By Pastor Richard Jordan
The issue of giving to the Lord is one that is greatly misunderstood and about which there is much
false teaching today. For the most part, Christian teachers have taken two approaches to giving.
Either they talk about it constantly and make it the only measure of faith and blessing or they
completely ignore the issue because they don't want to be accused of being a "money hungry
preacher". Neither approach is proper. What is needed is a careful study of what God has to say
about giving.
The Root of All Evil
In the Apostle Paul's first letter to Timothy he speaks of the danger of money.
1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted
after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
Notice that the danger in money is not the money itself, but rather our attitude about it. If in
our own conscience, material gain is more important than the truth of God's Word we are on the road
to erring from the faith and rejecting God's truth for filthy lucre's sake. In the Old Testament we
see the leadership of the nation Israel rejecting God's truth for the reward of material gain. They
made judgments based, not on God's truth, but on who was the highest bidder.
Micah 3:9-11 Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house
of Israel, that abhor judgment, and pervert all equity. They build up Zion with blood, and
Jerusalem with iniquity. The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for
hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say Is not
the LORD among us? None evil can come upon us.
In Paul's day the propensity of man to sell out the truth is seen in men like Demetrius, who was
more concerned about his craft of idol-making than about who was really the living and true God.
Acts 19:24-27 For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, which made silver shrines
for Diana, brought no small gain unto the craftsmen; Whom he called together with the workmen of
like occupation, and said, Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our wealth.. Moreover ye see
and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and
turned away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands: So that not only
this our craft is in danger to be set at nought; but also that the temple of the great goddess
Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world
worshippeth.
Rather than abandoning the truth for monetary gain, and making money our God, we should be using
our money to promote the truth of God. Paul gives very specific instructions in his epistles about
where our affections, and therefore our money, should be focused.
Colossians 3:1,2 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where
Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the
earth.
1 Timothy 6:17,18 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor
trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy: That
they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;
As we begin to look at the details of how much money we should give God, it is important that we
keep in mind the general attitude that is to be evident in our dealings with our material goods. We
should view our goods as tools to be used to further God's truth. Where our affections are will
determine where our money goes.
The Attitude of Grace Giving
Under the law and kingdom programs the motivation to give to the Lord was fear. As with all other
areas of the law, Israel was motivated to service in giving by the promise of blessing and the fear
of cursing. This principle as it applies to giving can be clearly seen in the message to Israel
from the prophet Malachi.
Malachi 3:8-10 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed
thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole
nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and
prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and
pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
The fear factor can also be clearly seen in the kingdom program in the account of Ananias and
Sapphira. After these people had lied about their commitment of giving, and been struck dead for
their sin, we read the following sobering statement concerning the attitude of the kingdom church.
Acts 5:11And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these
things.
It is easy to see how this type of curse for disobedience could bring fear to those that were
living under this system. If we faced the possibility of being struck dead for failing to give
properly to the Lord, we would certainly be very careful to give properly and very fearful about
the consequences if we give improperly.
In addition to motivating out of fear, the giving of the law made God a debtor to the giver. Notice
that in the passage above from Malachi, God says to Israel, "prove me". Giving, and for that matter
all obedience under the law, makes God a debtor to the person performing the obedience. When a
person obeys God's commandment under the law God becomes obligated to give him the appropriate
blessing.
Thus God tells Israel to "prove" him, to demonstrate his faithfulness in giving the blessing He had
promised. Giving, like all obedience under grace is not motivated by fear but by love. The
motivation to serve in the Age of Grace is clearly set forth by the Apostle Paul in his second
letter to the church at Corinth.
2 Corinthians 5:14For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that
if one died for all, then were all dead:
Our motivation to serve under grace should never be out of fear of being cursed by God. Fear of a
curse is not a valid reason to serve the Lord in this Age of Grace. In addition, since God has
already given us all the blessings which he has for us in this life, there can be no promise of
additional blessing for obedience.
Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us
with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
As we can clearly see, we are not in a position of waiting for blessing in this Age of Grace, we
have already been blessed in Christ. Because of this, our giving is no longer a way to prove God,
it has now become a way to prove us. Notice carefully what Paul says to the church at Corinth as he
writes to them about their giving toward a gift being taken for the poor saints at Jerusalem.
2 Corinthians 8:8 I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others,
and to prove the sincerity of your love.
Notice that giving in the Age of Grace is a means by which we are proved, not a means by which we
prove God. Our attitude about giving in the Age of Grace is to be that we are giving out of a heart
of love and gratitude for what God has already graciously done for us. Our giving must never be
motivated by the fear of judgment or to try to gain additional blessing from God.
The Amount of Grace Giving
In time past, under the law and kingdom economies, the amount of giving was specified in great
detail. In the book of Deuteronomy God gave Israel a specific percentage for their giving.
Deuteronomy 14:22,27,28 Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field
bringeth forth year by year. . . . And the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake
him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee. . . . At the end of three years thou shalt
bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year , and shalt lay it up within thy gates:
Time does not permit us to go into great detail on these issues, but as we study the passage above
and others like it, it becomes evident that Israel was commanded to give 20% every year and 30%
every third year. In addition, there were many other required givings under the law as well as the
opportunity to give free will offerings.
As the kingdom is presented as being "at hand" in the earthly ministry of Christ and early Acts,
the level of giving is increased dramatically.
Matthew 19:21Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou
hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
Luke 12:32,33a Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the
kingdom. Sell that ye have, and give alms:...
Acts 2:44,45 And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their
possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
While the amount of giving in these two circumstances is different, it is clear that in each
instance the specific amount was plainly spelled out. There could be no misunderstanding about the
amount of giving God demanded under the law and kingdom programs. And, as we saw in the last
section, those requirements were enforced with some very severe punishments if they were not met.
In this Age of Grace, we see no such commandments concerning the amount of our giving to the Lord.
The Apostle Paul does, however, give us some principals which should guide us in determining the
amount of our giving.
2 Corinthians 9:6,7 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and
he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his
heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
Notice that in the above passage, Paul tells us that we are to purpose in our hearts. That means
that we should prayerfully consider how much we can give to the Lord's work, just as we would
consider any other financial commitment that we would make.
Our giving should be with a plan and a purpose, not based on how much we happen to have in our
wallet on Sunday morning. Notice also that our giving is to be cheerful. You should give God as
much as you can give Him and still have a cheerful attitude about it. If you can give $100
cheerfully, but you begrudge the 101st dollar then you should stop at $100. It is far better to
give $100 with the proper attitude than $1,000,000 with a grudging heart.
Finally, we must remember that we will reap in direct proportion to where we sow. If we "invest" in
spiritual things we will reap eternal, spiritual reward.
If we spend our money on corruptible things they, like all the rest of the world, will one day melt
with a fervent heat. The amount or our giving in the Age of Grace is not governed by a specific
regulation, as it was under the law and kingdom economies. The amount of our giving today is based
upon the principles of grace revealed to us in Paul's epistles.
The Answer to Grace Giving
There is perhaps no greater blasphemy being taught today, and no greater sham being perpetrated on
an unsuspecting public than the teaching of many preachers that God will somehow reward you with
financial gain if you give to the Lord.
As with so much other false teaching today, this teaching comes from trying to apply the principles
of the law to the Age of Grace. If you reread the passage from Malachi quoted earlier you will see
that God did clearly promise a physical blessing to Israel if they would give of their tithes.
Nowhere in scripture is the Church, the Body of Christ, promised material gain as a result of our
giving. In fact, in the life of the Apostle Paul, quite the opposite is true. Paul gave more to the
cause of Christ than perhaps any other man that has ever lived, and yet he suffered great
depravation. Paul went from a wealthy Pharisee at the top of Jewish society to a poor apostle who
often didn't know where his next meal was coming from.
Galatians 1:13,14a For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion,
how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it: And profited in the Jews'
religion above many my equals in mine own nation. . . .
2 Corinthians 11:27In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and
thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
Philippians 3:8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the
knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count
them but dung, that I may win Christ,
What we can expect to receive as a result of our sacrificial giving is eternal glory
2 Corinthians 4:17For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us
a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory:
Don't let anyone con you into giving them money for ministry with the false promise that God will
return it "good measure, pressed down and shaken together, and running over".
As you give to the Lord, you should not be looking for material gain but rather eternal spiritual
glory.
Giving in the Age of Grace is honored by God only if it is done in accord with the principles of
grace and not in accord with the instructions for the law and the kingdom.
We must be sure that we are giving with the proper attitude, after carefully considering the
amount, and that we are expecting the right answer from God in response to our giving.
