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38th Street Church of Christ 3904 38th Street NW Canton, Ohio 44718 330-492-5523 Fax: 330-493-7119 |
“What Is Liberality?” |
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I. Introduction.
A. The 12th chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans is, without
a doubt, one of the most important texts in the New
Testament for determining what is acceptable Christian
conduct. That doesn’t mean that these inspired words are
superior to other, equally inspired, writings, but, rather, that
they are so often used for the purpose of encouraging such
conduct. They are familiar words, especially those of
verses 1 and 2.1. At the end of Chapter 11, Paul concludes the
doctrinal section of the letter. Then, following the
style of other letters he wrote, he presents practical
applications of the doctrine to individual’s daily
lives.2. Beginning at verse 6, Paul identifies some of the
“gifts” of Christians, with the idea that, whatever
we do in Christ’s service, it should be done with
true faith in God, who provided us the ability to do it.3. The gifts listed here are not of a miraculous
nature. They are the abilities and capabilities God
has given to people in all generations. Like the
miraculous gifts, they are not to be ranked. One
is not more important, or more of a blessing, than
another.a. These gifts – or abilities – should not be the
objects of jealousy, or envy, nor the sources
of arrogance or pride.b. But, these gifts are to be used for the glory
of God, who provided them.B. Among them is liberality in giving (verse 8). In the whole
concept of stewardship, there is no more attractive idea
than that of “liberality.” In our language, the word has a
rather vague, imprecise meaning. But, in the language of
the New Testament it has a concrete, exact meaning.1. In Thayer’s lexicon of Greek words, it is defined
as “singleness, simplicity, sincerity without self-
seeking, with openness of heart.”2. The word in one form or another, appears 11 times
in the New Testament.3. The word “liberality” points in two directions.
a. Inwardly, to an honest, pure, sincere heart,
without the concerns of self-seeking people.b. Outwardly, to generosity and a benevolent
spirit toward others.C. The idea of liberality brings us back once again to Paul’s
words about the Macedonians in II Corinthians 8:5:
“. . . they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us
by the will of God.”1. Liberality comes from being a devoted child of
God. It is not the way to become such a person.2. Liberality is a reflection of our spiritual growth.
When we look for signs of spiritual maturity in
someone, we may overlook one of the most
important such indications: if we’ve done well
in increasing our knowledge and our skills, we
still must ask the question: “Have I grown in
liberality?” How is my giving? How do I feel
about my giving? If my income has risen over
a period of time, is that reflected in my giving?
D. There are other questions we can ask, to get at the answer
to that single question “What is ‘Liberality’?” Maybe these
are questions you’ve asked. In looking at some of these,
remember that, in our giving, liberality is the only
acceptable standard.1. God has not commanded us to give a donation, as
though He were someone in need of our
benevolence.2. He has not commanded us to give just something,
as though we were in control and could set our own
personal standards of right and wrong.3. He has commanded us to give “. . . with liberality.”
So, what does that mean?II. How Much Is Liberal?
A. Why didn’t God set an exact amount for us to give, as He
did the Jews, so we could be sure our giving was liberal
and pleasing to Him?1. Probably the most significant reason God didn’t
set such an amount is that, if He did so, we would
do that and no more.2. New Testament giving is related far more to our
ability than to an amount.3. God has appealed to our love for Him in deciding
how much we give: True love can never really do
enough – or give enough. True love never says:
“This much and no more.”4. Even though we don’t have the standard of a set
amount to give, we do have the standard of
liberality – our singleness, our simplicity, our
sincerity, our openness of heart will lead us to
do what’s right and to give “as [we] may
prosper.” (I Corinthians 16:2).B. What about tithing? That’s another question that
naturally comes up. As the New Testament church, we’re
not bound by the law of tithing any more than we are bound
by any portion of the Mosaic Law.1. There are religious groups, today, that still teach
tithing as the standard for acceptable giving. The
rationale for this is that such giving, of one tenth of
a person’s income, is a good and fair portion to
demand to support the work of the church. What is
lacking, though, is any New Testament authority for
such a claim.2. As is true of all the Law of Moses, Christians have
been liberated from its authority. That law was
completed, it’s time served, when Christ died on the
cross. As Paul says in Colossians 2:14, it, too, was
“. . . nailed . . . to the cross.” Christians are
liberated from the tithe so that their giving can be
truly liberal.3. To say that “We are not commanded to give a
tenth” is the truth. To say that “We need not give as
much as a tenth” is far from the truth. Where does
the New Testament tell us, or authorize us, to give
less than a tenth of our prosperity? And, if we
apply the standard of liberality – our standard for
giving – we are to give based on our ability, not on
an amount. Our response to the “. . . grace and
truth [which] came through Jesus Christ”
(John 1:17) should exceed the commands under the
Law of Moses.a. Jesus taught: “For I say to you, that, unless
your righteousness exceeds the
righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees,
you will by no means enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:20).b. In all his teaching, Jesus called His disciples
to love more, do more, give more. He never
lowered the standards for a life pleasing to
God, and obeying His will, but instead,
always raised such standards. And, as in
Matthew 5:20 He made it a matter of our
soul’s salvation: “. . . you will by no means
enter in the kingdom of heaven.”4. Our liberality in giving is a serious matter. To not
give as we’ve prospered is to disobey God and to
jeopardize our relationship with God and our
eternal home with Him.C. How much is liberal? That’s dependent on a number of
things.1. How much is liberal depends on how much we have
to give. Remember Jesus’ words from Luke 12:48:
“. . . to whom much is given, from him much will
be required; and to whom much has been
committed, of him they will ask the more.” Our
giving must reflect our prosperity. It must be
proportionate to what we have gained.2. How much is liberal also depends upon the present
needs of the church. When we become aware of
needs – individual or collective – spiritual growth
and maturity requires a response to those needs,
individually or collectively. This principle has been
borne out in this congregation over and over again.3. How much is liberal is dependent on our obedience
to essential principles in God’s Word.a. We must put the kingdom of God first
(Matthew 6:33).b. We must openly show our faith in the
promises of God (Malachi 3:10:
“ ‘ . . . try [test] Me now in this,’ says the
Lord of hosts, ‘If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you
such a blessing that there will not be room
enough to receive it!”).c. We must adjust our standard of living to our
standard of giving, not the other way around
(Matthew 16:26: “. . . what profit is it to a
man if he gains the whole world, and loses
his own soul.”).d. We must demonstrate by our giving that
Christ is, indeed, the Lord of our life.4. Lastly, how much is liberal depends on what kind
of example we want to be. Liberality sets a good
example. To the Corinthians, Paul wrote:
“. . . your zeal has stirred up the majority.”
(II Corinthians 9:2). The call to liberality is the call
to step out and lead, not only in giving, but in all
aspects of spiritual life and our stewardship to God.III. Conclusion.
A. II Corinthians 9:11: “. . . you are enriched in everything
for all liberality . . .”1. God has blessed us, not because of our worthiness
for such blessings, but so that we can be a blessing
to others (II Corinthians 9:8).2. Liberality in our giving secures the blessings of
God and promises us more to bless others with.B. We are to use the gift of liberality, as we use all other gifts
God gives us. To withhold any part of ourselves, or our
abilities, from Him is to deny our faith in Him.C. How great the mercy of God is in that He provides the way
to fulfill His commands. The cross of Christ, the command
to expand God’s kingdom, our own spiritual growth, the
rewards of giving, the love we have for God and His Son –
all make it easy to honor the Father with what He’s given
to us.