Truth Magazine

By Jerry Merten

Are the instructions of 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 binding upon us? Is it necessary to follow those instructions when a local church collects funds for its authorized work? Some brethren say no and some go so far as to say that those instructions were not even binding upon the Corinthians. They claim that Paul was not commanding the Corinthians to give on the first day of the week to help the needy saints in Jerusalem, because 2 Corinthians 8:8 says that he was not speaking by commandment. Since they conclude that the instructions of 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 were not binding upon the Corinthians, they argue that those instructions can not be binding upon us. I would like to offer some thoughts for your consideration on this matter.

First Paul’s instruction in 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 was indeed a “command” to the Corinthians. The words “I have given order to” (KJ) are a translation of the Greek word diatasso. According to Young’s Analytical Concordance, it is used a total of 16 times and translated in the KJ as follows:

a. appoint (4) – Luke 3:13; Acts 7:44; 20:13; Tit. 1:5.

b. command (7) – Matt. 11:1; Luke 8:55; 17:9, 10; Acts 18:2; 23:31; 24:23.

c. give order (1) – 1 Cor. 16:1.

d. ordain (3) – 1 Cor. 7:17; 9:14; Gal. 3:19.

e. set in order (1) – 1 Cor. 11:34.

On page 142 Thayer says that diatasso means “.. . to arrange, appoint, ordain, prescribe, give order.” Its meaning is given by Arndt and Gingrich on page 188 as “. . . order, direct, command.” Vine’s definition (p. 450), reads “to appoint, arrange, charge, give orders to.”

These passages and definitions show that the word diatasso has the force of a command. When used it shows that something is being required. This is especially the case in 1 Corinthians 16:1, because after saying “I have given order to” (diatasso), Paul also tells the Corinthians “so do ye.” Paul, having fill the authority of an apostle, was ordering what was to be done and expected those orders to be followed. Nothing in the context shows that the Corinthians could choose not to follow Paul’s orders and maintain divine approval.

The fact that in the second letter Paul chose to “speak not by commandment” (2 Cor. 8:8) does not mean he did not speak by commandment in the first letter. Nor does it mean that they had a choice in the matter. It just meant that in the second letter Paul chose to appeal to their sense of love.

For example, in Philemon 8 Paul told Philemon that he could have commanded him what was fitting, instead he chose to appeal to him. Did the fact that Paul chose not to command Philemon mean that Philemon actually had a choice? Did it mean that it was not a requirement? Absolutely not! In reality Philemon had no choice at all. Paul expected Philemon to do what he asked. It was Philemon’s responsibility. Paul just chose, for expediency sake, to appeal to him rather than to command him. Likewise in the 2 Corinthian letter Paul’s decision to appeal rather than to command did not mean that the Corinthians had a choice or that they were not responsible. It just meant that he decided to appeal to them rather than use his authority as an apostle to command them as he did in the first letter. Either way they had the same responsibility and were expected to do what he said.

Are the “orders” (commands) of 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 or Paul’s appeal of 2 Corinthians 8 to us in the same sense as they were to the Corinthians? No, because the specific need is over. Those needy saints in Jerusalem are no longer around. Furthermore the instructions in 1 Corinthians 16 and 2 Corinthians 8 were specifically directed to the Corinthians. In fact Romans 15:25-28 seems to indicate that not all the churches were ordered to help the needy saints in Jerusalem. But while the instructions to the Corinthians are not to us in the same sense as they were to the Corinthians, they do set a pattern for us, just like Paul’s instructions in 2 Timothy 4:25 sets a pattern for evangelists today.

Paul’s instructions in 2 Timothy 4:2-5 were specifically to Timothy, evidently about circumstances that were to come in his day. Yet who would say that an evangelist today does not have to follow those instructions? Likewise, the instructions of 1 Corinthians 16 and 2 Corinthians 8 were specifically to the Corinthians about a circumstance in their day, but that does not mean that Christians today do not have to follow those instructions in similar circumstances. So, is the instruction of 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 an “order” (command) to us? Yes, in the same way 2 Timothy 4:2-5 is a command to evangelists today.

In the past I have looked at the instructions of 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 in a backwards way. I saw “giving” and emphasized it without considering the why. Paul’s instructions were based on the need that arose in Jerusalem and as an inspired apostle he told the Corinthians how to take care of that need. They were given no choice. Even if one would be correct in saying that the Corinthian church could decide whether to help the needy saints in Jerusalem, that would not nullify the fact that once they were so committed they had no choice as to “how” they were to go about it. Besides what plan could possibly be better than a plan given by an apostle through inspiration?

Likewise today it is not a just a matter of “giving.” It is “giving” because there are needs that a local church has a responsibility to take care of for which it must raise funds. But how is the local church to raise those funds? Paul’s instruction in 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 give us the pattern we must follow. We have no more a choice as to the “how” than did the Corinthians or than an evangelist does in regards to the instructions of 2 Timothy 4:2-5. In the same way we use 2 Timothy 4:2-5 to show an evangelist must use patience in his preaching we must use 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 to show that when a local church collects funds it must do so on the first day of the week. Both Scriptures are profitable for training in righteousness.

Most agree that a church can take a collection on Sunday. We know this is right because of the teaching of 1 Corinthians 16:1-2. But how do we know that a local church can collect funds in any other way? Where do the Scriptures authorize by command, statement, example or inference a church to collect funds in any other way? If the Scriptures do not authorize any other way, then a local church can only accumulate funds by first day of the week collections.

Some argue that the reason why Paul in 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 told the Corinthians to collect the funds the way he did does not apply upon us. This is not so! Paul told the church at Corinth to collect funds upon the first day of the week so that the funds would be ready when he came. It is true that Paul is not coming to us today, but the principle of having the funds stored up so that they are ready for the time of distribution is just as needful today. It would be very inconvenient for the one handling the treasury to have to call the members together to collect funds every time he needed to write out a check.

We apply 2 Timothy 4:2-5 to show how to deal with the problem of people turning from the truth even though it was evidently originally written because people would turn from the truth in Timothy’s day. We do this because the principle of needing to keep others from turning from the truth is just as applicable today. In like manner we ought to apply the teaching of I Corinthians 16:1-2 even though Paul’s original purpose was to deal with circumstances in his day. The principle of needing the funds stored up for the time of distribution is just as necessary today, hence the principle still applies.

Some may wonder what the fuss is all about? It is about adding or taking away from the word of God (1 Cor. 4:6; Gal. 1:6-9). If by saying that the church can only collect funds on the first day of the week, I am adding a command where God has not I am wrong and condemned. But if by saying that we do not follow the instructions of 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 today a person is taking away from the word of God, then he is wrong and condemned! I urge all to study thoroughly the question “Is giving on the first day of the week a command?” Please search for truth, for only truth will free us (John 8:31-32).

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 11, pp. 332-333, 344
June 2, 1988

By Larry R. DeVore

In Hebrews 3:13 we find these words: “But exhort one another daily, while it is called today: lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” The word “deceitfulness” comes from the Greek word apate which is defined in Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, as “to cheat, deceive, beguile, that which gives a false impression, whether by appearance, statement, or influence” (p. 279).

The statement that “you can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time; but you can’t fool all the people all of the time,” is supposedly attributed to Abraham Lincoln.

We need to add to that, you can never fool God at anytime! But people are often quite clever at fooling others, even members of the body of Christ. We must realize, that even though we would be successful in continuing in sin and keeping it hidden from the church, we cannot conceal anything from God. “Be sure your sin will find you out” (Num. 32:23). Even if we could hide our sins for fifty years or more, one day we will have to answer to God. The things we have kept secret will be revealed (Rom. 2:16). The God of heaven will call every one of us to account (Rom. 14:12).

There is an aspect of the deceitfulness of sin we need to think about, and that is, that we are our own worst enemies. We deceive ourselves in sin. The first time we engage in a sin, it may deeply trouble us; it may worry and scare us. But let a person repeat that sin and continue in it time and time again and he will become hardened to it. Notice in our text, “Lest any of you be hardened.” In the same manner a man will become tired and sore the first time he uses a pick and shovel all day and perhaps get sore and blistered hands, but later on he becomes tough and hardened to that work, so it may be with the human heart.

The first time we go out drinking our conscience may trouble us, for we know it is wrong. The first time we do drugs and the first time we gamble, these will worry us. The first time a man or woman commits fornication or adultery will deeply trouble them; but let it continue, and they will fool themselves into thinking their “affair” is something “sweet and precious.” It is not; it is sin! The homosexual and the Lesbian have fooled themselves into thinking that God has made them the way they are. He has not! They have turned away from God’s laws. God has limited sex. He has limited it first of all, to the opposite sex (Rom. 1:26-28). God does not approve of homosexuality and lesbianism. He has condemned it in no uncertain terms. Then God has further limited sex to within the framework of marriage. “Nevertheless, to avoid fornication (immorality), let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband” (1 Cor. 7:2).

If a person continues in sin, any sin, he will become hardened by the very nature of sin, by its deceitfulness. Sin is pleasurable (Heb. 11:25b); continue in it and it will become normal and acceptable, and we will cease viewing it as sin, and think little or nothing at all of the evil of continuing to pursue sinful activities. We will deceive ourselves.

What is the remedy? The gospel of Christ, God’s power to save those who obey (Rom. 1:16; Heb. 5:8-9). What is needed? Repentance! Old fashioned godly repentance! A repentance preceded by godly sorrow for sin (2 Cor. 7: 10). Paul says this “godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation. ” That is the only kind of repentance that is any good, that which will work to salvation.

The key to all this is, how much does a person want to go to heaven. If we really desire to do what is right (I John 3:7), then we will repent and extricate ourselves from whatever sin(s) are in our lives, and live according to the Word of God. “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord” (2 Cor. 6:17). There is no sin too grievous, too corrupt, too immoral, that our God cannot forgive if we repent and ask him to forgive us (1 John 1:8-10).

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 11, p. 324
June 2, 1988

By Edward O. Bragwell, Jr.

The sixth chapter of John has always been an interesting text to me. It reveals so much to us about Jesus. I want to examine this chapter with you and look at some facts that are brought out here about him.

1. We see the reason that Jesus performed the signs that he did – to prove who he was (vv. 1-14). Many by this time had become fascinated by the signs that Jesus was performing among them and followed along to see more (v. 2). Jesus did not disappoint them. He performed another sign upon this occasion. He fed the great multitude with just a handful of food. This sign had its desired effect. We are told that those who witnessed this sign proclaimed, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world” (v. 14). We need to realize that the signs and miracles of Jesus were not meant primarily to accomplish anything except to prove his claims and confirm his words. Christ did not primarily want to feed the hungry, but to show forth his power. He did not primarily want to heal the diseased, but to show forth his power. Many of the hungry in Christ day were not fed and many of the diseased were not healed. If Christ’s primary purpose was to feed the hungry and heal the sick, hunger and disease would have been completely eradicated in his day. He certainly had the power to do so. I hear so many talk as if feeding the hungry, ministering to the sick, and other such duties are to be the primary concern of the church today. They claim that this is what Jesus came to do, so we ought to focus our primary energies on these things also. But think. Was that the primary mission of Jesus on this earth? I think not. We will see later what that primary purpose was.

I have also heard brethren use this passage trying to justify the use of carnal inducements to bring people to hear the gospel. They hold out a meal or recreational activity to draw people in and then preach the gospel to them. Then they claim that they are just following Christ’s example. After all, they say, “Jesus fed the five thousand.” What we need to realize, however, is that Jesus did not offer them food to cause them to come and hear him. ‘the multitude was already there. He did not draw them there with the food. The feeding of the multitude was not to cause people to listen to his message, but to confirm the message to those who were willing to hear and had already heard. There is a big difference.

John later made clear the purpose of these signs. He said, “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.”

2. We see that Jesus would not allow himself to be made an earthly king (vv. 15-21). The people wanted to make him a king by force. They had the idea that Jesus would be their king and decided to make him one whether he wanted to be or not. He had to run away from them to prevent this. What they needed to realize and what many have failed to realize even today is that Jesus never intended to be an earthly king and has never promised to be one at anytime. If it was his intention to be an earthly king, he had the perfect opportunity at this time. With the people rallying around him and with the power that he possessed as the Son of God, no earthly army or power could have prevented him from becoming king of the earth. But that simply was not his intention nor is it his intention in the future. Yet so many point toward the time when he is to come and rule on the literal earthly throne of David. This just cannot be. It would be inconsistent with Old Testament prophecy. Jesus was a descendent of Jeconiah (Matt. 1:11,12) and Jeremiah said that none of the descendants of Jeconiah would “prosper, sitting on the throne of David, and ruling anymore in Judah” (Jer. 22:28-30).

3. We seethe true purpose for the coming of Jesus revealed (vv. 22-59). Jesus revealed to his disciples the primary reasons that he came to the earth. It was not to care for the physical needs of people but to bring life and salvation and draw people to God. Jesus was not interested in providing physical food, but spiritual food to those who listened to him (vv. 26-33). Those who followed Jesus for physical reward were useless to him then and are useless to him now. Jesus came to do his Father’s will and the Father’s will is that we be saved and have everlasting life (vv. 34-40). Christ indeed brought life and salvation to this world. He came to draw people to God by teaching them concerning him (vv. 43-58) and he continues to draw people to God by the word which he left (Rom. 1:16,17).

4. We see that Jesus was rejected by many in his day (vv. 60-66). We have recorded here some of the saddest words in the Bible: “From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.” Why did so many reject Jesus at this time. I think that we can see at least two reasons in this chapter. He was not what they expected. Some expected him to be a physical king to lead them out of physical oppression (v. 15). He would not be. Others expected him to take care of all their physical needs (v. 26). He did not. He simply did not measure up to all their misguided expectations. The same is true today. Many today reject Jesus because he does not meet their expectations. To some his message is too simple (1 Cor. 1:18-29). To others his plan of salvation is considered too much (Mk. 16:16). And to still others his call for commitment is considered too much (Lk. 9:57-62). For what ever reason, many today expect the wrong things out of Jesus and when they find out that he has never promised to be what they expect, they reject him.

5. We see, however, that while many rejected him, Jesus did find some followers (vv. 67-69). We often become discouraged when we see people turn their backs upon God and his word. But we must realize that not everyone is going to reject Christ. How encouraging and uplifting it is to note that the rejection of Christ by many of his disciples was not the end of the story. This chapter then proceeds to a happier note. There were some who would stick by him. Some could not but follow Jesus. They realized that there was no place else to go and that there salvation nowhere else (v. 68; cf. Acts 4:12). While most will reject Christ, there will always be some who will follow. We need to determine that we will be one of the few (Matt. 7:13,14). And we need to seek out the few others who will accept him (Mk. 16:16).

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 11, pp. 330-331
June 2, 1988

By Wayne S. Walker

Most Bible students know the story of the birth of Isaac. God had promised it and it occurred miraculously when Abraham was about 100 and Sarah 90. After many years, Sarah died, Abraham became old, and Isaac needed a wife. Since Abraham did not want Isaac to marry into the heathen tribes round about them, he sent his servant back to his family in Haran to find his son a mate. The girl he found was named Rebekah, and this is basically where we pick up the story in Genesis 24:15-67. This chapter gives us some information about Rebekah, a worthy woman.

I. She was hospitable. We find in verses 15-25 that Rebekah not only drew water for Abraham’s servant and his camels but also invited this stranger to lodge with her family and share their straw for the animals and their food. All Christians should be hospitable. “Be hospitable to one another without grumbling” (1 Pet. 4:9). Our English word “hospitable” literally means to be a host, to serve guests, to be generous and friendly in entertaining others. The Greek term from which it is translated may be defined as love to strangers. “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels” (Heb. 13:2).

Early Christians showed hospitality to each other by opening their homes to one another for meals so that, “breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart” (Acts 2:46). While all Christians are to show hospitality, the woman is to guide the house (1 Tim. 5:14; Tit. 2:5). Therefore, she is the one who is responsible for the cooking, cleaning, etc. (Please note that I did not say that she had to do it all herself, but that it is within her domain to see that it is done.) Hence, hospitality is her, speciality (1 Tim. 5:9-10). No elder, preacher, or any other male Christian, can truly be “given to hospitality” whose wife is not hospitable.

II. She was obedient. We see in verses 50-58 that, in a day when marriages were not arranged by the parties involved but by their families, Rebekah willingly bowed to the wishes of her brother and father that she go with Abraham’s servant to be Isaac’s wife. The Bible teaches that children are to obey their parents. “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother,’ which is the first commandment with promise” (Eph. 6:1-2). In a similar way, the wife is to obey her husband, being in submission or subjection to him as her head (Eph. 5:22-24; 1 Pet. 3:1-6).

Furthermore, we must demonstrate this same kind of attitude in our relationship with God. Spiritual obedience is necessary for salvation. “But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness” (Rom. 6:17-18). We are made free from sin only after we have obeyed the form of doctrine mentioned here. This obedience involves faith in Christ, repentance, confession of Jesus as Lord, and baptism in his name. What will happen to those who do not obey? “Those who do not know God, and . . . those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power” (2 Thess. 1:8-9).

III. She had a good family relationship. We note that in verses 59-60, before she left, her family blessed her and said, “Our sister, may you become the mother of thousands of ten thousands; And may your descendants possess the gates of those who hate them.” This shows the close-knit bond that existed in this household. Rebekah’s family was concerned about her and her welfare in the same way that the Shulamite’s brothers cared for their sister and her reputation (Song of Solomon 8:8-10). In order for this kind of situation to exist in a family, there is a need for proper parental teaching so that the children will love and respect their parents as they grow up. “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and the admonition of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4).

One of the ideal pictures of family life we have in the Scriptures is found in Proverbs 31:10-31. Here is a woman who takes care of her family by seeing that they have the necessary food and clothing. She is also an example to them of strength, honor, wisdom, and kindness. As a result, her husband trusts in her, is enabled to go about his business in the land without fear of what is happening back home, and praises her saying, “Many daughters have done well, But you excel them all.” Also, her children rise up and call her blessed. To many, this may be an anachronistic description in our day of working mothers, easy divorce, and single-parent homes. But it is the home as God intended it and God’s people will seek to develop just such a home.

IV. She was modest. We read in verses 61-65 that Rebekah apparently did not wear the customary veil of that day while traveling, but when the party neared Abraham’s home and she was told that Isaac was walking in the field to meet them, she jumped off the camel, took a veil, and covered herself. The custom of a woman having to wear a veil in public is not necessary in order for her to be modest in our society today. But the Bible still teaches the need for modesty. After Adam and Eve sinned in Genesis 3, God was not satisfied with the “aprons” or loin-cloths of fig leaves that they made for themselves, but made them cloaks or coats of skins as an indication to all their descendants to dress modestly. From this, we learn that the need to dress in modest apparel is applicable to the man as well as the woman.

However, the importance of modest dress is emphasized for the woman and the passages that relate to the subject are directed to her. “In like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works” (1 Tim. 2:8-9). Why is this so? One possible reason is the nature of man and woman as God created them and the obvious difference between the two. Men are far more attracted to what they see of the physical display of women than vice versa. This is why men are warned, “But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matt. 5:28). Many claim that what one wears outwardly is not important. But a godly woman will continue to dress modestly despite what the world says.

V. She was a good wife for Isaac. Finally, in verses 66-67, we learn that when Rebekah became Isaac’s wife he loved her and as a result he was comforted after his mother’s death. God’s original intent in ordaining the marriage relationship was to provide the man with a helper meet, or suitable, for him as it was not good for the man to be alone. Of course, this also placed a reciprocal responsibility upon the man to “leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife” (Gen.2:18-24). Only when both the husband and the wife commit themselves totally to each other can the two become one flesh. Today’s view of marriage as a “business partnership” where each party maintains his or her own separate identity is not the biblical view. The biblical view is that of a complete union of two selves into one unit.

Over and over the Bible extols the virtue of marriage. “He who finds a wife finds a good thing, And obtains favor from the LORD” (Prov. 18:22). It is true that behind every great man you will find a great woman, and most often it is his loving wife. “Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge” (Heb. 13:4). Marriage is the only lawful relationship in which the deepest physical and emotional needs of men and women can be fulfilled. It is also the only proper relationship in which the husband and wife can find their highest joy, and in which their children can be raised to be what they ought to be. Truly, marriage is honorable in all. Rebekah provided comfort for Isaac at a time in his life when he needed it the most. And every good woman will bring to the marriage relationship those things which will enable her to help her husband be the kind of man that God wants him to be.

Conclusion

The lessons of the Bible are taught in the lives of not only great men but also of great women. And these holy women of old can be examples to both women and men today. Yes, Rebekah, like every other human being, made her share of mistakes. As her husband showed favoritism to their elder son Esau, she showed favoritism to the younger Jacob. This caused friction in their family. But ladies who wish to please God can learn what kind of attitude the Lord expects of them by studying the good characteristics that Rebekah displayed. And her life, as well as those of many other good women of both the Old and New Testaments, reveals principles that all of us need to emulate.

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 11, pp. 326-327
June 2, 1988