10 Essential Truths about
Christian Giving
Ligon
Duncan
Very often, people ask or wonder "what are the basic biblical
principles for Christian giving?" .
As we seek God's answer to that question and as we
contemplate our own giving to the Lord's church in response to the clear
teaching of His Word, perhaps it would be wise and helpful to review those
principles here.
First, let us go to the Word of God itself, without
comment:
"Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to
be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in
heaven. So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the
hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored
by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you give
to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so
that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you."
"Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed
the churches of Galatia, so do you also. On the first day of every week each
one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections
be made when I come."
"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that
though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His
poverty might become rich. I give my opinion in this matter, for this is to
your advantage, who were the first to begin a year ago not only to do this, but
also to desire to do it. But now finish doing it also, so that just as there
was the readiness to desire it, so there may be also the completion of it by
your ability. For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to
what a person has, not according to what he does not have. For this is not for
the ease of others and for your affliction, but by way of equality - at this
present time your abundance being a supply for their need, so that their
abundance also may become a supply for your need, that there may be equality;
as it is written, "HE WHO gatheredMUCH DID NOT HAVE TOO MUCH, AND HE WHO gathered LITTLE HAD NO LACK."
"Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap
sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one
must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under
compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."
In
our review of these four New Testament passages, we find at least ten
principles for Christian giving.
1. The Lord Jesus expects and
requires us to give. Jesus
said to His disciples, "when you give" not "if you give" (Matthew 6:2)!
Hence, Christian giving is not optional, but rather
essential. We often hear folks say: "in the Old Testament they had to give, but
not in the New - now we only give if we want to." This is clearly not Jesus' teaching. He expected all
His followers to be givers. Christians will give. Are you giving?
2. The Lord Jesus
wants us to give for the right reasons. Jesus warned His disciples not to give for the sake of
being admired by men. "Beware of practicing your
righteousness before men to be noticed by them," He said (Matthew 6:1).
When
we give, we must be careful to examine our motives. We ought to give for the
glory of God and the good of His people. We must desire His approval of our
giving, rather than the praise and admiration of people. Are you giving for God's praise or
man's?
3. The Lord Jesus
wants us to practice benevolent or charitable giving. Jesus said "When you give to the poor . . . ." (Matthew 6:2-3).
Jesus
is specifically teaching about "alms" in this passage: aid, charity,
or benevolent offerings for the needy. Do you give amply enough to the Church
that she can be generous in benevolent giving?
4. The Lord Jesus reminds us that our
giving is ultimately to the all-seeing heavenly Father. Jesus said "When you give . . . ; your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you" (Matthew 6:3-4).
When
we give, we are not simply adding to the Church budget, we are giving up a
thank offering to the Father Himself. Thus, we must all give "as unto the Lord."
Our ultimate goal in giving is to please Him. Are you conscious of
the fact that your giving is to the Lord and seen by the Lord?
5. The Bible teaches that Christian
giving is an act of worship. In connection with the previous point, we see this truth
stressed in another way in Paul's word's "On the first day of every week each one of you is to
put aside and save" (1 Corinthians 16:2).
Paul
here teaches the Corinthians that their taking up of the collection is an act
of worship which is to be a part of their regular Lord's Day worship.
When
we put our money in the plate, we are worshiping Almighty God in accordance
with His Word. Note well, Paul is speaking here of a "collection for the saints" - this is giving by the Church to the Church for the
Church. Did you realize that giving is a part of worship?
Is your worship in this area abundant or inhibited? Is giving to the Church a
priority with you?
6. The Bible teaches
that Christian giving should be done in light of the incarnation. Many Christians argue about whether the tithe (10% of
our income) is still the standard for our giving to the Church (disputants
usually want to show that less than 10% is fine).
Paul
scuttles the whole debate in one verse. He says: "For you know the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor,
so that you through His poverty might become rich" (2 Corinthians 8:9).
Christ's
self-giving is now the standard for our giving! We begin from the base of the
tithe and aim for emulation of His self-sacrifice. Our giving is to be inspired and instructed
by Christ's inexpressible gift.
In
light of such a challenge, who could possibly satisfy himself with asking "how little a
percentage is acceptable for me to give?" Do you try to get by
with giving as little as possible to the Lord, or do you give in view of the
Lord's costly sacrifice?
7. The Bible teaches
that Christian giving should be done in accordance with our means. Paul is quite clear on this: "For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable
according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have" (2 Corinthians 8:12).
Put
another way Paul is saying that you should give in proportion to what God has
given you.
He
said it this way in 1 Corinthians 16:2, "each one of you is to put aside
and save, as he may prosper." This means at least two
things:
(1)
since we are all supposed to give proportionately, those who have more money
are expected to give more [we who are particularly blessed materially must
remember this], and
(2)
the Lord never asks us to give what we do not have, or contribute beyond our
means. Are you really giving
in proportion to the material blessings that the Lord has given you?
8. The Bible teaches that the liberality
of God's blessings to us is connected to the liberality of our Christian giving. Though it may seem strange, both
Jesus and Paul emphasize that there is a relation between our giving to the
Lord and the Lord's giving to us.
As
Paul says in 2 Corinthians 9:6 "Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap
sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully."
They
who in giving think, not how little they can give, as they would if
self-enrichment were the aim, but of benefits to be conferred, will receive
back on the same principle. As they do to others, so God will act to them.
Jesus
reminds us of this in Matthew 6:4,
where He teaches that our reward in giving comes from our heavenly Father. As
someone once said: "The desire
to be generous and the means to be generous both come from God." Do you realize that
the Lord has given you much, so that you can give much?
9. The Bible teaches that Christian
giving must be willing giving, free giving. We learn this in 2
Corinthians 9:7 "Each one
must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under
compulsion."
But
doesn't this contradict what we learned under the first principle, that
Christian giving is not optional? The answer is, of course, no. True Christian
giving is both mandatory and voluntary. It is required by God, but always
willingly given by the believer. Is your giving to the Church something you
do wholeheartedly, or indifferently, or grudgingly?
10. The Bible teaches that Christian
giving ought to be cheerful giving. As Paul says "God loves a cheerful giver." This is a truly amazing assertion. Paul assures us
here that the Lord takes a special delight in those who are joyful, energetic,
merry givers. Is there joy in your heart as you give? Can you
truly be characterized as a "cheerful
giver"?
We have not come close to reaching our
potential for giving.
Won't
you pray that we will give as we ought? That we will give for the right
motives?
That
we will give joyously? And that we will give extravagantly.
That
we will give ourselves to the Lord?
Would you want to have a deeper relationship with God?
God
has made it possible for you to know Him and experience an amazing change
in your own life by receiving His
Son, Jesus Christ, and have eternal life.
Say the following prayer:
“Father God, I confess I am a sinner
and my sins have separated me from You.
RELATED POSTS:
Do Not Let the Left Hand Know the Right Hand
God as a Father
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I Have Loved You
lyrics
(Verse 1)
All that I am, all that I have
I lay them down before you, oh Lord
All my regrets, all my acclaims
The joy and the pain, I'm making them yours
(Chorus)
Lord, I offer my life to you
Everything I've been through
Use it for your glory
Lord I offer my days to you
Lifting my praise to you
As a pleasing sacrifice
Lord I offer you my life
(Verse 2)
Things in the past, things yet unseen
Wishes and dreams that are yet to come true
All of my hopes, all of my plans
My heart and my hands are lifted to you
(Chorus)
Lord, I offer my life to you
Everything I've been through
Use it for your glory
Lord I offer my days to you
Lifting my praise to you
As a pleasing sacrifice
Lord I offer you my life
(Bridge)
What can we give
What can we give
That you have not given?
And what do we have
That is not already yours?
All we possess
Are these lives we're living
That's what we give to you, Lord
(Chorus)
Lord, I offer my life to you
Everything I've been through
Use it for your glory
Lord I offer my days to you
Lifting my praise to you
As a pleasing sacrifice
Lord I offer you my life
(Chorus)
Lord, I offer my life to you
Everything I've been through
Use it for your glory
Lord I offer my days to you
Lifting my praise to you
As a pleasing sacrifice
Lord I offer you my life
Lord I offer you my life
Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III is the Senior Minister of First
Presbyterian Church in Jackson, Mississippi.
Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals.
biblestudytools.com
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