Giving out of one's Wealth, as opposed to one's Selfless Love, is a Vile, Abominable sin of Pride and Arrogance
And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury. And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites. And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all: For
all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God:
but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had (Luke 21:1-4).
Many in the modern Church think they are righteous in the eyes of God because of their 'generosity'. This think that because they give some of their money to their own local church, they are very righteous people. However, what such people do not realise is that even the wicked can be generous. There are many unsaved people who are willing to give their money, even much of it, to others. Do not be surprised if the world genuine does not believe the Church to be more generous than them, because there are many unsaved who are generous.
How do I know that the evil can be generous? Matthew 7:11 says: "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?" Jesus was calling people who could give good gifts to their children as evil. What this verse means is that even people in their evil state can care to give good gifts to others. While He was speaking to believers, not the unsaved, Jesus was referring to the evil fallen state of humans in calling them evil.
The flesh can indeed be generous in giving good gifts to others. It is precisely because of this that it is all too easy for all humans to think that when they give gifts to others generously, that they are 'righteous'.
It is absolutely true that if a person has no generosity, he is unrighteous for he has no love. 1 John 3:17 tell us this: But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? However, that a person is generous does not mean he is righteous, nor can be righteous. For even the unsaved can be genuinely generous, but yet have no righteousness at all, nor can have any righteousness in them.
The question as to whether one is righteous in generosity is not only how much or little one gives as Luke 21:1-4 demonstrates. Jesus affirmed, but not praised, only the actions of the widow in giving all she had. There are two things that this passage demonstrates, apart from the truth that it is not a matter of how much one gives that determines the generosity of a person.
The first thing that Luke 21:1-4 demonstrate is that God expects us to give freely to others. It is merely a basic moral requirement that one gives, not that which is beyond the basic moral requirement. Jesus was not praising the widow, but affirming her actions, in contrast to those who have abundance.
Secondly, Luke 21:1-4 demonstrates that having little is not an excuse to not give freely to others. It is not an excuse at all whatsoever as all humans would be tempted to think and thus make an excuse. Giving is a matter of the heart, and not a matter of the possessions. It is absolutely irrelevant as to how much one has. This is why Jesus did not show sympathy for the widow for being poor, and almost penniless. He is no respecter of persons (Romans 2:11; Acts 10:34). Whether a person is rich or poor, powerful or powerless, respected by others or despised by others, God has absolutely no regard for such things regarding one's moral accountability before Him.
If Jesus was a respecter of persons, which He is not, He would have shown sympathy towards the widow who gave her two mites to the Temple, for being poor, treating her act of giving away her two mites as oppressive, unjust and unfair. Indeed, the spirit of being a respecter of persons by siding the poor is the spirit behind socialism, communism, the social "gospel" and the non-Christians religions which teach that generosity only to the poor is needed. The only reason why a person would think it is righteous to side the poor is because of their respect of persons.
Whether one has much or little, one is obliged in the eyes of God to give all one has out of selfless, agape love to anyone in need.
To give out of one's wealth is a vile, abominable sin of pride and arrogance. It is to give out of one's pride and arrogance itself, giving because one has more. This is precisely the spirit of many western charities which seek to help the Third World nations, including many professing Christian charities. They give not only out of a sense that one has more than others, but out of a sense that one is more "blessed" for being wealthy, as opposed to the poor who are "cursed" for having almost nothing.
Gifts given out of one's wealth, as opposed to one's selfless love, are gifts given out of unrighteousness. The good works of the unrighteous are filthy rags to the Lord (Isaiah 64:6). So, likewise, the gifts given out of one's wealth are filthy rags. They are abominations which are worthy only of being discarded and destroyed.
Many in the modern Church think they are righteous in the eyes of God because of their 'generosity'. This think that because they give some of their money to their own local church, they are very righteous people. However, what such people do not realise is that even the wicked can be generous. There are many unsaved people who are willing to give their money, even much of it, to others. Do not be surprised if the world genuine does not believe the Church to be more generous than them, because there are many unsaved who are generous.
How do I know that the evil can be generous? Matthew 7:11 says: "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?" Jesus was calling people who could give good gifts to their children as evil. What this verse means is that even people in their evil state can care to give good gifts to others. While He was speaking to believers, not the unsaved, Jesus was referring to the evil fallen state of humans in calling them evil.
The flesh can indeed be generous in giving good gifts to others. It is precisely because of this that it is all too easy for all humans to think that when they give gifts to others generously, that they are 'righteous'.
It is absolutely true that if a person has no generosity, he is unrighteous for he has no love. 1 John 3:17 tell us this: But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? However, that a person is generous does not mean he is righteous, nor can be righteous. For even the unsaved can be genuinely generous, but yet have no righteousness at all, nor can have any righteousness in them.
The question as to whether one is righteous in generosity is not only how much or little one gives as Luke 21:1-4 demonstrates. Jesus affirmed, but not praised, only the actions of the widow in giving all she had. There are two things that this passage demonstrates, apart from the truth that it is not a matter of how much one gives that determines the generosity of a person.
The first thing that Luke 21:1-4 demonstrate is that God expects us to give freely to others. It is merely a basic moral requirement that one gives, not that which is beyond the basic moral requirement. Jesus was not praising the widow, but affirming her actions, in contrast to those who have abundance.
Secondly, Luke 21:1-4 demonstrates that having little is not an excuse to not give freely to others. It is not an excuse at all whatsoever as all humans would be tempted to think and thus make an excuse. Giving is a matter of the heart, and not a matter of the possessions. It is absolutely irrelevant as to how much one has. This is why Jesus did not show sympathy for the widow for being poor, and almost penniless. He is no respecter of persons (Romans 2:11; Acts 10:34). Whether a person is rich or poor, powerful or powerless, respected by others or despised by others, God has absolutely no regard for such things regarding one's moral accountability before Him.
If Jesus was a respecter of persons, which He is not, He would have shown sympathy towards the widow who gave her two mites to the Temple, for being poor, treating her act of giving away her two mites as oppressive, unjust and unfair. Indeed, the spirit of being a respecter of persons by siding the poor is the spirit behind socialism, communism, the social "gospel" and the non-Christians religions which teach that generosity only to the poor is needed. The only reason why a person would think it is righteous to side the poor is because of their respect of persons.
Whether one has much or little, one is obliged in the eyes of God to give all one has out of selfless, agape love to anyone in need.
To give out of one's wealth is a vile, abominable sin of pride and arrogance. It is to give out of one's pride and arrogance itself, giving because one has more. This is precisely the spirit of many western charities which seek to help the Third World nations, including many professing Christian charities. They give not only out of a sense that one has more than others, but out of a sense that one is more "blessed" for being wealthy, as opposed to the poor who are "cursed" for having almost nothing.
Gifts given out of one's wealth, as opposed to one's selfless love, are gifts given out of unrighteousness. The good works of the unrighteous are filthy rags to the Lord (Isaiah 64:6). So, likewise, the gifts given out of one's wealth are filthy rags. They are abominations which are worthy only of being discarded and destroyed.
Comments
Post a Comment