The Level of our Generosity is Reflected by the Results...

For the past two weeks, we have been discussing the subject of money and giving at the church where I serve. And this week I would like to continue talking about the subject of money and generosity by looking at another section of a letter that was written to this church that was located in Corinth, Greece. And in this section of this letter, we will see Paul reveal for us a timeless principle about generosity that many of us have heard, but may not have realized came from the Bible. So let’s look at it together, beginning in 2 Corinthians 9:6:

Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Paul introduces the members of the church at Corinth, and us as well, to a timeless and true principle when it comes to generosity by way of a farming metaphor: “he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will reap bountifully”. And even today, this metaphor is still used in our culture. However, we tend to say it this way: “you reap what you sow”. This principle is also referred to as the Law of the Harvest. Now when Paul uses the word sparingly, he is referring to one who is meager when it comes to giving. The word bountifully, on the other hand, literally means generously.

And it is in this metaphor that we see Paul reveal for us a timeless principle when it comes to generosity. And that timeless principle is that the level of our generosity is reflected by the results. Paul’s point here is that the person who is meager or miserly when it comes to investing their treasure in God’s kingdom mission and to meet the needs of others will produce little or no benefit. By contrast, the person who generously invests their treasure in God’s kingdom mission and to meet the needs of others will see their generosity reflected in the benefits that are produced and flow from their generosity.

Now the important thing to understand is that this principle is neither good nor bad; this principle simply is. And while you can push back against or resist this principle, the principle is active and at work in my life and in your life. Regardless of whether you like this principle or don’t like this principle, you cannot avoid this principle: our level of generosity is reflected by the results.
Paul then explains to the members of the church at Corinth that, in light of this principle, that each one must do just as he purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

And so often, in my experience as a pastor, I have seen this verse used as a justification why Christians are not required to tithe. The conversation usually goes something like this: “Well Dave, I am a new covenant Christian; I am not under the Law. And since God loves a cheerful giver, I am not bound by any percentage when it comes to giving. And since God does not want me to give if I am not cheerful then I only have to give what would make me cheerful. And what makes me cheerful is to simply give God my spare change”. They usually don’t say that part; that is my editorial comment.

But to understand what Paul is trying to communicate here, we first need to understand the meaning of several words and phrases. First, the phrase purposed in his heart literally means to make a decision beforehand. In other words, you should not be deciding how generous you are going to be when it comes to your giving as the offering basket is making its way down the row. If Paul was writing this today, he might say it this way: “You should have already decided what you are going to give and the check should already be written before the worship service starts. Paul then provides three reasons why we are to decide beforehand how generous we are going to be when it comes to investing our treasure in God’s kingdom mission through giving.

First, when we fail to decide beforehand we can find ourselves investing with an attitude of painful reluctance instead of gratitude. The phrase “grudgingly” literally means to be in pain of mind or spirit”. And for some of us, if we could paint the true picture of what is going on inside of us when we give during the offering, it might look like this: “here you go; this is so painfully hard, oh what I could do with this if I didn’t have to give it to God”. Now here’s the tough question: does that seem like an act of worship to you? Instead of investing our treasure with an attitude that giving is a delightful response to God’s generosity, giving becomes a duty that must be painfully endured.

Second, when we fail to decide beforehand we can find ourselves investing from pressure instead of pleasure. The phrase “under compulsion” literally means under pressure. “Oh no, here comes the basket, what should I give? I don’t know, I don’t know? What are those around me going to think if they see what I’m giving? Oh I’ll just throw in what’s in my hand” or “I’ll just put this number down on the check”. Now does that seem like an act of worship to you? Instead of investing our treasure in a heartfelt, joyful response of worship that reflects God’s generosity, we are hurriedly focused on the pressure that comes from beating the deadline of the basket and the pressure to impress the opinions of others.

Third, Paul explains that when we take the time to prayerfully decide beforehand how generous we are going to be when it comes to investing our treasure in God’s kingdom mission through giving, we are able give with an attitude of gratitude that reflects God’s generosity as a response of joyful worship. And it is this attitude of gratitude; it is this response of joyful worship that God loves. The investment of the treasure that God has given us through giving is an act of worship that is to be done out of a heartfelt and joyous recognition that God is our provider who owns everything and allows us to be stewards of all that He has given us.

So, if you consider yourself a “new covenant Christians” which you are if you have a personal relationship with Jesus by the way, and justify that as a reason as to why you are not bound by the “10 percent rule”, here is a question to consider: In light of all that God has generously done to rescue you from your selfishness and sin, what percentage do you think would reflect the heartfelt joy that you feel in response to His generosity? Tomorrow we will consider that question in greater detail.