As Paul begins 1 Corinthians 16, in the first four verses he mentions the collection, and he lays down some principles for giving. One principle is that of local giving. He informs the Corinthians that he is telling them to do the same thing that he had told the Galatian churches to do and presumably what he would also instruct the Roman churches to do, and the churches in Philippi, and all the other places where he had visited. He is saying that in Christianity giving should be on a local level. He does not mean, of course, that there cannot be such a thing as a national organization or even an international organization that raises money for a particular cause. It does mean that giving as a local expression of faith is a valid and good principle, because it has to do with accountability. If you have an organization that is somewhat remote from the people who are giving, the lines of communication are strained, and accountability oftentimes gets lost along the way.
But if you have a structure where the people in a given locality will give to Christian work being done by people they know, who then manage it in a responsible way, you have the kind of accountability which all Christian organizations, and particularly local churches, should have. There can be waste in how that money is raised. The best possible guard against that is to have the money raised and distributed at the local level.
The second thing he talks about here is regular giving. Paul tells the Corinthians to set aside money on the first day of every week, so that when he comes he will not need to take up a collection. Now I do not think that means that in every single instance in every single place for every single person, giving has to be once a week. Some people pay their bills monthly, and it is simply convenient for them to write out their checks for Christian work on a monthly basis. Also, some people get paid once a month, or on irregular schedules throughout the year, and it is easier for them to give as their earnings actually come in.
Paul’s statement about setting money aside on the first day of every week does not exclude other patterns of giving. But it is saying that giving should be regular because it is to be built into the fabric of the Christian life. It is not to be a thing that is done simply in reaction to a pressing need that comes at certain occasions, while the rest of the time we use our money to basically live for ourselves. Paul is teaching that giving should be the essence of Christianity. We have received abundantly from God, and, therefore, as Christian people we should give naturally and regularly. The normal time to do this is on the first day of the week because that is when God’s people gather together to worship.
He speaks also of individual giving. Notice that each one should set aside a sum of money. He is not saying that giving is only for the rich. He is not saying that giving is only for those who have needed help in the past. He is not saying that giving is for certain saints who have reached a certain high level of spirituality. Rather, he is saying each one ought to give. This is something that involves every Christian.
The fourth principle that he gives is what you would call “proportionate giving.” Each one should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income. Whenever you talk about proportionate giving, people always raise the matter of a tithe. A tithe was an Old Testament pattern, and it means a “tenth.” Now the question is sometimes raised, “Are Christians bound to the Old Testament tithe?” People who raise that question are usually giving less. They are a bit worried that perhaps they are bound to do more than they actually are. When I respond to that question, I usually say that as far as I can see, the tithe is not established as a legal requirement in the New Testament. This is because in the Old Testament the tithe was really a tax. It was given to support the government and the temple worship, which went together in the Israelite theocracy.
