Biblical teachings on giving

Biblical teachings on giving include the following:

• Giving is a matter of the heart (2 Corinthians 9:7; Exodus 25:2);
• Giving should be done cheerfully and joyously, not grudgingly (2 Corinthians 9:7; 1 Chronicles 29:17; Deuteronomy 15:7–11);
• You should give what you have, not what you do not have (2 Corinthians 8:12);
• You should give amply (Exodus 36:4–7; 1 Chronicles 29);
• What you give determines what you receive from men (Proverbs 11:25; Luke 6:38; 2 Corinthians 9:6);
• Giving to the poor and needy earns you blessings from God (Deuteronomy 15:10–11; Acts 20:35; Proverbs 22:9).
• Giving generously earns you riches (Proverbs 11:25; Isaiah 58:7–11)
• Giving causes God to release His grace upon your life (2 Corinthians 9:8–9).
• God is a giver (John 3:16)

Let us take a closer look at the above-mentioned points.

The Bible teaches that giving is a matter of the heart

The Bible teaches that you should give according to how your heart directs you.

When God wanted a tabernacle to be built in the wilderness to house the Ark of the Covenant, He instructed the children of Israel through Moses to bring an offering willingly to finance the building project. This is recorded in the book of Exodus 25:1–2, which says

“Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring Me an offering. From everyone who GIVES IT WILLINGLY WITH HIS heart, you shall take My offering.’”

Exodus 35:29 records how the children of Israel responded to God’s call.

“The children of Israel brought a FREEWILL offering to the LORD, ALL THE MEN AND WOMEN WHOSE HEARTS WERE WILLING to bring material for all kinds of work that the LORD, by the hand of Moses, had commanded to be done.”

So the important thing here is that God emphasized to Moses that he should only receive an offering from people who would GIVE WILLINGLY WITH THEIR HEARTS. Thus, God ONLY accepts your offering when He perceives that you are giving it out of a WILLING HEART.

The Apostle Paul echoes similar sentiments in the book of 2 Corinthians 9:7 by stating:

“So let each one give as HE PURPOSES IN HIS HEART, not grudgingly or out of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.”

The Bible teaches that giving should be done cheerfully and joyously, not grudgingly

The Bible teaches that when an opportunity to give arises, we should do so CHEERFULLY. We read this in 2 Corinthians 9:7, which says

“So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or out of necessity; FOR God LOVES A CHEERFUL GIVER.”

This scripture teaches us that one way we can qualify for God’s love is by becoming CHEERFUL GIVERS.

God expected the children of Israel to give cheerfully to their poor brothers during the seventh year, also known as the year of release. Failure to heed this command would disqualify them from receiving God’s blessings. This is recorded in Deuteronomy 15:7–10 as follows:

“If there is among you a poor man of your brethren within any of the gates in your land that the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brethren, but you shall open your hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his needs, whatever he needs. Beware lest there be a wicked thought in your heart, saying, ‘The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand,’ and your eye be evil against your poor brother, and you GIVE HIM NOTHING, and he cries out to the LORD against you, and it becomes a sin among you. You shall surely give to him, and YOUR HEART SHOULD NOT BE GRIEVED when you give him, because for this thing the LORD your God will bless you in ALL YOUR WORKS and in ALL TO WHICH YOU PUT YOUR HAND.”

Anyone who refused to comply with this commandment was considered to be EVIL and a SINNER before God!

The lesson we can pick from this passage is that, as born-again Christians, we should readily assist those in need whenever we get the chance to do so. By so doing, we shall receive a blessing from God.

In the book of 1 Chronicles 29, we again encounter the children of Israel WILLINGLY OFFERING to the LORD their substance for the building of God’s Temple in Jerusalem. The exercise was presided over by King David, who, after receiving the people’s contribution, made this prayer

“O LORD, our God, all this abundance that we have prepared to build You a house for Your holy name is from Your hand, and is all Your own. I know also, my God, that You test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things, and now with joy I have seen Your people, who are present here to offer willingly to You.” (1 Chronicles 29:16–17)

This passage teaches us two important things about giving.

Firstly, all that we ‘possess’ is actually from the Hand of God, and through giving, we are just returning what belongs to Him.

Secondly, just like the children of Israel, we as Christians are expected to willingly give to the work of God, be it the building of Churches or any other program aimed at spreading the Gospel of Christ to the unreached.

The Bible teaches that you should give what you have, not what you do not have

According to the Bible, we should only give what is in our possession. Therefore, the issue of making pledges to give this or that amount should never arise in Christian circles. You simply can’t GIVE WHAT YOU DO NOT HAVE! This is according to 2 Corinthians 8:12, which says

“For if there is first a WILLING MIND, IT IS ACCEPTED ACCORDING TO WHAT ONE HAS, AND NOT ACCORDING TO WHAT HE DOES NOT HAVE.”

The Bible teaches that you should give generously.

This means that we should give in such a manner as to surpass the amount needed to complete the task at hand. We have several scriptures to back up this point. Let us examine a few of them.

In Exodus 36:4–7, the children of Israel gave offerings for the construction of the tabernacle of God in the wilderness, so much so that Moses had to stop them. This is what the scripture records

“Then all the craftsmen who were doing all the work of the sanctuary came, each from the work he was doing, and they spoke to Moses, saying, ‘THE PEOPLE BRING MUCH MORE THAN ENOUGH FOR THE SERVICE OF THE WORK WHICH THE LORD COMMANDED US TO DO.’

So Moses gave a commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, ‘LET NEITHER MAN NOR WOMAN DO ANY MORE WORK FOR THE OFFERING OF THE SANCTUARY.’ AND THE PEOPLE WERE RESTRAINED FROM BRINGING, FOR THE MATERIAL THEY HAD WAS SUFFICIENT FOR ALL THE WORK TO BE DONE—INDEED TOO MUCH.”

What an achievement! Have you ever taken part in a giving project where you exceeded the targeted amount? If so, congratulations! If not, you are yet TO GIVE THE BIBLE WAY!

During the construction of the Temple in Jerusalem, the children of Israel, led by King David, gave amply toward the project until there was more than enough for the completion of the work. We read this in 1 Chronicles 29, as follows:

“Then the leaders of the father’s houses, leaders of the tribes of Israel, captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the officers over the king’s work, offered willingly. They GAVE FOR THE WORK OF THE HOUSE OF God five thousand talents and ten thousand darics of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of bronze, and one hundred thousand talents of iron. And whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the LORD, into the hand of Jehiel the Gershonite. Then the people rejoiced, for they had offered willingly, because with a loyal heart they had offered willingly to the LORD; and King David also rejoiced greatly.”

You notice that, having freely given their offering to God, the people greatly rejoiced because no coercion was involved in the entire exercise.

The Bible teaches that what you give determines what you will receive from men

Jesus taught His disciples that what you give is what you will receive. We read this in the book of Luke 6:38, which says

“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.”

In other words, Jesus was implying that if you are a generous person when it comes to giving, people will in turn be generous when it comes to giving towards your cause. On the other hand, if you are a stingy person when it comes to giving, then expect to receive similar treatment from people when you fall into need.

In the same vein, the Apostle Paul associates giving with sowing. In the book of 2 Corinthians 9:6, Paul says:

“But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.”

This means that whoever sows sparingly gets a little harvest, while one who sows amply reaps a bigger harvest. In short, the Apostle implies that your seed determines the size of your harvest. BIG SEED means BIG HARVEST, while LITTLE SEED translates to LITTLE HARVEST.

Therefore, the lesson we can pick from this passage is that, when we get an opportunity to give, we should do so bountifully and be rest assured that the harvest will be big.

This lesson is also emphasized by the writer of Proverbs 11:25, which says

“The generous soul will be made rich, and HE WHO WATERS WILL ALSO BE WATERED HIMSELF.”

Thus, when you ‘water’ others by giving in their time of need, you will also be ‘watered’ when your need falls due. If you do not give towards the needs of others when you are in a position to do so, be rest assured that when your needs fall due, nobody will come to your rescue; that is how things work on planet Earth!

The Bible teaches that giving to those in need earns you blessings from God

In the book of Deuteronomy 15:10–11, God commands the children of Israel to give to the poor and needy brethren living in their midst. This is what the scripture says

“You shall surely give to him, and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the LORD your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand. For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore, I COMMAND YOU, SAYING, ‘YOU SHALL OPEN YOUR HAND WIDE TO YOUR BROTHER, TO YOUR POOR AND YOUR NEEDY, IN YOUR LAND.’”

Complying with this command automatically qualified the children of Israel for a blessing from God and also guaranteed them prosperity in all their labors.

As Christians, we should therefore learn to extend a helping hand to the poor and needy people in our community, if we expect to be blessed by God. That means if you are a faithful believer, your giving to the poor will make God prosper you in all that you set your hands to do; that is a guarantee!

Remember, as Christians, we should not give with the intention of bribing God into releasing blessings upon us, no, it doesn’t work that way! Remember, God has the ability to perceive the motives of our hearts way before we act.

Instead, we should view the command to give as a solemn ‘DUTY to help the less privileged members of the community God has placed us in.

In the book of Acts 20:35, the Apostles taught that it is more blessed to give than to receive. This is what the scripture says

“I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that YOU MUST SUPPORT THE WEAK. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘IT IS MORE BLESSED TO GIVE THAN TO RECEIVE.’”

This scripture tells us that, as true born again Christians, WE MUST HELP THE POOR AND needy whenever an opportunity to do so arises.

The writer of Proverbs 22:9 sums it up this way:

“He who has a generous eye will be blessed, for he gives of his bread to the poor.”

In fact, the Bible places MANY CURSES upon everyone who sees that his brother is poor and yet refuses to help him out, despite being in a position to do so. We read this in Proverbs 28:27 as follows:

“He who GIVES TO THE POOR WILL NOT LACK, but he who HIDES HIS EYES WILL HAVE MANY CURSES.”

The same scripture teaches that when you make it your lifestyle to help the poor and needy in society, YOU will NEVER LACK!

The Bible teaches that giving to those in need earns you immense riches from God

According to Proverbs 11:25, giving to the poor makes one abound in riches. This is what the scripture says

“The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself.”

The Bible enumerates the riches that one can get as a result of giving to the needs of the poor, including the orphans, the fatherless, the widows, and the strangers. These riches include divine provision, supernatural protection, good health, righteousness, success, and prosperity (Isaiah 58:7–11). This is what the scripture records

“Is this not the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? IS IT NOT TO SHARE YOUR BREAD WITH THE HUNGRY, AND THAT YOU BRING TO YOUR HOUSE THE POOR WHO ARE CAST OUT, AND WHEN YOU SEE THE NAKED, THAT YOU COVER HIM AND NOT HIDE YOURSELF FROM YOUR OWN FLESH?

Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, IF YOU EXTEND YOUR SOUL TO THE HUNGRY and SATISFY THE AFFLICTED soul, Then your light shall dawn in the darkness, and your darkness shall be as the noonday.

The LORD will guide you continually, satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. Those from among you shall build the old waste places; you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, the Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.”

The Bible teaches that giving to the needy causes God to release His grace upon your life

According to the book of 2 Corinthians 9:8–9, the Bible teaches that when you give, God releases His grace upon your life such that you abound in all things, lacking nothing. This is what the scripture says

“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. As it is written, He has dispersed abroad, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.”

According to this scripture, God always provides a ‘seed’ to those with a generous heart so that they always have something to give whenever the occasion calls for it.

The Bible teaches that God is a giver

The Bible contains countless proofs that depict God as a giver of life, health, possessions, protection, divine gifts, food, water, children, and many more.

However, top on the list is the example of God giving His only begotten Son, Christ Jesus, to die for our sins so that we may have eternal life (John 3:16). That is the most precious gift that God has offered mankind ever since the earth came into existence.

Forms of giving that a Christian can engage in

Having mentioned the above benefits of giving, you may want to take part in it but are somewhat undecided on how to go about it. The following are causes you can pick from to channel your support, financial or otherwise:

• Giving to orphans
• Giving to widows
• Giving to institutions that support senior citizens
• Giving to humanitarian organizations involved in providing food, clean water, clothing, and medical supplies, among other basic needs, to the underprivileged members of society
• Giving towards the construction of churches
• Giving to traditional media houses involved in furthering the Gospel of Christ
• Giving to social media channels and platforms (like this one) which are engaged in furthering the Gospel of Christ

Therefore, whatever you do, find a worthy cause you can financially or materially support, and thus position yourself to receive God’s blessings, riches, and abundant grace. Don’t allow the naysayers to dissuade you from giving. Just focus on God’s promises and ask the Holy Spirit to help you identify whom to give to, when to give, and how much to give.

If you are still undecided on where to give, kindly consider supporting our work by clicking on the Buy Me Coffee button shown below. God will richly reward you for your gift.

Conclusion

This article discussed Biblical teachings on giving. We established that  

• Giving is a matter of the heart (2 Corinthians 9:7; Exodus 25:2);
• Giving should be done cheerfully and joyously, not grudgingly (2 Corinthians 9:7; 1 Chronicles 29:17; Deuteronomy 15:7–11);
• You should give what we have, not what you do not have (2 Corinthians 8:12);
• You should give amply (Exodus 36:4–7; 1 Chronicles 29);
• What you give determines what you receive from men (Proverbs 11:25; Luke 6:38; 2 Corinthians 9:6).
• Giving to the poor and needy earns you blessings from God (Deuteronomy 15:10–11; Acts 20:35; Proverbs 22:9).
• Giving generously earns you immense riches (Proverbs 11:25; Isaiah 58:7–11);
• Giving causes God to release His grace upon your life (2 Corinthians 9:8–9).
• God is a giver (John 3:16)

I believe there is more to this topic than what I have covered here. I therefore urge you to search the scriptures to get more insight on the topic. Despite the negative publicity that has been linked to giving, God expects you to continue doing so whenever the occasion calls for it. So don’t be discouraged by the negative reports about giving that are being bandied around by the enemies of God; instead, remain committed in your giving, and in due season, you will reap a reward, both in this life and the one to come. I leave you with my favorite scripture about giving, found in Proverbs 19:17, which says:

“He WHO HAS PITY ON THE POOR LENDS TO THE LORD, AND HE WILL PAY BACK WHAT HE HAS GIVEN.”

I hope the information was helpful. Thank you in advance.

Related Post: Where did tithing 10 percent come from

You can buy us coffee as a thank you gesture by clicking on this link: Buy Me a Coffee

Are you a born-again Christian? If not, kindly say the following prayer from the bottom of your heart, and you will get saved.

Prayer to become a born again Christian

“Lord Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner and hereby ask for your forgiveness;

I believe in my heart and confess with my mouth that you are the only begotten Son of the living God.

I believe that you were sent of your Father to the earth to save sinners like me.

I now accept you as my personal Lord and Savior.

Come into my heart and baptize me with The Holy Spirit.

Thank you for saving me.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,

Amen!”

Congratulations friend! You are now a born-again Christian!

Welcome to the Family of God!

Benediction

“The LORD bless you and keep you;

The Lord make His face shine upon you,

And be gracious to you;

The LORD lift up His countenance upon you,

And give you peace.”

(Numbers 6:24-26)

Shalom.

Source: https://www.biblegateway.com/