FREE WILL OFFERING

In some ways it seems like a Free Will Offering is an oxymoron. By that I mean that to say an offering is not free will is to also say it is a forced, manipulated or an un-free will offering. Also, if it were a free will offering that is only something the person doing the offering would know about. To even speak of an offering being free will is to also indicate that it isn’t.

King David wrote: “O accept the freewill offerings of my mouth, O Lord, and teach me your ordinances.” (Psalm 119:108) This is a wonderful offering of praise as a free will offering of the mouth.

Hosea uses the same theme: “Take words with you, and return to Yahweh. Tell him, “Forgive all our sins,
and accept that which is good: so we offer our lips like bulls.” (Hosea 14:2) Hosea is asking the people ‘take words with you’ instead of an animal sacrifice and then to ‘offer our lips like bulls’ as a free will offering of the mouth and heart.

Psalm 69 picks it up again: “I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving.
This will please the Lord more than an ox or a bull with horns and hoofs.” (Psalm 69:30-31)

Paul, an apostle, wrote: “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.” (Hebrews 13:15) He is quoting Psalm 119:108 above.

Peter, an apostle, wrote: “As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1Peter 2:5)

Free Will Offerings are freely offered by free people.

“Woman, believe me, the hour comes, when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, will you worship the Father.” Jesus