In this article we show you a word of offering, in addition to the first types of sacrificial offerings that are reflected in the old testament. Could it be that I still have to offer sacrifices so that my sins can be forgiven? Keep reading and this and many of your questions regarding the offering will be answered.
offering word
2 Corinthians 9:7 says:
Each one give as he purposed in his heart, not sadly or out of necessity because God loves a cheerful giver.
This verse makes it clear what is the offering. It is about giving, but not doing it for the sake of doing it, simply because the Bible says so; there is something else, the feeling of helping must be rooted in our hearts so that it can be pleasing in the eyes of God.
Tithes and offerings. differences
Like llamas and alpacas, tithes and offerings are often grouped together, but they are definitely not the same. A tithe is a specific amount (10% of your income) that you give first, and an offering is anything additional that you give beyond that.
Christians today often think that what they give to their local church is a tithe, when in reality it is an offering. Christian tithing is a misnomer because Christians are not required to abide by the command to tithe as it was given to the Israelites as part of the Mosaic Law.
Tithing was a requirement of the Law in which all Israelites were to give 10 percent of everything they earned and grew to the tabernacle/temple. Leviticus 27:30; Numbers 18:26; Deuteronomy 14:24; 2 Chronicles 31:5).
In the new testament all that was abolished. Paul states that believers are to set aside a portion of their income as an offering, but this is not a tithe (1 Corinthians 16:1–2).
Tithing of ten percent of the Israelites was commanded and therefore was an obligation. When Christ died on the crossfulfilled the requirements of the Law and made the mandatory 10 percent tithe obsolete.
To continue insisting that it is still valid is to nullify, at least in part, the sacrifice of Christ and return to the idea of justification by works and fulfillment of the law. The offering of the first fruits found its fulfillment in Jesus.
An offering is one that Christians freely give to the work of the Lord, the local church, and/or ministries and missions. But offerings are much more than just the check we write on Sunday. We must offer much more to God than our monetary resources.
What is it that God most wants us to give him as an offering?
God is not as interested in our monetary offerings as he is in our submission and obedience. The truth is that he does not need our resources to fulfill his plans and purposes. After all, He owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10) and He doesn’t need anything from us.
However, what He desires, and what He values, is the heart that overflows with gratitude and thanksgiving to the God who saved us and who gives us all things, knowing our needs even before we ask (Matthew 6:8). Such a heart gives generously, willingly, and joyfully in response to the love and grace that abound in Christ (2 Corinthians 9:6–8).
First offerings in the old testament
The following offerings: the burnt offering, the grain offering, the peace offering, the purification offering, and the reparation offering should not be considered as legalistic rites that one must perform to earn God’s grace.
The prophet Samuel said: “obeying is better than sacrifice” (1 Sam. 15:22), and Jeremiah also denies burnt offerings for atonement and says that disobedience results in calamity (Jer. 44:23).
The sacrificial system in the Old Testament was a means of grace by which someone who sinned unintentionally could make amends for that sin without paying with his life or the life of his child. Below are some of the types of offerings:
1. Burnt offering
The first offering is the olah, literally “an offering of ascent”, commonly called a Burnt Offering. The purpose of the burnt offering was general atonement for sin and the expression of devotion to God. Instructions for the burnt offering are given in Lev 1:3-17.
The offering could be a bull (1:3), sheep or goat (1:10), or dove (1:14). The animal was to be burned whole during the night (6:8-13), although its skin was given to the priest (1:6). The burnt offering was probably the first type of sin offering in the Old Testament (Job 1:5, Genesis 8:20).
The main contrast between the Old Testament burnt offering and the Canaanite burnt offering was that the Canaanites would offer the children as burnt sacrifices for their own atonement. Although this occurs during the worst of Israel’s history (judges 11).
2. Grain offering
The second type of offering in the Old Testament is the mincha, or Grain Offering. Instructions for grain offerings are given in Leviticus 2. Bread was generally baked (2:4), grilled (2:5), fried (2:7), broiled or on cereal (2:14), although always seasoned (2:13), without sugar and without yeast (2:11).
Unlike the entire burnt offering, only a part of the offering was to be burned (2:9). The rest was given to the priests for their food (2:10). Although the mincha was instructed to be a freewill offering of grain, it appears that earlier freewill offerings expressing devotion to God and gratitude for his goodness and providence may have been the “first fruits” of cattle (Genesis 4:4).
3. Peace offering
The third offering is the shelem, or peace offering. This category, discussed for the first time in Leviticus 3, included thanksgiving offerings (Lev 7:12), freewill offerings (7:16), and wave offerings (7:30). The offering could be cattle (3:1), sheep (3:7), or a goat (3:12). It could be male or female, but it must be flawless.
If it were a Thanksgiving Offering, it could also include a variety of breads (7:12). The purpose of the Peace Offering was to consecrate a meal between two or more parties before God and to share that meal together in a communion of peace and a commitment to the future prosperity of others.
Portions unfit to eat were given to God (7:19-27). Depending on the type of Peace Offering, the breast could have been given to the High Priest (7:31) and the right thigh could have been given to the priest who officiated at the meal (7:32).
4. Sin offering
The fourth offering was called chattath., literally “sin” or “sin offering.” This offering is sometimes seen as an atonement offering for unintentional sin (4:2-3, 4:20). Likewise, it is sometimes seen as a guilt offering, removing the consequences for lack of perfection (4:13-14, 4:22-23).
As a sin offering, it contained elements of a burnt offering (4:25), but at the same time it had elements of a peace offering (4:26). Conversely, some of the “sins” for which one needed atonement were not moral sins but matters of ritual impurity (5:1-5). As such, some have proposed the term “Purification Offering” instead of “Sin Offering”.
The main purpose of this offering is not to atone for sins, but to purify oneself in order to return to . The elements of a purification offer could be any of the elements of the three types of offers above.
5. Guilt Offering
The fifth and final offering was the asham, traditionally translated “Guilt Offering.” Unlike the word “fault”, this does not refer to a matter of conscience but to something that is due because of a “sin”.
Other suggestions for The name of this offering is the “Intrusion Offering” or the “Reparation Offering”. The purpose of this offering was to make amends for one’s sin.
As such, it had a specific monetary value, and one who owed another due to a debt due to “sin” could pay it in silver instead of sacrificing a ram (5:15). In addition, a fee of 20% was assessed and given to the priest who mitigated the debt (5:16).
Do we still have to make sacrificial offerings?
The Old Testament sacrificial system was a means of grace by which the relationship between God and humanity begins to be restored. Finally, the sacrificial system was inadequate, and no one could pay the life debt that was owed until Christ defeated death once and for all (Hebrews 10:10).
In the Church-age, we live in light of Christ’s meritorious sacrifice for us, while offering our own lives as a living and holy sacrifice (Romans 12:1).
I hope that this word of offering has remained in your heart, and that you have understood the real purpose that God has with it. There are many ways you can give, giving can include giving cash to your church, contributing money to one you support, helping a friend in need, or volunteering your time and skills.