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Giving in the New Testament

Mark Roberts

This month’s edition of Abundant Life brings you five articles on a topic that is much needed, but not much wanted: giving. Past issues of Abundant Life on divorce and remarriage have proven very popular. Issues on liberalism in the church or Max Lucado have had to be reprinted due to high demand. However, we expect none of that kind of heated interest for this month’s issue. The truth is that of everything we could write on, preach on, teach on or talk about our contribution habits are the one subject that is virtually guaranteed to receive a cool, if not downright frosty, reception.

Yet while we are hesitant to speak on this subject the New Testament shows no such reluctance. Jesus talks constantly of money. He urges us to use money in the earthly Kingdom of God to secure a place in heaven (Luke 16:9). He warns us of money’s dangers (Luke 8:14) and an encounter with a rich young ruler graphically shows how money can corrupt one’s thinking (Luke 18:18-27). Further, it’s not just Jesus that speaks of money. Paul talks of the “collection for the saints” constantly (Romans 15:25-26; 1 Cor 16:1-2; 2 Cor. 8 & 9). Again and again the New Testament urges Christians to think of and use money differently than the world will. Christian, are you ready to see what the New Testament says about your giving, or will you push away this needed and necessary teaching? Let me highlight three key principles of giving from the New Testament.

Giving is commanded. Let us not make any mistake about this. “ Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.” (1 Corinthians 16:1-2). It is impossible to make anything of this other than a direct command from an inspired apostle that we simply must obey today. Yet no other act of worship may be as slighted as giving. If someone sits stone silent without singing we know that he is not worshiping as he should. If someone refuses to eat the bread and drink the fruit of the vine they have violated the Lord’s command to “do this in remembrance of Me.” Yet, as any man who has ever attended to the collection plate responsibilities can tell you, sending the baskets down the row often finds several who put nothing in them. How is this possible? One might argue that he or she has no funds to put in, and it would be so that if one has literally nothing that the responsibility to give does not accrue until there is the opportunity and ability to do so. But who among us really is penniless? Why then do some treat this commanded act of devotion to God as something that is optional?

Giving has nothing to do with and yet everything to do with the amount given. The story of the widow’s mite well illustrates what I mean. “Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.”” (Mark 12:41-44). The Lord is not nearly as interested in the number of zeroes on the end of your check as He is in your heart. A woman with little but a heart fully given to God “out gave” even the most extravagant givers, didn’t she? Paul says, of the generous but poor Macedonians that they “first gave themselves” (2 Cor. 8:5). Yet we must not make the mistake of allowing these verses to justify our refusal to give as we ought. Thinking we can give as little as possible while salving our conscience by saying “the heart is what matters” fails to reckon with the reality that our amount given can tell on our hearts. Ask Ananias and Sapphira about it (Acts 5)!

Giving is the only way God has given the church to raise funds. Whether we like it or not, there is expense in propagating the Gospel and doing God’s work (Acts 11:28ff; Phil 4:14-16). While the Lord could have given His church many options regarding fund raising He has not. 1 Corinthians 16 is alone in discussing the mode of obtaining money to do God’s will, and thus must be regarded as God’s exclusive pattern for church fund raising. Sadly, this is ignored by most churches today. A brief look through some computer clip art found a fund raising section full of pictures of pies, cakes, garage sales, tickets and more! Churches today charge admission to various events and then charge people again who want a tape of the teaching they heard. Anything and everything is sold, auctioned or done to raise money. All of this shows a lack of faith in God’s plan for the church. Yet we must sadly admit that such may be done because people don’t give as they ought. One survey found that the majority of giving done in most churches is done by only 20% of the members, while 30-50% don’t give at all! Christians must realize that when they do not give as they should the Lord’s church has no recourse, no means of making up elsewhere for such failure. Since giving is the only way God allows the church to raise funds when we fail to give we hamstring the very efforts of the Kingdom of God!

The writers of this issue have done a fine job in guiding our thinking about money and giving from the Word of God. It is my prayer that we will all read, learn and most importantly, apply these things that we might truly “give as [we] purpose in our hearts, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7).