Giving to the Lord

Giving to the Lord

(2 Corinthians 9:6-11)

In this lesson we are going to look at the subject of Giving to the Lord. For many this is a difficult subject because there are many thoughts and opinions regarding giving to the Lord. We will begin by looking at the passage and our command to give and then we will look at two types of giving from the Old Testament. We will close the lesson by looking back to 2 Corinthians 9 and seeing some principles regarding giving to the Lord.

The command for giving in the New Testament is in 2 Corinthians 9:7. We are to give with a cheerful heart and not grudgingly. It is also interesting that Paul uses the principle of sowing and reaping that was used in Galatians to warn us of sin.

Two types of giving in the Old Testament:

 Tithes and Offerings (Malachi 3:7-10)

In verse 8 we see the term tithes and offerings. This represents two types of giving under the Old Testament. The tithe was the tenth part. God required the tithe. The offerings were anything above the tithe.

Where did the tithe come from?

In Genesis 14:17-24 we see that the first person to give tithes was Abram and he gave them to Melchizedek. When we look at the account of this in Hebrews 7:1-4 we see that Abram gave a tenth (this shows us that the tithe is 10 percent or 1/10) to Melchizedek and that Melchizedek was a type of Jesus Christ. Therefore, the tithe was actually started before the law, and it was given to a man who was a type of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anything given above the tenth is an offering. And there are many examples of people in the Bible giving more than just the tenth.

What about giving in the New Testament?

Two scriptures used in the New Testament for encouraging people to give are 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 and 2 Corinthians 9:6-8. We will look at the latter passage and show some principles for giving from these verses.

Principles for Giving:  (2 Corinthians 9:6-8)

1)  Give as God purposes in your hearts (verse 7)

  • Many like to say that the tithes were Old Testament and we are no longer under the law in the church age. This is true but the tithe was also before the law. Now I personally believe that even in the New Testament we should be able to start with the minimum from the Old Testament, and then add to it. Remember the offerings also.
  • Now the point is that you should get with God and seriously consider the matter and then be willing to give as he leads.

2)  We should not give grudgingly or of necessity (verse 7)

  • We should give because we want to not because we have to. The motive of why we give is very important.

3)  God loves a cheerful giver (verse 7)

  • A preacher say one time that he never heard anyone shout or praise God during the offering. There is a lot of truth in that and also it is an interesting thought.

4)  There are blessing associated with giving (verses 8-11)

  • God blesses the cheerful giver.

Blessings associated with giving to the Lord?

1)  God gives us grace (verse 8)

2)  God gives us sufficiency (verse 8)

3)  Ministering seed to other increases our seed (verse 10)

4)  People thank God and give him glory when we give (verse 11)

Giving to the Lord : Handout

(Corinthians 9:6-11)

1)  What are the two forms of giving found in Malachi 3:8?

2)  Where did the tithe originate and to whom was it given?

3)  What then is the difference between the tithe and the offerings?

4)  What is a good New Testament verse on giving?

5)  What are some principles from the above passage on giving?

6)  What are some of the blessings for giving according to the above passage?