1 Corinthians 16:4

The apostle was open to the possibility of going to Jerusalem as part of the group if this seemed best. After he wrote this letter he decided to go (Romans 15:25-26) and indeed went (Acts 20:16; Acts 20:22; Acts 21:17; Acts 24:17).

These few verses along with 2 Corinthians 8-9 and statements in Philippians 4 provide guidelines for individual Christians and churches in giving. The principles Paul advocated were that saving up for giving should be regular and in response to the Lord’s provision materially. The believers should manage their gifts with integrity. Everything they did should not only be above reproach, but other people should perceive it as such.

Notice that Paul made no mention of tithing here or elsewhere. Tithing is a method of giving that God prescribed for the Israelites under the Mosaic Law. People practiced tithing as an act of worship commonly in the ancient Near East (cf. Genesis 28:22). [Note: See C. F. Keil and Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Pentateuch, 1:207.] It was also a common tax. [Note: W. Robertson Smith, Lectures on the Religion of the Semites, pp. 245-51.] This is still true in some modern countries. For example, in England a part of every person’s taxes goes to maintain the Church of England. Some residents regard this part of their tax as their contribution to the church or their tithe. The Mosaic Law really required that the Israelites give back to God about one-third of their incomes. However, Christians are not under the Mosaic Law (Romans 10:4; et al.). It is therefore understandable that neither Jesus Christ nor the apostles commanded tithing. Some Christians believe that since Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek (Genesis 14:20) and Jacob tithed (Genesis 28:22) tithing antedates the Mosaic Law and is therefore binding on Christians. Nevertheless a practice is not the same as a precept. Moreover the absence of any reference to tithing in the New Testament, plus the teaching of other guidelines strongly suggest that God wants us to follow a different method. The principles that should govern Christians in our giving appear throughout the New Testament but mainly in 1 Corinthians 16, 2 Corinthians 8, 9, and Philippians 4.

"No pressure, no gimmicks, no emotion. A need had to be met, and the Corinthians were capable of playing a role in it. In a day of highly visible campaigns for money on every side, there is something to be said for the more consistent, purposeful approach outlined here." [Note: Fee, The First . . ., p. 817.]

"Many Christians today are more interested in competing with neighbors’ status symbols than in caring for the poor." [Note: Keener, 1-2 Corinthians, p. 139.]