16 11 The Money Question: the Tests of Faith and Love

11 The Money Question: the Tests of Faith and Love

11. The Money Question: the Tests of Faith and Love

We correctly stress the idea that our Lord’s law of pardon to aliens has in it a test of faith, and that this test is baptism. About this there can be no doubt. When Paul declares, "For ye are all sons of God, through faith, in Christ Jesus," then at once declares how he knows—namely, "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ," this forever settles baptism as the test to aliens. (Galatians 3:26-27). Our Lord says in Mark 16:16 that the believers who are baptized are the ones he will save. In Acts 2:41 we are told that the ones who gladly received the word were the ones baptized. No other kind of people have the promise of salvation. In Romans 6, after Paul tells us in verses 1 to 5 that we are buried with Christ in baptism and raised with him, and go into his death by this act, in verses 16, 17 he returns to the baptismal act and declares that when we obey this form of doctrine we are then made free from sin.

Now, what elder or deacon, or any other member of the church of Christ, would stand for our coming along and declaring that we can take baptism out and still assure the believer that he is saved, or can be saved? No, we stand like a stone wall for every condition of pardon to aliens, and rightly so. But are we to believe that in God’s law to his children there is no test? Well, we should not. But the question arises: What is the test to Christians? My answer is that it is giving. Our willingness to turn loose fully and freely the things God has placed in our hands for the furtherance of the cause of Christ is the test. Here let us not guess, but give the proof. 2 Corinthians 8, 9 give the law of our Lord on giving. Read both chapters prayerfully. But in 8:8, Paul says that he is writing about the money question "to test the genuineness of your affection." This is the Twentieth Century New Testament translation. Moffatt’s translation says, "to prove how sterling your own love is." The American Revised Version says, "proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity also of your love." The Standard Version says, "to prove the sincerity of your love."

There can be no doubt that giving tells exactly what we are. Of course I know that the Lord’s Supper is often named as the test of faith to the child of God; and that it is a test goes without question. But how any human soul who claims to be a child of God can go to the Lord’s table and really commune with the body an why blood of our Lord and fail on the money question goes beyond me. There is such a thing, I am sure, as a child of God really meeting our Lord in the Supper who fails to give because he has not been taught; hence, his neglect is one of pure ignorance. But that member who knows the teaching of our Lord on this question cannot commune with the body and blood of Jesus and fail to meet the test of love in giving. Imagine a soul coming to the Lord’s Supper with his heart all aglow with love, tears trickling down the cheek in love and appreciation for our Lord’s great sacrifice to make it possible for us to be saved, then in just three or four minutes after such a lovely scene you behold the same heart dry-eyed and in cold storage when the opportunity to give comes around! If congregations have been properly taught, I feel safe in saying that only those who give as they should meet our Lord in the Supper. Does not Paul, right there in his appeal to give, present Jesus in his supreme sacrifice as an incentive to give? "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might become rich." Read 2 Corinthians 8:8-9 together. That we have failed to teach as we should on the money question is one reason for our not having gone further in evangelizing the world for Christ. Some refuse to teach baptism as it should be taught because they do not want to offend the sects about us, and others have failed to press the money question for fear we will offend some close-fisted, stingy church member. I had as soon be guilty of one of these fears as the other. Paul could read his title clear when he said good-by to the elders of the church of Ephesus, because he could say: "I shrank not from declaring unto you anything that was profitable.... For I shrank not from declaring unto you the whole counsel of God." (Acts 20:27).

We have failed in doing our duty as preachers and teachers when we baptize souls and fail to teach them their whole duty as to how to live the Christian life. The church in Jerusalem was made to know by the apostles that their conversion meant that not only they themselves, but all they possessed, belonged to the Lord. "And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and soul: and not one of them said that aught of the things which he possessed was his own." (Acts 4:32). Paul, in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, says: "Ye are not your own; for ye were bought with a price."

ONLY HEART OFFERINGS ACCEPTED

Much is said about heartfelt religion. The church of Christ can have no other kind and be true to her name. Going back to the time when calls were made for the money and material out of which to build the tabernacle of Moses, which was a type of the church and heaven itself, let us see the kind of offerings that could be accepted. In Exodus 25 : a we have these words: "Speak unto the children of Israel, that they take for me an offering: of every man whose heart maketh him willing ye shall take my offering." These words just as certainly tell Moses not to take any other kind of offering as they tell him the kind to take. When God names the kind of offering he will accept, this excludes every other kind—just as God when he told Noah to use gopher wood in building the ark, makes God say use no other kind of wood. God’s commands are just as exclusive as they are inclusive—including only what is specified and excluding everything else. To remember this will help us much in staying in the strait and narrow way. And we should remember that more than enough was brought for the building of the tabernacle, and they had to restrain the people from giving. (See Exodus 36:5-6). But let us get back to the kind of offerings our Lord will accept. We come now to 2 Corinthians 8:12 : "For if the readiness is there [or, "if there be first a willing mind"—Standard Version], it is acceptable according as a man hash, not according as he hath not." Then, again, in 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 we have these words: "But this I say, He that soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he that soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Let each man do according as he hath purposed in his heart: not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a. cheerful giver."

Study it as long as you please, and you will find our Father wants only heart offerings—it must come from the heart, else he will not accept it, no more than he would accept baptism, the test to the alien, if it did not come from the heart. (Romans 6:17). And our offerings must not be "chips and whetstones," so to speak—things that we can give and not miss; it must be a sacrifice. David is an example here. When he would stay the pestilence sent upon the people, and when Araunah offered him everything necessary to make an offering unto God free that the plague might be stayed, David exclaimed: "Nay; but I will verily buy it of thee at a price; neither will I offer burnt-offerings unto Jehovah my God which cost me nothing." (2 Samuel 24:22-24). That is the idea.

EXAMPLES OF ONE HUNDRED PER CENT GIVING

MAKING CHRIST KINGDOM FIRST

It would be difficult to name a command that means more to the human soul than this one: "Seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:33).

"All these things shall be added unto you" has reference to the blessings of a temporal nature, that have to do with the comfort of our minds and bodies while living here on the earth. David says in Psalms 37:25 : "I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread." The whole sixth chapter of Matthew, from verse 19 to the close, condemns anxiety about the material things of life, and we are taught that he who thinks more about the things he eats and wears than he does of being in our Lord’s kingdom and making its interest of first importance is serving "mammon," hence is not a servant of God; for it is never possible to serve both at the same time. "Ye cannot serve God and mammon." (Verse 24). How important, then, to know that we are making "his kingdom" first.

HIS KINGDOM MUST BE FIRST IN OUR PLANS TO MAKE MONEY

Two things must be done if Christ and his kingdom are first with us. The first is to make Christ and his kingdom first in our desire and plans to make money. Let me ask: Why should a Christian desire to make money? Why should he plan to make money? Just to have money to buy food and raiment? I deny this. I grant that this is a motive, but it should not be the con trolling motive. We should want to prosper because of what it enables us to be to Christ and his kingdom. Having the things of this life simply for self’s sake must not be the leading motive for business enterprises owned and run by Christians. The Bible must be true, and any position to the contrary should be severely let alone. "Let him labor, working with his hands the thing that is good, that he may have whereof to give to him that hath need." Here is the motive. (Ephesians 4:28). This makes the ability to give the controlling motive for working in order to possess what the Bible calls "mammon," or earthly goods. May God help us to get away from this soul-destroying desire to have, primarily to consume upon our own lusts. "Mammon" then becomes your God and you cease to be a servant of Jehovah. Let us listen to James: "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may spend it in your pleasures." (James 4:3). How sad to think that the most of the money that is made, even by Christians, is made with our own pleasures being of first consideration! This can never be right. It is going about it in the wrong way. And mark what I tell you: Sorrow of heart and anguish of spirit sooner or later will come as a result. It comes to most of the people even in this life. A few miss it here, but they are certain to catch it on the other side of the river of death. "Come now, ye rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver are rusted; and their rust shall be for a testimony against you, and shall eat your flesh as fire. Ye have laid up your treasure in the last days. Behold, the hire of the laborers who mowed your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth out: and the cries of them that reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. Ye have lived delicately on the earth, and taken your pleasure; ye have nourished your hearts in a day of slaughter." (James 5:1-5).

Why are you following that occupation? Why strive so hard to make it a great success? Is it your interest in Christ and his kingdom for which you labor? If it is not, you are not making "his kingdom" first. oh, how foolish it is to live otherwise! You know not what tomorrow will bring. This day may be your last day. But what has that man to fear that has a business and is doing his best to make it a glorious success, first and above all things else, because of what it will enable him to give? The Bible has it wrong, if we are to interpret it by the way we too often do. It would read: "Let him labor, working with his hands the thing that is good, that he may have whereof to keep”—not to give. The Bible motive for desiring to possess is that we may be able to give. I ask: Is not the desire to keep or spend for our pleasures too often the motive?

"Godliness with contentment is great gain." "Godliness" means "godlikeness," to be like God. God so loved that he gave. (John 3:16).. And what a gift he made for us when he gave his Son to die that we might live, besides giving us every other good and perfect gift! But listen to Paul further in 1 Timothy 6:9-19 : "But they that are minded to be rich [determined to be rich, hence hoard it up instead of spending it for the cause of Christ] fall into a temptation and a snare and many foolish and hurtful lusts, such as drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love OF money is a root of all kinds of evil: which some reaching after have been led astray from the faith, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things.... Charge them that are rich in this present world, that they be not high-minded, nor have their hope set on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; that they do good, that they be rich in good works, that they be ready to distribute [give], willing to communicate; laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on the life which is life indeed."

How do brethren, as a rule, do when they begin to prosper? Do they give more? Well, this they may do to a degree; but is it not a fact that they build more, wear more, indulge the flesh more? And the first thing one knows he is trusting in these uncertain riches hoarded up. How much better to be godlike— viz., give for the good of others! "Godliness with contentment is great gain: for we brought nothing into the world, for neither can we carry anything out." Just overnight, or at the -tick of the clock, and it is all gone! How wisdom cries out to us to let Christ and his kingdom be first in our desire and effort to make money!

HIS KINGDOM MUST BE FIRST IN THE DISPOSITION WE MAKE OF OUR MONEY Not only must Christ and his kingdom be first in the desire to make money, but this must come first in the disposition we make of the increase that comes from our labor. By this I simply mean that if I am a wage earner and draw a salary of fifty, seventy-five, or one hundred dollars weekly, as soon as my check is received, the first thing I must do is to take out that part that should be used for the interest of that kingdom, or church, that Christ died to establish. How can I make his kingdom first and do otherwise?

I gave this lesson, not many years ago, right here in Tennessee; and when I had concluded, a most excellent-looking young man, a deacon in the church, came to me and said: "Brother Hall, I thank you for the lesson, and want to confess that I have not been living that way. As soon as I get my check on Saturday afternoon, the first thing I do is to spend it for this, that, and the other things that I want, that my wife wants, and that I want my children to have, and then from the little residue on Sunday morning give about the first piece I get my fingers on in the loose change that is left in my pocket"—or words to that effect. He was not making the kingdom first. Think of the thousands of others in the church who should make the same confession?

THE DANGER OF COVETOUSNESS

Here let us read a Scripture that is not taught as it should be: "But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as becometh saints.... For this ye know of a surety, that no fornicator, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God." (Ephesians 5:3-5). "Put to death therefore your members which are upon the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry; for which things’ sake cometh the wrath of God upon the sons of disobedience." (Colossians 3:5-6). Will you look that Scripture squarely in the face? What causes a man to be covetous? The very thing that causes fornication or any other sin of the flesh. But what is covetousness? It is wanting what belongs to another to that degree that you will appropriate it to your own use without his consent.

Well, just here the question is asked: Does not the Bible declare that a part of our income belongs to God? Here it is: "Honor Jehovah with thy substance, and with the first-fruits of all shine increase." (Proverbs 3:9). I know some seem to be afraid to press the teaching on giving for fear some will give unwillingly. But what of the child of God who gives not at all? You may have to fight the flesh at first when it comes to giving as you should. But crucify the flesh. This you must do whenever it gets in the way of our doing what God says do. "They that are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with the passions and the lusts thereof." (Galatians 5:24).

Numbers of times Brother David Lipscomb told his class how he overcame the flesh on giving. He said when he first began the Christian life he had trouble about giving, that when he purposed to give a dollar the devil would suggest to him that there is Brother Smith worth more than I am and gives only fifty cents, or when he purposed to give five dollars the same suggestion of someone else with more of this world’s goods than he would give less, hence he was giving too much. He said he tired of being forever tempted at this point and made up his mind that, every time the devil suggested his making his gift smaller after having purposed to give, he would double it. Hence, when he purposed to give five dollars and the suggestion to reduce came to his mind he made it ten. He said it was not long until the devil ceased to tempt him at this point. I presume this is what James meant when he said: "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (James 4:7).

Some say Proverbs 3:9 is in the old Testament. Exactly so; but 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 is in the New Testament, and there you are commanded to lay by in store every first day of the week as you have been prospered. Are you doing this? 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 says that God loves a cheerful giver and one that gives not sparingly or grudgingly. Are you such a giver?

There is absolutely no escape—the child of God who is not giving is sinning. He is holding back and using for his own selfish purposes that which belongs to God. This is covetousness, and the Bible declares it to be also robbery. (Malachi 3:7-10). The question is asked: "Will a man rob God?" And then Israel is told that they had robbed God in withholding from God’s treasury the "tithes and offerings." To go to a bank and break in and take money that does not belong to you and use it for your own selfish purposes, we consider a terrible sin. But, think ye, which is the greater sin, to do this or take what belongs to God and use it upon your own lusts? We boast about our going by all the teaching of our Lord. Have we been faithful in teaching all the word of the Lord on giving? There are thousands who are not living up to this teaching just because they have not been taught. How can we as teachers read our titles clear, with Paul, when we fail here? (Acts 20:25-27).

While living in Atlanta, at the beginning of my third year’s work there, we sorely needed some money to buy a tent. We thought we saw our way to meet all other financial demands, but lacked funds for a tent. A day or two afterward a letter came from a good sister who had married a man of wealth where there was no church. He gave her a monthly allowance, as many husbands do. Not being able to meet with the saints and give, she had kept books with her Lord, and each time she received her check she first took out what she believed was the Lord’s and put it in a savings account. Seeing reports of our work in Atlanta, she wrote me and stated that she had several hundred dollars of the Lord’s money there in the bank in a savings account, and wanted me to use it in the Atlanta work. It was just enough to buy the needed tent, and hundreds of souls were led to Christ with its use. How easily seen is the fact that this sister did as every other child of God should do—that is, keep books with the Lord, and each week take out of their income what belongs to God and put it to use in spreading the kingdom! And what if all would do this? The money question would be solved.

AN EXAMPLE

Here is a report of a congregation, during the worst of the depression, with only about two hundred fifty members, none of them rich, all working people, and for six months their monthly average in regular collections was $772.87, an average of $175 each Lord’s day. The highest monthly contribution during the six months’ period was $804.40 and the lowest $708.70.

There is nothing strange about this. Each member was giving in a regular, systematic way. Each member balanced books at the end of each week and put the "first-fruits" of all his increase for the week into God’s treasury. Tell me not that we all should not do this! How I love the church of my Lord for which he gave his life! How it grieves me to see the reproach that hovers over it just because this part of his teaching is so neglected! Widows and orphans would be fed and clothed, old preachers taken care of, and our missionary force increased manyfold if only we would come to the front and be as sound and as unyielding on our Lord’s teaching on giving as we are on baptism and other subjects.

A PAYING BUSINESS

We should never, for one moment, think that getting all of God’s children to live his teaching on giving will break anyone. No, it is a sure guarantee of financial success. God is a living God, and he is looking on; and when he sees us faithful, he is faithful to his every promise. What is it?

Going to Proverbs 3:9-10 : you will find him declaring that if you will honor him with the "first-fruits" of all your increase, "so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy vats shall overflow with new wine." Turning to Mall 3:8-10, you will find God declaring that if Israel would cease to rob him, by withholding their tithes and offerings he would "open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." And now come to 2 Corinthians 9:6-8, where we are told exactly how we as Christians and congregations should give, and what do we find? Our Lord declares that if we will give as he says, "God is able to make all grace abound unto you; that ye, having always all sufficiency in everything, may abound unto every good work." Be assured that we can do anything God wants done, if we will only surrender to him and let him have his way with us. Yes, he is able to make all grace abound! There is a joy that is unspeakable; there is a peace that goes beyond all understanding. (Php 4:7; l Pet 1:8). Here is the secret of it. 2 Corinthians 9:15, right along with our Lord’s teaching on giving, speaks of "his unspeakable gift." That soul that has been touched by this gift gives first himself to Christ and all he has to his holy service. (See 2 Corinthians 8:1-5). This leads to the unspeakable joy and peace.

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TODAY?

We shall do so much in the years to come, But what have we done today?

We shall give our gold in a princely sum, But what did we give today?

We shall lift the heart and dry the tear, We shall plant a hope in place of fear, We shall speak the words of love and cheer; But what did we speak today?

We shall be so kind in the afterwhile, But what have we been today?

We shall bring each lonely life a smile, But what have we brought today?

We shall give to truth a grander birth, And to steadfast faith a deeper worth, We shall feed the hungering souls of earth; But whom have we fed today?

We shall reap such joys in the by-and-by, But what have we sown today?

We shall build us mansions in the sky, But what have we built today?

’Tis sweet in idle dreams to bask, But here and now do we our task?

Yes, this is the thing our souls must ask, "What have we done today?"

—Selected.