By Rev. D. B. MacLeod
A paper read at the Theological Conference held at Dingwall in September 1972.
Before beginning this paper I would like to acknowledge my indebtedness to a volume entitled “Gold and the Gospel” containing a series of prize essays on the Scriptural duty of giving in proportion to means and income. I would make special mention of the essay by the Rev. Henry Constable, contained in that book, on the Measure of Christian Liberality.
In this as in all other matters of Christian belief and practice, it is to the Bible we must turn in order to know God’s will for us. Once we have established what His will is for us with regard to Christian giving, then our duty ought to be clear, that is, to do as He requires of us. The second part — the doing — may be more difficult than the first part — knowing His will. The natural heart of man can find a thousand compelling reasons why it should not give to the Lord’s Cause, or why it should not give so much. What else keeps so many wallets and purses so tightly closed against the strongest entreaties and the most needy causes? Let us rest assured, however, that for every compelling reason for not contributing, or for contributing less, there are a thousand more compelling reasons why we should not only contribute but contribute more. The establishing of the doctrine concerning Christian giving is one thing; the actual practice of Christian giving is another thing. The Bible requires not only the knowing but the doing — “If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.” (John 13:17).
I shall try to deal with the subject under a variety of different headings which I shall name as I come to them. There may be some overlapping in these sections, but I hope not too much.
1. Christian giving is a duty devolving upon all
Christian giving in its strictest sense is a giving which is a fruit of the Holy Spirit’s work in the soul, and consequently in this sense is confined to living believers. Christian liberality is a wonderful grace; one every Christian ought to seek to cultivate. To find oneself delivered even in a little measure from that covetous, grasping spirit which is so natural to us and to have a willing heart and mind to give to the Lord’s Cause is rewarding in itself. Christian giving in its broadest sense may be taken to
include all givings for the support of Christ’s Cause, for the support of Christian enterprises of one kind or another, and for the relief of the needy.
That Christian giving is a duty should hardly need to be established. The Scripture teaching on this matter is so plain that he may run that reads it. “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35) is an affirmation of Scripture recurring over and over again in varied forms. The teaching of that portion of Scripture “Honour the Lord with thy substance and with the first-fruits of all thine increase” (Prov. 3:9, 10) makes crystal clear the duty of Christians in this matter. Exhortations to Christian giving appear once and again in the Truth and are binding upon the Christian conscience. “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom,” (Luke 6:38) is but one exhortation out of many. Often as he is closing his Epistles, the Apostle Paul includes in the practical advice and teaching he gives there exhortations to Christian giving. For example, in Galatians Chapter 6 he says: “Let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity let us do good to all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” (Gal. 6:9, 10). In Hebrews Chapter 13 he writes: “But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.” (Hebrews 13:16).
It is not only by precept but by a variety of examples that this duty is set before us in the Scriptures of Truth. These examples are brought before us for our learning, and in order that we may emulate the Scripture examples in this grace also. If Christian giving, then, is a duty devolving upon all, the very last who may opt out of it are those who have received out of the rich grace of God in Christ Jesus. To such the exhortation of the Saviour to His disciples applies: “Freely ye have received, freely give.” (Matth. 10:8).
2. Christian Giving is a giving to the Lord
A Scripture already quoted exhorts us: “Honour the Lord with thy substance.” Christian giving is an honouring of the Lord by giving to Him a proportion of our substance. It is not to man we are giving but to the Lord. It is not to a needy person, a church, a congregation, or a minister we are giving primarily in Christian giving but to the Lord. The money is therefore the Lord’s, not the Deacon’s Court’s, nor the congregation’s, but the Lord’s. Until we view our giving in this light we have not really begun to give aright. If we do not see past men and organisations
in our giving it will be little wonder if we are straitened in our giving. Even in giving for the relief of the poor we have the same idea of giving to the Lord brought before us: “He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord.” (Prov. 19:17). We need, then, to keep this constantly before our minds, and say to ourselves in giving — “This is for the Lord.” And we have to add to that — “of Thine own have we given Thee.” (1 Chron. 29:14). To Him we are indebted for all, for “it is He that giveth thee power to get wealth,” as Moses reminded the children of Israel. (Deut. 8:18). All our property and wealth is given to us in trust by the Lord, and He requires of us a wise stewardship over all He has given us, and will require an account of our stewardship at the end of the day.
3. Christian Giving in the Old and New Testaments
It is very clear that in Old Testament times the people were required to provide for the worship of God in their midst. They were also exhorted never to forget the poor, the stranger, the widow and the orphan. This could not be done without considerable expenditure on their part on these objects. The tabernacle and both temples in Old Testament times were erected in consequence of liberal givings by the princes and people. The service of the sanctuary and temple was maintained by the offerings of the people. The people provided also for the Levites and priests who had a right to tithes instead of a division of the land of Caanan.
In the New Testament we read of the women who ministered to the Lord of their substance (Luke 8:3), the widow who cast into the treasury all that she had, and the early Christians who sold all that they had and brought it and laid it at the Apostles feet. So, too, do we have the divinely appointed provision of deacons in the church of God (Acts Chapter 6) to take special care of the needs of the poor.
The Apostle Paul, on his part, has occasion once and again to commend those churches which had ministered to his necessities. To the church at Philippi the Apostle says: “even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again to my necessity.” (Philip. 4:16). He did not count it beneath his dignity as an Apostle, but an honour to be the bearer of their offerings to the poor saints at Jerusalem. “The fellowship of ministering to the saints,” he calls it. (2 Cor. 8:4). Clearly, Christian giving under the Old and New Testament economies was a recognised and readily assumed duty.
4. Objects of Christian Giving
As we have seen, in Old Testament times the burden of providing for the maintenance of the worship of God, as well as for the relief of the
needy, fell upon the people. As these objects are as necessary, and as needful of being maintained, in New Testament times it is to be expected that it is still the duty of the people to provide for these ends. We have already referred to Paul’s acknowledgment of the provision made for his temporal needs. Also in writing to the Corinthians he says: “I robbed other churches, taking wages of them, to do you service;” (2 Cor. 11:8), which shows that he was supported in his work at Corinth by the givings of other churches. In his first Epistle to the Corinthians he establishes from the precept in the law of Moses — “Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn,” (1 Cor. 9:9-11) — the right of the ministers of the gospel to temporal support. After stating what was written in the law of Moses, he asks, “Doth God take care for oxen? Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope.” He enforces the principle by saying: “If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?” Again in the same chapter of that Epistle, he arrives at the same conclusion, arguing from what took place in Old Testament times: “Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar. Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.” (1 Cor. 9:13, 14). The Saviour, in appointing other seventy also and sending them two and two before His face into every city and place whither He Himself would come, gave them specific directions how they were to act, not going from house to house but remaining in the same house eating and drinking such things as they were given. In giving them these directions He goes on to lay down the principle that “the labourer is worthy of his hire.” (Luke 10:7). From all the foregoing Scriptural directives it is clear that the cost of the maintenance of the ministry is a legitimate charge upon the people.
Ministering to the saints was a duty in which some of the early churches excelled and for which they were commended. To the Corinthians the Apostle Paul writes: “For as touching the ministering to the saints it is superfluous for me to write to you: for I know the forwardness of your mind, for which I boast of you to them of Macedonia, that Achaia was ready a year ago: and your zeal hath provoked very many.” When James, Cephas and John gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and Paul that they should go to the heathen while they themselves went to the circumcision, Paul tells that they charged them
that they should remember the poor, and Paul adds: “the same which I was also forward to do.” (Gal. 2:9). We have referred to the appointment of deacons. The neglect of the widows in the daily ministration had to be rectified as this was a proper charge upon the church. Yet the Apostles themselves could not leave the ministering of the Word to serve tables. Men were appointed for this work.
In Knox’s Book of Discipline we find this duty of relieving the poor referred to. “We are not patrons” he says, “for stubborn and idle beggars, who running from place to place, make a craft of their begging, whom the Civil Magistrate ought to punish; but for the widow and fatherless, the aged, impotent, or lamed, who neither can nor may run: for their sustentation, we say, that God commandeth His people to be careful; and therefore, for such, as also for persons of honesty, falling into decay or penury, ought such provision be made, that of our abundance should their indigence be relieved.” It has always been, and it will always be, a mark of a good man that “he hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor.” (Psalm 112:9). “The righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.” (Psalm 37:21).
5. Manner of Christian Giving
A series of quotations from the word of God should suffice to establish that it is ungrudging, cheerful, whole-hearted, liberal giving that is required; not with ostentatious display like the Pharisees, but not letting your left hand know what your right hand doeth. (Matth 6:3). “Now therefore” says the Apostle to the Corinthians in writing on this subject, “perform the doing of it; that as there was a readiness of will, so there may be a performance also out of that which ye have. For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that he hath not.” (2 Cor. 8:11, 12). Again in the same Epistle: “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” (2 Cor. 9:7). Again in the previous chapter: “Therefore as ye abound in every thing, in faith, in utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also,” that is, in the grace of Christian liberality. Worthy objects require liberal support. The Saviour taught in his sermon on the Mount: “When thou doest thine alms do not sound a trumpet before thee.” (Matth. 6:2). The alms were to be done in secret.
While we are still on this matter of the manner of giving, and before we come to the question of the amount of giving, we would like to mention what has been coming before our mind in this connection. It is this. It
may well be that the spirit of giving may be of far greater importance than the amount. We are more ready to concentrate our attention on the question of how much we should give rather than on the spirit in which it is given. It may be that much that is given to the Cause of Christ from a wrong motive is of little benefit to the real advancement of the Lord’s Cause. The question I am raising is this — and I am sure the brethren will have considered it and have an answer to it in their own minds — whether the Lord accepts and uses in connection with His Cause money which is given from a wrong motive or given grudgingly.
(To be continued)