Before you begin your
Bible study, as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, be sure you have named
your sins privately to God the Father.
If
we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness. [Known, Unknown and Forgotten sins] (1Jn
1:9)
You will then be in fellowship with
God, Filled with God the Holy Spirit and ready to learn Truth from the Word of
God.
God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit
and Truth.
(Joh 4:24)
GIVING
Giving is an important function of the
MATURE Spiritual life.
You may have given little consideration to this subject, but it is much more
than simply giving money. Giving is related to so many other Biblical
Doctrines, that two chapters in Second Corinthians are necessary to adequately
cover its relationship to the Spiritual life. Giving, as a specialized function
of the royal priesthood of the believer, depends basically on the utilization
of the “grace apparatus for perception” (Operation Z); and on the construction
of the “edification complex” in the soul. (The
completed Divine Nature in us; 2Pe 1:4)
http://thinkingtruth.wordpress.com/2008/02/05/top-and-bottom-circles/
Giving includes your mental attitude, your
free will, the condition of your soul, the giving of yourself, and of your
capacity to give of ALL your possessions. (Mat 19:21; Luk 14:33)
The function of giving has been attacked in the local church, religion
and in the secular world. Many people give because they think that God is a
“genie” who will give them what they want because they “ante in” a certain
amount in the collection plate. Many people give to assuage a guilt complex.
They have become financially successful, perhaps by some unethical business
practices. Giving some portion of this money to charity and the underprivileged
eases the conscience! There is a very fine line between
true Biblical giving, and giving with false
motivation. (Act 5:1-11)
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CHURCH AGE
In order to appreciate the full scope of giving and to relate our topic
to the other functions of the Spiritual life, certain underlying technical
Principles must be understood. To begin, we will review briefly several
characteristics which are unique to the Church Age —
the dispensation in which we live.
First, at Salvation the baptism of the Holy Spirit identifies us with
Christ and enters us into union with Him. This positional sanctification is in
two categories: (1) Retroactive positional Truth; (Identification with Christ
in His Spiritual death, physical death and burial) expresses rejection of, and
separation from the power and authority of the old sin nature as the sovereign
of human life. (2) Current positional Truth; (Identification with Christ in His
resurrection, ascension and session) indicates our royalty and permanent
relationship with the Lord as members of the Body of Christ. (Rom 6:3-11; 1Co
12:13; Col 2:12)
Second, in the Church Age the Holy Spirit indwells the body of every
believer as a temple, (1Co 6:19-20) and
as the Principle of victory over the old sin nature. (Gal 5:16-18) Certain Old Testament believers
were temporarily empowered by God the Holy Spirit for specific purposes. But
the Spirit, who guides the believer and glorifies Jesus Christ, (Joh 14:26; Joh
16:13-14) never permanently resided in any believer prior to
Pentecost because Christ’s glorification at the right hand of the Father had
not yet occurred. (Joh 7:39) Third,
whereas in the Age of the Jews Jesus Christ indwelled the Tabernacle and later
the Temple, in the present dispensation our Lord indwells the body of every
believer. (Joh 14:20; Gal 2:20) This is a sign of our royalty and is
the basis for fellowship with Christ.
Fourth, for the first time in history, the believer’s instructions do
not come through dreams, visions, or angelic teaching, but
through the completed canon of Scripture. Everything
God wants us to know is in Writing. (1Co
2:16) Fifth, every believer is in
full-time Christian service. We are all God’s personal representatives — priests and
ambassadors, whatever our occupation in life may be. (2Co 5:20)
Sixth, the Church Age believer does not live
under the Mosaic Law, but under the New Covenant, which abolishes and
supersedes the Law. (Rom 8:2-4) We have clearly defined the grace way of life which demands
a supernatural means of execution: the filling of God the Holy Spirit; (Eph 5:18) plus,
maximum Truth resident in the soul. (2Ti
3:16-17)
Last in our review, and especially pertinent to our subject, is the
universal priesthood of the believer. In the Church
Age, every believer is a royal priest; (1Pe
2:5-9) whose objective is to grow to
Spiritual maturity. (Mat 5:48; Eph 3:17-21; Eph
4:11-16) As one of the sacrifices or
priestly functions of the royal priesthood, (1Ti
6:17-19; Heb 13:15-16) doing Divine good — Virtue, is the privilege of Spiritual believers only; unbelievers are excluded; because they do not have a living
human spirit! (Jas 2:26) Carnal believers are excluded; because they are not using the
power of God's Spiritual life! (Rom 8:7-8)
While worship is primarily the function of being in
fellowship and learning Truth as taught by the pastor-teacher, (Joh 15:7) it also includes
praying, offering ourselves to God, singing, praise, giving-thanks, sharing,
and observing the Lord’s Table — giving is also among its authorized expressions.
FOUR BASIC PRINCIPLES OF GIVING
(1) The Old Testament Principle of Giving: Some people think that the
basis for giving in the Old Testament was tithing. It
was not! Giving then was grace giving, just as it is in the New
Testament. The Principle for giving in the Old Testament is found in, (Pro 11:24-25).
“There
is one who scatters, [Gives
generously] and yet increases all the more;
[Spiritually and materially] and there is one that withholds what is justly due, [Truth, time, energy, effort, and money] but he results in want!” [Spiritual poverty, and no capacity for anything in life;
including money] “The generous man will be prosperous, [Spiritually
and materially] and he who waters [Gives to God ALL OF OUR
THOUGHTS; Psa 32:2; Psa 51:6; Psa 51:10; Luk 14:33) and to others: Truth,
time, energy, effort, and money] will himself be watered.” [Receive
from God: Truth, time, energy, effort, and money] We do not
save for the future; we give and spend for the future! (1Ti 6:17-19)
“As
it is Written, HE SCATTERED ABROAD, HE GAVE TO THE POOR, HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS
ENDURES FOREVER.” (2Co 9:9) Quoted form, (Psa 112:9). Please read the whole Psalm. (Psa 112:1-10)
THIS IS A SUPERNATURAL
LIFE; AND THIS LIFE, DEMANDS A SUPERNATURAL MEANS TO EXECUTE IT! (GOD; GOD'S THOUGHTS; AND
GOD'S POWER; ONLY!)
The Old Testament believers were Commanded
to bring burnt offerings, tithes, sacrifices, votive offerings, freewill
offerings, the firstborn of the herd and of the flock. (Deut
12:6) Tithing was taxation; the different
offerings were grace giving; to teach Salvation and the Thinking of the
Spiritual life.
(2) The New Testament Principle of Giving. This Principle is found in, (2Co 9:7). The believer today gives “...as he
purposed in his heart not grudgingly, or of necessity, for God loves a cheerful
giver.” [A Spiritually mature believer; who shares God's HAPPINESS; 2Co 6:10; 2Co 8:2; 2Co 8:9; Jas 2:5; Heb 12:2)
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 [Divine] good deed!
(2Co
9:8) cf. (Mat 13:12; Mat 25:29)
(3) Tithing. The word “tithe”
means “ten percent.” Old Testament
tithing was a form of taxation and was imposed upon Jewish believers and unbelievers
alike. This amounted to a percentage of what one owned or received for his
labors. There were several tithes. One was an income tax for the maintenance of
the Levites. (Num 18:21-24) There was
also a tax for the national feasts and sacrifices, mentioned in, (Deut 14:22-25). Thirdly, there was a tax every
third year used for the poor of the land. (Deut
14:28-29) THREE TAXES or THREE TITHES!
The fact that tithing has nothing to do with giving can be seen from the
Hebrew of, (Mal 3:8-10). Tithes were
brought into the treasury (Literally) — not the “storehouse,” and NOT the
church! Tithing was taxation; giving was OVER AND ABOVE TITHING!
(4) The Time and Norm for Giving and Receiving for the Needy Saints. In, (1Co 16:1-2) we find the time for giving to be
the first day of the week at assembly worship. The norm: “As God has prospered!”
A GRACE GIFT FROM MACEDONIA
Chapters 8 and 9 of Second Corinthians give us fifteen Principles of
giving.
(2Co
7:14-16) states that Paul had confidence in the Corinthian believers
that they would continue to respond to Truth. But the first word of the Greek
text in, (2Co 8:1) indicates a change
in subject to show that Paul did NOT have confidence in the Corinthians’
ability to give as unto the Lord. Therefore, he proceeded to set forth the
fifteen Principles in order to teach the Doctrine of giving. This is the most
extensive passage in Scripture on giving and one which, when understood
properly, will provide answers to all questions on the subject.
One of the reasons for Paul’s lack of confidence in Corinthian giving,
is that they were very rich, and too often the very rich are the least informed
on the true Biblical Concepts and Principles in giving as unto the Lord. Paul
began his dissertation on giving by establishing an example for the Corinthians
— the fantastic giving of the poor, impoverished and persecuted Macedonians.
Now, brethren, we wish to make known to
you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia. (2Co
8:1)
According to the historian Livy, the Romans at this time had devastated
all of Macedonia. Yet, despite their poverty and
great affliction at the hands of the Romans, the Macedonians gave generously to
the needy saints at Jerusalem and had set an example from which the Corinthians
could well profit. The starving saints in Jerusalem needed assistance in
order to survive, and this letter from Paul concerns a collection to relieve
the pressure of the Jerusalem believers.
Since there was a traditional racial prejudice between the Jews and the
Gentiles; Paul had to dispel the natural antagonism existing between the two
peoples. Thus he related the Macedonian example for the Corinthians. The Macedonians gave first of themselves; they had the
right mental attitude for giving; they were in fellowship. They had no mental
attitude sins connected with their giving. They gave from their great love for
the Lord so that the destitute Jews in Jerusalem might survive. The Macedonians gave more than anyone else to this
collection, and they were broke!
This proves a point: grace can squeeze blood out of a turnip! Of course,
grace put the blood into the turnip first. God so
provided for the impoverished Macedonians that they had an abundance to give to
the persecuted believers in Jerusalem. That is GRACE LIVING! The Macedonians did not earn it; they did not deserve it;
they did not work for it. But they possessed grace orientation, and that is the
dynamics of giving! Only through grace
orientation can you give as unto the Lord!
The collection taken up among the Macedonians was so fantastic that Paul
referred to it in, (Act 24:17; Rom 15:25-28; 1Co
16:1-4). While the Macedonians, though in deep poverty, had given
liberally and in the proper mental attitude of grace, the Corinthians, who were
rich, were dragging their feet. An offering had been started among them but had
never been finished. This epistle was designed to stimulate the Corinthians to
begin the collection again, but only on the basis of correct Biblical
Principles. Therefore, Paul devotes two chapters to the relationship of the
grace of God and the Principle of giving in grace.
THE ONLY WAY TO GIVE
Paul sets forth the first Principle
of giving:
That in a great
ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed
in the wealth of their liberality. For I testify that according to their
ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord. (2Co
8:2)
The Macedonians gave under “much testing and superabundance of
happiness,” in grace!
The key to the Macedonians’ giving, (Which is a reflection of
the Virtue of God — Spiritual life — the new nature) was their Grace orientation. The believer who gives in grace has great happiness, which
is based on Truth stored in his human spirit and in his right lobe. “Their joy” is
their superabundance of happiness derived from Spiritual maturity.
Happiness is built ONLY upon Truth, (Jer
15:16; Joh 13:17; 1Jn 1:4) for Truth from the Word of God gives
you the capacity for happiness. (Joh 17:13-19)
Apart from Truth, the materialistic things and people
which make you happy today will bore you and or make you miserable tomorrow!
(Heb 13:5-6) Unless you have Spiritual
capacity, even your spouse cannot bring you the maximum happiness that God
intended you to have in that relationship.
The Macedonians were under great pressure; yet they had great happiness.
They had grace happiness, and they gave from that
grace happiness.
The significance of true giving is a MENTAL
ATTITUDE rather than the amount donated. True giving is based on Grace
Orientation. It is “giving of yourself”! When you
give in grace, you still have grace!
A grace mental attitude is a generous
mental attitude. (1Ti 6:18)
The Macedonians gave out
of their poverty! They were happy, even though they were broke! They
gave on the basis of their superabundance of happiness and a grace mental
attitude. The first Principle of giving, therefore, deals with a mental
attitude of Grace Orientation.
FREEWILL GIVING
For I testify that according to their
ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord. (2Co
8:3)
Grace giving is the function of the
believer’s own free will and is never the result of human coercion or
legalistic pressure. (Ritual
without Reality) Furthermore, grace giving eliminates emotional activity as a
basis for giving or as a means of coercion. In other words, grace giving
prevents any such gimmicks as point systems, competition between believers,
approbation lust, or bribing God. (Deut
10:17) Grace giving is non-meritorious
giving! The only true motive in giving is from Thinking with God's Thoughts. (Joh 13:17; Php 4:9; 1Ti 4:15-16; 2Ti 2:2; 2Pe 1:10)
The royal priesthood of the individual believer
must operate from free will and privacy. These are the basic ingredients
of freedom under the Principles of Divine establishment. Giving should be accomplished in privacy as unto the Lord
and as a commemoration of God the Father’s grace.
In this Verse Paul is again “testifying” or bearing witness to the fact
that the Macedonians had the right mental attitude
— God's Thinking, in giving; they were
grace-oriented. Their mental attitude was the basis of their phenomenal,
sacrificial giving to the church in Jerusalem. (They
Thought with God's Reality; 2Co 4:18; 2Co 5:7) In spite of their poverty and
persecution, the Macedonians had made a spontaneous and positive decision to
aid the believers in Jerusalem. This gift was the
result of their God-given free will and their superabundance of happiness. No
pressure! No coercion! No desire for return! That is Grace Orientation!
A GRACE PRIVILEGE
Begging us with much urging for the favor
of participation in the support of the saints. (2Co
8:4)
Giving is a privilege associated with grace. The word “favor” refers to grace and is one of
the key words in this third Principle of giving. Christians operating under
grace have the privilege of giving under the true grace concept. Legalists and or carnal believers can never understand this
Principle and Concept of giving as declared in God’s Word. Hence, legalists can
never give with the proper motivation because their giving is based upon human
merit, emotions, human good, point systems, or hope of return and or reward.
This “ministry” of giving — is a privilege and function of the royal
priesthood — and is derived from two Greek nouns in this passage: CHARIS,
meaning “grace,” and DIAKONIA, from
which we get the word “deacon.” The
primary meaning of DIAKONIA is in connection with the administrative function
of the local church; but here it refers to the priestly function of giving. Giving to the Lord is a privilege of Spiritual believers
only!
Giving is a result of
being in fellowship;
not a means to get there!
A SOUL ACTIVITY
And this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God. (2Co
8:5)
Although the Macedonian believers were destitute, they far exceeded
Paul’s expectation in the matter of the offering.
Why? Because they gave of themselves to the Lord, from their own grace mental
attitude. (Luk
14:33) “First” emphasizes the person rather
than the gift. When a person simply gives his money, he is doing what any
unbeliever can do. Because they are under Spiritual
death, unbelievers cannot give of themselves to the Lord; they cannot give from
their human spirit in the soul. (Jas 2:26)
The Macedonians gave of themselves — their spirit and soul! That soul and spirit activity actually
extends to the overt activity of giving. But
the money or the amount is not important; it is the condition of the soul that
counts.
Truth in the right lobe of the soul is the basis for all true giving —
the true motivation for giving. Giving on the basis of Truth in the soul is
giving without mental attitude sins, such as approbation lust or human good
motivation or emotion.
You are familiar with the sad story told by a missionary about the
dramatic conversion of the chief; then while everyone is weeping and emotional,
the offering plate is immediately passed. This
is giving under pressure; this is emotional giving. Such giving cannot count
for the Lord. Often one pastor will say to another, “We need a great offering,
brother... Do you know any inspiring stories you can tell?” When you give under emotional pressure, it is not giving at
all! TRUTH AND GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT MUST BE THE
ONLY MOTIVATOR FOR GIVING. (Joh 4:23-24)
Giving must be accomplished as unto the Lord; an illustration is the
true sexual relationship between a man and a woman designed for each other by
God. In human love there must first be soul relationship — one man and one
woman — then lovemaking, within the framework of Divine Institution #2 —
Marriage. Lovemaking without soul relationship is animalistic. (RITUAL WITHOUT REALITY) Money, in this analogy, is
equivalent to lovemaking. There must be a Spiritual
life before the giving of money can be Divine good. That is why the
Macedonians were magnificent; they had a soul relationship with the Lord, so
their giving was Divine good. (RITUAL WITH REALITY)
The Corinthians, on the other hand, indulged in CARNALITY
and gave money; without SPIRITUALLY. That is
the reason this Epistle was written to them.
Now eight points concerning this
fourth Principle of giving:
(1) While giving is a part of the design, the plan and the purpose of
God, there is a definite sequence in giving.
(2) Giving is a commemoration of grace. Christ
gave Himself on the Cross, but His Spiritual Divine nature was involved.
(2Pe 1:4) Therefore,
He gave of Himself - His Spiritual life and His body soul and spirit — EVERYTHING!
Our Lord shows the maximum example, of
positive volition:
In His mind — Spiritual life, soul, spirit, and body: In the mentality (Thinking) of His humanity, by experiential death, to His will, desire and self-preservation. (Luk 12:50; Luk
22:44; Mat 26:38; Mat 26:53-54) In His spirit: He also
died Spiritually on
the cross when His soul was judged for our sins. (Isa
53:10-11; Mat 27:46; Mar 15:34; Luk
23:44; 2Co 5:21) In His body: He also was tortured, rejected, betrayed, and died physically. (Isa
53:3-9; Mar 15:15-20; Joh 18:2; Joh
19:33-34) We have nothing to complain about!
(Heb
12:3-4)
Blood, (Heb
9:18 ; Heb 10:29; Heb 12:24; Heb 13:20) sweat, (Luk 22:44) and tears, (Heb 5:7) and not a bone was broken, (Num 9:12; Joh 19:36) in the Old Testament the
lamb was symbolically judged for sins, (Exod 29:15) but literally bled to death! (Exod 29:16) Christ was literally judged for our sins, (Rom 8:3) but did not bleed to
death! (Joh 19:30) All in a days’ work! This is Amazing Grace! So the blood of Christ,
in the New Testament represents: Spiritual death, Judgment, Salvation,
Propitiation, Sanctification, Atonement, Justification Redemption, or all the
above depending on the context. (Rev 1:5; 1Pe 1:2; Heb 13:12) Etc.
HE GAVE EVERYTHING! (2Co 8:9)
God gives in grace because of His nature;
because of Who and What He is! And we must give ALL THINGS the same way; based on God's nature — the Spiritual life — created in us! (2Pe 1:4)
(3) In recognition of and orientation to God’s grace, the believer must
give on the basis of the Divine nature from Truth in his right lobe.
(4) Giving of self is the capacity for Virtue-love and the capacity for
grace based on Truth.
(5) Giving is both an extension and a manifestation of what is in the
soul.
(6) Giving originates in the soul. First
there is soul activity, then the overt act of
giving.
(7) Giving reflects grace and Virtue-love in the soul. Giving in grace
does not make an issue of the amount of the gift.
(8) Giving from an emotional revolt of the soul reduces it to a bribe
for love or good behavior and results in such phrases as, “After all I’ve done for you!” That is giving with strings.
There is no place in the function of the royal priesthood for this type of
giving.
RECIPROCITY
The Macedonians were gentiles, but they “decided with pleasure,” to give, (Rom
15:27) to Jews who lived in a distant city, most of whom they would
never meet. Why were these northern Greeks so generous to almost total
strangers? Their generosity expressed IMPERSONAL
LOVE. Impersonal love emphasizes the
Spiritual maturity of the giver, not that of
the recipient, whereas human personal love for
people focuses on the attractiveness and virtues of the object of love.
(And the person can and will change; Jer 17:5) Impersonal love is Commanded toward all believers! (Joh 13:35) Personal
love is reserved for GOD; (Who will NEVER CHANGE; Mal 3:6; Heb 13:8) not for people with old sin natures — (Mat 10:34-39) Many Jewish believers in Jerusalem
were reversionists and legalists; soon they would convince even Paul to forget
the New Covenant of GRACE. (Rom 6:14)
cf. (Act 21:18-26) (The Law is for the flesh; to show the old sin nature can
never be HOLY! Grace is for the spirit, and
the New Covenant Spiritual life. 1Co
6:16-17; Gal 5:22-23) They
certainly were not deserving of generosity! But the Macedonians fulfilled the
Command to Impersonal love, and further, they recognized the Principle of
RECIPROCITY. The Jews were the original custodians of the Word of God; God had
selected Jewish prophets to receive and write the Scriptures; the greatest
communicators of Truth were Jews; Christ Himself was a Jew. The Macedonians
acknowledged their great debt to this unique people, in spite of the
reversionism and evil then rampant in Jerusalem. (Rom
15:27-28) The gentiles had benefited from
the Jews through Truth; now these Greeks,
from the Truth in their souls, wanted to reciprocate by sharing their money
with destitute Jewish believers.
MACEDONIA VERSUS CORINTH
We now leave the Macedonians and go to the Corinthians. The Corinthians
were not broke, but they had much to learn about giving.
So we urged Titus that as he had
previously made a beginning, so he would also complete
in you this gracious work as well. (2Co 8:6)
The Macedonian giving fulfilled every
Principle of grace, every Principle of Truth. (2Co 8:9) It was done on the basis of the Filling of the Spirit, on
the basis of Truth in the right lobe, and on the basis of Virtue-love capacity.
It fulfilled every true concept of giving. The word “favor” or “grace” indicates
that giving must always be on the basis of grace, as in, (2Co 8:4) — without
strings or gimmicks!
Paul sees no reason why the Corinthians cannot give on exactly the same
basis. They had failed in their giving when Timothy went to Corinth. The
Corinthians were too tough for him. Timothy had too much “sweetness and light,”
and he flopped. They drove him right out of town. So Paul sent his
troubleshooter — Titus. Titus was hard and tough, and the Corinthians fell
right into line. They had recovered from their failure described in the first
Epistle, and now it was necessary for them to demonstrate their grace
orientation.
With the Spiritual advance under Titus, the Corinthians began an
offering for the Jews in Jerusalem. But when Titus departed, the offering was
discontinued, and the Corinthians fell into reversionism. Now Titus is
returning, and the offering can be continued on the same Spiritual basis as
before. To make sure the Corinthians do not have any illusions or
misconceptions or do not give because of emotion, Paul did not tell them of the
poor starving children or of the hungry people standing in line for food in
Jerusalem; he simply gave them the illustration of the
Macedonians.
Although in material poverty, the Macedonians
had such great Spiritual riches that God provided the means for them to give
sacrificially; as an extension of their Spiritual life. Now the
Corinthians are hit with the same challenge. The prepositional phrase, “insomuch that” — literally, “with the result that” is used to make
the transition from Macedonian giving to Corinthian giving. Why is this
prepositional phrase recorded for us? To remind us
that as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ we have the same responsibility to
give; but that responsibility must include the concept that giving is an
advanced part of the Spiritual life.
You must disassociate money from the
Principle of giving. You give first of that which is invisible and immaterial — your
soul and Spiritual life. (Mat 16:24-26)
Then overt giving can be expressed. Giving is an
overt expansion of the Spiritual wealth of your soul. This was shown
dramatically in the Macedonian giving.
Even though the Corinthian church was one of the wealthiest in the
ancient world, Paul was not interested in tapping their financial resources. He
was not catering to them because of their wealth. In fact, he was very tough on
them personally, and he sent Titus to them, the most hard-nosed man on his
team. He made it clear that the Macedonians had fulfilled every Spiritual
Principle in giving, and now the Corinthians are going to be given the same
opportunity.
We also see from the transitional phrase in, (2Co 8:6) that grace is tested in
giving. Giving is not a test of your financial status; giving is a test of your
grace orientation. We have a grace test every time
there is someone in need of our time, money, energy, effort — the Gospel and the
teaching of Truth; even as there is a grace test at the Communion Table and
every time the Word of God is taught. By a
grace test I mean that God has provided everything and therefore your response
depends only upon non-meritorious positive volition. (Our choice is to live by
God's Reality; or
our own)
Objectivity = God is the director of
our movie, and we read and use His lines; (Thoughts) and He provides every prop to get it done. (Heb 13:5) Subjectivity = we are the director and we are responsible for the results! (Jer 18:12)
And now I commend you
to God and to the Word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give
you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. I have coveted no one's silver or gold or clothes. You yourselves
know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to the men who were with
me. In everything I showed
you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the
words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, 'It is more blessed to
give than to receive. (Act 20:32-35)
AN EXTENSION OF OPERATION Z
But just as you
abound in everything, in faith [The Spiritual life] and utterance [God's Thinking and Words;
LOGOS] and
knowledge [Understanding] and in all earnestness [Positive volition] and in the love [Virtue-love] we inspired in you, see
that you abound in this gracious work [Spiritual giving] also! (2Co 8:7)
The fifth Principle of Spiritual giving is an extension of the
consistent function of Operation Z. The word “abound” should be translated “super-abound” The Corinthians super-abounded
in Truth and in money. God had blessed the Corinthians as He had blessed few of
the early churches. They had both Spiritual and material wealth a great
combination. Then follows a list of their Spiritual blessings which they
had.
“In the
sphere of faith.” [PISTIS]
This refers to the inhale and exhale of Truth from the Word — the Spiritual life.
The inhale is a part of the grace apparatus of perception; the exhale is a part
of faith-rest.” (Rom 4:20-21)
“In
the sphere of utterance.”
— LOGOS — is God's
Thinking found ONLY in the Word of God!
“In the sphere of all earnestness of application.”
(Positive volition)
“In the sphere of love.” [AGAPE] This is the relaxed mental attitude and indicates that
some are Spiritually adult, and are growing up! (Virtue-love; Personal love for God; Impersonal love for all mankind)
At the beginning of this verse we find the Corinthians already super-abounding in Spiritual wealth. Whether they
will extend their Spiritual wealth to grace giving
— super-abounding is potential at this point.
It depends on their volition. God requires
consistency and stability in the Christian life. I am talking about the
consistency of the GREATER-GRACE LIFE! (Jas 4:6) You can turn every subjunctive mood, (Potential) into an
indicative mood. (Reality)
You must move, move, and move! You never STOP
ADVANCING! (Php 3:13-14) Being
stabilized does not mean that you will always do the right thing. But it does mean that you keep on moving regardless of
your failures, and you turn every potential into Reality. That is what
Paul is saying; and the Corinthians came through!
Our relationship with Spiritual
giving is the consistent function of Operation Z, and can be summed up under
three points:
(1) Christian giving is an extension
of our stability in the Spiritual life.
(2) Christian giving is an extension
of Operation Z. We not only have GRACE GIVING here, but we have SPIRITUAL
GIVING! How do you obtain stability in giving? From the DAILY function of
Operation Z. As goes OUR SPIRITUAL LIFE, so goes our
giving! (Php
4:14-17)
(3)
Spiritual giving is PROOF of the consistency of our learning and the Thinking
with God's Thoughts in EVERY SITUATION! (Php 4:17) The believer has the greatest opportunity for
consistency in this day of apostasy; consistency in taking in the Word of God. You give of yourself because you have been consistent
. . . consistent . . . consistent!
While the Corinthians have been consistent up to this point, as yet they
have not followed through in their Spiritual life. They
must give of their own free will, apart from human energy, human emotion, human
ability, human viewpoint, human gimmicks or coercion!
Is
this not the fast which I choose, to loosen the bonds of
wickedness, [Satan's
thinking] to
undo the bands of the yoke, [The old sin nature] and to let the
oppressed go free [Give the Gospel] and break every yoke? [Teach Truth] Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry [Teach Truth and buy
dinner] and
bring the homeless poor into the house; [And also give the Gospel and show them how to stay in
fellowship] When
you see the naked, to cover him; [All the above] and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? [No partiality] Then your light will
break out like the dawn, and your recovery [From the control of the old sin nature] will speedily spring
forth; And your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the LORD will be your
rear guard. Then
you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry, and He will say, Here I
am. If you remove the yoke [Control
of the old nature] from your midst, The
pointing of the finger [Pride of life] and speaking wickedness, [Thinking
with and speaking satanic and human thoughts]
And if you give yourself to the
hungry And satisfy the desire of the afflicted, [Spiritual and material giving] Then your light will rise in darkness And your gloom will
become like midday. [Will reach Spiritual maturity] And the LORD will CONTINUALLY guide
you, and
satisfy your desire in scorched places, [Provide in adversity] and give strength to your
bones; And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose
waters do not fail. [Greater grace capacity] Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins; you
will raise up the age-old foundations; [The Temple in the soul] And you will be called the repairer of the breach, The
restorer of the streets in which to dwell. [The progressive stages of the Spiritual life] If because of the
Sabbath, [Spiritual-rest
maturity] you
turn your foot From doing your own pleasure on My holy day, [Everyday] And call the Sabbath a
delight, the holy day of the LORD honorable, And honor it, desisting from your own ways, [Thoughts] From seeking your own pleasure [Own will] And speaking your own word, THEN you will take
delight in the LORD, And I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; [Maximum Spiritual
capacity for life] And I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your
father, [Mature
Truth] For
the mouth of the LORD has spoken! (Isa 58:6-14)
A TEST OF LOVE
I am not speaking
this as a Command, but as proving
through the earnestness of others the sincerity of
your love also. (2Co 8:8)
The sixth Principle of Spiritual giving
which Paul now emphasizes is that giving is a test of the genuineness of your Virtue-love of Jesus Christ, as
well as your Virtue-love of God the Father and of God the Holy Spirit. In effect, Christian giving is love giving — NOT law giving. Christian
giving proves the Reality of your Virtue-love — the
genuineness of grace motivation rather than the
keeping of the Mosaic Law — ritual. (Rom 6:14;
Rom 7:14; 1Co
6:17)
Whatever is taught about giving, it should not
be forced upon people. “I am not speaking this as a Command” means that
you are not to give on the norm or Standard of a Command. Some activities ARE Commanded in the Word, such as the
assembling of ourselves together, giving a hearing to the Word, praying one for
another, and loving one another — the AGAPE
Virtue-love and or relaxed mental attitude. But
we are NOT Commanded to give, because this
must be the result of taking in the Word, the Filling of God the Holy Spirit,
and Divine Thinking in the right lobe. No
pressure should ever exist... No approbation lust... No public display.
Furthermore — and it cannot be stressed too often — you cannot give in this age under any concept of tithing.
Spiritual giving in the Old Testament is described as “offerings.” Offerings were for believers only. (1Ch 29:14; 1Ch
29:17) Tithes were for both believers and unbelievers. The Principle
remains the same today, regardless of dispensation: Spiritual
giving is always an expression of the believer’s
Virtue-love response to God.
But who
am I and who are my people that we should be able to offer as generously as
this? For all things come from You, and from Your hand we have given You. (1Ch 29:14)
The key to the Macedonian giving was their Virtue-love. They were the
example of grace to the Corinthians. That is why Paul says, “through the
diligent application of others” — that is, the diligent application of the Word
of Truth on the part of the Macedonian believers. The Macedonians were an
excellent example because they did not have any money. The
amount of money is unimportant; what is important is the Spiritual Thinking
involved!
Paul is now testing the Corinthians for the purpose of
graduating them with regard to the Concept of giving! So far they have flunked; they emphasized their money. (Human reality over Divine Reality) People living in some state of prosperity are
prone to emphasize their wealth. But with God it is never the amount of money
that counts — it is the amount of Truth in the right
lobe!
“Proving”
means “testing for approval.” Giving
is designed by God to test your Virtue-love response. It is a
test of the Reality of your love for the Lord. Just how do you express
your love for God? You express it through your Spiritual life. You do not
express your love for God only when things are rosy. You do not tell God you
love Him just to mend a broken fence when you are in trouble. You do not use
false motives when expressing your love for God. Some may say that they express
their love for God through some form of worship — the esthetics, the ritual and
the emotional feeling connected with worship.
But the overt expression must be
conditioned on an inner expression. (1Pe 1:8) True worship is a combination of
the inner and overt expression of your Personal Love for God. You respond to God’s love through the capacity — Spiritual maturity of
your soul. On the overt side, we have ability which comes from the use
of Truth, and which, in turn, depends upon the daily function of Operation Z.
The emphasis, however, is on the inner ability or the inner capacity which
gives substance and Reality to the overt ability. Just
as soul love precedes sex love in marriage, “or should” so it is with worship. There must be Truth in the soul before the
various aspects of assembly worship are “Divinely
meaningful.” In other words, ritual without Reality is meaningless!
Before you can fully understand the Principle of giving, you must be
oriented to the Principle of grace. Giving is always a grace function. Grace giving, in fellowship with God, (Spirituality) is the antithesis of worldly giving, (In Spiritual death or carnality) which is giving under some type of
pressure or strings. Under worldly systems, people give to gain attention, to
impress others, to match other gifts, to assuage a guilt complex, to satisfy
some lust pattern, or because of friendship, etc. So it is necessary to
review the Doctrine of grace at this point.
THE DOCTRINE OF GRACE
(1) Definition: Grace is all that
God is free to do for man on the basis of the Cross. Grace is the plan and work
of God on behalf of mankind. Under grace, God provides a royal priesthood as a
vehicle through which the believer can give; He provides the Spiritual and
materialistic substance for the believer to give; (Truth, time, money, energy
and effort) and the apparatus for assimilating Truth, —
the basis of which believers give.
(2) Grace depends on the essence or
nature of God. Grace is what God can do for man and still be consistent with
His own essence. This is illustrated by propitiation. God is capable of loving
man with a maximum love that is, a believer who has passed the point of
propitiation.
(3) Grace is the antithesis of
legalism and or old sin nature production. Legalism is man’s work or ability
intruding upon the Plan of God — Legalism is the enemy of grace.
(4) Under
the concept of grace and sanctification, the greatest thing that God can do for
the saved person is to make him exactly like His Son, Jesus Christ. (In Thought and Virtue-love) (Rom 8:29) This is accomplished in three stages,
all of which are related to the angelic conflict. (A) Positional
sanctification: Every believer at the
point of Salvation is entered into union with Christ. Christ is seated at the
right hand of the Father and is superior to angels in His resurrected humanity.
(Heb 1:2) At the moment of Salvation,
we enter into union with Christ and are positionally higher than angels though
not experientially. (Eph 2:6) (B) Experiential sanctification: The construction of the Temple of the soul
through the consistent use of Operation Z, (The daily intake and Thinking with
Truth) and entrance into the Greater-grace life — Spiritual maturity.
(C) Ultimate sanctification: The believer
receives a resurrection body which is minus the old sin nature, sin and minus
all human good — exactly like that of Christ. At this
point the believer is physically superior to all angelic creatures.
(5) Every believer has tasted the
grace of God at least once. (1Pe 2:3)
This refers to the point of Salvation when the believer receives at least forty
grace gifts from God, which are unearned and undeserved. (Eph 2:8-9)
(6) Disorientation to grace is the
believer’s greatest occupational hazard in Phase Two, (Gal 5:4) — “falling
from grace” (Not Thinking with God's Thoughts and receiving what Christ deserved) (Heb 12:15-17)
(7) God
is constantly waiting to pour out His grace on every believer in Phase Two. (Isa 30:18-19)
(8) God has provided everything for
Salvation; man responds in a non-meritorious manner-faith. (Psa 103:8-12; Rom
3:23-24; Rom 5:20; Eph 2:8-9)
(9) Phase Two expresses grace in
many ways: For example, prayer; (Heb 4:16)
suffering; (2Co 12:9-10) growth; (2Pe 3:18) stability; (1Pe 5:12) the modus vivendi of the Christian life; (2Co 1:12; Heb 12:28)
and the production of Divine good —Virtue-love. (1Co
15:10; 2Co 6:1)
(10) Grace orientation is the bona
fide motivation and Thought pattern for giving. (2Co
8:9)
(11) Grace is the only sufficiency
for suffering in Phase Two. Through grace, God is able to bless the believer in
the midst of pressure, suffering, and adversity. (2Co
12:7-10)
(12) The axioms of grace:
(a) God is perfect; His plan is
perfect.
(b) A perfect plan can only
originate from a perfect God.
(c) If man can do anything
meritorious in the plan of God, it is no longer perfect; then grace is not
grace, and it is canceled out.
(d) A plan is no stronger than its
weakest link. For this reason, grace excludes human merit, human ability, and
human sin nature good.
(e) Legalism, or human sin nature
works, is the enemy of God and grace. (Heb 6:1)
(f) Works of human righteousness
have no place in the plan of God.
(g) Human moral degeneracy is
associated with the mental attitude sin of pride. Just
as Grace Orientation is the source of bona fide giving in the Christian life,
so pride is the source of human old sin nature good.
(13) Four areas in which pride
rejects grace:
(A) Pride of the believer who
rejects the Doctrine of eternal security from the Lake of Fire — he assumes his sins are greater than the plan of God;
(B) the pride of the believer who succumbs to pressure and adversity — he assumes his sufferings are greater than grace provision;
(C) the pride of the pseudo-Spiritual believer — he
assumes his human system of thinking is greater than the power of God the Holy
Spirit's Thinking in his life; (D) the pride of the believer under
emotional revolt of the soul — he assumes his emotions,
his feelings and experiences are more valid than what God's Word tells us to
Think.
Incline your ear and
hear the Words of the wise, And apply your mind to My Knowledge;
For it will be pleasant if you keep them [God's Thoughts] within
you, That they may be ready on your lips. So that your trust may be in the
LORD, I have taught you today, even you! (Pro
22:17-19)
DEPENDENCE ON GRACE ORIENTATION
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you
through His poverty might become rich. (2Co 8:9)
Now you can understand from the study of the Doctrine of Grace, the
relationship of grace to our Lord Jesus Christ. The second phrase, “that He, being rich,” indicates the
status of Jesus Christ in eternity past — Christ was always wealthy! The maximum Concept of wealth is related to every Person of
the Godhead. Yet because of us believers;
Christ came to the point of abject poverty! This does not refer
primarily to the Incarnation, but to the Cross, when Christ became truly poor.
(Mat 27:46) He
gave His all — He gave Himself! And it was a voluntary act on His part. True giving is the
giving of self. (Mat 10:39) That does not mean we must give all our money away; it
means that we must give, (Truth, time, energy, money and effort) as an extension of
believing and Thinking with the Word of God; instead
of thinking with our own thoughts. (Jer 18:12; Jas 2:26)
When Christ gave Himself on the Cross, who
was the object of that great gift of love? YOU AND ME!
“For you KNOW the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ... ...so that you
through His poverty might become rich.” These riches express all that God’s
grace provides in Phase One, Phase Two and Phase Three.
The entire plan of God is grace-oriented from start to finish. Giving,
therefore, on the part of the believer must comply with God’s plan. God’s plan
is always grace. We are here by His grace; we live
by His grace; we serve by His grace! (1Co
15:10) Whatever we do in this life after
Salvation is a matter of grace, and that includes giving! Therefore,
anytime you link up with a group of believers who pressure you to give, who
have some system of gimmicks, who dun you for money, who talk about tithing,
you are in the wrong place! Everything in the Christian life is consistent — IT IS GRACE ALL THE WAY! Giving must be
accomplished as unto the Lord! That means all giving
is to be done in grace and on no other basis!
Now there are some pitfalls in grace giving about which we must be
careful. Someone may think, “Well, if I am going to give by grace, I should
give everything I have.” That is WRONG! How much you give is a matter between
you and the Lord, a matter of personal judgment: grace giving does not demand
that you deprive yourself or your loved ones of necessities. (1Ti 5:8) Grace giving demands Virtue-love giving
— not deprivation.
The “riches” of, (2Co 8:9) includes the forty things which the
believer receives at Salvation, as well as those in Phase Two and in Eternity.
But while grace riches are available in Phase Two, they are only potential. The utilization of grace riches depends on the amount of
Truth you LEARN, BELIEVE, and THINK WITH!
Apply your mind to MY KNOWLEDGE; For it will be
pleasant if you keep THEM within you, That THEY may be ready on your lips. So
that your TRUST may be in the LORD! (Pro 22:17-19)
APPLICATION
OF GRACE PRINCIPLES
I give my opinion in this matter, for this is to your advantage, who were the first
to begin a year ago not only to do this, but also to
desire to do it. (2Co
8:10)
In verse 10 we have a transition from the Principle of Doctrine we
studied in, (2Co 8:9) to the
application — to the Corinthians. Notice that
Paul does not give an order; he simply gives advice. To give an order would
violate their volition. Paul cannot say to them, “And
in this, I DEMAND that you give.” Paul is
expressing an opinion based on Truth, and filled with God the Holy Spirit; and
he will relate it to their situation, but not by Commanding they give.
When a demand is made to give, it is no longer free will but coercion.
Giving must always be a matter of free will. The sovereignty of God began the
plan — “You
know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The plan is grace; and grace gives by free will. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His
only begotten Son.” “Thanks be unto God for his indescribable GIFT.” (2Co 9:15) Man was not here to demand Salvation; the human
race did not even exist. God provided Salvation
freely, and there was no demand; there was only grace giving from God.
Giving demands freedom.
Only free people can give. (Joh 8:31-32)
Your freedom to give is a function of the royal
priesthood. You are free to give or not to give. But if you give, you
are giving because you are free to do so. Giving is
never giving when someone makes you give. Giving
is only giving when it comes from your soul; it reflects the Spiritual life and
maturity of the giver.
Next, there are two infinitives expressing purpose: “to desire” “to
do” and BOTH are pertinent to giving. What is the difference? The
desire to give expresses a state of Virtue-love. The
believer-priest who has Truth and who has the capacity of Virtue-love for God;
always desires to give, whether he is actually giving or not! But the
actual giving is in a point of time; the Corinthians began their offering “at a
particular time a year ago.”
But now finish
doing it also, so that just as there was
the readiness to desire it, so there may be also the completion of it by your ability. (2Co 8:11)
The desire is still there a year later; now he exhorts the Corinthians
to finish the offering and give from what they have. You never give from what
you do not have! This anticipates verse 12. Even if you have nothing, it is
acceptable to God so long as you have positive
volition! (Willingness)
For if the readiness is
present, it is
acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does
not have. (2Co 8:12)
What should be on hand at all times? Obviously you will not always have
money. But you can
always have the basis for giving — a willing mind and able to give, Truth, time, energy and
effort; which is literally positive volition based on Truth! The first
class condition here indicates a remarkable change in the Corinthians. They now
have the positive volition.
I am afraid some of you never will. Some of you have a cash register for
a soul. Money is a god to some of you. (Mat 6:24;
Luk 12:33; Luk
16:14) But as in everything, it is the
soul that counts in giving! And you have
actually given in effect, if you have positive volition based on Truth!
EQUALITY IN GIVING
For this is not for the ease of others and for your affliction,
but by way of equality. at this present time your abundance being a supply for their
need, so that their abundance also may become
a supply for your need, that there may be
equality; (2Co 8:13-14)
The Corinthians did not have a pastor-teacher to keep them in line and
teach them Truth. Jerusalem, in turn, had in training a new crop of young men
who would someday meet the need of Corinth and other local churches for a
pastor-teacher. But the Jerusalem church needed money to provide for these men
during their training. Corinth had the money; Jerusalem had the men. Therefore,
the collection for Jerusalem was compatible with the function of equality in
the Body of Christ. There was an interrelationship of
teamwork.
As an illustration, Paul cited the incident of the manna in the
wilderness from, (Exod 16:1-36).
As it is
written, HE WHO gathered MUCH DID NOT HAVE TOO MUCH, AND HE WHO gathered LITTLE
HAD NO LACK. (2Co 8:15)
Those who gathered a lot of manna did not have any more than those who
gathered little. Whether they had much or little, it was always the same
because they matched their CAPACITY. This is the Law of equality. God always
matches capacity. Some people seem to get more Truth than others; but it is not
that God is unfair — some people have more capacity. So in our context, giving
is the application of the Law of equality. Because each person gathered
according to his capacity, each one therefore, had that which satisfied his
capacity. Your capacity is based on Truth in your
soul, and God’s grace will always meet your capacity. God cannot give you grace over your capacity — you are not able to utilize it. Like the manna, grace sits around in the pot until it
spoils. The only way to gain capacity is to
use the Truth, time, money, energy and effort that God gives us. If we try to save them and or NOT USE THEM our capacity for
life will turn to worms and or melt away! (Exod 16:20-21) Your capacity is THE important factor in your Spiritual
life; therefore, GOD'S THINKING — MANNA is more important than ANYTHING else in life! (Joh 1:14; Joh 6:48-51; Joh 6:63)
He
who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, [The lust of the flesh,
lust of the eyes and the pride of life] to him I will give some of the hidden manna, [Advanced Truth] and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the
stone [Approved to live in the New Jerusalem] which no one knows but he who receives it. (Rev 2:17)
But thanks be to God
who puts the same earnestness on your behalf in the heart of
Titus. (2Co 8:16)
The word “thanks” is literally “grace.”
Grace belongs only to God.
We borrow grace; we function under grace: but we do
not own it. In all of human history, no man
ever thought of grace. Grace is the essence of
God; grace is Who and What God is, never who
and what man is. So grace belongs to God
“Who is constantly giving!” (Joh 6:51) God always gives; there
never was a time when He did not give. That is because grace belongs to Him;
and since grace belongs to Him, giving belongs to Him. Therefore, when you give the grace way, you give God’s
way. We give on the basis of understanding His nature being created
in us and Understanding something of the way He Thinks! Giving is never designed to get something from God. Giving
is designed to demonstrate something we have from God — GRACE! (Joh 1:14)
The next Principle of giving will be found in verses 19-24. But in
verses 17 and 18, Paul stops to mention the members of his team. Up to this
point we know that Paul has sent Titus on the mission to the Corinthians.
However, in verse 18 we find there is a second member of the team sent by Paul.
For he not only
accepted our appeal, but being himself very
earnest, he has gone to you of his own accord. (2Co
8:17) e.g. [Making use of his Spiritual life, Truth, money, time,
energy and effort!]
We have sent along with him the brother
whose fame in the things of the gospel [His Spiritual maturity] has spread through all the
churches. (2Co 8:18)
The King James Version says “the
brother,” but the original Greek text says “his brother.” Now “his
brother” would be Titus’ brother, Luke. So we know the names of two members
of the team. However in, (2Co 8:22) we
find a third unnamed member; so there were three in all. This third member was highly qualified, as we can tell
from the original text, for it states that he had been tested for approval upon
numerous occasions, and Paul had great confidence in him.
PROPER ADMINISTRATION OF MONEY
And not only this, but he has also been
appointed by the churches to travel with us in this
gracious work, which is being administered by us for the glory of the Lord
Himself, and to show our readiness, taking precaution so that no one will discredit us in our
administration of this generous gift; for we have regard for what is honorable, not only in the
sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men! (2Co
8:19-21)
Now money given to the Lord’s work
must be properly administered. Not only was Luke commended for his ministry in
disseminating Truth, but he had been elected by the churches to travel with
Paul. He was also helping with the administration of the offering.
Therefore, the administration of money includes everything from
congregational appointment to Personal love for God. The administrator must be
motivated by Truth, for his success depends not only on his Spiritual gift of
administration, but upon his capacity for Virtue-love and Occupation with
Christ from Operation Z.
We have sent with them our brother, whom
we have often tested and found diligent in many things, but now even more
diligent because of his great confidence in you. (2Co
8:22)
At this point Paul commended the three men on his team, and they were
all well qualified with regard to the handling of large sums of money. In not
naming the third member of the team, the emphasis is on the ministry of grace
rather than upon personality.
As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow
worker among you; as for our brethren, they are messengers of the churches, a
glory to Christ. Therefore openly before the
churches, show them the proof of your love and of our reason for boasting about
you. (2Co 8:23-24)
How do you demonstrate the proof of your love? In
your giving! These two verses go back to the test of Virtue-love. The whole purpose of giving is to demonstrate your
capacity to love God! Giving is a day-by-day
demonstration of your Virtue-love. Anytime
you give as unto the Lord, that giving will reflect true Virtue-love. True Virtue-love can give only on the basis of the
Spiritual life. Christian aristocracy is made
up of those who, through the faithfulness to the intake and Thinking with the
Word, have developed nobility of soul! True
giving, therefore, is true Virtue-love; and true Virtue-love is true giving.
The two cannot be separated, and you as a royal
believer-priest are challenged every time you worship: not by WHAT is given,
but by the Spiritual life and Thinking with which you give!
THE FILLING OF THE SPIRIT STIMULATES
GIVING
For it is superfluous [More than is
needed] for me to write to you about this ministry to the saints. for I know your readiness, of which I boast about you to the Macedonians, namely, that
Achaia has been prepared since last year, and your zeal has stirred up most of
them. But I have sent the brethren, in order that our boasting about you may
not be made empty in this case, so that, as I was saying, you may be prepared. (2Co
9:1-3)
Carnality among the Corinthians had hindered them in the completion of
the offering which had been started a year before. Before they could take up this work again for the Lord, they
had to rebound and in some cases learn Truth again. By this time however, they had rebounded and were
Spiritually ready to continue the offering. Their mental attitude was right.
NOTHING in the Christian life can be
accomplished as unto the Lord apart from the filling of God the Holy Spirit! (Eph 5:18) The only way to be Filled
with God the Holy Spirit and in fellowship; is through rebound. (1Jn
1:9) The filling of God the Holy Spirit
plus Spiritual Knowledge of Truth produces Experiential righteousness, and
giving must come under the concept of Divine righteousness — good.
GIVING WITHOUT PRESSURE
Otherwise if any Macedonians come with me
and find you unprepared, we--not to speak of you--will be put to shame by this
confidence. (2Co 9:4)
The assumption is that the offering would be completed because of a
willing mental attitude resulting from Titus’ last visit. At this point, the
completion was potential. Paul had been using the Corinthians as an outstanding
illustration of giving. (Their carnality was not the business of the
Macedonians.) But the illustration was not completed
until they had actually given as unto the Lord and as a part of their priestly
ministry.
Paul wanted to make sure that the giving of money was not associated
with any embarrassment or pressure. If Paul were to come and the Corinthians
were embarrassed, they would give under false pressure. The believer-priest should have privacy to give as unto the Lord
— not on the basis of embarrassment or pressure!
So I
thought it necessary to urge the brethren that they would go on ahead to you
and arrange beforehand your previously promised bountiful gift, so that the
same would be ready as a bountiful gift and not affected by covetousness. (2Co
9:5)
We see at the end of verse 5 that giving
is a blessing when performed with the right mental attitude. The mental attitude,
money, Truth, time, energy and effort we give, are a grace blessing from God!
Even the royal priesthood from which we give is a blessing!
GRACE GIVING GUARANTEES BLESSING
Now this I say,
he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and
he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. (2Co
9:6)
The word “sparingly” is
well-timed because it is an analogy to legalism. To sow sparingly is to sow
un-generously. There is no blessing from legalism, even
though there may be great sacrifice or a large amount of money involved.
You can harvest from grace, but you cannot harvest any blessing from legalism. Carnality will never give. It can only buy or purchase and
place strings on you.
The one sowing on the Principle of grace, (Sowing
bountifully) shall harvest blessings! In grace giving, the person gives of self, of his mental
attitude — EVERYTHING!
(Mar 10:21; Luk
11:41; Luk 14:33) cf. (Rom 8:32) The mental
attitude is present, and that is grace giving! In grace giving, we actually
reap in grace what God sows in grace, which results in GREAT BLESSINGS! (Mal 3:10; Luk 6:38)
The amount given is never the issue. The
issue is grace. God blesses only on the basis of grace. To sow
sparingly or parsimoniously is to sprinkle some time, money, energy, and effort
in God’s direction and expect a great bounty of harvest. You will never receive it! What
profit do you receive from un-generous sowing, from giving with strings
attached, from an attitude of bribing God, or from approbation lust or human
viewpoint? NONE! What profit do you get from
grace sowing, from a mental attitude based on Truth? A grace profit — BOUNTIFUL!
For
the LORD God is a sun [Provision] and shield; [Protection] The LORD GIVES grace [Now] and glory; [In Eternity] No good thing does He
withhold from those who walk uprightly! [In fellowship] O LORD of hosts, [Armies] How blessed is the man who trusts in You! (Psa 84:11-12)
THE MOTIVATION OF TRUTH
Each one must do just as he has purposed
in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for
God loves a cheerful giver. [A believer with
inner happiness] (2Co 9:7)
For a believer to be a grace giver, he must have Truth in the frame of
reference in his right lobe. You determine your giving beforehand, on the basis
of Truth and therefore with the right motivation. You should
not give at all if it is from pressure or distress of mind, “grudgingly”— that is, if you feel
trapped or forced to give. Nor should you give
from emotional necessity — “compulsion.”
A grace giver is someone who has capacity
for life, for Virtue-love, happiness, freedom, respect and authority! Therefore capacity for
grace giving is related to capacity
for grace living and grace Virtue-loving, and all three add up to
capacity for worship!
If you have no capacity for life, you cannot even enjoy the Communion Table.
Worship is not something that is imposed upon you; it
is something you enjoy in your relationship with God. After all, God ordained you a royal priest at the point of
salvation; and as a royal priest, you should enjoy worshiping. A part of that
worship is giving!
GRACE PROVISION FOR GIVING
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! (2Co
9:8)
The emphasis for a chapter and a half has been on
the importance of the Spiritual life in giving. Now, beginning in verse 8, the emphasis is changed slightly
to show what God is able to do. Every now and then we get up on our high horse
and forget or doubt God’s ability. If it were not for
God’s ability and His grace, none of us would be alive, much less spending or earning or
having money or ANYTHING else!
“God has the ability to cause all grace to super-abound toward
you!” If you give
legitimately, obviously you must have something to give. The God of all grace, who provides Salvation in grace, who
continues to provide many things in grace, is also the One who provides money
in grace. God provides in grace both Spiritual and material blessings, which
are combined in giving.
God may provide you with everything in the world materialistically, but
that does not necessarily mean you are going to super-abound. This word is in
the subjunctive mood — it is potential. The only thing that will super-abound is that which is
given on the basis of your own GRACE SPIRITUAL LIFE! When you give from grace, you never expect anything in
return. You are delighted to give as an expression of your capacity for life, not the capacity of the recipient. The recipient may have no capacity to appreciate your gift.
(Mat 5:43-48)
People make all manner of demands because they give something. You hear
it everywhere you turn: “After all, you owe me that! It is the least you can do
to prove your gratitude.” Is that grace? No! That is false thinking and or carnality. If grace flows in, grace will flow out: It is what you have
in your soul that counts. So the Principle is that the inflow of grace should
result in the outflow of grace.
Giving is one of the greatest challenges
in Phase Two. It takes more grace to give and to give properly than almost
anything else! (Act 8:20; Act 20:35;)
It takes less grace to have Virtue-love, to live, to
have capacity for life. The amount of giving
in itself is accompanying to what you are in your soul. So it takes more to
give as a part of worship than any of the capacities of life! And the greatest test of capacity for life comes from
giving! Remember, the Macedonians had no money to speak of; they gave
first of themselves. That means they had Truth in
their souls. So God provided the money for them to give.
Giving brings into focus Spiritual and material forces. The Spiritual, which is unseen but real, meets the material,
which is both seen and real. Every time a believer-priest gives as an
act of worship, it is a twofold expression of God’s grace: God’s grace in the Spiritual realm; God’s grace in the material realm! God’s grace in the realm of the invisible; God’s grace in
the realm of the visible! Therefore, Paul cites documentation from, (Psa 112:1-10)
As it is written, HE
SCATTERED ABROAD, HE GAVE TO THE POOR, HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS ENDURES FOREVER. (2Co
9:9)
The grace giving of the believer is a
manifestation of God’s Virtue
— His nature — Temple
in us! The “poor”
are all believers in the sense that they are totally helpless and dependent.
We cannot deserve nor earn anything from God; so God
must provide everything! How is He going to give to us, who are totally
undeserving, and still keep His essence intact? Is He trying to bribe us for
good behavior? The answer is NO, because the
next phrase indicates that He found a way to do this without compromising His
essence. Through propitiation God is free to give us anything He wants to give.
He is able to maintain His righteousness and to give
on the basis of the Cross. Therefore, God’s giving is Virtuous.
God provides the Truth, time, money,
energy and the free will in grace; the believer MUST CHOOSE TO USE THEM! And
should we choose to receive Salvation and this mission to grow to Spiritual
maturity we are blessed! But just having them does not qualify you to give. To the contrary,
there must be a simultaneous provision in the realm of grace: the combination of what
God has provided for the soul as well as what God has provided materially.
We are what we are as the result of the daily
function of Operation Z, and the filling of God the Holy Spirit, and as the
result of His provision of the attitude of soul, as well as the financial
means. All grace function comes under the category of Divine good, and all
Divine good is a result of Spiritual maturity; and will last forever. (2Jn 1:2) Remember that Divine good is what God provides. So when
you give, you are performing an act of Divine good, provided you fulfill the
Principles in this passage. The believer’s grace giving results in an increase
of his grace Virtue-love, and the increase of grace Virtue enlarges capacity
for life, love, happiness, freedom, respect, and authority.
GRACE GIVING IS MULTIPLIED
Now He who supplies seed [The Gospel,
etc.] to the sower and bread [Truth] for food will supply and multiply your
seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; (2Co
9:10) cf. (Isa 55:10-11)
God supplies seed (The Gospel; Spiritual NEED; money; human NEED, etc.)
for your survival, for the necessities of life. You will have an excess at
times, which you will give under the proper Spiritual conditions. Seed which is not sown is not harvested. Just so, money not given is not multiplied. The more of GOD'S provisions the believer, (Sower) gives, the more God
supplies! In other words, grace giving
experiences the multiplication of grace rather than simply the addition of
grace! (Pro 11:24-25)
You will be
enriched in everything for all liberality, which
THROUGH US is producing thanksgiving TO GOD! (2Co
9:11)
Our enrichment is both addition and
multiplication! On the addition side we have the materialistic things of life which
accumulate to us. On the multiplication side we have Divine good, grace,
Virtue-love, happiness and capacity for life. Enrichment; or multiplication of grace applies
to every realm of the believer’s life! THE MORE TIME YOU PUT IN TO READING
TRUTH, (Pro 2:1-11; Pro 8:17; Pro 8:34-35) THE MORE EN-RICH-MENT;
the more filling of the Spirit, the more enrichment; the more faith-rest, the
more enrichment; the more giving, the more enrichment!
How blessed is the one
whom You choose and bring near to You To dwell in Your courts. We will be
satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Your holy temple! (Psa 65:4)
For
a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside. I would rather stand at
the threshold of the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of
wickedness. (Psa 84:10)
“Generosity
of mind” results in an overt manifestation. (Jas 2:26) Giving is a mental attitude inside your soul. Consequently, because of your generosity of soul, there is
the act of thanksgiving TO GOD! Those believers who are the beneficiaries
of the offering are thankful to God. “Through us!”
For the ministry of this service is not
only fully supplying the NEEDS OF THE SAINTS,
but is also overflowing through many thanksgivings
to God. (2Co 9:12)
Do you know that you have a deficiency? Everyone
has! All over this world there is money. God does not send an angel down with a
bundle of money and put it under your pillow, like the good fairy. In His
matchless grace, God provides for every deficiency. The believer has the
opportunity of exercising his Spiritual maturity, to provide for someone else
so that they can thank God for it!
As a part of the angelic conflict, we have
the Doctrine of the implementation of grace. God uses people; but the
thanksgiving still goes to God!
Hence, grace giving starts a chain reaction that is
part of God's glory. Grace in giving multiplies in supplying the deficiencies
of people in need, and produces thanksgiving, which is a grace exercise. This
Principle also applies to prayer. God is providing blessings in all directions!
RECOGNITION OF GRACE AUTHORITY
Because of the
proof given by this ministry, they will
glorify God for your OBEDIENCE to your confession of the Gospel of Christ and
for the liberality of your contribution to them and to all. (2Co
9:13)
Giving is a test when you give to something or
someone you instinctively do not like. (Luk 16:10; Luk 19:17) But every time we do, it puts down the old sin nature and
builds our Spiritual life! The Corinthians were Gentiles; the believers
in Jerusalem were Jews. The Corinthian culture was the antithesis of the Jewish
life style. The Corinthians knew the money would go to the Jews, but they still gave as unto the Lord! The Jews knew
the money came from the Corinthians, but they still
gave thanks to God!
What was the Corinthian acknowledgement to the Gospel of Christ? The Truth came to them in grace; they gave in grace!
We see here a parallel between Truth as a Principle
of grace and the Corinthian giving as a Principle of grace. Giving is a sign of recognition of the authority of grace.
Grace giving demands grace authority, and grace authority is found in the Word!
Some of the Principles of giving are revealed as a backlash from this
verse. The Bible emphasizes grace giving, never emotional giving. The Filling of God the Holy Spirit and Truth are the only
basis for grace giving. Emotional giving; is
human old sin nature good, human viewpoint and contrary to Truth. This
does not mean that you flush all emotion from your soul before giving. It means you must not be motivated by emotion or pressure;
we just OBEY the Truth in our soul. (Luk
22:42; Joh 8:28; Joh 12:48; Joh
14:15; Joh 14:21)
Now you may hear a legitimate plea for money: and even though you are
broke, you want to give so much that you think you should go out and hock your
wedding ring or give up your sandwich for lunch or borrow the money. Forget it! You can only
give what you have, not what you do not have! That is true from the soul
as well as from the pocketbook. If you do not have any money, then you can give with your soul; and until God provides the
money, do not rob any banks or go out and hock something. If God does not give you seed in your barn through grace,
it will not be grace giving. Everyone cannot give at all times — and that is grace!
While they also, by prayer on your behalf,
yearn for you because of the surpassing grace of God
in you. (2Co 9:14)
Grace stimulates intercessory prayer. It
produces capacity for Virtue-love and excites admiration. Grace in the believer
produces everything that is attractive and wonderful. Surpassing grace — Spiritual maturity
comes from maximum Truth in the right lobe and the daily function of Operation
Z.
THE GREATEST GIFT
Thanks
be to God for His indescribable gift! [The Lord
Jesus Christ] (2Co 9:15)
The gift of Jesus Christ from God the
Father is the pattern for grace and grace giving. Therefore, giving is an act
of worship and remembrance of His sacrificial gift! Yet no
amount of giving can approximate what Christ did for us!
Listen,
my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in
faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? (Jas
2:5)
End
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