What the Bible REALLY Says About Giving
You want to worship God, follow Jesus, and be part of a faithful church—but when churches start asking for money, it can feel uncomfortable. I get it.
You're not trying to be stingy—you just want to make sure you're honoring God and not being manipulated. That’s wise.
A Biblical Look at Church Finances
I’ve spent over 20 years in ministry and missions, and what I’ve seen is this: when a church stops following the Bible, all kinds of crazy things start happening. And when churches don’t handle money the way the Bible teaches, it’s not just unfaithful—it drives people away.
That’s why we’re making this series of articles on how to find a good church. So that you can have clear, biblical guidance and find a church that truly belongs to Jesus—not one that’s built on man’s traditions.
What Christians Did When They Gathered
In previous videos, we saw that God expects His people to gather together every first day of the week to worship Him. We also saw that we are to worship in spirit and in truth. When we look at the New Testament, we see that early Christians did several things when they gathered:
They listened to preaching
They prayed
They gave financially
They took part in the Lord's Supper
They sang to one another
In today’s article, we’re going to focus on one of those: how the first-century church gave financially during the weekly assembly.
Christian Generosity in Everyday Life
Of course, all Christians are taught to be generous and to help those in need whenever the need arises. We see this in many passages, including:
“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”
(Galatians 6:9–10 | ESV)
“Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.”
(Ephesians 4:28 | ESV)
Those are just a couple of examples.
But this post isn’t meant to dig deep into Christian generosity in general. Instead, we’re talking specifically about the contribution collected during the assembly on the first day of every week—so you can make a wise decision when evaluating churches.
Biblical Instruction for Sunday Giving
So what does the New Testament actually teach about this?
“Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come.”
(1 Corinthians 16:1–2 | ESV)
Now, this was a unique situation. A collection was being taken up for poor Jewish Christians in Judea, who were suffering from severe famine and persecution. You can read more about that in Acts 11:27–30 and Romans 15:25–26.
A Principle That Still Applies
Even though that situation was specific, there’s a lasting principle here:
When there is a financial need, there should already be funds set aside to meet it.
That’s exactly why Paul told them to put something aside and store it up every first day of the week. That way, when the need came (when Paul arrived) they wouldn’t have to scramble from member to member trying to take up a last-minute collection. They were to plan ahead.
How We Follow This Today
So, when we want to do Bible things in Bible ways, we follow that same principle. Needs arise from time to time, so we take up a collection every first day of the week and store it up in order to meet those needs.
For example, our congregation gives to disaster relief when large natural disasters happen and people need help. We’re able to meet those large financial demands because we’ve been consistently setting money aside, just like the Bible teaches.
Two Common Problems to Watch Out For
It seems like every church takes up some type of weekly collection—and they’re right to do so. But there are a couple of issues you ought to be aware of and avoid:
1. Requiring a Tithe
If a congregation requires its members to tithe, that’s a red flag.
A tithe is a tenth part, or 10%. Tithing was part of the Old Testament system of worship—it is not part of New Testament Christianity.
We’ve done a full video on whether or not Christians should tithe, which you can watch here.
Sadly, many churches still require a tithe from their members. But that’s not what we see in the New Testament.
“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
(2 Corinthians 9:7 | ESV)
Paul makes it clear: our giving is not a tax. It’s not given under compulsion. God wants our freewill offerings—from the heart.
2. Turning the Church into a Business
Another way some churches try to fund their ministries is through various business ventures: coffee shops, bookstores, thrift stores, car washes, bake sales—you name it.
While these might seem harmless or even helpful, they’re simply not authorized in the New Testament.
The church is to be funded by freewill offerings from its members—on the first day of the week—not by turning the church into a business.
A Clarification: Individuals vs. Congregations
Now, let’s not get confused here. These verses are talking about how congregations are funded—not how individuals support themselves or their ministries.
For example:
Paul made tents to fund his ministry (Acts 18:1–4).
Many vocational missionaries support themselves through secular jobs or private donations from individuals.
That’s actually how we operate this website and our YouTube channel. It’s funded primarily through our other channel, Martin Johnson Off Grid Living, and also through generous supporters on Patreon.
Lord willing, as support grows, we’ll be able to dedicate more time to making these videos and reaching more people with the gospel.
If you want to help make that happen, you can become a patron by clicking here.
A 3-Step Plan for Evaluating Church Finances
Here’s a simple way to evaluate a congregation’s financial practices:
✅ Are they collecting funds on the first day of the week?
✅ Is it a freewill offering—not a tithe or pressured contribution?
✅ Are they relying solely on members’ giving—not running businesses to fund their work?
If a congregation gets 3 green checkmarks, that’s a good sign.
In Summary
This post is meant to give you a simple, biblical approach to spotting some of the most common (and dangerous) departures from Scripture when it comes to Sunday collections.
Imagine being part of a congregation where you give freely, knowing exactly how your support helps feed the hungry, funds the preaching of the gospel, and brings glory to God.
That’s what real biblical giving looks like.
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