Giving

A Biblical Perspective

The practice of giving is a spiritual discipline of great significance for all Christians. During Christ's ministry on earth, He talked more about money and giving than any other topic, including heaven, hell, or prayer. Accordingly, Cornerstone must give equal attention to the topic of money. This Biblical Perspective paper outlines the major teaching of Scripture regarding money and possessions, and provides appropriate application to our lives.

The Inherent Conflict between Money and God

The heart of Christ's teaching on money and possessions is found in His first recorded sermon in Matthew 6:24:

No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

In this foundational verse, Jesus characterizes wealth as a false god that has an inherent conflict with God because it possesses certain godlike traits. Money has the inherent potential to take the place of God because it feeds us, it clothes us, it gives us good things to enjoy, we work for it, we depend on it, and we gain security and significance through it. Jesus further points out in this verse that service to the true God and the false god of money are absolutely exclusive. One either serves God or serves wealth. There is no middle ground. John Stott comments, "anybody who divides his allegiance between God and mammon has already given it to mammon, since God can be served only with an entire and exclusive devotion. This is simply because He is God: 'I am the Lord, that is my name; my glory I give to no other.' To try to share him with other loyalties is to have opted for idolatry."

Worship of the false god of money permeates our society in the form of materialism and consumerism. These are most often recognized in the pursuit of money and the lifestyle it provides, and becomes the very thing God hates most - idolatry. Christians and the church are not immune to the attraction of this idol. However, Jesus warned His people that you cannot serve God and wealth. To the degree that a Christian allows money or possessions to take precedence over God in their affection, trust, or pursuits, that Christian is serving a false God and not the true God. Materialism and consumerism drains the vitality and power out of one's spiritual life and places one in bondage to the things of this world. Worship of the false god of money is a real and dangerous threat to the church.

As in all other areas of the Christian life, obedience is the key to freedom from the bondage and deadness of materialism. Obedience in the area of money starts with obedience in giving.

The Theology of Giving

Giving is the key that breaks the power of the false god of money (John 8:32). Scripture indicates how giving fits in to God's plan for the Christian life. While the biblical teaching on money and giving is extensive, the following points represent the major truths regarding giving:

• Giving is rooted in the character of God. God gives to His children forgiveness, the Holy Spirit, eternal life, peace, and countless other blessings. All of His blessings are given, not earned. Therefore, the practice of giving is imitating the character of God (John 3:16; John 14:27; 1 Thessalonians 4:8; et al).
• God is the owner of all one possesses. Scripture describes each believer as manager of that which God has entrusted to him. Giving is an acknowledgement of God's ownership (1 Corinthians 4:7; Deuteronomy 8:18; 1 Corinthians 4:2; Malachi 3:8).
• One who does not give is robbing God of the honor He deserves as the One who provides all things to His children. God blesses in order that we might bless others, starting with blessing the Provider. Giving expresses one's gratitude to God for all His goodness (Malachi 3:8, 9; Hebrews 7:7; Proverbs 3:9, 10; Psalm 116:12).
• Obedience in giving is the ultimate test that determines whether one trusts God or one trusts the false god of money; whether one's focus and treasure is in heaven or on earth (Malachi 3:10; Matthew 6:20-24).
• Giving is a means by which God blesses the obedient believer (Acts 20:35). Benefits of giving promised by God include God's continued provision (2 Corinthians 9:7b-8), abundant gifts in return (Luke 6:38), an enlarged impact for the kingdom (2 Corinthians 9:10), and eternal reward (Philippians 4:17).
• Giving serves the primary purposes of supporting God's workers (Galatians 6:6), meeting the needs of God's people (Romans 12:13), ministering to the poor (Deuteronomy 15:10, 11), and funding ministry through the local church (1 Corinthians 16:2; Acts 4:34, 35).
• The priority in giving is toward those through whom you have received spiritual benefit (Matthew 10:9, 10; Romans 15:26, 27; 1 Corinthians 9:6-14; Galatians 6:6; 1 Timothy 5:17, 18).
• Giving is a privilege and an act of worship to be done with generosity and sacrifice (2 Corinthians 8:3, 4; 9:6, 7; Mark 12:42-44).
• Giving is to be regular (1 Corinthians 16:2)
• Giving is an indication of the heart (Matthew 6:21, 24)
• Giving is to be generous and sacrificial (2 Corinthians 8:2-4)

The Pattern of Giving

The biblical pattern of giving is presented in two forms - the tithe and voluntary gifts apart from and above the tithe. Scripture provides several primary principles related to this two-fold pattern:

• Giving is primarily related to the principle of "firstfruits." Beginning in Genesis 3 and continuing throughout Scripture, the response of the righteous to God's provision is to return the firstfruits of their increase back to God. This practice of giving the first and best part of one's wealth back to God was commanded as the appropriate way to honor the Giver (Proverbs 3:9-10).
• The tithe is presented as the biblical pattern for giving the firstfruits back to God. The word tithe means "a tenth part," thus establishing a proportional basis for giving; the more God blesses, the more one gives (Deuteronomy 16:17; 1 Corinthians 16:2). Tithing is commanded in the Old Testament (Leviticus 27:30) and validated by Jesus in the New Testament (Matthew 23:23). The pattern of tithing is not limited to Israel's covenantal relationship with God, since it was practiced by both Abraham (Genesis 14:20) and Jacob (Genesis 28:22) before the Law was given.
• Scripture is filled with examples of voluntary and sacrificial gifts apart from the tithe. These gifts spring out of a heart of gratefulness toward God (1 Chronicles 29:10-17), a concern for fellow believers in need (2 Corinthians 8:3, 13-15), and a desire to participate in the work of God (1 Chronicles 29:3-9, Philippians 4:13-17).

Application for Cornerstone

In order for Cornerstone to teach and live the authentic Christian life, we must pay close attention to the biblical teaching on money and giving. We are at risk of falling victim to the forces of materialism in the society in which we minister and thereby losing our effectiveness for Christ. With this in mind, we have taken the teachings and patterns of Scripture and applied them to our church life and our individual lives as follows:

• Giving is the key component of breaking away from the power of materialism and consumerism. Our church will never be free from the deadening effects of these pursuits until our families are practicing biblical giving.
• Giving is an absolutely essential component of spiritual maturity and leadership. Conversely, an absence of giving is a genuine sign of spiritual immaturity, and potentially points toward service to the false god of mammon. Not practicing the discipline of giving is to be in disobedience to the express will of God in Scripture.
• The tithe must be the "firstfruits," i.e., the first portion of one's income. The biblical foundation of giving is the tithe, which is 10% of one's income. One who gives less than 10% is giving, but is not tithing. The discipline of tithing should find its motivation in a heart of grateful obedience to God.
• Giving as described in the New Testament is primarily for the purpose of providing for those from whom you receive spiritual benefit and funding the ministries of the local church. The local church is the primary source of one's spiritual benefit and the primary extension of one's personal ministry. Based on these principles of Scripture, we believe that the tithe should be given to the local church for the purpose of meeting the needs of the staff, funding the ministries of the church, and funding missionary work beyond the immediate ministries of Cornerstone. Cornerstone allocates a significant portion of the tithes of its members to sub-cultural and cross-cultural missionary endeavors both locally and around the world.
• Voluntary and sacrificial gifts above and beyond the tithe are made in the desire and motivation to invest in God's kingdom and His people. These gifts include meeting specific needs in the body of Christ, funding specific ministry endeavors and parachurch organizations, and contributions to Christian organizations and secular charities. Based on the principles of Scripture, we believe that the tithe, the first 10% of one's income, should not be used for these purposes, but should rather be directed to the ministry of the local church.