Giving your all to God - How do we give and how much should we give

Mark 12:41-44 "And He sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums. 42 A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent.43 Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; 44 for they all put in out of theirsurplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.”

Introduction:

In yesterday's post we considered the wider context of Mark 12 as a way to better understand the significance of the widow's giving of her final bit of money in Mark 12:41-44. Today's post is going to consider this account and what Jesus teaches us about giving and stewardship through her actions. Let's notice some observations:

1. God is interested with "how you give" as well as "how much you give". Mark 12:41

When I started studying this account of the widow's mite, the phrase that immediately leapt of the page was found in Mark 12:41 "And He sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums." Amidst the hustle and bustle of people dropping in their contributions, Jesus watched "how they gave". That made me realize that even if we are giving 10% or more of our gross income, could it be that we could still be giving in a sinful manner? If we are going through the motions without consideration as to why we are giving or for whose glory we are giving, will our heart be found pleasing to the Lord? How we give is as important was how much we give. Notice what 2 Corinthians 8:1-3 states about how Christians gave in the churches of Macedonia in the first century - "Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, 2 that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality.3 For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord." Paul emphasizes the manner of giving as being paramount in 2 Corinthians 9:7-8 "Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed." If we are to give as the Lord has commanded us to give in Biblical stewardship, we must begin with the heart. As the saying goes: "the heart of the matter is the heart". So where is your heart and my heart? When this widow approached the treasuries of the temple, we note no hesitation. Jesus had just mentioned the fact that there were those in charge of the treasuries who were so unscrupulous as to exploit such widows as the widow in Mark 12:41-44. Regardless of that fact, the widow gave with a willing heart dedicated to her Lord. How she gave was noted by the Lord Jesus in his teaching of the disciples. Hence if we are to give our all to God, we must first ask: how am I giving?

2. How much should I give? Mark 12:42-43
In Mark 12:42-43 we read - "A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent.43 Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury." Jesus' statement to his disciples regarding how the widow gave "more" is obviously not a statement about here quanity compared to the other people's quanity of giving. By man-made standards - it is clear that those giving that day must had given enormous sums. But we must remember that in the Bible's teaching of stewardship, we are urged to look at resources not through man's eyes but God's. God's commands in terms of "how much we ought to give" begins with a minimum amount in proportion to one's income. 

As we study the scriptures on the subject of giving, the standard of 10% or "the tithe" is evoked as the beginning point of giving. Whatever goes beyond the tithe is offering and to the degree that one gives to the point of seeming impoverishment to themselves is classified as "sacrifical giving". The Macedonian churches for example in the above cited passage of 2 Corinthians 8:1-3 gave "beyond their ability" - hence sacrifical giving. One could argue that in regards to Paul's statements in 2 Corinthians 9:8, what is being advocated are offerings that extend beyond the tithe. God's directions in terms of how much one ought to give is built on two principles: proportion and willingness.  

I think it is fair at this point to ask the question: is tithing or giving 10% of one's own gross (not net) income still for today? As you read through scripture, the particular word "tithe" or "tithing" occurs more than forty times. The last time we find it mentioned in the Old Testament is in Malachi 3:10 "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows." 

Now many well-meaning Christians assume that tithing was nothing more than an Old Testament regulation, given by God under the period of the Law. Often I have heard Christians say that since we are no longer under law but under grace, that means we can now give whatever we want, since tithing went away once Christ had died on the cross. People holding to this viewpoint may very well advocate the willingness aspect of stewardship, however they neglect the other principle of proportion in our giving.

So did Jesus' death, burial and resurrection do away with the standard of tithing? Whenever studying both the Old and New Testaments, unless God has either removed or replaced a given institution or command, we can assume that the command or institution carries forth from Old to New Testament.

For example, the Levitical priesthood was done away with when Christ came, since His priesthood is of a different order. (Hebrews 7-10) We also don't sacrifice animals due to the fact that Christ's subsitutionary death satisfied the wrath of God against the sins of those who receive His work by grace through faith. (1 Peter 3:18)

Now whenever we come to the New Testament, we discover not one prohibition against tithing. The standard of 10% was ordained by God some 400 or so years before the giving of the law. Abel, Abraham and Jacob were tithing millennia before Christ and centuries before the giving of the law. The law of God served to reinforce the standard, however when Christ came, the standard was never removed nor replaced.

In studying the over 100 passages that speak on the subject of stewardship and tithing, here is what we discover:

1. A person is free to give whatever they want (offering) only after they have been already tithing.

2. Tithing represents the most basic level of stewardship, the ground floor if you will. Whenever we begin to tithe is whenever we begin to hear God in the realm of giving.

3. Wherever the believer is told to give freely as to whatever amount He feels necessary to give, it can be assumed that the believer has already been tithing. (2 Corinthians 9:6-10)

Hence the principles for stewardship laid down by God in the Old Testament (willingness and proportion - i.e tithing) still remain in effect in the New Testament. If anything, for those who try to still argue against tithing, I would point out that if anything, the New Testament raises the standard. When we see this widow in Mark 12:41-44, she is giving her last. She did not pay her bills and give God the left-overs. In her extreme level of love and faith - she gave her all. 

I truly believe that based upon other accounts in scripture that speaks of God's care of widows (1 Kings 17 for example), I think one could argue that Jesus' commendation of her giving meant that she had the grace of God already operating in her life - and that she was going to not only make it, but be blessed far beyond what her fellow givers could even begin to imagine. 

More tomorrow......

The context of the widow giving her all to the Lord

Mark 12:41-44 "And He sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the people wereputting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums. 42 A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent.43 Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; 44 for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.”

Introduction:

Mark and Luke's Gospel record for us this touching scene of the widow giving her last bit of money to the Lord's ministry. The picture above represents the type of coin the widow had when she gave everything she had. In reading this short account, much can be gleaned from the widow's actions. For one thing, Jesus is prompted to suddenly look up and take note of this widow in the midst of throngs of people. Luke 21:1 records - "And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury." Undeniably, Jesus' actions connected with the stinging indictment he makes against the temple system taking advantage of widows in Luke 20:47. As Jesus is making His final public pleas to his audiences to consider His claims to Messiahship, this small widow's actions causes the reader to slow down and watch a true follower of the Lord in action. As we think about Mark 12:41-44 and it's place in the wider context of Mark 12, I would like the reader to consider this context so as to understand why the widow's mite account is vital to our understanding. 

How Mark 12 features key ingredients in defining Jesus' identity and mission

In Mark 12:1-12, Jesus tells a parable featuring a master sending servants to check on the status of his vineyard. After repeated refusals of the servants and the eventual killing of the final servants and even the master's son, the master pronounces swift judgment. The master of course is God the Father, the servants are his prophets, the tenants is Israel and the son in the parable is none other than Jesus Himself. 

Other sections in Mark 12 appear that lead up to the account of the widow's giving of her entire livlihood. Jesus actually speaks about "rendering to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's in 12:13-17. Already we see the theme of "giving" developing in Mark 12 - with the master "giving his son" in 12:1-12 and "giving" to God in 12:13-17. In Mark 12:18-27 we see Jesus counteracting the Sadducees denial of the resurrection. Such a rebuttal makes sense in light of the context, since Jesus is trying to prepare his readers for His impending death. Arguments for the reality of resurrection are necessary, since in a span of two weeks Jesus Himself will be rising from the dead. 

The famous question raised to Jesus in Mark 12:28-34 as to what constitutes the greatest commandment occurs in the middle of this grand chapter. As we think about what Jesus is doing in this chapter, it appears he is making the final transition from public ministry to what will be His impending death. We have already witnessed the theme of "giving" in Mark 12:1-12 and 12:13-17. God gave Jesus to come and die. In Mark 12:18-27 we see Jesus arguing at length for the reality of the resurrection. The motive behind the giving of the Son and Jesus' voluntary death and powerful resurrection is that of love. 

The same love of God that led to the Son's death and resurrection is the same love that defines what it means to live out the reality of the law of God. The only way we can love with God's love is when we have received by grace through faith the credited righteousness of Jesus Christ. Such powerful love is what enables us to love God and our neighbor. 

So the question is: Who is this God that we are to love? In Mark 12:35-37 we see Jesus demonstrating by way of a rhetorical question that He is the Eternally Divine Son - One with the Father - who came to take upon himself a true humanity, descended from King David. 

It is in contrast to this marvelous message of Jesus' mission and true identity that He then warns his listeners to be aware of the Pharisees in Mark 12:38-40. Sadly, the traditions of the Pharisees, which in some cases contained such rich teaching of God's Word, ended up adding man-made thinking to Divine truth - resulting in the spiritual blindness of teachers and students alike. When one reads the parallel of Jesus' denouncement of the Pharisees in Matthew 23:13-36, it is clear how spiritually blind the Pharisees and multitudes were. The oppressive system of the Temple System of Jesus' day resulted in many people being oppressed financially and having little to no ability to identify the very God of glory in human flesh.

Summarizing Mark 12 - Jesus' final plea for people to embrace His identity and mission by faith

Jesus spells out the mission for why He came in Mark 12:1-12. Just as God gave His Son, such a motivation of giving ought to be behind our stewardship, as spelled out in Mark 12:13-17. As Jesus continues on making reference to His mission, the argument for the resurrection is necessarily connected to His allusion to His impending death in Mark 12:1-12. It is at this point in Mark 12 that we see a transition from Jesus' mission to motives. We are to love God and our neighbor, and can only do so, when the love of God is coursing through our hearts. Passages such as Romans 5:8; 1 John 4:7 and 5:1-3 link our love to God's love. According to 1 John 4:19, such love explains why we are able to love in the manner described by Jesus. Then Jesus shifts to His Messianic identity in Mark 12:35-37, warning his listeners in Mark 12:38-40 to avoid those who could obscure it through human traditions. 

The one person in Mark 12 that evidenced genuine faith - the widow with the mite

Against the backdrop of Jesus' various teachings in Mark 12 and against the backdrop of the Pharisees he denounces, we find this small but clear portrait of the the widow giving of her final bit of money to the temple treasury. The term "mite" used in describing the widow's amount is an English rendering from a Latin Roman term meaning "minute". Despite a system that Jesus said would go in the extreme of exploting people such as her, this widow gave willingly. The widow gave her all - which is fitting - being that the object of her faith was sitting across from her in human flesh. Whether her eyes met his, the text does not say. Tomorrow we will consider in closer detail this account of the widow who gave her all to the Lord. 

A wonderful poem on how the Word of God is God's Anvil

Here is a wonderful poem someone gave me the other week. May you, dear reader, find it to be a blessing as you begin your new week:

"Last Eve I passed beside a blacksmith's door
And heard the anvil ring the vesper chime
Then looking in I saw upon the floor
Old hammers worn with beating years of time"

'How many anvils have you had,' said I
'To wear and batter all these hammers so?'
'Just one', said he, and then with twinkling eye,
'The anvil wears the hammers out, you know.'

"And so, thought I, the anvil of God's Word.
For ages skeptic blows have beat upon;
Yet, though the noise of falling blows was heard,
The anvil is unharmed - the hammers are gone."

Outlining Galatians 2 - Avoiding the Gospel's Two Thieves

Galatians 2:1-2 "Then after an interval of fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along also. 2 It was because of a revelation that I went up; and I submitted to them the gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but I did so in private to those who were of reputation, for fear that I might be running, or had run, in vain."

These past couple of days we have been featuring posts from Galatians 2. I have found this chapter in Galatians to be vital to understanding the typical battles that rage over the Gospel in our day and age. Today's post simply offers an outline of this chapter that may be used in communicating this chapter of God's Word.

Avoiding the Gospel's two thieves

Galatians 2

I. Demonstrating the true Gospel and exposing the Gospel's two thieves. Galatians 2:1-10

a. Exposing the thief of legalism 2:1-9

b. Exposing the thief of lawlessness. 2:10

II. Defending the true Gospel against the thief of legalism.

Galatians 2:11-14

III. Defining the True Gospel that saves - Justification by faith alone. Galatians 2:15-21

The premise behind this chapter in Galatians is to assert the true Gospel of Justification by faith alone. By understanding the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, we will then see the two other thieves - legalism and lawlessness. Legalism or works righteousness tries to earn favor with God through some type of mixture of behavior with faith or prescribed ritual. The second thief, lawlessness, suggests that one can make a profession of faith and live anyway they want. Legalism and lawlessness are the two thieves that steal and leave no hope of salvation. 

The latter of these two perversions is dispensed with quickly by Paul in an indirect way in Galatians 2:10, since the first perversion - works righteousness, is the more subtle and dangerous of the two. The only way to combat and avoid the two thieves of the Gospel is to receive the Gospel by faith, know the true Gospel, live the Gospel and know the Jesus of the Gospel (hence Galatians 2:20-21). 

Avoid the two thieves of the Gospel - Galatians 2

Galatians 2:16 "nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified."

Introduction:

Preachers of old have described the Gospel's relationship to two perversions of it in the imagery of Jesus' dying on the cross between two thieves (see Mark 15:27). The Gospel of course deals with how sinful man is reconciled and made right with Holy God of Eternity. The way the Gospel prescribes for this to occur is by grace alone (Ephesians 2:8) through faith alone (Ephesians 2:9; Romans 10:9-10) in Christ alone (Acts 4:12; John 14:6). 

When we consider the two thieves on either side of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we are talking about the two extremes in which sinful man conceives of salvation. The first thief is that of license or lawlessness. Paul expresses the absurdity of this first thief in Romans 6:1-2 "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?" There are some today who will teach that as long as someone says some type of prayer to Jesus, it doesn't matter how one lives after such a so-called profession of faith. Afterall, it is God's job to forgive. Such a thief mocks the true Gospel like the first thief did Jesus. The Gospel of lawlessness is no Gospel, but a perversion of it. Whenever Paul is recounting his preaching of the true Gospel in Galatians 2:9-10, he reminds his readers of the importance of good-works following after saving faith - "And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.10 They only asked us to remember the poor—the very thing I also was eager to do." The same James of whom Paul speaks in this verse warned of the first thief of a faith that has no works following in James 2:14-16  "What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food,16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for theirbody, what use is that?" So Paul laid to rest the charge that he was promoting some sort of salvation that required no change following saving faith. 

The second thief on the other side of the Gospel is perhaps even more subtle and more dangerous than the first. It is the so-called Gospel of law or legalism that attempts to preach salvation by works. This thief is the more seductive, more cunning of the two, since it is dressed in the garments of religion and ritual. Whenever Paul was writing Galatians 2, he was dealing with this second thief of the Gospel. A group of Jews called the "Judiaizers" were attempting to convince Paul's readers that in order to be justified or made right with God, one had to be circumcised. This particularly heresy of works righteousness proved to be so seductive that otherwise strong preachers of the true Gospel like Peter and Barnabas were beginning to compomise (see Galatians 2:13).

In our own day and age, this second thief of the Gospel, works righteousness, attempts to snake its way into our pulpits and churches. Secretly mankind, even after salvation, finds the seductive power of the so-called gospel of works righteousness appealing. Whether we add faith plus baptism or faith plus some type of ritual to the mix, the result is still the same - no salvation. Paul plainly asserts in Galatians 2:16 "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." As you read on down through Paul's main point regarding the true Gospel of the cross, he states in Galatians 2:17-21 "But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. 18 For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. 19 For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. 20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain."

We as Christians must avoid these two thieves of the Gospel. Their efforts attempt to work their way into our hearts, our doctrine and our pulpits. Only the true Gospel of the cross: salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone can save. We are saved by grace through faith apart from works in order to live a faith that works. We are saved by grace through faith alone and are as Christians being saved by grace through faith that is never to be alone apart from works. The Apostle John states concerning our Lord Jesus Christ in John 1:14 that He alone was "full of grace and truth" and that in John 1:18 that "grace and truth are realized" in Jesus Christ. The two thieves attempt to emphasize one or the other, hence stealing away the Gospel. May we avoid the two thieves of the Gospel: lawlessness and works rightousness or legalism.  We must embrace the only Gospel that saves from the wrath to come - salvation by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone.  

God's Divine "T"-square of Justification by faith alone in Christ alone

Galatians 2:16  "nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified."

Introduction:

When I would aid my father in various building projects around the home, he would often carry with him a straight edge "T" square. The device looked like a ruler connected to a cross piece running perpendicular to the ruler. Whenever my father needed to cut boards, he would grab his "T" square and mark off a perfectly straight line. I recall in one project, all of the boards that he had ordered were slightly crooked. In order to make them usable, my dad had to take the "T" square and draw a straight-line down the entire length of each board and then saw-off the material that didn't belong. My dad did all of this to make the boards "justified" or "right" with the purposes of his project and with the standard of his "T" square. 

The bad-news: We are all born crooked or "unjustified"

Every person born into this world, including you and me, arrived just like the boards above in the illustration - crooked and unusable. Romans 3:10-11 states - "as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one; 11 There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God". To extend the comparison, we are not only crooked, but rotton to the core, full of knots and ridden with bugs. Romans 3:12 reminds us:  "All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one.” In Philippians 2:15 Paul writes regarding unbelieving humanity - "so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world." The boards of human nature need to be justified or made right in God's sight for people to be deemed acceptable in His sight. The principle set forth by Solomon in Ecclesisates 1:14-15 is pretty bleak - "I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and striving after wind. 15 What iscrooked cannot be straightened and what is lacking cannot be counted."

At issue is the fact that man by himself cannot make himself morally and spiritually right before God. Mankind has been affected by the fall of sin through and through. The question is raised in Job 25:4 “How then can a man be just with God?
Or how can he be clean who is born of woman?" 

The only One who can justify or make you right with God is Jesus Christ alone

When it comes to God's standards of what is right and wrong, such standards are located within His own being. In effect, God is His own "T" square. When Jesus the Son came to this world, He being very God in terms of His Divine essence took upon himself a very true and real sinless humanity. As God-incarnate, Jesus Christ walked as the Living standard of what constituted "rightness" (see 1 Corinthians 1:30). Romans 3:23-24 states - "even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus." 

The only necessary and sufficient means to receive Jesus Christ's righteousness is by faith alone

When Paul writes in Galatians 2 about the battle he was waging over how a person is made right with God, his message was emphatic: justification (being made right with God) has one basis: Jesus Christ's life and finished work. Additionally, justification has one means of reception: faith alone. Galatians 2:16 "nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified." Romans 3:22-24 states in even more vivid detail - "even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus." Hence the Divine-human "T" square of living righteousness, Jesus Christ, is the only way in which our other-wise crooked and unacceptable humanity can be made acceptable. By faith alone can the Divinely-drawn straight line of Christ's life and finished work be received, credited and applied. 

Faith knows, even though it may not fully understand - a short study on Job's faith

Job 13:15 “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him. Nevertheless I will argue my ways before Him."

God was developing in Job a stronger reliance upon the words of God and prayer. Undoubtedly Job was recognizing he did not understand some of the ways of God as much as he thought He did. Nevertheless, in the midst of Job's grief and pain we find two statements in Job 23:10 and 12. In Job 23:10 Job states - "But He knows the way that I take, when He has tried me I shall come forth as gold." Then we see a second statement in Job 23:12 - "I have not departed from the command of His lips, I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food." The contents of these two verses represent what Job knew at that moment and time in his life. 

What was it that Job knew? Everything else: his family, his health, his possessions, his comfort and his friends were like shifting sand in the storm of his suffering. Job was learning to fear God. Job was learning to trust in God whom He did not completely understand. 

Faith that is true faith knows that it knows God, even though it may not fully comprehend about God. When I was a child, I would watch my dad construct different projects out of wood. In my little young mind, I did not understand the purpose of the particular projects nor was I able to grasp their intended end. Yet, I knew the character of my dad. I knew that whatever he was making (whether it be a chair, a window or a shelf), he was doing the work to the ultimate benefit of another. A lot of times I would gather the left over pieces of wood on the ground or make little roads in the saw dust around his tools. To me, the comfort I had in those memories derived from the fact that though I did not always understand as a childf all the work he did, I knew my dad, loved my dad and knew that he felt the same about me. God's grace frames faith, which in turn points us to Jesus Christ. Let us persevere in the grace of God by faith, since in these trying times, God aims to bring His people forth as gold for His glory.