Philippians 4:14-19 - On Giving

At the end of Paul's letter to the Philippians he thanks them for the gift they sent for his relief in prison and has a few words to say about giving.

There is much bad teaching out there about giving and in this Bible study I tried to correct some of that. For example, you have probably heard it said that "the tithe belongs to the Lord," and you may have been taught to look at giving like a debt. This teaching is based upon a failure to understand what the tithe was and what it was for in the Old Testament. The tithe was the flat tax of the Old Covenant theocracy. We live under the New Covenant and we understand that it all belongs to God, everything we have and everything we are belongs to God. In the New Covenant we do not give by constraint, but willingly. Giving to gospel ministry is a part of living the gospel. Giving to gospel ministry is worship. Giving to the Lord's work is an investment in Christ's kingdom which pays dividends now (as the fruit of righteousness in our lives) and in the hereafter. We invest in the kingdom now because the kingdom is where our heart is.

Moreover, the Philippians gave generously at a time when they were blessed with the means to give. Later, when they were in poverty, they still gave generously. Look at Paul's words about them in 2 Corinthians 8:

We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. Accordingly, we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace. But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel in this act of grace also.

Giving is grace. It is an act of grace and it is done in response to God's grace. We are willing to give what we have because he gave his all for us. When we give we are imitating Christ.

You will find the audio to this bible study linked below. I hope you will take the time to listen to it and grow in your understanding so that you might excel in this act of grace also, as Paul says above.

Click here: Philippians 4:14-19 - On Giving

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