Want the Truth??? Enjoy! John
DOCTRINE OF GIVING
A. Definition.
1. Giving is an expression of worship to commemorate the grace policy
of God.
2. Giving in the Church Age is the legitimate function of the
believer's royal priesthood in worship, both inside and outside the local
church, e.g., in hospitality. Giving is one of the four categories of
Christian service.
a. Christian service related to your spiritual gift.
b. Christian service related to your royal priesthood, which
includes prayer, giving, and the execution of the protocol plan of God
through learning, thinking and solving.
c. Christian service related to your royal ambassadorship, which
includes evangelism, witnessing, administration in the local church,
function on the mission field, function in a Christian service organization.
d. Christian service related to the laws of divine establishment,
which includes military service, law enforcement, government, but never
activism.
3. Giving is the presentation of money or other valuable commodities
which may be used in sustaining the ministry of doctrinal communication.
These gifts do not pertain to things like building funds.
4. Christian giving may be extended to organizations other than the
local church, e.g., missionary organizations, Bible schools, radio, tape
ministries. Giving is designed to support communication gifts.
5. Giving is the means of inculcating teamwork and coordination into
the body of Christ.
B. The Motivation in Giving.
1. Motivation is the major issue in giving, not the amount given.
2. 2 Cor 9:7, "Each person, to the degree he has determined by means
of his right lobe, so give. Not from distress of mind or compulsion of
emotions; for God loves a grace-oriented giver."
a. You give based on the metabolized doctrine in your soul, not
on the basis of your emotions.
b. God provides and enjoys the mental attitude which accompanies
giving. God loves grace-oriented giving. Don't give emotionally or
impulsively. Determine for yourself what to give.
3. 2 Cor 9:8, "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that
always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for
every good deed;"
a. God graciously provides extra finances for grace givers to
give.
b. The only legitimate system of giving is a grace giver giving
to a grace cause.
4. 2 Cor 9:9 [Ps 112:9], "Just as it stands written, `He scatters
abroad, He gave it to the poor, His righteousness abides forever.'"
a. "He scatters abroad" means that God gives money to certain
people both rich and poor.
b. God's grace righteousness meets at the point of grace giving.
5. 2 Cor 9:10, "Now He who supplies seed to the sower [capital] and
bread for food, He will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and
increase the harvest of your righteousness." God supplies and gives extra
money to grace givers. As a result there is an increase in the harvest of
your Christian service.
6. 2 Cor 9:11-12, "you will be made rich in every way so that you can
be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in
thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying
the needs of God's people, but is also overflowing in many expressions of
thanksgiving to God."
7. Giving is a mental attitude based upon the problem solving device
called grace-orientation. Grace-orientation is the basis for grace giving.
C. The Doctrinal Principles of Giving.
1. Giving is an expression of the royal family honor code.
a. Rom 16:26, "For Macedonia and Achaia have decided with
pleasure to make a special offering to the poor believers who are in
Jerusalem."
b. Gal 2:10, "They only asked us to remember the poor; the very
thing I was also eager to do."
c. Charity is from God; socialism and welfare are from man.
2. Giving is an expression of free will, without gimmicks, without
coercion. 2 Cor 8:3, "I testify on the basis of their ability and beyond
their ability they gave willingly." Their giving was a sign of their
spiritual growth.
3. Giving is an expression of mental attitude in every circumstance of
life. 2 Cor 8:2, "That in the midst of severe testing and great pressure,
the superabundance of their happiness and their deep poverty overflowed in
rich generosity." Even though under adversity, they shared the happiness of
God. And having that mental attitude, they gave even while in deep poverty.
4. Giving must express an attitude toward the Lord before it can
express an attitude toward others. 2 Cor 8:5, "And not even as we
anticipated, but they gave first of themselves to the Lord, then they gave
to us by the will of God." They were occupied with Christ and had personal
love for God the Father which motivated their giving.
5. Giving depends on the consistent post-salvation epistemological
rehabilitation. 2 Cor 8:7, "But just as you excel in everything in faith-
rest and in doctrine and in knowledge and in all diligence and in love from
you to us, you also excel in this grace giving." Giving is associated with
impersonal love, not with personal love! That is grace giving.
6. Precedence for giving is derived from the dispensation of the
hypostatic union and is predicated on grace. 2 Cor 8:9, "For you know the
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich [eternal God], yet
for your sake He became poor [true humanity], so that you through His
poverty [being judged for our sins] might become rich."
7. Giving is a mental attitude related to an overt act. 2 Cor 8:12,
"For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable on the basis of
what one has, not on the basis of what one does not have." Willingness
counts for giving, if you have nothing to give.
8. Giving is related to motivation from metabolized doctrine in the
right lobe of the soul. 2 Cor 9:7, "Each one, as he has determined in his
right lobe, so give, not from distress of mind or under compulsion or
pressure of emotions; for God loves a gracious giver."
9. God in His matchless grace provides both the spiritual motivation
and monetary capital for grace giving. 2 Cor 9:8, "And God is able to make
all grace abound to you, that in always having all sufficiency in
everything, you may have abundance for every good deed."
10. God in His matchless grace provides both the monetary capital for
grace giving and makes it part of your Christian service. 2 Cor 9:10, "Now
He who supplies seed for the sower and bread for food, will supply and
multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your
righteousness."
11. Generosity of mental attitude results in generosity of giving. 2
Cor 9:11, "You will be made rich in every way, so that you can be generous
on every occasion; and through us your generosity will result in
thanksgiving to God." Giving is never a strain.
12. Giving is a result of Christian service. 2 Cor 9:12, "For this
service which you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people,
but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanksgivings to God."
D. The principle of giving is related to two spiritual gifts: pastor-
teacher and evangelism.
1. The pastor must make an issue out of two things as a recipient of
support from believers: the gospel, and what is the Christian way of life
after salvation. If your are making an issue out of the gospel and Bible
doctrine, then you cannot make an issue out of money.
2. The pastor must never make an issue out of money.
3. 2 Cor 11:7-9, "..., because I preached the gospel of God to you
without charge? I robbed other churches, taking wages from them to serve
you; and when I was present with you and was in need, I was not a burden to
anyone; for when the brethren came from Macedonia, they fully supplied my
need in everything, and I kept myself from being a burden to you, and will
continue to do so."
a. Paul was supported by other churches such as the Ephesians and
Philippians while he was in Corinth. In this way he could make an issue out
of the Gospel and doctrine.
b. The function of the board of deacons is to make issues clear
that pertain to the economic survival of a local church.
c. The Corinthians were very wealthy; and yet Paul could not make
an issue out of money with them.
4. The pastor-teacher exchanges spiritual blessing to the congregation
for material blessing from the congregation, fulfilling the principle of
mutual blessing by association, Phil 1:3, 5, "I am giving thanks to God for
every memory of you, ...because of your contribution from the first day
until now for the purpose of spreading the gospel."
5. Giving reflects the mental attitude of the congregation toward
their pastor-teacher. Phil 4:10, "I rejoice in the Lord greatly, that now
at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you have been
concerned, but you lacked opportunity to give."
6. Giving establishes a partnership between the pastor and the
congregation. The congregation provides the financial contribution as they
are spiritually blessed by the pastor's teaching. Phil 14:14, "However,
when you shared [by giving] and became partners with me in my adversity, you
functioned honorably."
7. Giving is the application of Bible doctrine on the part of the
congregation. Phil 4:15-16, "And you yourselves also recognize, that in the
beginning of my ministry with reference to the gospel, when I had departed
from Macedonia, not one church contributed to me in the application of
doctrine of giving and receiving except you Philippians only; because even
in Thessalonica you had sent an offering more than once for my needs."
8. Giving is a grace production in Christian service. Phil 4:17, "Not
because I seek the gift, but I seek after the grace production of divine
good which accumulates to your account."
9. Giving to one's right pastor is maximum blessing to the pastor and
pleasing to God. Phil 4:18, "Moreover, I have received in total all of your
gifts, and I have an abundance; I have been filled with blessing, having
received from Epaphroditus the things [money] from you, a fragrant aroma, an
acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God."
10. The responsibility for support of the pastor is the responsibility
of the local church. The number one priority is support of the pastor, not
the building.
E. The Grace Concept of Giving.
1. In the Old Testament, Prov 11:24-25, "There is the one who gives
generously, yet he becomes more prosperous. There is also the one who [is
stingy] holds back what is fitting, and he becomes impoverished. The
generous person will be prosperous. He who gives water will also himself be
caused to have water." Those who hang on to their money impoverish
themselves. Giving never impoverishes. In supergrace, no matter what you
give you never lose.
2. In the New Testament, 1 Cor 16:2. "On the first day of the week
let each one of you put aside and save on the basis of his prosperity, that
no collections be taken when I come." You determine how much you can give
from your prosperity. You don't give if you are broke or if giving would
place a hardship on your family.
F. The True Meaning of Tithing.
1. Tithing is not spiritual giving in the Old Testament. Tithing
promotes arrogance. It was never spiritual giving in Israel.
2. Tithing was a 10% income tax under the laws of establishment
delineated in the Mosaic Law for the citizens of Israel only. Believers and
unbelievers alike were be charged the same amount of tax. As a tax it was
not spiritual giving.
3. There was also a 10% tithe for all Jewish citizens, both believers
and unbelievers, for the maintenance of the Levites for their presentation
of doctrine, Num 18:21, 24. This is not pertinent today.
4. There was also a 10% tithe for all Jewish citizens, both believers
and unbelievers, to support the cost of the Lord's sacrifices, Deut
14:22-24. This is also not pertinent today.
5. Every third year Israel required the payment of a charity tithe of
10% for those who legitimately needed help, Deut 14:28-29. This was a 10%
income tax paid by all the people. This was charity and not socialism.
This is the only tax pertinent today. We should pay income tax for the
support of the military, and should pay a 10% charity tax every third year.
6. Spiritual giving in the Old Testament is presented under the word
"offerings." Offerings were given by believers only.
7. In the time of apostasy in Israel, both believers and unbelievers
failed to pay their taxes; and believers were not fulfilling their spiritual
obligations in giving as well. Mal 3:8-10 talks about income tax. "Will a
person defraud God, yet you have been robbing Me. Yet you say, `How have we
robbed You?' `In tithes [income taxes], and offerings [spiritual giving].
To the entire nation you are cursed with a curse, for you are defrauding Me.
Bring your entire tithe [taxes] to the treasury, so that there may be food
in My house,' says the Lord of the Armies. `See if I will not open for you
the windows of heaven [prosperity] and pour out blessings for you until
there is not room enough.'"
Comments
Pay up and EARN your way to heaven. How sad for you.
by Alatea on November 9th, 2005
The Temple is not a place for those who would rob Jesus
by Anonymous on December 24th, 2005
Actualy Alatea, Mormons do not beleive you have to be temple worthy to get into heaven, they do not tithe to get into heaven.
by Mini_kilt on February 11th, 2008
In other words, YES, you do have to pay to get in to the temple, and the temple ceremonies are the only way to ultimate salvation. Therefore paying money to the Mormons is the only way to ultimate salvation, according to their faith.
by TheicidalManiac on February 16th, 2008