God wills that His people be thankful in every circumstance, and the thanksgiving offering, commonly called the peace offering, expressed that thanks in ancient Israel. In Leviticus 22:29 God says repeatedly that a sacrifice of thanksgiving must be offered of one's own free will, and the praise it embodied was not acceptable unless freely given. Like all peace offerings, it was entirely voluntary, a privilege rather than a duty. Tithes are a duty, but offerings are a privilege, an honor to give from one's increase and blessings. The Old Covenant sacrificial laws could secure outward conformity but could not dictate inner attitude, and the people were in a sense forced to comply. God wants the thanksgiving offering and today's offerings on the holy days to be given freely, from a character inwardly transformed through the Holy Spirit. A contaminated motive makes proper fulfillment of God's will impossible. For this reason the sacrifice had to be unblemished and today's offering must be given with pure motives. Leviticus 3 calls the offering a sweet aroma, meaning it is satisfying to God and free of sin in the giving. Colossians 3:12-15 shows that putting on mercy, kindness, humility, love, and thankfulness bears on whether offerings are acceptable. A freewill offering must therefore be given freely, thankfully, and faithfully, without blemish. It cannot come from lottery winnings, usury, or borrowed money, but from what one has accumulated through personal effort, and it cannot be a sweet aroma if given by one flagrantly and unrepentantly sinning. Giving thanks this way is a refined way of asking for more of God's grace, expressed in faith as though the promise were already fulfilled.

In Psalm 110 the people who accompany the returning Messiah are described as volunteers in the day of His power. The Hebrew term rendered volunteers is literally freewill offerings or sacrifices. This wording indicates that these individuals have chosen by their own decision to present themselves as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God, in the manner Paul describes in Romans 12:1. Their voluntary offering of themselves demonstrates that they have resolved to live the life of Jesus Christ and to serve without regard to personal cost. Once transformed into immortal spirit beings, they rally to their Lord and King at His second coming. The same verse links this freewill offering to the beauties of holiness, showing that the act of voluntary sacrifice produces the righteousness and power that accompany the establishment of the Kingdom. Thus the freewill offering of the saints is presented as an essential element of the Messiah's victory and the inauguration of His righteous rule.