Giving To God

The Old Testament encourages certain practices and behaviour according to a set of rules - personal preference and love don't play a part in it whatsoever.

The New Testament fulfils the requirement to keep rules as a means of pleasing God and being redeemed from the curse of the law (the curse for breaking God's laws).

Now, how we conduct our lives and what we do, should be motivated out of love. This is not forcing ourselves to be "nice" to people, with this idea that we can tick the box that says, "Love you neighbour." Now we are to live naturally and freely, as the love of God guides and motivates us.

So, if I as a Christian do something in order to merit God's favour and blessing, something that I believe I am compelled by law to do - I am reverting back to rule-keeping and come under the Old Covenant.

At this point, we can easily go off on a tangent regarding does God punish people for keeping the law and so on. But basically, no-one can be justified by the law, so what might seem good and noble, ends-up in condemnation and religious burn-out, as well as the curse of the law, to some extent.

There has been a lot of preaching about having right motives - I think this is good and there is truth to it. But, we can end-up making a rule or a "should" out of it.

When it comes to giving of our finances: we are to give out of love, according to what we feel good and comfortable with. As soon as we make it into a requirement - we bring ourselves under the law again. What makes the tithe so wrong is that it is a fixed amount. Therefore, what if God prompts you to give 5 percent or 15 percent?

The scripture that covers giving in the New Testament the best is 2 Corinthians 9:7.

7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

2 Corinthians 9:7 nkjv

This attitude of the heart, giving out of love, applies to everything we do for God and other people – it applies to the giving of our time and resources. If there is no peace or joy in it, or if we feel awkward about it, then love is not in it. 1 John 4:8 says that God is love – so if we do something without love, we are doing something without God.

The Bible tells us that we should do everything with motives of love.

¹⁴ Let all that you do be done from motives of love.

1 Corinthians 16:14 WNT

What I have an issue with is those who preach that the only way to receive provision from God, even answered prayers, is to sow by giving to the church. I believe this is a lie that causes believers to give grudgingly with the expectation of getting something in return.

If we give to God with wrong motives, it is from our own corrupt, human nature: the flesh. How can an action motivated from the flesh ever please God? The motives of an action performed from the flesh will always be selfish and they will always be wrong. Even if we give offerings to God or we offer our time by serving in the church, if we do it in order to merit God’s blessings, or if we do it because we think we’ll be cursed if we don’t, then it does not please God.