Although it is a topic that has been well covered by the Body of Christ as a whole, it is important that we are on the same page as a church regarding the principles of giving as given to us in scripture. Biblically speaking, finances are the least use of our faith (Luke 16:10), so it is essential that we get these basics right before graduating to trusting God in weightier matters of the Kingdom.
There is a way God expects us to do things; He has a way He prefers to be loved, honored and worshipped – and this preference has been made clear for us. For example, ‘… they that worship Him, must worship Him in spirit and in truth’ (John 4:24), ‘if you love Me, keep My commandments’ (John 14:15), and ‘honor Me with your substance, and with the first fruits of your increase’ (Proverbs 3:9) – these are the clear preferences of our father regarding how best we can relate to Him. At the root, giving is a means of communicating our love for God, without love as the foundation, we give amiss (1 Corinthians 13:3).
The first type of giving illustrated in scripture is the tithe, which signifies a tenth of one’s increase. From Malachi 3: 10-12, we read that God promised a blessing for all who adhered to this law, and also promised to shield their resources from the devourer’s grasp. However, in the new covenant, we know that God ‘has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ’ (Ephesians 1:3), showing that our blessing now comes from Jesus, not from the tithe – we tithe not to get blessed, but because we are blessed! It is done!
Additionally, Apostle Paul teaches that ‘Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us…’ (Galatians 3:13-14), and the Lord Himself said, ‘Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you’ (Luke 10:19). God no longer has to rebuke the devourer on our behalf, we now have that authority! Our father Abraham did not tithe out of compulsion from the law or to get a blessing, but because he had already been blessed and was acknowledging God as the source of his increase (Genesis 14:17-19). Additionally, tithing allows us to be responsible sons of God, who are fully committed to the facilitating of the gospel – we are not meant to be careless bystanders who only have the mindset of taking.
The second type of giving illustrated in scripture is the ‘first fruits’ offering. This term refers to ‘the promise to come’ or ‘the best’, and was mostly used in the farming context, where the harvest came in stages. Apostle Paul teaches that, ‘For if the first fruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches’ (Romans 11:6).
In the story of Cain and Abel, we see that the Lord respected Abel’s offering because it was the first and best of his crop, ‘By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous’ (Hebrews 11:4) – and this offering came before the law of tithing was introduced. ‘Honour the LORD with your wealth and with the first fruits of all your harvest; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine’ (Proverbs 3:10) – this is the benefit of the first fruit offering.
The third kind of giving scripture teaches is alms giving. ‘By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?’ (1 John 3:16-17) – this denotes the necessary compassion we are to have for those in need.
Apostle Paul noted, ‘They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do’ (Galatians 2:10). The Bible also tells us, ‘He who has pity on the poor lends to the LORD, And He will pay back what he has given’ (Proverbs 19:17); promising that God will return back to the giver all he has given away, as the basis of our giving is the love of God that lives within us. However, there is no reward for those who parade their alms giving for all to see, as it is gracious to protect the dignity of those in need (Matthew 6:2).
The last kind of giving to be discussed is the seed offering, which operates on the principle of seed and harvest time.
Depicting general sowing, the Bible tells us ‘Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you’ (Luke 6:38) and ‘The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller’ (Proverbs 11:24) – this is a general principle that can be applied by all men, which is why we see that generosity also yields results for unbelievers. Partnership also falls under seed offering, because you also become a partaker of the harvest that will follow.
The reward of this kind is depicted in 1 Samuels 30:20-25, where David declared that all those who had invested into their victory in whatever varying form would also reap in like manner, regardless of whether or not they came to the field. Remember, ‘A man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men’ (Proverbs 18:16); and this does not refer to bribery, but to the return a simple investment on someone else can yield (see 1 Kings 10:1-13).
Prayer
Father, we thank You for Your word that is able to both instruct and correct us in the ways of righteousness. We pray that our hearts may be fertile soil, and that we grow in understanding of Your principles that we may respond in faith. Your word is the light to our feet, and we commit to walking according to Your precepts. We bless You! Amen!
