The grace of giving

When God's old covenant people, the nation of Israel, were disobeying the law of Moses by failing to tithe, they were told through the prophet Malachi that they were in effect robbing God himself (Mal. 3:8-9).

Christians today must not feel bound by old covenant tithing regulations as they would then be living under law and not under grace, contrary to New Testament teaching. Nevertheless, there is an abiding spiritual principle in Malachi's prophecy which carries over from the old covenant into the new covenant era: it is possible for any of God's people living in any age to commit robbery by withholding from the Lord what is rightfully his.

We need to follow the way of grace. This means responding to Jesus' love for us, displayed in his sacrificial death, by applying to ourselves five principles which can be derived from Paul's teaching in 2 Corinthians 8-9:

1. Adopt the right attitude (2 Cor. 9:5-7). We should give generously and joyfully, not grudgingly.

2. Let your heart decide (2 Cor. 9:7). A heart that surrenders to God's grace in Christ resists greed and covetous desires.

3. Give in proportion to blessing received (2 Cor. 8:12, Acts 11:29, 1 Cor. 16:2). We give as the Lord prospers us.

4. Aim for Christian equality (2 Cor. 8:13-14). Our goal must be to enable every Christian to have enough in the situation assigned to him by God.

5. Follow the example of Christ (2 Cor. 8:9). Experience of the grace of Christ ought to result in the grace of giving on our part, thereby showing our love for him and for others.

You can listen to the full sermon here...