August 30th, 2024
by Raef Chenery
by Raef Chenery
The way we handle our money matters deeply to the condition of our soul. Money has the power to be a wonderful tool, a blessing both to our families and to those suffering around us. As Christians we believe God has entrusted to us, everything in our life, including our money. Yet, like all good things in this world, money can also be twisted in such a way that it latches onto the human heart like a cancer. Greed is sometimes overt and easy to see in others, but discovering its deathly poison working its way through our own souls is far more difficult.
The Biblical vision on money management is dynamic. The Bible discusses everything from the goodness of leaving an inheritance to your children, to how to live radically on less in order to shower those in need with necessary charity. In this post I certainly do not want to claim to be able to cover all that could or should be said on such a massive topic. Somewhat recently spoke on this topic however, and I referenced three principles that Christians ought to take into consideration when managing their money: The Worship Principle, The Planning Principle, and the Trust Principle. My intention is to post separate articles on all three of these principles in the coming weeks. Here I offer thoughts concerning the first.
The Worship Principle: How we handle our money is a direct reflection of our worship of Christ.
1 Corinthians 16:1-4 “Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come. And when I arrive, I will send those whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem. If it seems advisable that I should go also, they will accompany me.”
Paul begins, “now concerning the collection for the saints.” He is turning attention from the previous issues, and he’s focusing them in on this task they had before them, to collect money for hurting Christians. Notice the term “collection”. An interesting little word used only one time in the New Testament, that signals two things. First, the term signals a collective work. Paul is not speaking here to an individual. Rather he is speaking to the whole and instructing every member to participate in this collection. Secondly, the term ‘collection’ does not signal obligation or law, so much as it symbolizes a free will offering. This is a gift that this Church is being instructed to make. Their obligation is not one of fulfilling a law, but rather one of fulfilling the needs.
“As I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do.” The principle that Paul is instructing in Corinth to fulfill is the same principle he taught elsewhere. This was not some one off idea for Corinth. This was a way of life that was expectant of Christians. They were to live generously, and provide for the needs of other Christians around them.
The Old Testament Tithe & It’s Purpose
It should come as no surprise that God’s special and chosen people are instructed to be generous with their wealth. In the Old Testament, everybody participate in seeing God’s people and God’s work flourish. The follower of God living under the law of the Old Testament practiced what was called the tithe. That word simply mean a tenth. We read in Deuteronomy,
Deuteronomy 14:22 “You shall tithe all the yield of your seed that comes from the field year by year.
Every year, the faithful family would take one tenth of all their earnings and give a tithe towards God. In fact, when one looks at the entirety of the Old Testament law, it is not just 1/10th of the overall income that the average person gave, but it was about 1/3 including the other various offerings. That’s a lot of wealth that was being given. The remainder of what they had was intended to be stewarded wisely to create wealth, care for their families, leave an inheritance to their children, and manage everyday affairs. The book of Proverbs has much to say about wise financial stewardship. But the tithe, came right off the top, and had a few purposes.
The Tithe Fueled a Heart of Worship: First, it fueled a heart of worship in the giver. The idea was that each person would give back to God from among the firstfruits, or his best. It was a form of worship where individual went to God and acknowledged that everything one owned was from God.
The Tithe Fueled the Work: Secondly, the giving of the animals and the money towards the temple financed the work of the temple, and all of the priests that labored in the temple. What were they doing? Those priests did many things, the most important of which was instructing God’s people on how to live faithfully according to the Word of God. And so the tithe became a way of acknowledging priorities. This is important. The proper worship of God among the people of God, was financially prioritized as a community.
The Tithe Provided for the vulnerable: Third, the tithe in the Old Testament provided a number of resources for the vulnerable in society.
Deuteronomy 14:28–29 “At the end of every three years you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce in the same year and lay it up within your towns. And the Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance with you, and the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, who are within your towns, shall come and eat and be filled, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands that you do.
This tithe was a way of making sure that all of God’s people, including the most vulnerable, were provided for.
The New Testament
As we move into the New Testament, the tithe of the Old Testament is no longer applicable in the extremely literal sense. While the Old Testament Moral Law, also known as the Ten Commandments, is still in effect as our guide for moral living, the Old Testament tithe is not necessarily so directly transferred from Old to New Testament. After all, there are no more priests and there is no more temple. While Jesus did indeed affirm the goodness of the tithe during his ministry (Luke 11:42), the New Testament does not necessarily give explicit instructions on how to continue tithing in a world without a physical temple and without expensive sacrifices being made.
What the New Testament does do however, is draw the exact same principles from the Old Testament tithe in order to guide our personal and collective money management. We might use technical language and say that the “general equity” of the Old Testament tithing laws is to be followed today as New Testament Christians. This is why I believe it is wise and good for the Christian to set aside at a minimum 10% of their annual overall income, and to give it directly towards their local Church for the sustaining work of the ministry. After all, if Old Testament saints who lived without the indwelling Holy Spirit could give 10%, ought we not at least do the same? Further, we ought to increasingly grow in our charity above and beyond that 10% over the course of our life, as we give financially to missionaries and other Christian causes around the world, and as our personal income grows as we age.
But these specific details are better left for a future post in which I will cover The Planning Principle. Here, let’s consider how the New Testament roots us as Christian believers in the same purposes as the Old Testament tithe.
NT Giving Fuels a Heart of Worship: First, giving financially towards God’s work fuels a heart of worship.
2 Corinthians 9:10–11 "He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.
“Will produce thanksgiving to God.” When you give generously, abundantly, sacrificially towards God’s work, you learn to rely on God in new ways. You see more of what God is up to, and worship is formed in you. The more a Christian gives away towards the building of God’s kingdom, the more his heart is enflamed with both a dependence on God and a love of God. The more we hoard, the more we foster a dependence on self and a love of self.
NT Giving Fuels the Work of the Church: Secondly, it fuels the work God is doing. Paul says, “there will be an increase in the harvest of your righteousness.” What he means is that, their sacrificial financial contribution, is going to win many to faith in Jesus. The harvest is going to be great. Because God is able to do much more with it than we can do on our own. He is going to multiply it. He is going to use it.
NT Giving Provides for the Vulnerable: Paul writes,
2 Corinthians 9:12 "For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God."
The money is largely being used to “supply the needs of the saints.” That means that the Church is organizing provisional care for the needy, the widow, the hungry, the unborn, the immigrant, the refugee. So, as they give, they are giving towards the care of the vulnerable in their communities.
Money is a Sacred Tool
Money is a sacred tool in the hand of a Christian. As a faithful Christian there ought to be a marked delineation between the way you handle and steward your money, and the way your nonChristian friends handle their money. We must not fear wealth, as if it is some kind of evil, but we must also be wise enough to know that the story of the rich young ruler may have more to say about our own hearts than we care to admit.
And so let me ask a few questions at this point. Let these questions serve as a litmus test to scan our own heart and demonstrate our inclusion in the Kingdom of God.
If the answer to these questions is no, then we have discovered an area of our heart that is in resistance to God. Commit this to prayer. See God bring transformation and blessing into your life, as you live according to the Biblical principles of money management. How we handle our money is a direct reflection of our worship of Christ.
The Biblical vision on money management is dynamic. The Bible discusses everything from the goodness of leaving an inheritance to your children, to how to live radically on less in order to shower those in need with necessary charity. In this post I certainly do not want to claim to be able to cover all that could or should be said on such a massive topic. Somewhat recently spoke on this topic however, and I referenced three principles that Christians ought to take into consideration when managing their money: The Worship Principle, The Planning Principle, and the Trust Principle. My intention is to post separate articles on all three of these principles in the coming weeks. Here I offer thoughts concerning the first.
The Worship Principle: How we handle our money is a direct reflection of our worship of Christ.
1 Corinthians 16:1-4 “Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come. And when I arrive, I will send those whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem. If it seems advisable that I should go also, they will accompany me.”
Paul begins, “now concerning the collection for the saints.” He is turning attention from the previous issues, and he’s focusing them in on this task they had before them, to collect money for hurting Christians. Notice the term “collection”. An interesting little word used only one time in the New Testament, that signals two things. First, the term signals a collective work. Paul is not speaking here to an individual. Rather he is speaking to the whole and instructing every member to participate in this collection. Secondly, the term ‘collection’ does not signal obligation or law, so much as it symbolizes a free will offering. This is a gift that this Church is being instructed to make. Their obligation is not one of fulfilling a law, but rather one of fulfilling the needs.
“As I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do.” The principle that Paul is instructing in Corinth to fulfill is the same principle he taught elsewhere. This was not some one off idea for Corinth. This was a way of life that was expectant of Christians. They were to live generously, and provide for the needs of other Christians around them.
The Old Testament Tithe & It’s Purpose
It should come as no surprise that God’s special and chosen people are instructed to be generous with their wealth. In the Old Testament, everybody participate in seeing God’s people and God’s work flourish. The follower of God living under the law of the Old Testament practiced what was called the tithe. That word simply mean a tenth. We read in Deuteronomy,
Deuteronomy 14:22 “You shall tithe all the yield of your seed that comes from the field year by year.
Every year, the faithful family would take one tenth of all their earnings and give a tithe towards God. In fact, when one looks at the entirety of the Old Testament law, it is not just 1/10th of the overall income that the average person gave, but it was about 1/3 including the other various offerings. That’s a lot of wealth that was being given. The remainder of what they had was intended to be stewarded wisely to create wealth, care for their families, leave an inheritance to their children, and manage everyday affairs. The book of Proverbs has much to say about wise financial stewardship. But the tithe, came right off the top, and had a few purposes.
The Tithe Fueled a Heart of Worship: First, it fueled a heart of worship in the giver. The idea was that each person would give back to God from among the firstfruits, or his best. It was a form of worship where individual went to God and acknowledged that everything one owned was from God.
The Tithe Fueled the Work: Secondly, the giving of the animals and the money towards the temple financed the work of the temple, and all of the priests that labored in the temple. What were they doing? Those priests did many things, the most important of which was instructing God’s people on how to live faithfully according to the Word of God. And so the tithe became a way of acknowledging priorities. This is important. The proper worship of God among the people of God, was financially prioritized as a community.
The Tithe Provided for the vulnerable: Third, the tithe in the Old Testament provided a number of resources for the vulnerable in society.
Deuteronomy 14:28–29 “At the end of every three years you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce in the same year and lay it up within your towns. And the Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance with you, and the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, who are within your towns, shall come and eat and be filled, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands that you do.
This tithe was a way of making sure that all of God’s people, including the most vulnerable, were provided for.
The New Testament
As we move into the New Testament, the tithe of the Old Testament is no longer applicable in the extremely literal sense. While the Old Testament Moral Law, also known as the Ten Commandments, is still in effect as our guide for moral living, the Old Testament tithe is not necessarily so directly transferred from Old to New Testament. After all, there are no more priests and there is no more temple. While Jesus did indeed affirm the goodness of the tithe during his ministry (Luke 11:42), the New Testament does not necessarily give explicit instructions on how to continue tithing in a world without a physical temple and without expensive sacrifices being made.
What the New Testament does do however, is draw the exact same principles from the Old Testament tithe in order to guide our personal and collective money management. We might use technical language and say that the “general equity” of the Old Testament tithing laws is to be followed today as New Testament Christians. This is why I believe it is wise and good for the Christian to set aside at a minimum 10% of their annual overall income, and to give it directly towards their local Church for the sustaining work of the ministry. After all, if Old Testament saints who lived without the indwelling Holy Spirit could give 10%, ought we not at least do the same? Further, we ought to increasingly grow in our charity above and beyond that 10% over the course of our life, as we give financially to missionaries and other Christian causes around the world, and as our personal income grows as we age.
But these specific details are better left for a future post in which I will cover The Planning Principle. Here, let’s consider how the New Testament roots us as Christian believers in the same purposes as the Old Testament tithe.
NT Giving Fuels a Heart of Worship: First, giving financially towards God’s work fuels a heart of worship.
2 Corinthians 9:10–11 "He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.
“Will produce thanksgiving to God.” When you give generously, abundantly, sacrificially towards God’s work, you learn to rely on God in new ways. You see more of what God is up to, and worship is formed in you. The more a Christian gives away towards the building of God’s kingdom, the more his heart is enflamed with both a dependence on God and a love of God. The more we hoard, the more we foster a dependence on self and a love of self.
NT Giving Fuels the Work of the Church: Secondly, it fuels the work God is doing. Paul says, “there will be an increase in the harvest of your righteousness.” What he means is that, their sacrificial financial contribution, is going to win many to faith in Jesus. The harvest is going to be great. Because God is able to do much more with it than we can do on our own. He is going to multiply it. He is going to use it.
NT Giving Provides for the Vulnerable: Paul writes,
2 Corinthians 9:12 "For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God."
The money is largely being used to “supply the needs of the saints.” That means that the Church is organizing provisional care for the needy, the widow, the hungry, the unborn, the immigrant, the refugee. So, as they give, they are giving towards the care of the vulnerable in their communities.
Money is a Sacred Tool
Money is a sacred tool in the hand of a Christian. As a faithful Christian there ought to be a marked delineation between the way you handle and steward your money, and the way your nonChristian friends handle their money. We must not fear wealth, as if it is some kind of evil, but we must also be wise enough to know that the story of the rich young ruler may have more to say about our own hearts than we care to admit.
And so let me ask a few questions at this point. Let these questions serve as a litmus test to scan our own heart and demonstrate our inclusion in the Kingdom of God.
- Are we concerned about fueling the worship of God with our finances?
- Are we concerned and prayerful about seeing the work of God’s Church here and around the globe develop through our finances?
- Are we concerned about the vulnerable and the poor being overly provided for through our finances?
If the answer to these questions is no, then we have discovered an area of our heart that is in resistance to God. Commit this to prayer. See God bring transformation and blessing into your life, as you live according to the Biblical principles of money management. How we handle our money is a direct reflection of our worship of Christ.
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