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TOPIC 4: THE LAW OF CHRIST
The 1000 Commandments of Christ in the New Testament
F - Commandments of Christ related to our Duties towards God (WORSHIP)
5. OFFERINGS, DONATIONS AND REGULAR GIFTS
Matthew 6:1-4 -- 1 Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2 Therefore,
when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
3 But
when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.
Matthew 6:19-21, 24 -- 19 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal;
20 but
lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. …
24 No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.
You cannot serve God and mammon.
Matthew 22:16-21 -- 16 And they sent to Him
their disciples with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men.
17 Tell us, therefore, what do You think?
Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"
18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, "Why do you test Me,
you hypocrites?
19 Show Me the tax money." So they brought Him a denarius.
20 And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?"
21 They said to Him, "Caesar's." And He said to them, "
Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."
Matthew 23:23 -- Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For
you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law:
justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.
Luke 19:5-10 -- 5 And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, "
Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house."
6 So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully.
7 But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, "He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner."
8 Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord,
I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold."
9 And Jesus said to him, "
Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham;
10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."
Luke 21:1-4 -- 1 And He looked up and
saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury,
2 and He saw also
a certain poor widow putting in two mites.
3 So He said, "Truly I say to you that
this poor widow has put in more than all;
4 for all
these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but
she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had."
John 12:1-8 -- 1 Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead.
2 There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him.
3 Then
Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. 4 Then one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray Him, said,
5 Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?"
6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.
7 But Jesus said, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial.
8 For
the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always."
Luke 16:19-26 -- 19 There was
a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day.
20 But there was
a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate,
21 desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover
the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 So it was that
the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom.
The rich man also died and was buried.
23 And
being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and
saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 Then he cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for
I am tormented in this flame.'
25 But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that
in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise
Lazarus evil things; but
now he is comforted and
you are tormented.
26 And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.'
Luke 6:24-26 -- 24 But
woe to you who are rich}, for you have received your consolation. 25 {Woe to you who are full}, for you shall hunger. {Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.
26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets.
Luke 6:33-38 -- 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. 35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. 36 Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. 37 Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.
Summary
Religions need enough funds for covering the needs of worship and charities. The Law of Moses orders that a tithe of the annual produce of land or labor shall be paid as a religious tax for the support of the temple and religious schools, also for charitable purposes.
Muslims, on the other hand, must pay five percent of their net profits for their places of worship, also as an aid for the poor.
However, Jesus did not require any tax or charge to be paid by his church, nor did he appoint any certain contribution, but he himself exemplified before his followers the meaning of free service and complete sacrifice. He did not pay only one tenth or twenty percent of the income or profit, but he gave himself entirely as an atoning sacrifice.
Jesus knows that his followers all have a new heart, and a new spirit, and that they are prompted by mercy and kindness to free voluntary services. Jesus did not bring any new law of self-justification, but he trusted that his and his Father’s Spirit delivers them from their self-insurance, and opens their eyes to necessary missionary, social, and worshiping services. The question of riches, poverty, and contributions in disasters and hardships is a central matter in churches. It demands the spirit of sacrifice and immediate sufficient gifts.
As a welfare society, we make a mistake if we consider the blessing conferred on our hardworking grandfathers as our acquired right, and if we complain when the annual total income of our country grew less quickly than expected, or even showed a decrease. The people of rich countries, in spite of the small pensions for retired people there, are fifty times richer than one third of the rest of humanity who live in extreme poverty. The people of such poor countries earn less than one dollar per day as a per capita gross national product. Consequently, one third of all humans hunger and fast forcibly, much more than we know. Therefore, Christians in rich countries must change their mind, and sacrifice prudently and effectually. The spirit of Christ gives a new mind and preparedness for constant sacrificing at all times. How astonishing! The active churches, in which the Spirit of the Lord dwells, sacrifice and contribute more than the others. However, where the spirit of inactivity prevails, there you find (spiritual) death in the pot. (2 Kings 4:40)