by Haiqiao Lin

Like it or not, money is a big part of our lives today. Every day, we are bombarded with advertisements telling us how to spend money. At the same time, we are reminded that we need to use our money wisely and save for retirement. As Christians, we are additionally concerned with giving away some of our money. Despite the weekly reminder during the offering time at church, I find that I often have a distorted view of giving that is influenced more by the world than by the Bible. So I am thankful that in the Singles Ministry, we recently had the opportunity to hear a very practical message about this important topic. We have been going through 2 Corinthians in our Wednesday night Bible studies. In the 9th Chapter of the book, the Apostle Paul addresses topic of money to the Corinthian church. In the first part of the chapter, he commends the Corinthians for their promise of a generous donation. Then, in the second part of the chapter (verses 6-15), he gives a brief discourse on the theology of giving. Alex Ko’s message entitled “Sow Bountifully” outlined 5 blessings we can reap from giving generously, based on this passage:

1. We receive love from God. Verse 7 says that “God loves a cheerful giver.” We don’t often read in the Bible that God loves us based on something that we do. So when we see it put this plainly, we ought to pay attention!
2. We receive generosity from God. We read in verse 10-11, “he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way.” When we give generously, God promises to supply us everything that we need. There is an emphasis here on spiritual blessings; sowing righteous works will result in reaping an “increased harvest of righteousness”. However, God may also bless us with material prosperity so that we in turn would be able to give even more generously
3. We give glory to God. Verses 12-13 read, “for the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God… they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others.” Our generous giving brings glory to God in two ways. First, we supply the needs of other believers, which causes them to give thanks to God. Secondly, our giving demonstrates our obedience to the gospel of Christ, which causes other believers to glorify God for the transformation he has worked in our lives.
4. We gain friends from God. Verse 14 continues, “they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you.” Even though we should not give with the expectation of being repaid (Luke 6:34), we learn here that one of the blessings of generosity is that we gain friends who will pray for us and fellowship with us. This is a far greater reward than financial repayment!
5. We grow in likeness to God. The chapter concludes with verse 15: “thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!” We are reminded here that the ultimate reason for us to give generously is because God first demonstrated great generosity to us by providing salvation through Jesus Christ. In the previous chapter, Paul makes this connection explicitly: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Cor. 8:9). Through the act of giving, we have the opportunity to demonstrate Christlike behavior in a very practical way.

In addition to describing the benefits, Paul also explains what generous giving looks like: “each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” From this single verse we can learn 5 different aspects of generous giving:

1. It is a decision. We should not limit ourselves to reactive giving (i.e. in response to a sudden or urgent need) or occasional giving (i.e. when we happen to remember or are “in a giving mood”). On the contrary, generous giving involves deliberate, purposeful planning.
2. It is decided in the heart. Giving should be determined privately, between a person and God. We shouldn’t determine our giving based on social expectations or comparison to others.
3. It is not done grudgingly. While Paul certainly expects Christians to give, he makes it clear that giving is a privilege that we should participate in joyfully, not an obligation that we perform reluctantly.
4. It is not done under compulsion. While giving a tithe was expected out of the Israelites under the Mosaic law, it is never commanded in the New Testament. Paul’s instructions here should be understood as a fulfillment of that Old Testament law. God doesn’t need our money to accomplish his will.
5. It is done cheerfully. Note that Paul doesn’t say that God loves a “sacrificial” or “big” giver. I’ve heard it suggested that we should give until it hurts, or until our giving has a noticeable impact on how we spend the rest of our money. This might be helpful advice for some people. However, I think Paul’s words here imply that we should not only consider how our giving affects us financially, but also how it affects us emotionally!

These instructions make it clear that while the practical aspects of giving are important (e.g. how much and to whom we give), the attitude behind our giving is even more important. This is consistent with what we know about God’s character, that while man looks at outward appearances, God looks at the heart (1 Sam. 16:7). As someone who often finds it difficult to be generous with my money, this is an uncomfortable teaching. It means I can’t truly become more generous simply by trying harder and giving more. However, the good news is that because of the gospel, true internal change can and does happen in the lives of believers! I pray that this biblical teaching on the blessings of giving generously will help me to not only truly desire to become more generous, but to work hard at it, knowing that it is really the Holy Spirit which empowers such change in my life. I’m really grateful for the solid teaching that we receive at LBC, and I look forward to the remainder of the series and the continued chances to learn and fellowship with the other members!