WORSHIP ARTICLE | Sean Cavender | in memoriam
via Meditate On These Things | 02.2014
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There have been varying opinions and teachings concerning the collection for the saints. Is it supposed to be a weekly collection? Do we offer a collection out of tradition or because it is a commanded aspect of our worship? Is the contribution merely something done out of convenience?
So much of the discussion pertaining to the collection is about how the finances are spent. We must continue to stand for the truth in that regard. Another aspect we must consider is why we have the collection.
The first question that we must answer, as approaching any Bible subject, is whether or not the collection is authorized. If it is authorized then it is pleasing to God. If it is not authorized then we should cease participating in the collection now. Convenience and tradition do not matter.
Is There Authority For The Collection?
Believe it or not, some well-intended people have made statements such as, “there is no authority for a weekly collection.” Such a statement should be alarming to us! When we admit there is no authority for a particular practice then we are admitting the sinfulness of that practice. There is no authority for using instrumental music, thus instrumental music is sinful. Nadab and Abihu offered strange fire unto the Lord; it was fire that God did not prescribe nor authorize to be used. Their offering was sin and they were judged for their action. To make outlandish statements such as “there is no authority for a weekly collection” is to acknowledge we are participating in sin.
Bible authority is established through direct statements, approved examples, and unavoidable conclusions. The apostle Paul said, “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye,” (1 Corinthians 16:1). The word “order” means to arrange thoroughly, to charge, or appoint (NASB Dictionary). Swanson defines the word as “command, give detailed structure, tell what to do (Luke 8:55), arrange for, plan for a particular matter (Acts 10:13; Galatians 3:19)” (Dictionary of Biblical Languages). The Greek word for “order” is diatasso which is often translated “command.” Paul “ordered” the churches to have the collection for the saints. The collection was supposed to be done by the instruction and command Paul was establishing in the passage.
Also, the example of the Macedonians show that the collection was not just given to the church at Corinth, but it was commanded in other churches (2 Corinthians 8:1; 1 Corinthians 16:1). Paul’s command and the Macedonian’s example show that the collection is authorized. Churches have biblical authority for the collection of the saints.
The Weekly Collection
“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,” (1 Corinthians 16:2).
Some incorrectly assume that there had been no prior instruction or practice of collecting goods or money prior to Paul’s instruction in 1 Corinthians 16. Clearly there was organization in the collecting of goods and money before (Acts 2:41-47; 4:32-35; 6:1-4). The instruction of 1 Corinthians 16 was not a new practice that was foreign to the churches of Christ. It was an established practice and one without the intention of ending.
The collection was to be gathered upon the first day of the week and laid in store. Kittle defines the term “store” as putting in a place or a location (cf. Luke 11:33). When the collection was made it was intended to be put in a common treasury under the oversight of elders in the local church. A church treasury is authorized and it was meant to be accessible for the purpose of benevolence towards needy saints.
Concerning The Collection
The purpose for the collection was to be used to help the saints. It was thus called “the collection for the saints” (1 Corinthians 16:1). Churches are authorized to help needy saints. Those that are not members of the Lord’s church are not to be helped with the funds of the local church. Local churches were to organize this collection. Paul directed the church at Corinth and the churches of Galatia (1 Corinthians 16:1). The saints in Macedonia had also been given the instruction, too (2 Corinthians 8:1).
Paul specified the day upon which the collection was to take place. The church is only authorized to collect its funds on the first day of the week (1 Corinthians 16:2). Organizing car washes, spaghetti suppers, or raffles are not permitted ways to raise funds for the church. The day of worship, the Lord’s Day, is the day that the church meets and would lay by in store.
Every member of the Lord’s church is to contribute as he prospers (1 Corinthians 16:2). While the church organizes a collection, the individual has the responsibility to give. God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7). No one can determine the amount an individual is supposed to give, nor may they give for any person. The church cannot force anyone to give cheerfully. The responsibility to give lies within each and every person and individual. Our giving is supposed to be in proportion to what we receive. We cannot give what we do not have. However, this is not to be an excuse to not give as we should. We should consider the Lord as number one in our life and that should be reflected in every sacrifice that we make, even in our financial commitments to the Lord.
Conclusion
Much discussion is warranted in a study of the collection. It is a matter of our worship unto God and an action of the Lord’s church. We must strive to make certain that we are obeying the Lord. We must seek the truth in all things. When we seek the truth then we may be unified and we may be pleasing unto God.
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