Sunday Sermons

The Collection

Mark Dunagan
04/10/05 - Sunday Morning

The Collection

Frank Jamerson observed, “Through the years various doctrines have been taught in efforts to eliminate the local church treasury. In the 1960’s, some were arguing that the New Testament does not authorize local churches or church treasures”(True Worship, FC Lectures 2005, p. 154). Jim Deason further notes that, “another focal point of attack from within the house church movement relates to whether or not a local church should have a standing church treasury. LaGard Smith challenges the use of 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 ‘as authority for the proposition that we are commanded to make a ‘contribution’ each Lord’s Day as a part of the divine plan” (Radical Restoration p. 7). He later states, ‘If we could ever get away from the unwarranted idea of ‘giving’ as a mandated ‘item of worship’ and being thinking of ‘giving’ as a way of meeting special needs whenever they arise, we would not need the same kind of ‘treasury’ to which we are accustomed’ (p. 245)” (FC Lectures p. 177).

1 Corinthians 16:1-2

“Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also. On the first day of the week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come”.

“Upon the first day of the week”: “On the first day of every week” (NASV). “Kata is distributive so that we may translate: ‘Sunday by Sunday let each of you lay by’” (Lenski p. 759). “Kata has a distributive force, every first day” (Vincent p. 288). “The fact that Paul makes such a reference at all implies that there is some significance to their setting money aside on this day rather than, for example, ‘once a week’. This is verified further by the note in Acts 20:7, which implies most strongly that Paul and the others waited in Troas until the ‘first day of the week’ precisely because that is when the Christians gathered for the breaking of bread” (Fee pp. 813-814). “Each one of you is to put aside and save”: Some are under the impression that “put aside” demands the interpretation of “lay by him at home”, yet consider the following points: Such “laying up at home” would defeat the purpose of this instruction. Paul was giving instructions that would prevent a mass gathering when he arrived. (16:2) “Let me just observe that whatever Paul did not want to be done when he came is precisely what was to be taken care of on the first day of every week...we are forced to conclude that the activity of vs. 1-2 is a public, first-day-of-the week collection” (Willis p. 601). “But it certainly seems to me that if they were keeping it at home (1) the stipulation of the day (every first day) makes no sense (why would it not be just as acceptable and effective to do it on Thursday?), and (2) Paul would be defeating his own desire of having no collections when he came since they'd have to bring the money in from homes all over the city” (McGuiggan p. 212). “The word ‘thesaurizoon’ translated ‘in store’, means, literally, ‘put into the treasury’. If each man had laid by in his own house, all these scattered collections would have had to be gathered after Paul's arrival, which was the very thing that he forbade. It was put in the public treasury of the church, but kept by itself as a separate fund” (McGarvey p. 161). Jamerson observes, “When you treasure it up, whether it is in a box, a can or a bank, so that no collections have to be made later, it is a treasury!” (p. 154).

No standing treasury?

“First Corinthians 16:1-2 contains Paul’s instructions to Corinth for providing benevolent aid to the needy saints of Jerusalem, but more than a benevolence passage, this passage is also a collection passage. It …shows how a local church collects funds to perform the work of the local church. Further, that the church at Corinth kept a standing church treasury is necessarily implied by the fact these contributions were taken on the first day of every week—so that no collections be made when I come” (FC Lectures p. 177). In addition, other passages also infer that the church had an ongoing treasury. “For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need” (Acts 4:34-35). Notice that once the funds were given, and this was an on going process (Acts 2:44-45), they were laid at the apostles’ feet, that is the apostles now had the control of the funds. Thus this was not an individual’s treasury, but a treasury that belonged to the local congregation. Distribution was not necessarily always instant, but rather was on an “as needed” basis.

1 Timothy 5:9-10

“A widow is to be put on the list only if she is not less than sixty years old, having been the wife of one man, having a reputation for good works; and if she has brought up children, if she has shown hospitality to strangers, if she has washed the saints feet, if she has assisted those in distress, and if she has devoted herself to every good work”

The above verses are describing widows that the local congregation can permanently support. “If these widows were being permanently cared for, as the text indicates, would this not necessarily imply that the church had a continuing treasury to provide for them?” (FC Lectures p. 157). The same argument could be made concerning Acts chapter 6 as well.

A special collection?

“Some have argued that this passage (1 Corinthians 16:1-2) only authorizes a collection for relieving the needs of the poor among the saints and not for general purposes (such as for buying and maintaining a building, supporting a preacher, and so on). This passage has never been used to show all of the scriptural usages of the first-day-of-the-week collection. Instead, it has been used, and properly so, as the only passage in the Bible to tell how churches raised their funds in the New Testament. Other passages imply a common treasury (2 Corinthians 11:8; Philippians 4:14-16; 1 Timothy 5:9,16). We can know how the money in those treasuries was raised only from this passage. We must consult other New Testament passages to understandall of the things for which the collection can be scripturally spent” (Willis pp. 596-597). In other words, the passage in Corinthians tells us how a congregation can collect funds and other passages tell us how such funds can be used.

In addition, Smith argued that giving is a way of meeting special needs whenever they arise. Yet I never find the Bible giving us a definition of what would be a “special” need verses a “need”. As I read the New Testament I find that the early Christians faced ongoing needs, rather than just a special need here and there.

· The ongoing need of taking care of widows (Acts 6:1ff; 1 Timothy 5:9-10).

· Supporting the local preacher (1 Corinthians 9:6-12).

· Supporting preachers in other areas (2 Corinthians 11:8; Philippians 1:5; 4:15-16).

· Local benevolence (Acts 2:44-45; 4:34-35).

· Benevolence to other congregations (Acts 11:27-30; 1 Corinthians 16:1ff).

· Support of elders (1 Timothy 5:17).

· Obviously the local congregation incurred expenses in providing the elements for communion, a place to meet, materials for teaching, and so on. None of these things are free in the 20^th century and they certainly were not free in the First century.

· Expenses related to various Christian workers (3 John 7-8; Romans 16:1-2).

Therefore, anyone who argues that a collection is only necessary for some occasional need, actually needs to wake up to the host of needs that confront any working congregation.

Giving is not an item of worship?

Smith said, “If we could ever get away from the unwarranted idea of ‘giving’ as a mandated ‘item of worship”” (p. 245).

Yet notice what the inspired apostle Paul called the collection in 1 Corinthians 16:1-2:

· “Fellowship”: (2 Corinthians 8:4,13).

· “Service/Ministry”:

“For it is superfluous for me to write to you about this ministry to the saints” (2 Corinthians 9:1). “For the ministry of this service” (9:12). “Because of the proof given by this ministry” (9:13). It is significant that the word rendered service in 2 Corinthians 9:12 is a term that applies to sacred ministrations.

· “Gracious work”:

“So we urged Titus that as he had previously made a beginning, so he would also complete in you this gracious work as well” (2 Corinthians 8:6,7). In fact, this gracious work is equated with “faith”, “preaching the gospel”, and “love” (8:7). Being generous is linked with a faith that is strong, speech that is fluent, knowledge that is extensive, zeal that is unquestioned, and love for friends that is fervent.

· A demonstration of sincere love:

“I am not speaking this as a command but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity of your love also” (2 Corinthians 8:8). “He assumes that the Corinthians have the gift of love, but he tactfully reminds them that love must express itself in action, just as faith must issue in works” (Tasker p. 114).

· A demonstration of ones obedience to the gospel:

“Because of the proof given by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ” (2 Corinthians 9:13).

“The meaning is that the service rendered by the Corinthians will afford an occasion for testing the sincerity of their religion”(Tasker p. 128). James taught the same truth. (James 1:26-27). That is, that such generosity is a manifestation of pure religion. Lenski makes a good point we he says; “It is a mistake on the part of the Corinthians to think that, as far as their participation in it is concerned, this collection means no more than that they are only adding something to fill up the deficiencies of the saints which were caused by their poverty. They are, of course, doing this, but they are doing vastly more by doing this, they are causing an overflow of many thanksgivings to God” (p. 1182). “Paul brings out the distinctive feature of Christian charity. Worldly charity is at best happy only in relieving human distress. Pharisaic and work-righteous charity thinks it is acquiring merit with God. By relieving distress Christian charity delights in the multiplied thanksgivings that will rise to God from the hearts and the lips of those whose distress is thus relieved” (Lenski p. 1182). As a result of such generosity, God will be praised, which brings us right back to worship!

“All of this together suggests that the "collection" was not some mere matter of money, but was for Paul an active response to the grace of God that not only ministered to the needs of God's people but also became a kind of ministry to God himself, which resulted in thanksgiving toward God and in a bond a fellowship between ‘God's people’ across the Empire” (Fee p. 812).

Mark Dunagan/Beaverton Church of Christ/503-644-9017