At first glance, the last chapter of this very long letter looks like a travel itinerary. It does include that, but there is subtle meat on the bones that is delectable for anyone looking to understand the real life aspects of perfect unity among all Christians:
“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 Cor 16:1-2)
First, note that the “saints” are all believers, not just the apostles and leaders of a given church. Second, Paul is referring to the very hard times that have come down on the church in Jerusalem (Romans 15:26), where many believers are barely surviving.
Could we name more than one church we are familiar with that is among the poor and struggles to survive every day? Yes, we can. If we are to have the perfect unity Jesus prayed for in John 17:20-23, we would follow these commands from Paul to the letter, including what follows – his direction for credibility of an offering:
“And when I arrive, I will send those whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem. If it seems advisable that I should go also, they will accompany me” (1 Cor 16:3-4).
Has someone accused Paul of dipping into offerings meant for the Jerusalem church for his own support? We do not know, but this suggests that practicing perfect unity with those in need should be done with the utmost formality and credentials to ensure it reaches the point where it is desperately needed.
Perfect unity with the “saints” in need has at least two actions for ensuring a long-distance transaction is completed properly and that the resources are plentiful and credible:
- Save up something for the poor every day, put it aside, and store it in readiness for a need that comes along, so that there is no need for arm-twisting but rather perfect unity.
- Make sure that the gift is manifested with credentials of those delivering the gift with accurate knowledge of its source.
So in Paul’s final chapter, his first step in practicing perfect unity is generosity among the saints.
This is something to think about with the billions of dollars given to political campaigns while the saints around the world languish.
Practice perfect generosity one day at a time!