The Doctrine of Giving

Let’s contrast between the Old and New Testaments now:

Giving in the Old Testament

1.      God worked through the national entity nation Israel, and therefore, the way giving was done in the Old Testament is different than it is done today.

2.      2 tithes were given and a 3^rd tithe was collected every third year for the poor. A tithe is 10%.

3.      This meant that the Israelites were taxed at a 23⅓% rate.

4.      This was paid from the firstfruits of all Israelites, whether they believed in the Revealed Lord or not. The first of the first fruits of your ground you will bring into the house of Yahweh your God. (Ex. 23:19a) The first fruits of your grain, of your new wine, and of your oil, and the first of the fleece of your sheep, you will give to Him. (Deut. 18:4)

5.      3⅓% each year went to the poor. The poor were also supported privately. People were not to harvest the corners of their fields and leave it for the poor to come and harvest themselves. So, even in a theocracy, much of the support for the poor was to come from private citizens.

6.      This is not ideal for our nation today because one tithe went to pay for the Levites and priests. Now, if our government supported the Christian church financially (a bad idea), then nearly half of the federal budget should go to the maintenance of the church. As an aside, God is giving us the sweet spot for taxation in all of this. Everyone ought to be taxed 13⅓%, and 3⅓% would be spent on the poor and indigent. The rest would be spend on federal and state projects. We would be free to give our firstfruits to the local church, to missionaries, or to other Christian organizations.

7.      There was spiritual giving in nation Israel above and beyond the taxation collected by the state. This is described in our passage. Honor Y^ehowah with your wealth and from the firstfruits of all your produce; then your storehouses will be filled [with] plenty and your vats will [almost] burst open [with] new wine. (Prov. 3:9–10) There is one who scatters, and increases yet more; And there is one who withholds more than is meet, but [tends] only to want. The liberal soul will be made fat; And he who waters will be watered also himself. (Prov. 11:24–25)

More work needs to be done on this doctrine.

The doctrine of giving has been covered quite well by many doctrinal pastors.

We covered the Doctrine of Tithing back in Gen. 14 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD). This might be a good time to study the Doctrine of Christian Giving.

It is human nature to be selfish; and human nature to hold on to all that you have. Conversely, it is also human nature to try to bribe God for a better deal in life. Neither of these attitudes works in the Church Age.

The Doctrine of Giving (from Bible Doctrine Resource)

1.       Definition.

         1)      Giving is an expression of worship to commemorate the grace policy of God.

         2)      Giving in the Church Age is a legitimate function of the believer's royal priesthood in worship, both inside and outside the local church (for instance, offering hospitality). Giving is one of the four categories of Christian service.

                  (1)     Christian service related to your spiritual gift.

                  (2)     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.

                  (3)     Christian service related to your royal ambassadorship, which includes evangelism, witnessing, administration in the local church, function on the mission field, and function in a Christian service organization.

                  (4)     Christian service related to the laws of divine establishment, which includes the divine institutions and patriotism, as well as military service and a respect for law enforcement, and government. Political activism is not a part of Christian service.

         3)      Giving is the presentation of money or other valuable commodities which may be used to sustain the ministry of doctrinal communication. Many churches meet in homes, rent out a space; and some build a church building. The location is immaterial. The actual amount that you give is unrelated to your actual say in church policy.

         4)      Christian giving may be extended to organizations other than the local church, e.g., missionary organizations, Bible schools, radio, or tape ministries. Giving is designed to support communication gifts (the communication of the gospel and the communication of Bible doctrine).

         5)      Giving is one way of inculcating teamwork and coordination into the body of Christ.

2.      The Motivation in Giving.

         1)      Motivation is always the issue in giving, not the amount given.

         2)      2Cor. 9:7 Each person, to the degree he has determined by means of his heart [= right lobe], so let him give. He is not to give as motivated by distress of mind or compulsion of emotions; for God loves a grace-oriented giver.

                  (1)     You give based on the metabolized doctrine in your soul, not on the basis of your emotions.

                  (2)     God provides all of our material benefits and He 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)      2Cor. 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.

                  (1)     God graciously provides the ability for grace givers to give.

                  (2)     The only legitimate system of giving is a grace giver giving to a grace cause. Giving because you are under pressure from the pastor or the board of deacons is not true giving.

                  (3)     A right action must be done is a right way in order for it to have impact in the plan of God.

         4)      2Cor. 9:9 [Psalm 112:9] Just as it stands written, He scatters abroad, He gave it to the poor, His righteousness abides forever.

                  (1)     "He scatters abroad" means that the good man (as per the context of Psalm 112:9) shares of his blessings.

                  (2)     He provides for the poor. This may be a part of your consistent giving and it may be a result of coming into contact with others.

                  (3)     The righteousness of such a man stands forever; that is, it remains as eternal, divine good.

                  (4)     This is not socialism; nor does this advocate socialism.

         5)      2Cor. 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 profit to grace givers. As a result, there is an increase in the harvest of your Christian service.

         6)      2Cor. 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. God blesses us in a multitude of ways. His grace to us overflows.

         7)      Giving is a mental attitude based upon grace-orientation. Grace-orientation is the basis for grace giving.

3.      The Doctrinal Principles of Giving.

         1)      Giving is an expression of the royal family honor code.

                  (1)     Rom. 15:26 For Macedonia and Achaia have decided with pleasure to make a special offering to the poor believers who are in Jerusalem.

                  (2)     Gal. 2:10 They only asked us to remember the poor; the very thing I was also eager to do.

                  (3)     Charity is from God; socialism and government welfare are from man. As discussed in the doctrine of Tithing (HTML) (PDF) (WPD), it is reasonable for the government to supply some aid to the helpless. In the Mosaic economy, 3⅓% per year was the amount set apart for the poor from the government of Israel (the people themselves provided additional help for the poor). The poor received additional help from private persons in the Age of Israel.

         2)      Giving is an expression of free will, without gimmicks and without coercion. 2Cor. 8:3 I testify on the basis of their ability and beyond their ability they gave willingly. Their giving was a sign of their volition and their spiritual growth. It was not a matter of coercion.

         3)      Giving is an expression of mental attitude in every circumstance of life. 2Cor. 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. 2Cor. 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. 2Cor. 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. 2Cor. 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich [as 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 [a son of God].

         7)      Giving is a mental attitude related to an overt act. 2Cor. 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 even if you have nothing to give.

         8)      Giving is related to motivation from metabolized doctrine in the right lobe of the soul (metabolized doctrine is spiritual information which you understand and believe). 2Cor. 9:7 Each one, as he has determined in his heart [= right lobe], so give, not from distress of mind or under compulsion or pressure of emotions; for God loves a gracious giver. True giving is a result of a gracious mental attitude; it is not the result of pressure or coercion.

         9)      God in His matchless grace provides both the spiritual motivation and monetary capital for grace giving. 2Cor. 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. 2Cor. 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. 2Cor. 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 Christian service; it is the result of spiritual growth and blessings from God. 2Cor. 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.

4.      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 you 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)      2Cor. 11:7–9 ...because I proclaimed 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 fellow believers [lit., 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.

                  (1)     Paul was supported by other church bodies, 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.

                  (2)     The function of the board of deacons is to make issues clear that pertain to the economic survival of a local church.

                  (3)     The Corinthians were very wealthy; and yet Paul could not make an issue out of money with them. They were a difficult and confused group, and had Paul made an issue out of money, a faction of them would have complained, saying, “This is why Paul has established a church here—he wants our money.”

         4)      The pastor-teacher exchanges spiritual blessing to the congregation for material blessing from the congregation, fulfilling the principle of mutual blessing by association. Philip. 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. Philip. 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. Philip. 4:14 However, when you shared [by giving] and became partners with me in my adversity, you functioned honorably. Although this passage is specifically applied to Paul and his gift of apostleship, the principle is applicable to individual pastors and their congregations.

         7)      Giving is the application of Bible doctrine on the part of the congregation. Philip. 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, [that] 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, which service will accumulate and eventually be rewarded. Philip. 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 it is pleasing to God. Philip. 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. Paul was the right pastor for many congregations, although he made an effort to train new pastors for these churches (e.g., Timothy).

         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.

                  (1)     Like many others, I appreciate amazing architecture, and I have seen churches and temples which I enjoy aesthetically. However, it is not the business of the church to be spending huge amounts of money on buildings. Some congregations may have particularly wealthy donors; and other congregations might have only a handful of people who struggle day-by-day. Whatever is done by way of a meeting place—gathering in someone’s home or in a massive church—is not the issue and it should never get in the way of the teaching of the Word of God. A local church may or may not have a large, impressive building.

                  (2)     Related to this is the pastor and his own relationship to his congregation. A pastor really needs to think twice about moving up to a better church, better area and/or a larger congregation. Some congregations are going to be small where there are virtually no church assets; and others will be larger. This should never be an issue to the pastor-teacher. It takes great faithfulness on the part of a pastor-teacher to remain faithful to a congregation of 5 or 10 people; especially if another congregation of 300 or 3000 beckon him. God has a place for every teacher, and it is not always at the front podium of some mega-church. As Zechariah asks, “Who has despised the day of small things?” (Zech. 4:10a)

5.      The Grace Concept of Giving. It is never the amount; it is always the mental attitude.

         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, 1Cor 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.

6.      A Review of the True Meaning of Tithing.

         1)      Tithing is not spiritual giving in the Old Testament. Tithing promotes arrogance. Tithing 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 being 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.'"

From http://gracebiblechurchwichita.org/?page_id=2422 accessed January 25, 2015. Many of the doctrines on this page originate from the teaching of R. B. Thieme, Jr.

These are churches and various doctrinal organizations which publish this doctrine online.

Links to Doctrines of Giving

R. B. Thieme, Jr.’s Giving: Gimmick or Grace?

The Doctrine of Giving from the Maranatha Church.

New Testament Giving from BibleOne.

Christian Giving from Grace Notes.

Wenstrom’s Doctrine of Giving

L.G. Merritt’s Doctrine of Giving

Grace Giving in the Church Age from Ekklesia.

The Doctrine of Giving from the Spokane Bible Church.

Lake Erie Bible Church’s Grace Giving

Giving from the Dictionary of Doctrine (I think this might be R. B. Thieme, Jr.’s booklet online)

Giving Principles from the Grace Bible Church

One of the things which I have greatly appreciated from Berachah Church is, they have never sent me a letter asking for money or implying that I ought to send them money; or a letter with a list of needs. This was a marvelous policy of grace as instituted by R. B. Thieme, Jr. The ministries above have followed his example.

The Abbreviated Doctrine of

Bibliography