Faith Baptist Church
4258 Botetourt Road
Fincastle, Virginia 24090
(540) 473-2325
II Corinthians 9:8
Proper giving is not for filling the bank accounts, it is a priesthood function where the believer may show his or her materialistic devotion and admiration to the Lord for all he has done for him or her. It is never a call to getting more back from God, but a giving out of our love for God.
Jesus Christ is our great example and motivator for giving as noted in II Cor.8:9. He gave completely for our sakes. He became poor that we might be rich. Paul goes on to say in this text that the Corinthians had a mind to give generously as per 8:12, but their good intentions did not compute into action. Paul scorned the Corinthian believers because the saints at Macedonia gave generously to the Lord’s work, 8:2, so Paul called on the Corinthian saints to show the same sincere heart as per 8:8. The Macedonian saints struggled under a great trial of affliction, but they were still generous in their giving. The Corinthians were not under a great trial of afflictions and they found it hard to live up to the generosity of the Macedonian saints. Paul wanted the Corinthian believers to look at the motivation behind their weak giving. They had the money to give, and they intended to give, but they wouldn’t commit. Something held a greater power over their lives than the Lord. If we understand the history behind the troubles at the church at Corinth, we see they were a jealous, bickering carnal people. They lived within a culture of me first and Epicurean thinking, that is, pleasure is the chief purpose of life. They recognized the need to be saved and to a point they were thankful, however, they wrestled constantly over the need to give themselves wholly over to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
Paul was tactful in his approach to the Corinthians. He realized the issue in their holding back of their finances was more important than the finances themselves. Perhaps they were afraid they wouldn’t be able to get by if they gave as the Macedonians gave, but Paul tells them in II Cor.9:8 that the grace of God would abound unto their needs if they would trust the Lord. Maybe they were afraid they would miss out on the assumed happiness and security money brings.
Perhaps, holding back was a symptom of selfishness, or mistrust of the Lord, a characterization no Christian wants to be known for.
I have asked myself before, “Would I be ashamed for you to know how I give to the Lord?” but more importantly am I ashamed before the Lord. If I want to have a clear conscience before the Lord I believe I must not hold back what the Lord wants me to give. Giving is sacrificial, but isn’t that what the Lord did for us; sacrifice?
Jesus Christ taught us to first seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all the things we need, not want, will come to us, Matt.6:33.
The Apostle Paul taught us that we are to seek those things which are above, to set our minds on heavenly things, not earthly things. For we are dead to this world and our life is to be absorbed in Jesus Christ, Col.3:1-4.
The Apostle Peter tells us that we are pilgrims and sojourners in this world, I Pet.2:9-12.
The Apostle John taught us to not be fond of this world with its allurements and its sinful pitfalls and all the things that are in it, I Jn.2:15-17.
Sometimes I don’t know if we get it or not. Many of the things in this world are bona fide, but none are more bona fide than our giving to the Lord.
I read an article recently in Christianity Today magazine which reported that the average giving in Churches across America has been 3% since 1968.
No where in the New Testament is tithing revoked or abrogated. It is assumed by the writers of the New Testament that tithing was the norm just as one day a week was the minimum, appointed observance of the day of worship.
Paul says we should give under grace. All giving is grace giving and is a measure of our obedience and generosity unto the things of God. Why is all giving grace giving? Because all we have is the Lords.
We must purpose in our hearts to give willingly, not grudgingly or only if the money is needed. We are to give with a cheerful mindset. We must determine that we will not overload our lives with so much debt that we fail this grace of giving. In this day of grace we must still be guided by God’s standards. We must also be careful to not let our conscience be callused in this area of grace giving by justifying meager offerings to the Lord.
One of the earliest mentions in the Bible of offerings given to the Lord is seen in Gen.4:3-4 where Cain and Able brought their offerings to the Lord. There must have been some sort of organized worship where sin sacrifices were offered to the Lord. Coin isn’t mentioned here, but sweat equity is, i.e.; vegetables and a lamb. The issue I am getting at isn’t the acceptance or rejection of sacrificial giving, which as we know Abel’s was acceptable but Cains’ was not. The principle I am trying to establish here is that giving of what we have has always been required of God. It did not start on Mt. Sinai with the giving of the Ten Commandments or the rest of the Law of Moses. At least six to four thousand years before the Law of Moses was given which was in 1441 B.C., Able put his heart into his offerings whereas Cain only gave a token nod to God. Able brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. He selected the best he had whereas Cain took the fruits of the ground with no mention given here of it being the best he had to offer.
As a rule of thumb:
1. If you are already giving a certain designated portion of your income including the tithe which already belongs to the Lord, there is no reason to give less in grace. Heb.13:5 says “Let your manner of life be without covetousness, and be content with what you have; for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
2. Never look at grace giving as simply expendable, nonessential income. Responsible grace giving is always essential and the amount is to be predetermined. God has predetermined 10% is his to give back and you can predetermine the amount of offerings after that.
We must also know that the local church is the pillar and ground of truth in the dispensation of the Church Age, I Tim.3:15, and this is where our primary offerings should go, not to para church organizations. Jesus Christ has ordained the local church as the dispensary of truth and the home base for all missions.