.
• 1Cor 16:1-3 . . Now about the collection for God'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 his 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.
The "God's people" to whom Paul referred were Jewish Christians whose
church was located at Jerusalem. They were having it pretty rough in the
early days of Christianity.
Lest somebody should get the wrong idea, that wasn't a tithe. Christ left it
up to each individual in Corinth the amount that they felt like donating
towards the Jews' relief effort.
"Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not
reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." (2Cor 9:7)
Tithes are not gifts; no, tithes are demanded rather than donated out of the
goodness of one's heart. I don't give the government my taxes; no, they
wrest them from me by force of law; viz: I pay taxes against my will, both
reluctantly and under compulsion; and I have absolutely no voice in the
percentage of my income that they take. When it comes to taxes: I am not
cheerful; no, I am grudging. Well; that is not Christian giving. No; Christians
have a faith that works by love, not by law. (Gal 5:6)
NOTE: It would be interesting to take a poll among America's churches just
to see, out of curiosity, how many have a program for assisting Jewish
Christians over in the modern State of Israel.
_
• 1Cor 16:1-3 . . Now about the collection for God'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 his 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.
The "God's people" to whom Paul referred were Jewish Christians whose
church was located at Jerusalem. They were having it pretty rough in the
early days of Christianity.
Lest somebody should get the wrong idea, that wasn't a tithe. Christ left it
up to each individual in Corinth the amount that they felt like donating
towards the Jews' relief effort.
"Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not
reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." (2Cor 9:7)
Tithes are not gifts; no, tithes are demanded rather than donated out of the
goodness of one's heart. I don't give the government my taxes; no, they
wrest them from me by force of law; viz: I pay taxes against my will, both
reluctantly and under compulsion; and I have absolutely no voice in the
percentage of my income that they take. When it comes to taxes: I am not
cheerful; no, I am grudging. Well; that is not Christian giving. No; Christians
have a faith that works by love, not by law. (Gal 5:6)
NOTE: It would be interesting to take a poll among America's churches just
to see, out of curiosity, how many have a program for assisting Jewish
Christians over in the modern State of Israel.
_