Giving

By all these things, I have shown you that by working in this way we must help the weak, and remember the words of the Lord Jesus that he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive'” (Acts 20:35).

The Apostle Paul did not often explicitly quote the Lord Jesus, let alone preserve for us a saying of Jesus not otherwise explicitly attested in the four Gospel accounts. And yet, in Acts 20:35, Paul concluded his message to the Ephesian elders by reminding them to help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord regarding the blessings of giving. Paul thus attested to the importance and power of giving, and giving has represented a strong hallmark of the Christian faith then and ever since.

Giving involves providing some kind of benefit or service to another without expecting remuneration or return. When we think of giving, we naturally focus on giving of material resources, especially money; a lot of the encouragement regarding giving in the New Testament centers on the giving of money to those in need (e.g. John 13:29, Acts 4:32-5:11, 2 Corinthians 8:1-9:15). Yet giving should never be understood only in terms of providing money to others: Peter encouraged Christians to serve one another with the various gifts God had given them in 1 Peter 4:10-11 immediately after he exhorted them to show hospitality to one another without grumbling in 1 Peter 4:9. James commended “visiting widows and orphans in their distress” as an important aspect of “pure and undefiled religion” in James 1:27; giving them money may prove necessary, but “visiting” also involves the gift of presence and time, which often proves even more important and precious to people than material resources. Therefore, Christians do well to consider giving of their time, their presence, sharing a table, and using the skills and talents God has given them for the benefit of others.

Nevertheless, while giving certainly involves more than just providing money to others, giving in Christ does not require less. Paul spoke of how Jesus became poor so the Corinthian Christians could be made rich by His poverty in order to encourage them to provide financially for the Christians in Jerusalem (2 Corinthians 8:9-11). John rhetorically asked how the love of God could reside in a Christian who has the world’s goods, sees his fellow Christian in need, and shuts off his compassion toward him (1 John 3:17). John would go so far as to say such a Christian actually hates his brother, and by extension, becomes his murderer (1 John 3:15)! Likewise, James the Lord’s brother insisted on the importance of having works done in faith in James 2:14-26, yet note well the controlling example he gave: if a Christian is poorly clothed and lacks food, and we tell him to be warmed and filled but do not provide anything to warm or fill him, what good have we actually done (James 2:15-16)?

Early Christians thus bore witness to the importance of giving for the needs of fellow Christians. Paul described it in terms of equality and in light of the manna God gave Israel in 2 Corinthians 8:13-15: as every Israelite had the same amount of manna whether he or she gathered a little or a lot, so God has given enough to Christians so they might have enough if those who abound share with those who lack. The earliest Christians were marked and known by how they would sell their possessions and provide for one another (cf. Acts 2:41-48, 4:32-5:11). How would everyone be able to perceive how Christians share in the love of Jesus if Christians did not provide for each other when in need (cf. John 13:31-35)? If Christians find themselves destitute and impoverished, and fellow Christians do not lift them up and provide for them, then the people of God have failed in their duty to embody the life and work of Jesus.

While Christians are to provide for one another in their households and in the faith (cf. 1 Timothy 5:3-16), such does not excuse disregard for those who are not Christians. Paul himself was eager to remember the poor (Galatians 2:10); he charged the Galatian Christians to do good to everyone as they had opportunity, especially of the household of faith (Galatians 6:10). Such aligns with Jesus’ instruction to give to all who ask of us (Matthew 5:42). Therefore, while we do well to prioritize providing for fellow Christians in need, we also do well to assist others who are not in Christ when opportunities arise to do so.

Christians are often tempted to associate giving primarily in terms of giving to the local church. Local churches do have financial responsibilities to support evangelists and evangelism, to provide benevolence to Christians in need locally and abroad, and whatever proves necessary for the collective, joint encouragement of its members (cf. Acts 2:42-48, 4:32-5:11, 11:27-30, Romans 15:25-28, 1 Corinthians 9:1-15, 2 Corinthians 8:1-9:15, Hebrews 10:25). In Christ God has authorized such local congregations to obtain money in order to meet those financial responsibilities by means of collections taken up from its constituent members and any others who would wish to give on the first day of the week (cf. 1 Corinthians 16:1-4). Christians therefore absolutely should contribute to their joint work as members of the local congregation as they have prospered and have opportunity to do so on the first day of the week. Yet, as we have seen in many other passages, God also expects Christians to be giving as individuals to those within and outside of the faith (e.g. Matthew 5:24, 10:8, 25:31-46, Galatians 6:10, James 1:27, 2:15-16, 1 John 3:17). Our giving as Christians, therefore, should not only be defined by what we contribute to the work of the local church, but also should strongly feature what we are giving in our personal lives as we prosper and have opportunity.

In Christ God has encouraged and exhorted Christians to give, and to give liberally. Nevertheless, such giving has not been charged by command as an obligation, nor should it be perceived as a burden (cf. 2 Corinthians 8:8). God loves the cheerful giver according to 2 Corinthians 9:7, for it is the desire in the heart to give and share, paired with actually giving according to one’s means, which glorifies and honors God (2 Corinthians 8:10-12). A “gift” which is imposed by requirement or obligation is no longer a “gift,” but has become dues, customs, or a tax. A gift given begrudgingly or reluctantly is not worthy of the lavish gifts God has freely and lavishly given us in Christ, and ultimately provides no real benefit to the giver (cf. 2 Corinthians 9:7). Attempts at line drawing and figuring out the bare minimum we should feel compelled to give, therefore, entirely miss the point. If we give only because we feel obligated to give, or would rather not, we have a major heart problem, and must repent before God in Christ lest we be found as impugning upon the grace and kindness of God manifest in Jesus.

God has freely given everything we have and are to us; we brought nothing into this world, and we will take nothing out of it (cf. 1 Timothy 6:7). In Christ God has welcomed us to share in unimaginable grace, and “grace” means “gift” (e.g. Ephesians 1:6-7). God has given us so much, and we are called upon to be effective stewards of all God has given us. God will hold us accountable for how we have used all the things He has given us. As God has given so much for us, it is right and natural for Christians, as reflecting the heart of God in Christ, to be giving people, desiring to share with one another and with everyone the multitude of blessings God has given them. Christians should share their gifts, presence, skills, and time with one another; Christians should show hospitality as well. But Christians also should prove liberal in their giving of financial and other material resources. Yes, Christians should give to the work of the local church as joint participants in its work; but Christians should also freely and cheerfully give to fellow Christians and those outside of the faith in need as they prosper and have opportunity. May we prove faithful and liberal in giving to others as God has given us so much in Christ so we might continually share in the life of God in Christ through His Spirit!

Ethan R. Longhenry