Why Should I Give?
Most people in our society would agree that giving is a good thing. We should give to help the poor, the sick and the disadvantaged. When bushfires swept along the east coast last December, the people of Sydney dug deep into their pockets to provide for those who had lost their homes and possessions. When the planes crashed into the World Trade Towers on September 11, Americans opened their hearts, their blood veins and their wallets to assist the bereaved. Even hardened corporate employees who normally bulldoze everything in their path to the office will stop to buy a daffodil for Daffodil Day, a bear for Bandaged Bear Day, or a star-shaped keyring to assist the Starlight Foundation.
Christians, in particular, have taken up the principle of giving, remembering the words of Jesus when he said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35) and “[G]ive, and it will be given to you.” (Luke 6:38). Many of the major aid agencies were started up by Christians, for example, Anglicare, World Vision and Oxfam Community Aid Abroad. When the collection plate is passed around in church, most give to the work of the gospel, no matter how small their means.
But why do we give? Do we give because it's simply a good thing to do, helping people in need and making it possible for others to preach the gospel to the nations full-time? Do we give because Jesus commanded it and we should be seeking to live our lives in obedience to him as our Lord and Saviour? Strangely, when I tried to answer these questions, I could not to my satisfaction. I turned to the Bible for answers: 2 Corinthians, chapters 8 and 9.
The city of Corinth lay at the crossroads of two important trade routes and therefore was a city of some commercial significance. I don't know if the Christians there were rich but, as the city was prosperous in nature, they probably weren't too badly off. The account of how Paul founded the Corinthian church can be found in Acts 18, and the history of their subsequent relationship can be gleaned from reading 1 and 2 Corinthians. Certainly it was a relationship fraught with turbulence, with Paul, on several occasions, having to write to the Corinthians with words of rebuke.
In 2 Corinthians 8 and 9, however, he writes to them concerning the collection for the poor of the church at Jerusalem. The Corinthians started this collection one year ago and Paul had been boasting of their generosity to the Macedonians. Paul tells the Corinthians that the Macedonians,
in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own free will. (8:2-3).
He then encourages the Corinthians to give generously, informing them that he is sending Titus and two of the brothers ahead of him to prepare this great “gift” for his arrival in Corinth.
There are several things that Paul writes in this passage which I wish to highlight. Firstly, Paul calls the donation of the collection an "act of grace" (8:6, 7). It seems to be linked with God's grace:
We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. (8:1-2)
Nowhere is God's grace more aptly demonstrated than in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ who personifies the very nature of grace itself: “[T]hough he was rich, yet for your sake became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” (8:9). God's generosity is found in the giving of his only Son who took upon himself the sins of the world and turned aside God's wrath. It is God's grace, therefore, that should compel us to give.
But Paul does not command the Corinthians to give (8:8). He does not want the Corinthians' gift to be “an exaction” (9:5). In 9:7 he writes, “Each one must give as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” He wishes the Corinthians to show that their love is genuine as the Macedonians have through their contribution and as Christ has through his self-sacrifice. The Corinthians are encouraged to match their desire to give with their deeds (8:11) in much the same way as James dares his readers: “Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” (James 2:18). Giving is not a work that will save us but it is an outworking of our faith. If we love the Lord and his church, we will show it through our actions.
It is not that the Corinthians are to work a miracle and conjure riches out of nothing. Paul is not asking them to give what they do not have (8:12). He is also not asking them to give everything away for he writes, “I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened...” (8:13). He is appealing to their generosity so “that there may be fairness”—that “your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need” (8:14). Paul cites Exodus 16:18 as a model of fairness; each Israelite's portion of manna was the same, whether he/she had gathered much or gathered little. If we have been blessed with much wealth, it is right to share it with those who have not been so blessed.
Interestingly, Paul is only talking of the church here, the brotherhood of believers, the supernatural body of Christ. It is not that we shouldn't give to the poor, the sick or the disadvantaged and bereaved; in Galatians 6:10, Paul says, “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone...” But he then adds, “especially to those who are of the household of faith.” We may be able to help the poor, the sick, the disadvantaged and the bereaved through our giving, but we can only satisfy their temporal earthly needs; our priorities should be Christ-centred and not human-centred. When Mary Magdalene poured a flask of very expensive oil over Jesus and the observers criticised her and said it should have been sold to give to the poor, Jesus said, “[Y]ou always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me.”
It is not as if we receive nothing in return (not that we should be expecting it!) Paul writes, “You will be enriched in every way for all your generosity...” (9:11) and speaks of God who is “able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” (9:8). Paul reminds us that we reap what we sow: “[W]hoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” The harvest is not in material earthly riches but in “righteousness” (9:10) and the love and prayers of the recipients of our gifts (9:14). In practising grace, we will become more gracious ourselves, thus enabling us to resist all the more the selfish allure of sin (Titus 2:11).
But most of all, surprisingly, the main reason for giving is not to reward us or to fulfill the needs of others, but to glorify God. Paul does write, “You will be enriched in every way for all your generosity,” but this is because this generosity will “produce thanksgiving to God.” (9:11):
By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission flowing from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others... (9:13)
Our main purpose in life is to bring glory to God. How wonderful it is that others can be brought to glorify him on account of us!
I must admit that when I first opened my wallet and started giving to the work of the gospel, I wasn't even thinking of glorifying God or practising Christ-like grace. I saw a need in one of the organisations I belonged to and I sought to fulfill it because I could see the fruit of the work that was taking place there and I knew I had directly benefited from it. Looking back, I can see what a selfish way of thinking I had. But I am glad that God has changed me and changed my perspective on giving.
I want to encourage you—not command or order you—to give generously as God has given so generously to us. Show that your love for the Lord is genuine by what you do with your wealth. Give to those in need—especially in the church—so that their lack may be filled by your abundance. Be enriched by God's transforming Spirit who is changing you slowly to become more like his Son. And, most of all, seek to bring glory to God through everything you do so that others may give him the glory also.
You may think, “I don't have much... I don't have a full-time job or even a part-time job, and the money I do get is barely enough to cover my own expenses.” But, as one of my well-beloved teachers used to say, “If you give when you have little, you will give when you have much.” Think of the Macedonians who gave “according to their means” and “beyond their means” out of their joy, affliction and poverty (8:2-3) and be thankful. Start now. Remember, “God loves a cheerful giver.” (9:7).
Karen thinks direct debit is the best thing since sliced bread.
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