1 Corinthians 16: A pattern for tithing?

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FSSL

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Paul says:
"Now about the collection for the Lord’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem. If it seems advisable for me to go also, they will accompany me.

Is the Apostle setting a pattern for tithing or is there something else going on here?
 
Other than "the first day of every week", that doesn't sound like tithing to me...more like "designated giving" to missions or benevolence.

Of course, I'm looking at this through the lens of my church's custom, which I understand that some don't see as biblical...

Tithe: supports the home church
Missions: designated to support works outside of the core church, whether foreign or local.  I think of this as supporting "corporate" programs or peoples.
Benevolence: designated to support the needy, whether inside or outside the local church.  I think of this as supporting "individuals".

...and within all of that, the tithe can also be used to supplement missions and benevolence giving, as the Lord provides.

So, coming full circle to the OP, sure, all monies collected might be considered the tithe, but I don't envision the elders of the church having to sit down to do the math...how much of what was collected do we need to hold aside to take care of our own?  We'll send the remainder to Jerusalem as a gift.

In other words, I don't see the elders subtracting from the collection to cover their own needs, but rather adding to the gift from what they collected to cover their needs.  We've collected this amount to send to Jerusalem...now, if we tighten our belts, how much more can we give?
 
I don't see a pattern for tithing in the New Testament. What I see is that we should be giving regularly, cheerfully, and generously to those in need.
 
There's no pattern for "tithing" at all, because Paul was not asking for a tithe.

When Paul met with the apostles in Jerusalem for the first time, they endorsed his ministry to the Gentiles, as they continued to minister to Jewish Christians in Jerusalem and Palestine. As he writes to the Galatians, "they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do" (Gal. 2:10).

Paul spent much of his time as a missionary taking up a collection amongst the European believers for the relief of poor Christians in Jerusalem. When he wrote to the Romans, he was conveying such a gift from Macedonia and Achaia (Rom. 16:26). In fact, it was probably his insistence on delivering that very gift in person, that resulted in his arrest in Jerusalem (Acts 21:27ff) - although the prophet Agabus warned him that he would be arrested, Paul was determined to accept the risk (21:13-14).

Paul's teaching to the Corinthians on giving is based on this same charitable gift. Paul was not advocating for a tithe - since the Corinthians were Gentiles living in Greece, they were not subject to the Law of Moses. He was instructing the Corinthians how to expedite a collection for the relief of the Hebrew Christians.

[list type=decimal]
[*]On the first day of every week - because that is when the church met for worship.
[*]each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper - Giving was to be tied to income. Notice that Paul does not call the gift a "tithe" (which literally means one-tenth), or instruct the Corinthians to give a specific proportion of their wealth. He simply says to give as they had prospered. Those whom God gives more, should give back more.
[*]so that there will be no collecting when I come - in other words, don't wait until Paul is there to pass the hat.
[*]when I arrive, I will send those whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem - It was customary in that day, when sending an emissary, to supply them with letters of recommendation. This was a letter written by the sender to the receiver, and it attested to the character of the emissary as well as his ability to perform the function for which he was sent - that the emissary was, in fact, accredited to speak for the sender. Paul adds that if necessary, he would accompany them personally. (Presumably, his own credentials were above question in Jerusalem.)
[/list]

Other passages (e.g. 2 Cor. 8-9) have more to say about giving, but this passage in particular tells us this:

  • Giving is regular.
  • Giving is related to income.
  • Giving should be planned.
  • The stewards of the gift should be trustworthy.
 
Of course, anyone who knows ANYTHING about Scripture is well aware that the TITHE is a cross-dispensational principle.  Abraham paid tithes to Mel. and this was BEFORE the law.  Tithing was before the law, during the law, and after the law.  Of course, if one understands the idea of giving under grace, we must also believe that the TITHE is just a starting point...it is what is "required."  The law demands...but grace demands more.

Of course, most modernists reject all of this thinking because they want to keep their pockets nice and tight and justify themselves among themselves.  Anyone who is saved should not be holding out on the one that saved them!  Those folks are just simply INGRATES!
 
jarhed said:
Of course, anyone who knows ANYTHING about Scripture is well aware that the TITHE is a cross-dispensational principle.
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Or, like jarhed here, we could just recite from rote the same platitudes we've heard 1000 times before.

Abraham paid tithes to Mel. and this was BEFORE the law.
Click to expand...

A tribute paid to a king out of the spoils of war, in return for his aid.

Of course, most modernists reject all of this thinking because they want to keep their pockets nice and tight and justify themselves among themselves.
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You're about as good a mind-reader as you are a theologian . . .
 
Awesome! Another Reformed Baptist in our midst! Another hearty welcome! I'll read the article.
 
Thanks for the encouraging welcome, brother! Let me know what you think of the article. It is really just an adjustment of my teaching notes on the subject.
 
Pastork said:
Thanks for the encouraging welcome, brother! Let me know what you think of the article. It is really just an adjustment of my teaching notes on the subject.
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I liked the article. Although, I would not have included 1 Corinthians 16 as it was really a special collection for the poor in another city (Jerusalem). It wasn't an ongoing tithe to support the ministry in Corinth.

I have one question: where do those who are "in need" fit into this? There are some who need to receive from the church.
 
I agree that 1 Corinthians 16:2 is dealing with a special offering being collected for the church in Judea and that it doesn't pertain directly to the matter of what one regularly gives to his own church. I cited it as a part of a larger argument in order simply to show that Paul does acknowledge the idea of giving in proportion to what one has without specifying a certain percentage.

As for how we help those "in need," I think that is a separate question than whether or not we should tithe. In my view, we may assume that what Paul thought was a good idea for helping those who were in need in Judea would also be a good idea for helping those in our own church community as well. So, for example, in our church we have a special offering every month to help replenish a helps fund for those who might be in need in our own congregation. If this falls short of meeting needs that come up, we soemtimes have more special offerings or free up funds from some other area in the budget.
 
Okay on the 1 Cor 16 issue. I get it.

I was unclear about those "in need." Do you see a biblical principle that "those in need" are to give? Or, do they have a special dispensation (if you will) where they don't need to give?
 
1 Cor. 16 is not the pattern for tithing. Where do find the word tithe there? The tithe was commanded under the Mosaic Law. We are not under Law today but are under grace as rule to live by. Under grace there is no tithe command. Paul who said more about money that any other NT writer never once mentioned the tithe when dealing with money. You would think that if the tithe is to be followed today Paul would have said so.
 
Abraham tithed on the spoils of war... not on income or do you have scripture that would indicate otherwise. I don't see a pattern for tithing on income prior to the tithe principle established for Israel under Moses' law.

with that said, should we allow the Jew under law to be more extravagant in his giving that the redeemed under grace?


 
rsc2a said:
I don't see a pattern for tithing in the New Testament. What I see is that we should be giving regularly, cheerfully, and generously to those in need.
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Tithe was for the temple.
NT giving is also for the temple

1Co 6:19
19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

Every cent collected in the NT church, as recorded in the Scripture, was given to supply the physical needs of the new temple.

Anishinaabe

 
Tithing is law. Giving is Grace. We are in the age of Grace, not law. Giving can also be worship. Grace demonstrated and Worship expressed unto God with ones money seems like a recipe for greater things than a silly 10% law. 10% actually seems far primitive. I find it interesting how universal this doctrine is accepted throughout denominations. Wouldn't it be better to just trust God and allow His grace to provide through the Grace and Worship of His people?
 
FSSL said:
Okay on the 1 Cor 16 issue. I get it.

I was unclear about those "in need." Do you see a biblical principle that "those in need" are to give? Or, do they have a special dispensation (if you will) where they don't need to give?
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1Co 16:2
2 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.

I believe "as God hath prospered him" covers this.  This would indicate some level of financial lucricity.

Luk 11:41
41 But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you.

This, as well.  Kinda says "no" to Faith Promise, to me.

Give when you have to give, as God gives you success in business, and be cheerful about it.

I'm usually more cheerful, when God has prospered me...


Anishinaabe

 
throwncatchnrocks67 said:
Abraham tithed on the spoils of war... not on income or do you have scripture that would indicate otherwise. I don't see a pattern for tithing on income prior to the tithe principle established for Israel under Moses' law.

with that said, should we allow the Jew under law to be more extravagant in his giving that the redeemed under grace?
Click to expand...

I agree with most of the others around here about tithing but I do want to point out that spoils of war ARE income. I don't know how else you would describe it. A quick check of Dictionary.com shows that any definition of income would include spoils of war.
 
'Tithing' isn't a word.  It would read "tenthing" if it were. 
The Israelites didn't "tithe", they paid a tithe. 
There is no NT example of paying a tithe.
Every cent that was collected in the NT church, was given to the temple:
1Co 6:19
19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

To the physical needs of the Saints.

There was no percentage or amount mentioned, but rather the opposite:
2Co 9:7
7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity:for God loveth a cheerful giver.

The admonishment is to give much (sow), and reap much.

Anishinaabe

 
jarhed said:
Abraham paid tithes to Mel. and this was BEFORE the law.
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Does that mean we need to give the other 90% of our income to the Sodomites? (Gen 14:21-24)
 
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