Jesus issued several grave, severe, and uncompromising warnings to the rich. For example,

. It will be hard for you to enter heaven, because your treasure is on earth (Mt 19:23).

. Woe to you if you have your comforts now (Lk 6:24l Ja 5:1-6), because it is likely you will not then (Lk 16:19-31).

. The wealth that you have selfishly stored up for yourself will be hazardous to your soul (Lk 12:16).

. The importance that you place on wealth will make you spiritually immature or incomplete (Lk 8:14).

If you want, expect, or hope to be rich the Bible says that you will fall into temptation, snares, and many foolish and harmful desires that will ruin or destroy you (1 Ti 6:9). Do you want to be rich? Do you expect to be rich? Do you hope to be rich some day?

Below is an excerpt from the Introduction: There Are Three Categories or Kinds of Gifts. It is about the position of a rich man [and a poor man] in the kingdom of God, apart from any gift.

Passage: 1 Timothy 6:17-19
Subject: Instructions to Rich Christians

“Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited” (1 Tim 6:17).

“Instruct those who are rich... not to... fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy” (1 Tim 6:17).

Now hope means expectation. So setting your expectations on wealth is uncertain at best. But setting your expectation on God is sure and certain. Where is your faith? Or on what is your faith? Again, expecting/hoping to be rich will cause you to fall into devastating temptations (1 Ti 6:9).

“Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed” (1 Tim 6:18-19).

Passage: 2 Corinthians Chpts. 8 and 9

Subject: The Grace of Giving

Obviously, rich Christians are specifically called by God to have and demonstrate the grace of giving (1 Timothy 6:17-19). But poor and troubled Christians can have it also. For example, Paul testified that these lowly and afflicted churches had it.

“Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality. For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord, begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints, and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God” (2 Cor 8:1-5).

“But just as you abound in everything, in faith and utterance and knowledge and in all earnestness and in the love we inspired in you, see that you abound in this gracious work also” (2 Cor 8:7).

“it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have” (2 Cor 8:11, 12).

So it is not literally how much you give, but how much you give compared to your total wealth. For example, consider the story of the widow’s mite (Luke 21:1-4). Jesus said that she gave more than the rich. She excelled the rich at the grace of giving, yet proportionately, by faith.

5. It Treats Our Body Fairly [i.e. Equitable]

“For this is not for the ease of others and for your affliction, but by way of equality-- at this present time your abundance being a supply for their need, so that their abundance also may become a supply for your need, that there may be equality; as it is written, “HE WHO gathered MUCH DID NOT HAVE TOO MUCH, AND HE WHO gathered LITTLE HAD NO LACK’ ” (2 Cor 8:13-15).

If your left foot has a shoe on it, but your right foot does not, what is the equitable thing to do? Did your right foot throw a good shoe away or did someone steal it? If it was lost through no sinful folly of its own, then why not put a shoe on the right foot?

If we are supposed to help maintain an equitable situation among Christians, does this mean that a rich Christian must help a poor Christian to become as rich as he, so that the poor can have equality of riches? Why were collections being taken up by Paul and others in the first place? They were for the relief of those Christians in Judea who were experiencing a famine (Ac 11:28-30). Therefore, this kind of equality had something to do with a basic physical need brought on by a calamity or act of God, for no matter how much they tried, they were still going to be famished by a famine. Even Jacob experienced a famine in the land for seven years. He also had to do something about it for the needs of his own family. Famines are very difficult and even deadly.

“We have sent along with him the brother whose fame in the things of the gospel has spread through all the churches; and not only this, but he has also been appointed by the churches to travel with us in this gracious work, which is being administered by us for the glory of the Lord Himself, and to show our readiness, taking precaution so that no one will discredit us in our administration of this generous gift; for we have regard for what is honorable, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men” (2 Cor 8:18-21).

They appointed more than one reputable member to administer the contributions. Our goal should be to entrust our contributions to those who will administer it without reproach. Barnabas and Paul had a reputation that proved that they could be trusted. This is how Christian churches should operate among and within themselves.

“for I know your readiness, of which I boast about you to the Macedonians, namely, that Achaia has been prepared since last year, and your zeal has stirred up most of them” (2 Cor 9:2).

The Corinthians had a zeal to give to this good work, and it motivated the Macedonian churches also to give. I know an American man who’s zeal stirred up his church to give to poor Christians in India, some of whom he baptized. He said that he would match, dollar for dollar, up to a certain amount, every dollar that they would put in the collection basket. Because of this, more members were motivated to give, and more was given. It worked. I know of a man who was leading a very large worldwide ministry. He provoked others to give by committing part of his estate to that particular charitable work. Zealous givers can motivate others to give.

“Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor 9:7).

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed; as it is written, “HE SCATTERED ABROAD, HE GAVE TO THE POOR, HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS ENDURES FOREVER.” Now 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 everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God” (2 Cor 9:8-11).

God wants to supply your gift of giving, not only so that you would have mercy on needy Christians, but also so that you can have a large harvest of your own righteousness. What are you going to reap?

For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing through many thanksgivings to God. Because of the proof given by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ and for the liberality of your contribution to them and to all, while they also, by prayer on your behalf, yearn for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! (2 Cor 9:12-15)

Christians will thank God (vs. 11, 12), glorify God (vs. 13), pray for you (vs. 14), and yearn for you in their heart (vs. 14). Consider how wealth was used by a manager to endear himself to his master’s debtors (Lk 16:1-18). Or Hezekiah and the rulers who blessed the Lord and Israel for their grace of giving (2 Ch 31:4-8). What about the centurion (Lk 7:1-5), who was a Gentile, and Dorcas (Ac 9:36-43)? People stood up for them in their time of need because they were generous givers. They were compassionate towards the pressing needs of God’s people.

There are many holy Scriptures on giving, both in the Old and New Testaments. And likewise, there is much confusion and many questions or issues that arise about giving. My goal is to clear up some of the confusion below.

First of all, giving has been an act of worship from the beginning. For example, the first brothers, Cain and Abel, both gave as a act of worship to God (Ge 4:3-8). But God was only pleased or satisfied with Abel’s offering, not Cain’s. And this led Cain to kill his brother Abel. It was for the sake of righteous giving [beware of nasty/evil attitudes towards righteous giving and other subjects and virtues].

Second, Abraham tithed to God as an act of worship even before tithing was introduced as a commandment in the Law of Moses (Ge 14:20; He 7:4). So individual tithing is acceptable.

Forth, all Christians are encouraged to abound in giving (2 Cor 8:7), meaning to exceed a fixed number or limit, like the example of the poor churches in Macedonia (2 Cor 8:1-5).

So we must understand from the beginning of our study on giving/tithing, that giving is an act of worship that all individuals who claim to know God are to practice as an act of worship. Yet there is no fixed limit to giving in the Christian Age.

It is giving ten percent of the very best of what you receive as increase. This includes money, livestock, and produce of the ground (Ex 13:2; 22:29 Le 27:30; De 14:22).

I know of a man who totally quenched giving in or to a church because he believed so strongly in private and personal giving vs. giving in or to a church [by the way he was a very rich man]. He was so outspoken about this that when a new church was forming, he totally prevented all of the other new members from giving in or to the church for as long as it was a church, years. And when visitors attended, and wanted to give as an act of worship, this brother would angrily tell them to keep their money and do something outside of church with it. This is hypocrisy and obviously not in line with the purpose of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Now hypocrisy is like shaking your fist at God. This church eventually disbanded, not just for this reason, but for other imbalanced/hypocritical reasons as well that I do not have time to go into. Yet, beware of every form of greed, even the kind that could prevent a church from giving to itself. Who in the world is in their right mind to prevent the use of one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in and for a church?

This issue arises for several reasons, but one of them is the idea of giving or praying in public with impure motives vs. in private (Mt 6:5). The key here is not to be a hypocrite in our giving or in the use of any other talent, but to have pure motives, not unholy motives. There is a balance to keep between what is to be public and private, or else we will quench the spirit and the manifold purposes of God, and we will become hypocrites. The issue is not whether or we should pray in public or not, for we are commanded to pray in public in church (1 Tim 2:8). But the issue is not to be a hypocrite in doing so. Likewise with our giving. Take for example Barnabas. He was well-known for his giving (Ac 4:26, 37), and this led to his fame in all the churches (2 Cor 8:18). He did not give with impure motives, like Ananias and Sapphira (Ac 5:1). For after Barnabas gave publicly before the whole church, it opened up many doors for him to strengthen many churches in the word. He was not criticized by the apostles for giving publicly, but praised by them for this. There is a time for private and public use of talents. But it must be done with pure motives.

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