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G3048 · Greek · New Testament
λογία
logia
Noun, feminine
collection; gathering (of money)

Definition

From legō (to gather, collect). Logia means a collection, a gathering of funds. Appears only in 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 to describe Paul's organized collection for the poor saints in Jerusalem — one of the earliest descriptions of systematic, regular, proportional giving in the church.

Usage & Theological Significance

The logia — the Jerusalem collection — was not merely a charitable project; it was a theological statement. Paul devoted immense energy to organizing this collection across Galatia, Macedonia, Achaia, and Asia (1 Cor. 16:1; 2 Cor. 8-9; Rom. 15:26). His motivations were multi-layered: (1) Compassion for the poor — literal need of the Jerusalem believers (Acts 11:29). (2) Covenantal solidarity — Gentile believers owing a spiritual debt to Jewish believers (Rom. 15:27). (3) Visible unity of the church across ethnic lines. (4) A test of generosity — 2 Corinthians 8-9 contains the most sustained NT theology of giving. The instructions in 1 Cor. 16:2 — 'On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income' — establish systematic, proportional, regular giving as the Christian norm. The logia anticipates the koinōnia (fellowship) of the new covenant community.

Key Bible Verses

1 Corinthians 16:1 Now about the collection for the Lord's people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do.
1 Corinthians 16:2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.
2 Corinthians 9:7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
Romans 15:26 For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the Lord's people in Jerusalem.
2 Corinthians 8:4 They urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord's people.

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