Q1. Reaping Material Benefits

[Commissioned]

Q1. (2 Corinthians 9:6) Does the Scripture teach that material blessing results from giving generously to God’s work?

Yes the Scripture does promise material blessings when the giving is done generously.

Why are we so careful to reinterpret this as referring mainly to spiritual blessing?

We are careful to reinterpret the blessing that is a result of generous giving because for the most part we seek the material blessings.

If you compared your own actual giving to God’s work to a tithe (10%) of your income, would it look generous?

Yes, it would.

[wifee]

10a)God give us many good gifts, material & spiritual.Malacai 3:10does tell us material blessings are promised to those who bring full tithe, as well as spiritual blessing of God delighting in us.Haggai speaks of cause & effect in giving, and Jesus tells us the blessing directly relates to giving with a cheerful heart. The faith in the church was strengthened &people were sustained&multiplied as the fruits of the giving of believersActs16:3. Someone with very little money can still reap many blesings.

b)The world distorts money and power.Money can be evil when used wrongly to raise self and not for the benefit of others out of love for God and his provision&when the love of money is idolised&put before God &His work

.C)We can never be as generous as God’s provision for us, materially and spiritually.

[royk]

Q1. (2 Corinthians 9:6) Does the Scripture teach that material blessing results from giving generously to God's work? Why are we so careful to reinterpret this as referring mainly to spiritual blessing? If you compared your own actual giving to God's work to a tithe (10%) of your income, would it look generous?

 

The true wisdom is that 100% of what we have is by God's grace. To give Him 10% directly to a church or charity only means to wisely use the rest to help others, including family first.

[WinstonY]

 

Q1. (2 Corinthians 9:6) Does the Scripture teach that material blessing results from giving generously to God’s work? Why are we so careful to reinterpret this as referring mainly to spiritual blessing? If you compared your own actual giving to God’s work to a tithe (10%) of your income, would it look generous?

 

We are asked, no ordered,  to give generously to God’s work. Not only to the administrative part of God's work, the building and the mission, but we are also ordered to give to help the plight of the poor in society. Paul writes :

Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly,

and whoever sows generously
will also reap generously.” (9:6)

This is implying that we should give willingly, freely and without any regrets.

 

People tend to be miserly with their material wealth. we tend to hoard it without realizing :

 the days of the Exodus when manna came down from heaven.

"He who gathered much did not have too much,
and he who gathered little did not have too little.” (8:15, quoting Exodus 16:18)

 

tells us that, as Paul wrote(referring to Exodus):

Some people gathered a lot of manna; others gathered only a little, the Bible says. But when it was measured, the amount each had gathered was just what he and his family needed. No one gained by gathering more than they needed; that which was kept over to the next day spoiled anyway. Each family got what they needed, not more or less. It is that kind of equitable distribution that Paul seeks in the family of God, motivated entirely by love.

 

 

[lighthouse2014]

Q1. (2 Corinthians 9:6) Does the Scripture teach that material blessing results from giving generously to God’s work? Why are we so careful to reinterpret this as referring mainly to spiritual blessing? If you compared your own actual giving to God’s work to a tithe (10%) of your income, would it look generous?

Scripture teaches that material blessings could result from generously giving to God's work. Proverbs 11:24-25 teaches that he who freely gives, freely he will receive. Though there is nothing in the New Testament about tithing percentages, Paul states are to give as to what the Lord lay's on our hearts. However, Malachi 3:10-12 teaches we are to bring our tithes into the storehouse of the Lord where he will open the windows of heaven.

We are so careful to reinterpret these verses as a spiritual because the delights in a cheerful giver. We seem to believe that what ever we give materially the Lord will return it materially. However, if we freely give we will receive an abundance not necessarily in material things but, in spiritual blessing.

Comparing my own giving a tithe of 10% would equal out to less than my earnings. Since I am retired, raising 4 grandchildren and no pay raise for at least 5-7 years, no help from the dad's, the cost of living going up, I do the best I can.       

[Krissi]

Some Christians may interpret God promises only/mostly as spiritual blessings -- not material ones -- because they're afraid of putting their faith to the test. If they had thought God would bless them materially, and He didn't, then God would have appeared disloyal and their faith could be shattered. It would be a public disgrace if they spoke to others about an upcoming material blessing that never "materialized," too.

So it is safer to reinterpret God's promises as spiritual, not material, isn't it? Then, it's easier to cover up a faith-failure. And, no outsider would be able to point to a Christian who gave money and went broke if that Christian was able to claim that he/she received "spiritual blessings" in consequence. 

--

Last Sunday I raided the church library for books. Most of what I took home were spiritual biographies. It's been years ... decades (?) since I read missionary bios, so this was a huge change in my reading habits. One of those books I read was a bio of George Mueller, the 19th C Bristol orphanage founder.

Mueller's bio is a story of a man with a simple faith in God's provision. When faced with overwhelming need, Mueller would simply ask God to provide ... and wait. Invariably, God provided. One of Mueller's beliefs, then, was that God would provide all material goods when asked, assuming that the task at hand was His will. Mueller also believed that no Christians should be informed of the need, that he should pray secretly to the Father and not send out a fundraising letter or broadcast the need. If God knew the need, He would provide. Mueller's faith was strong enough to put God to that test!!

God used Christians to provide for Mueller's needs. People like us, today, would feel a compulsion to send money or give goods. Obviously, this was material provision. Mueller didn't spiritualize the need, but kept it concrete and practical -- he needed 1000 loaves of bread and 1000 gallons of milk and 1000 yards of fabric, etc.

Now, Mueller never promised donors that they'd receive material blessings after giving, but this seems implied. (I should re-read the bio to make sure of this.) Mueller was always a practical man. He connected the dots in a practical way. 

--

The Law of Sowing and Reaping clearly says that a farmer sows grain in his field, if he labours to plant and weed that field, that he will receive more grain in the harvest. He does not sow grain and receive spiritual blessings, but material ones.

The clear meaning of this law scares me, honestly.

• Do I have the faith to believe that God will take my generosity/gifts and return them many-fold?
• Can I be like Mueller and simply trust God to provide?
• Am I in the centre of His will ... is my work His calling?
• Or, am I off a bit so that my giving won't reap the rewards He seems to have promised?

These are some of the questions haunting me now.