When we speak of “giving the offering” in the Christian context, we refer to offering a gift or a present before God. The offering is considered an act of love and gratitude to God, since it is from him that we have received everything. Offering is giving as a sign of worship part of what God first gave us.
We usually equate offerings with money. But God also wants us to offer him our praise, our adoration, and above all, our hearts.
Proverbs 3:9-10
Honor the Lord with your riches and with the first fruits of your crops. So your barns will be filled to bursting and your cellars will overflow with new wine.
Deuteronomy 16:17
Each one shall bring offerings, as the Lord your God has blessed.
Psalm 96:7-8
Tribute to the Lord, all peoples, tribute to the Lord glory and power. Tribute to the Lord the glory that his name deserves; bring your offerings and enter their courts.
Luke 21:1-4
Jesus stopped to watch and saw the rich people putting their offerings into the temple boxes. He also saw a poor widow who put in two small coins of little value.
“I assure you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others.” They all gave their offerings out of what was left over; but she, out of her poverty, put in all she had for her sustenance.
2 Corinthians 9:6-7
Remember this: He who sows sparingly will reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will reap bountifully. Each one must give according to what he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or by obligation, because God loves the one who gives with joy.
2 Corinthians 9:10-11
He who supplies seed to the sower will also supply bread for you to eat, increase your crops and cause you to produce a bountiful harvest of righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and so that through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
1 Corinthians 16:2a
On the first day of the week, each of you set aside and put aside some money according to your income.
Ephesians 5:1-2
Therefore, imitate God, as beloved children, and lead a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Luke 6:38
Give, and it will be given to you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken, and running over, will be poured into your lap. Because with the measure that you measure to others, it will be measured to you.
1 Chronicles 16:28-29
Tribute to the Lord, families of the peoples, tribute to the Lord glory and power; ascribe to the Lord the glory that corresponds to his name; come before him with offerings, worship the Lord in his beautiful sanctuary.
1 Chronicles 29:16-18
Lord and our God, from you comes everything we have achieved to build a temple to your holy name. Everything is yours! I know, my God, that you test hearts and love righteousness. Therefore, with uprightness of heart I have offered you all these things voluntarily, and I have seen with joy that your people, present here, have brought you their offerings. Lord, God of our forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep these thoughts forever in the hearts of your people, and turn their hearts to you.
Psalm 119:108
Lord, accept the offering that flows from my lips; teach me your judgements.
Hebrews 13:15
So let us continually offer to God, through Jesus Christ, a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name.
Hebrews 13:16
Do not forget to do good and to share what you have with others, because those are the sacrifices that please God.
Exodus 25:2
Order the Israelites to bring me an offering. It must be presented by all who feel like bringing it to me.
What God says in the Bible about offerings
Proverbs 11:24
Some give hand over fist, and receive more than they give; others don’t even pay their debts, and end up in misery.
Philippians 4:18-19
I have already received everything I need and even more; I even have plenty now that I have received from Epaphroditus what they sent me. It is a fragrant offering, a sacrifice that God gladly accepts. So my God will provide you with everything you need, according to the glorious riches that he has in Christ Jesus.
Acts 11:27-30
At that time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them, named Agabus, stood up and predicted through the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout the world, which happened during the reign of Claudius. So they decided that each of the disciples, according to their resources, would send help to the brothers who lived in Judea. They did so, sending their offering to the elders through Barnabas and Saul.
Acts 4:32-35
All believers were of one mind and mind. No one considered any of his possessions theirs, but they shared them. The apostles, in turn, with great power continued to bear witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. The grace of God poured out abundantly on all of them, since there was no one in need in the community. Those who owned houses or land sold them, took the money from the sales and gave it to the apostles to be distributed to each according to their need.
Matthew 5:23-24
Therefore, if you are presenting your offering at the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there in front of the altar. Go first and reconcile with your brother; then he comes back and presents your offering.
Matthew 8:2-4
A man who had leprosy approached him and knelt before him. “Lord, if you want, you can clean me,” he said.
Jesus reached out and touched the man. “I do,” he told her. It stays clean!
And immediately he was cured of leprosy.
Look, don’t tell anyone, Jesus told him. just go, present yourself to the priest, and bring the offering that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.
2 Corinthians 8:7
But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in words, in knowledge, in dedication, and in your love for us—seek also to excel in this grace of giving.
Mark 12:13-17
Then they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to ensnare him with their very words. Upon arrival they told him: Master, we know you are a man of integrity. You do not let yourself be influenced by anyone because you do not look at appearances, but you really teach the way of God. Is it allowed to pay taxes to caesar or not? Should we pay or not?
But Jesus, knowing that they were pretending, replied: Why do you set traps for me? Bring me a Roman coin to see it.
They brought him the coin, and he asked them: Whose image and inscription are these?
“Caesar’s,” they replied.
“Give, then, to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” And they were amazed at him.
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