homeless on the streets or to some poverty-stricken child in another country.

Though such giving is noble, that kind of giving should be done in /addition/ to their contributions to the church.

This fact is revealed through Paul’s reference to “the first day of the week” for that is when Christians worship.

Sunday as the day of corporate worship was the time when believers would pool their resources to help all those in need (Acts 2:44-45), and as time passed believers would bring their gifts to the apostles to distribute accordingly (Acts 4:35, 37; 5:2).

Thus, it was the church where the gifts were brought to be disbursed as the apostles and elders deemed necessary.

*Food for Thought*

            Paul commanded Christians to “put aside and save.”

This phrase comes from “thesaurus” – a collection or a treasury of words.

It represents a treasure chest that holds things of great value.

The church should be a storehouse for gifts to be given to those in need, specifically other Christians.

Each one of us is called upon to keep it full from our own God-given earnings.

The very fact that Paul follows this statement with, “that no collections be made when I come” clearly shows that he is not referring to money saved at home for retirement or the like.

He is speaking directly to all believers, telling them to contribute to the treasure chest in the church.

*1 Corinthians 16:2…* On the first day of every week let each one of you put aside and save, as he may prosper, that no collections be made when I come (Part 2).

*Commentary*

The fourth principle of giving answers the question, “How much?” Paul answers that giving is to be done as you “may prosper.”

In the Bible prosperity has to do with being successful in reaching one’s goal, being healthy, and in obtaining wealth.

In v. 2 this is clearly a reference to financial prosperity.

So how much a person gives should be based upon one’s salary.

In the OT the act of tithing (giving a tenth) from the time of Abraham to Moses was common but not commanded by God.

It was the pagan custom to give 10% of their wealth to the gods mainly because the number 10 was a symbol of completeness.

Cain and Abel gave to God but not a tenth (Gen.

4).

Noah sacrificed to God but not a tenth (Gen.

8).

In Gen. 12:7 Abraham built an altar and worshipped God with no mention of a tenth.

Genesis 14:17-20 is the first mention of the tithe in the Bible, but this refers to Abraham’s giving only a tenth of the spoil he received in battle to Melchizedek – not of his possessions.

Abraham never again gave 10%.

In Gen. 28:20-22 Jacob vowed to give God 10% if God would bless him.

In essence, he was following in the footsteps of the pagans of his day by attempting to bribe God.

Even Joseph knew of no 10% requirement, for he exacted 20% from the people to sustain Egypt (Gen.

41:34).

The Mosaic Law (OT) did require tithes and offerings from Israel.

First, Israel was to tithe of their earnings and their livestock to support the Levites.

This tithe worked as a tax.

In turn, the Levites were to tithe back from what they themselves received (Num.

18:25-30) so as to feed those belonging to the priesthood.

Failure to tithe constituted robbing God (Mal.

3:8).

The second tithe was annual – the festival tithe (Deut.

12:10-11, 17-18).

It supported the national feasts (Passover, Booths, Weeks, etc.) where Jews and Jewish converts slaughtered countless animals in celebration of various events in Israel’s history.

This tithe contributed to the worship of the people, and if it were neglected then the celebratory feasts would suffer.

The third tithe required from the Jews was the welfare tithe for orphans and widows (Deut.

14:28-29).

This tithe was God’s way of providing for widows and orphans in Israel who could not provide for themselves.