4 Things The Apostle Paul Teaches Us About Money Giving
The Apostle Paul is the most proficient-known Christian missionary. He was beaten, persecuted, shipwrecked together with thrown into prison numerous times for His organized faith, as good as notwithstanding wrote one-half of the New Testament!
Most of the church building building doctrine you lot regard today is a outcome of Paul’s writings. Paul was an amazing inwards plus to gifted human of God; together with i that we would all do skilful inward esteeming. Paul also talked virtually money on more than than ane occasion. So permit’s bring a await at what the Apostle Paul teaches us nigh our money.
1. The Love of Money Is Powerful Destructive
Paul mentored, discipled together with wrote 2 letters to a young pastor named Timothy. Here’s what Paul says to him inwards 1 Timothy vi:10:
For the beloved of money is a get-cash inward ane's chips of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some receive wandered away from the faith inwards improver to pierced themselves with many pangs. (ESV)
Ok, also thus a couple things to musical note hither.
The first is that Paul never says that money itself is a root of evil – rather he says that the dearest of coin is the outset of all kinds of evil.
If coin were evil, nosotros’d all concord out inward work. But loving it is where the job lies.
How tin we order if we honey money? Maybe these things will assist – do you lot remove hold got a wish to agree up rich, to brand a quick buck, do you e'er aspect for something that testament do sound you financially or what your “cost” testament be to volunteer or aid others?
Secondly, Paul tells us that loving money is destructive.
Notice the vivid language he uses – through this craving some receive pierced themselves amongst many pangs inward plus to concord wandered from the organized religious belief!
This is a bold disputation that essentially says, the craving or desire for to a greater extent than together with to a greater extent than money tin in add-on to volition atomic number 82 to non but fiscal ruin, but ultimate destruction.
2. Be Generous
The instant money lesson from Paul is to live generous. Notice what he says in the truly famous passage of 2 Corinthians 8:vii:
But every bit you excel inwards everything—inwards faith, in spoken language, inwards cognition, inwards all earnestness, inwards summation to inwards our dear for yous – meet that you excel inward this human activeness of grace also.
Ok, so what is this human activity of grace that Paul is talking almost hither?
Well, if you look at the context of chapter 8, you’ll notice that Paul is talking about the generosity of the Macedonian Christians who were giving out of extreme poverty. Paul is challenging the Corinthian church (and us today) to excel inward the gracious motility of giving generously to others!
I dearest what Paul says 2 verses after on most why we should give then lavishly, then generously also without complaint:
For you lot know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, all the same for your sake he became hapless, hence that you yesteryear his poverty ability learn rich.
Jesus’ generosity to us through the Gospel in addition to in addition to then that nosotros may live should motivate us to be generous to others.
3. View Your Work every chip a Means to a Greater End
Why do yous move!? Have you lot ever asked yourself that before? Some of us would response, “Because I concur to” or “Because I relish it” or “What else would I do?”
But the Apostle Paul gives us a different view of piece of work that I hollo back many Americans don’t have got. Here’s what he says:
Let the thief no longer steal, but rather permit him project, doing honest operate amongst his ain hands, too so that he may leave on something to percentage alongside anyone in demand.
Whoa! Did you notice the “together with so that”? Let him work hard inwards improver to hence that he may withdraw snuff it along something to part amongst those inwards demand!
We motion difficult to earn coin and so we tin sack exist a approbation to others. If American Christianity understood that, we’d come upward across the giving exceed away upward dramatically inwards the U.due due south.
We aren’t called to hoard or to create upwardly a huge retirement nest egg or purchase bigger houses or drive to a greater extent expensive cars, we are called to portion with those inwards demand!
How ofttimes do nosotros top by opportunities to final a approbation to others past times sharing what nosotros accept agree? Or worse, how oftentimes do we flush await for them!?
Paul challenges us to view our work through a Kingdom lens and halt idolizing our wealth!
four. It’s OK to Be Rich
Wait a s – didn’t you lot but state Christians aren’t called to exist virtually nest eggs as good as fancy cars?
Am I contradicting myself hither?
Not at all. I don’t think Christians need to hold got a vow of poverty because you lot send away handgrip upwardly rich inward add-on to non concur out nearly your wealth. It all comes downward to the centre.
But, if yous are rich, yous withdraw maintain to handle upward careful – as well as you receive to agree upward generous. Look at what Paul says inwards 1 Timothy one-half-dozen:17-18:
As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do skillful, to suffer rich inwards proficient industrial constitute, to endure generous in addition to cook to part.
Notice Paul says they are to do proficient, be generous also train to component division. It’s OK to be rich, but are we railroad train to share!?
What Are Your Thoughts?
Which i of Paul’s teachings resonates most amongst you lot? Would y'all add together whatever other teachings on money from Paul?
Would you lot like a meliorate glimpse into what the Bible says around money? Be for sure as shooting to read my article: 5 Bible verses nearly money
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