Standing before congregations, well-intentioned individuals have sometimes served up cruel kindness prior to the collection being taken. In the attempt to be loving, a hurtful prescription may go something like this: "The Lord loves a cheerful giver who freely gives from the heart. If you want to give but are unable to, the Lord understands." To soothe the worries and relieve the anxieties of the downtrodden is a noble goal. Unfortunately, to speak for God contrary to his actual expressed desires and rob people of dignity and the blessing of giving is helpful to no one. God has revealed a much healthier approach than this.

While some may already be chomping at the bit to showcase their favorite scriptures, an appreciation for a Biblical perspective on Christian giving arises out of a careful handling of both the Old and New Testaments. Regarding the Old Testament, on the one hand it is true that Jesus has set Christians free from the need to show themselves righteous by perfectly living up to the demands of the Law./1 Salvation does not come by observing the Law. On the other hand, even the apostles resorted to Old Testament history and principles in order to teach Christians how to live./2 What message within the Old Testament has a bearing upon Christian giving found within the New Testament? Principles from the Old and New Testaments knit seamlessly together providing reliable guidance.

1) Many Christians have accurately recognized that we have not been required to give the 10% demanded by the Law plus shoulder the financial burden of additional offerings, etc. in order to be declared righteous before God. On the contrary, Paul's prescription for how the Corinthians were to gather a collection for benevolent purposes has commonly been adopted as the general guiding principle for Christians: "Every person should give just as he has determined in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."/3 Aspects of God's seeking a willing heart had already been revealed./4

2) Contrary to proposing that God is pleased with accepting nothing because a person has very little, Paul taught, "if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have."/5 In other words, if a person desires to give but does not have much, even the tiny gift he or she gives is pleasing to God. To not give anything is equated with not having the desire to give to God.

This latter point illustrates a principle rooted deeply in the Law. "No one should appear before the LORD empty-handed. Every person shall give in proportion to the blessing of the LORD your God which he has given you."/6 Those with little financial means were never degraded by exempting them from the responsibility of doing what they were able to do. On the contrary, the principle of "No one is to appear before me empty-handed" was applied to various situations and sacrifices under the Law./7

All of God's people will be blessed in hearing that God loves a cheerful giver who gives according to his means. God accepts that large or small gift upon the willingness of the heart to contribute out of those blessings which God has provided. Thus Jesus called "two pennies" as a more generous gift than the large contributions of the wealthy, because an impoverished widow gave everything she had./8

Today as the Lord looks at his congregations, it just might be that he will find a greater depth of generosity and maturity of heart among some of our members with lower income who are rich in faith, than from those rich among us who struggle with trusting in their wealth./9 Let's not distort the Lord's wishes, nor view financial amounts with human eyes, nor rob the lower income members by teaching, "don't feel bad about giving nothing, the Lord understands."

Barry Newton, Copyright © 2006

1) Galatians 2:16; 4:21; 5:1; Romans 7:4-6

2) 1 Corinthians 8:8-10; 10: 6, 11; 14:20-21; Romans 15:3-4; 2 Timothy 3:16,17

3) 2 Corinthians 9:7

4) Exodus 25:2; 35:5, 21; 1 Chronicles 29:17

5) 2 Corinthians 8:12

6) Deuteronomy. 16:16,17

7) Exodus 23:15; 34:20; Leviticus 12:8; 14:21,22

8) Luke 12:1-4

9) James 2:5; 1 Timothy 6:17

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