The Principles to Giving, Part 3
Tom Shrader works through a summary of principles on Christian giving drawn from 2 Corinthians 8–9, arguing that God retains ownership of all resources while transferring stewardship to believers, who will be held accountable for how they manage what He has entrusted to them. He addresses how much to give, the nature of the Old Testament tithe, and the call to give sacrificially, proportionately, and through the local church. Shrader closes with a series of searching questions designed to help individuals and couples assess the spiritual condition of their hearts through their giving habits.
“God has transferred possession to you, but he has not transferred ownership to you — you are a steward with a fiduciary relationship with Him.”
— Tom Shrader
Series: 2 Corinthians
Recorded: 2003 at East Valley Bible Church
Duration: 36 min
Themes: giving, stewardship, generosity, tithing, money, sacrifice, accountability, ownership, struggling with generosity, managing finances, married couple, new believer, budget planning, feeling financially stressed, parent, young adult
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 8-9, 2 Corinthians 9:7, 2 Corinthians 9:8, 2 Corinthians 9:10, 2 Corinthians 5:10, 2 Corinthians 8:3, 1 Corinthians 16:2, 1 Corinthians 9:6, Deuteronomy 10:14, Psalm 24:1, Job 41:11, Leviticus 27, Mark 12
Theological Themes: stewardship, divine ownership, tithe, proportional giving, ecclesiology, sanctification, biblical stewardship, lordship
Full Transcript
Summary and Context
Normally at this point, I would say to you, open your Bibles, and you are welcome to do that. If you do, we will be around 2 Corinthians 8 and 9. What we have said over the last couple of weeks is that we really need to take chapters 8 and 9 in their totality, and ideally in one sitting, working from verse 1 of chapter 8 through the end of chapter 9. They are, in a sense, a seamless garment. There is one continuous thought as Paul talks about the church at Corinth, their relationship with money, and the needs that need to be met. He is talking really about giving.
Since we have had to break this into three weeks instead of one, today I want to summarize what we have looked at the last couple of weeks and then talk about principles of giving that we can glean from the Apostle Paul. These are things we see primarily in chapters 8 and 9, with a little from 1 Corinthians, on the idea of giving.
Principle One: All You Have Is God's
The first principle is this: all you have is God's. I first wrote "all you have is from God," and that is a true statement. 2 Corinthians 9:10 says He supplies the seed to the sower and the bread for the food. All that you have is from God. But if I stop there, I am afraid we miss the point I really want to make, which is this: while God transfers to you possession, He does not transfer to you ownership. All you have is God's.
When Rush Limbaugh says, "I have talent on loan from God," he is exactly right. It is an accurate statement. Everything that you have is on loan from God — possession transferred to you, but not ownership. Deuteronomy 10:14 says, "Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the highest heavens and the earth and all that is in it." Psalm 24:1 says, "The earth is the Lord's and all that it contains."
As we look through the Hubble telescope further and further into the universe, we are not discovering anything that is new — it is new to us. The heavens are the Lord's, the earth is the Lord's. Every title search run on every piece of property, if done accurately, should go back far enough that ultimately it reads: God Almighty, the one who created it and retains ownership. God asks in Job 41:11, "Who has given to me that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine." God says He does not owe anyone anything, and He owns everything. "The silver is mine, the gold is mine, declares the Lord."
God has transferred possession to you, but He has not transferred ownership to you. This is very important because it changes your relationship with your stuff — your time, your energy, your effort, your life, your money. If I reach into my back pocket and pull out a bill, the way we would typically speak is to say, "This is my dollar." But accurately stated, it is not my dollar. It is God's dollar that has been entrusted to me. That understanding changes our relationship with all of our possessions, time, energy, effort, and money.
Consider the difference between a gift and a trust. If I give you a hundred dollars and say, "This is yours, do whatever you want with it," you can spend it, invest it, or blow it — it does not matter. But if I come to you as a financial planner and say, "I am going to transfer possession of this hundred dollars to you, but not ownership," now we have a trust relationship, a fiduciary relationship, and you are responsible to me as the owner for what happens to that money. It either grows through wise investment or it shrinks. God gave you everything in your life — all your time, effort, energy, money, and possessions — but He retains ownership. You are a steward, and as a steward you have a fiduciary relationship with Him.
Here is what you need to understand: you need to know what His investment goals are. Going back to that illustration — if I go to a financial planner and hand over money to invest, any wise planner is going to sit down and ask, "Where are you in life? What are your desires, your dreams, your goals? What do you value? What do you esteem?" You need to ask those same questions about God. What are God's investment strategies that He would like to see applied to the portfolio He has given you — your time, energy, effort, and money? You are called to be a faithful steward, and you will be held accountable. You will be judged. 2 Corinthians 5:10 says that our lives as Christians will be judged in all that we do, all that we say, all that we think, all that we are. How you handle the life God has given you matters.
Principle Two: Every Believer Should Give
The second principle is this: every believer should give. 1 Corinthians 16:2 says, "On the first day of every week, let each one of you" — who should give? Every believer. Over the last two weeks, I have had some fascinating questions on this. A college student asked whether he should be giving out of the spending money his parents send him. Yes. Another asked whether he should give from a part-time, entry-level job flipping burgers. Yes. You are a Christian.
We are just a couple of weeks away from summer camp, and that is always a challenging assignment for me. I tell the students on the first night: we have nothing in common. I am not a junior high kid. I probably do not relate to them very well, and they probably do not relate to
Giving Should Be Planned
In order for us to communicate, we have to approach each other and arrive at the same basis. So here is what I am going to do: I am going to treat you like an adult. Part of that is because the Scripture treats you like an adult. We as a culture invented adolescence — it is not in here. I cannot imagine saying to some junior high student, "You shouldn't steal, but since you're in junior high, I guess it's okay." Or, "You shouldn't lie, but you're just a high school student — go ahead." No one would say that, because obedience is expected from every believer.
So we would say to everyone, at every level and every age, you should be giving. Why? Because it is an act of obedience. It is not something that only mature, older people do, or people who have a certain level of income. Every believer should give.
How should they give? They should give in a planned way. Giving should be planned. In Second Corinthians chapter nine, verse seven, there is a jewel of a word from last week's lesson — the word "purposed." Each week when you study, you will almost always find a little jewel, some shining a little brighter than others, something you either did not see before, did not understand before, or had simply not thought about that way. That word was the jewel from last week.
The word "purposed" means a predetermined, premeditated plan of action. It is the only time that Greek word appears in the New Testament. As I know people, they tend to give this way: pay all the bills, fund the pension, handle everything else, and then give whatever is left — or some of it. That is not how the Scripture says to give. It calls for giving that is purposeful — sitting down and calculating with a predetermined, premeditated, strategic, deliberate plan. Do you give that way? It is what the Scripture seems to call for.
Giving Should Be Voluntary and Cheerful
Giving should also be voluntary and cheerful. Second Corinthians chapter nine, verse seven is a verse we keep returning to, and the fact that we keep going back to it should tell you it is a pretty important verse in discussing this topic. "Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart." He tells us how not to give, and then how we should give.
He says, "Do not give grudgingly or under compulsion." The word "grudgingly" means literally with grief, sorrow, or sadness. Do not give with grief or sorrow or sadness. "Under compulsion" carries the idea of some external force coming to bear on you — perhaps the desire to be sought after and recognized for your gift, or the sense that you simply have to give out of reluctant duty. Do not give that way.
Instead, give cheerfully, with enthusiasm. I said last week that if you cannot give cheerfully, then do not give at all. I received an email questioning that, suggesting that since giving is an act of obedience, you should give even when you cannot give cheerfully. The answer to that is obviously yes, and that is not exactly the point I was trying to make. I would not say to a single person, "If you cannot be cheerfully celibate, then do not be celibate at all." I would not say, "If you cannot stay cheerfully faithful to your spouse, then do not do it." We are not going to say that.
What I am getting at is the heart condition. I knew I had taught this before, so I went back through some notes, and indeed I had addressed this very thing a couple of years ago. Here is what I said: God loves a cheerful giver. This does not mean that we should give only when we are feeling cheerful. The cheerfulness often comes during or after the act of obedience, not before it. So do not wait until you feel like giving — it could be a long wait. Just give, and watch the joy. God delights in our cheerfulness in giving.
There is real truth in that. Sometimes the very act of giving, and the resultant joy as you see how God uses it, produces great thrills. It has been wonderful for me to walk people through the new building and watch their reaction. Virtually without exception, the response has been, "Isn't God good?" I have heard people take others through and literally watch them begin to cry, as they see tangible evidence of God's graciousness toward us — made possible through His moving in the hearts and minds of men and women, students and children of this church.
Giving Is a Spiritual Issue
So giving should be cheerful, not compelled — joyful and obedient. And oftentimes we will move more out of responsibility and duty, and that is acceptable, because it leads us to the next point: our giving is a spiritual issue.
I talked about this in some of the services last week. When I say you need to be a student of the Word, to study the Word, know the Word, and handle it diligently — there is agreement. When I say you need to pray, to spend time in prayer — yes, absolutely. When I say you need to lead, to serve, to love one another — yes. But the moment I say you need to give, there is that deafening sound of one hand clapping. People think, "Wait — who are you to get into my finances?" But it is not money that is yours. It is money God has entrusted to you, and it is a spiritual issue. If we do not talk about this when we encounter it in the text, we are not being faithful to the Word.
Cheerful and Purposeful Giving
We are derelict as shepherds in our responsibility toward shepherding you, because this is a spiritual issue. Again, 2 Corinthians 9:7: "Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart." The whole idea is cheerful giving. What is in your heart? What is in your attitude? What is in your mindset?
If, when it is time to give as you are walking out of this worship center, you are struggling with it, then something is wrong. Something is wrong with your heart. There should be joy that you have an opportunity to participate in a tangible way in what God is doing, in God's kingdom, and to invest in that.
Giving Proportionate to Your Blessing
How much do you give? Your gift is proportionate to your blessing. I get that question all the time. 1 Corinthians 16:2 says, "On the first day of the week, let each of you put aside and save, as he may prosper." There are a couple of things in here.
Notice the purpose of giving was tied to the first day of the week. In that day and age, people would probably have been paid for their labor at the end of every day — a day's labor, a day's pay. Most of you are not paid daily. You may be paid weekly, twice a month, monthly, or when a deal closes. So when should you give? You should give as you are paid, in a deliberate way — put it aside. The giving was also done through the church.
How much do you give? As you prosper. It seems to be common sense. If you make a little, then your gift is going to differ in size from those who make a great deal.
Understanding the Old Testament Tithe
What about the tithe? I get those questions all the time. I am a tither. I was reading an article this morning before I came to church. A man was writing about a variety of things, including people checking up on your life, and he said to make sure that you are tithing. So what about the tithe?
The tithe is a concept we find limited to the Old Testament. Leviticus 27 talks about the tithe, and from there we understand that a tithe is a tenth part — one-tenth. So when somebody says, "I'm tithing," here is almost always what they mean: if I make a hundred dollars, I give ten percent — ten dollars. That is a tithe.
However, if you are going to tithe, you need to really understand the tithe that the nation of Israel was under. They actually paid three tithes. They paid a ten-percent tithe to the priests and the Levites — the men doing the ministry. Then they paid ten percent for the sacred festivals and the operation of the ministry. Then, every third year, they paid a ten-percent tithe as a collection for the poor. So the tithe that the Jews paid was twenty-three percent.
So when you come in here and say you want to tithe like that Old Testament tithe, I say to you: amen. Go for it. Do not bring in that ten percent. Do not bring in that twenty percent. What was that tithing used for? It funded God's kingdom work, just as your giving does today.
The Tithe as a Floor, Not a Ceiling
There is something else to add. In the Old Testament there were tithes and offerings, and the offerings were over and above the tithe. The tithe was not a ceiling to what they gave — it was the floor. It was the base. It was the foundation.
This provided a true perspective of who God was. At the time of harvest, they would go to the field and take a tenth. What did that tenth represent? It was not simply God's cut of the deal. The tenth was a symbolic gesture indicating that God owned it all. It reminded them of their indebtedness and their gratitude to God.
Now, you are not under an Old Testament tithe. When Israel tithed, they did not give in a way that was proportionate to the amount they had received — they gave a flat amount. How much should you give? I do not know the exact number, but I do know this: sacrificially. Sacrificial giving is esteemed in Scripture.
The Widow's Offering
Mark chapter 12 speaks to this. Jesus went over to the collection box in the temple and sat and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people dropped in large amounts, and then a poor widow came and dropped in two pennies. He called His disciples to Him and said to stop.
Now, it is Mother's Day, so mothers, there is a great little lesson here for you. You want to really teach your children? That is not just something you do in a classroom setting. The classroom is fine and important, but children are really going to learn from hands-on experience and direct application.
We have some men now moving through our training center who are just finishing their first year and heading into their second. The ones I talked to were describing how much more meaningful the last month has been, and the reason is this: they have moved out of the academic material and into the practical, and it is hands-on. It makes such a difference.
I saw this modeled extraordinarily well. Susan was a remarkable mother, and for her the whole world was a classroom. She would teach the kids at the mall. They would learn about God's truths at the grocery store, at the gym, when they were cheering. That is the way you really teach. Both approaches are important, but the practical brings it to life.
So the disciples are there with Jesus —
Sacrificial Giving
They were watching people give, and one man gives a large amount, then another, then another. Then a poor woman comes along and gives a couple of pennies, and Jesus said, "I assure you this widow has given more than all the others have given, for they gave a tiny part of their surplus. She, as poor as she is, gave everything she had." That is sacrificial giving. The church at Macedonia did the same thing. In 2 Corinthians 8:3, Paul said, "I testify that according to their ability and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord." They heard of the need in Jerusalem, and even though the Macedonian church was suffering and didn't have much, they gave sacrificially.
That is an intimidating concept. I saw it firsthand when we were in India in 1983. We were there for a variety of things, including the opening of a church, and at the end of the service I had never seen anything like it. People came forward and began laying gifts down on the platform. Little lady after little lady — single women at the bottom of the caste system with no way out — came and put a rupee up, a tenth of a penny. For almost all of them, that meant they would go without food, perhaps a meal, perhaps a day, perhaps more.
You have never given like that. If you want to experience real joy, there is a little hardship in it. Have you ever been saving money or setting things aside, preparing for one particular thing, and then a need comes along and you say, "I am going to take from this and meet that need" — and you literally go without in order to be a joyful giver? That is a great truth.
The Principle of Sowing and Reaping
Then lastly, by way of gleaning from the apostle, there is the principle of sowing and reaping. 1 Corinthians 9:6 says, "He who sows sparingly reaps sparingly. He who sows bountifully reaps bountifully." I resist that principle — not because of the verse itself, but because of what I see around us: the caricature present in so many churches where a man up front presents God almost like a guaranteed slot machine, where you put in a dollar, pull a handle, and get back ten, a hundred, or a thousand.
When I look at this principle of sowing and reaping, I recognize the danger of letting false teachers rob us of genuine joy. It is much like what happens with the Holy Spirit. When teachers characterize the Holy Spirit in inaccurate ways, many of us consequently pull away from teaching about the Holy Spirit altogether. But the principle of sowing and reaping stands. Sow a little, receive a little. Sow a lot, receive a lot.
While that may be open to distortion, it is clarified in verse 8 of chapter 9, where Paul says it will be returned to you bountifully for every good deed. The idea is that you sow a seed, you receive back life, and that enables you to give again and give some more.
A Summary of the Principles
Here is a summary of everything covered in these notes. God owns everything, and He retains ownership even though He transfers stewardship to you. You are a steward, a trustee of the resources He has given you, and you will be judged according to His standards, His investment strategies, and His goals.
Every one of us who say we are Christians should give. Every one of us who call Jesus Lord and Savior should give, and we should give proportionately to how we have been blessed. The amount itself is not the issue. Consider someone making $10,000 a year and someone making $110,000 a year — if the first gives $1,100 and the second gives $11,000, those are not comparable sacrifices.
The Scripture seems clear that the bulk of your giving should flow through the church. Even when the church in Corinth was meeting the missionary need of the church in Jerusalem, they did it through the church, which conveyed the gift and was held responsible for it. When you give, you should also examine your motives — why are you doing this? And how you handle your money is ultimately a spiritual issue between you and God.
No one here at church, apart from Neil and the person who prepares the giving statements at the end of the year, really knows what you give. I certainly do not, and in one sense I am not focused on that. I present giving to you as a spiritual issue.
Questions to Consider
Let me give you some things to think about, and this first question is enormous: How much of God's money are you going to keep? Notice the difference that framing makes. Rather than asking how much you should give, ask how much of God's money you are going to keep. Doesn't that likely change the answer?
Are you treating your giving as though once you have handed over ten percent, God has received His share, the transaction is complete, and He is paid off? No — He owns it all. How much are you going to keep?
Is God pleased with your giving — with the amount, the place, and the attitude you bring to it? What is limiting the amount you give? A useful test is this: do you find yourself saying, "I would give more, but —"? Whatever follows that word "but" is what needs to be eliminated. "I would give more, but my debt." "I would give more, but —" Most often it comes down to accumulation.
Are you more concerned about storing up treasure here on earth or in heaven? Are you more concerned about building a portfolio than about investing in God's kingdom? I am sure it has to do with the age I am at and the people I spend time with, but so much of our conversation these days — and I never thought it would be this way —
A Spiritual Inventory
Much of our time is spent talking about our aches and pains, our health issues, and downsizing — getting rid of all this stuff. Every guy I know who is my age is saying, "We have all this junk, and we're not using it; we need to get rid of it." I encourage you — and we are in that process ourselves — but for those of you who are younger and just starting out, let me give you a better solution than waiting to downsize: don't ever accumulate it in the first place. Look for alternatives other than buying and owning every little thing along the way — two of this, three of that.
Some of you really have the curse, particularly those of you who are gadget people, because the pace of it is driving you nuts. They have new Palm Pilots out before you can even fill out the warranty card on the one you just bought. This is the war with materialism, and I know what I am talking about — I speak firsthand.
Where Your Time and Money Reveal Your Heart
This is a spiritual issue between you and God, and your approach to it reflects an awful lot about your spiritual condition. I hadn't been a Christian very long when somebody said to me, "If you just give me your day-timer, your calendar, and your checkbook, I can tell you how you are doing spiritually." Where you spend your time and where you spend your money is a great indicator of where your heart really is. That is what God talks about in His Word, and that is what applies to us — right here in Gilbert at East Valley Bible Church.
A Call to Deliberate, Strategic Giving
This is about you. It is a spiritual issue, and it is my prayer that you take time to examine it. If you are a single person, sit down and figure out your giving plan — premeditated, predetermined, deliberate, and strategic. If you are a couple, you need to sit down together.
I know that oftentimes a husband and wife cannot agree on how much to give, where to give, when to give, or how to give. You need to work that out. You cannot simply say, "We can't agree on it," and let it go, because God will hold you accountable for this. You would not do that in any other area of your spiritual life — you would not say, "I'd like to pray, but I just don't feel cheerful about it," or "We can't agree on what to study, so we just won't study at all." The same is true here, and so I pray that God applies this to your heart.
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for Your truth, Your Word, and all that You convey to us. Thank You for giving us eternal life in Christ Jesus, and for all of the assets — time, energy, effort, and money — that You have bestowed on us. God, make us faithful servants and trustees. We pray that in Jesus' name, amen.