How does 1 Corinthians 16:2 say Christians should decide how much to give?
According to 1 Corinthians 16:2, Christians decide how much to give by laying aside a portion as God has prospered them. Giving is not a fixed tithe under Paul's teaching but a freewill matter; ten percent may serve as a guideline, yet no set amount is mandated.
Les teaches that Paul does not use the word tithe because tithing belonged to the Law, but that does not mean God does not expect believers to give. In the collection for the poor saints in Jerusalem, Paul instructs the churches to set something aside on the first day of the week, Resurrection Day, not the seventh-day Sabbath. Each believer is to lay by in store as God has prospered him. Les explains this shows the beauty of the Christian life and God's grace: the believer has free will and can give as much as he wants. God is not putting the thumb on anyone's head and demanding ten percent. Les says ten percent is a guideline for a giver, but God will not zap someone who does not give it; a person may lose reward in glory, but there is no mandate under Paul's teaching to give a set amount. It is up to the believer, as God has prospered him, and God respects the believer's free will to give as much as he can. Paul also wanted the collection done before he arrived so they would not give under his influence, digging into another pocket just because Paul was there.
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.
More Questions
How should a believer decide how much to give according to Paul?
Paul says to give as the Lord has prospered you, so giving is not under a mandate of law but is left to your own free conscience as it is led by the Holy Spirit.
How much were believers told to give on the first day of the week in 1 Corinthians 16:2?
The offering was to be laid by in store on the first day of the week, which is the resurrection day, and it is not to be according to a mandated 10 percent of income, although 10 percent is the guideline.
What was the collection Paul wrote about in 1 Corinthians 16:1?
The collection Paul instructs about in 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 was an offering for the Jerusalem believers, and Paul told the Corinthians to do the same as he had ordered the churches of Galatia, laying it by on the first day of the week.