Biblical Giving: A Manifestation of God's Life Within Us

Giving as Divine Life Expression

Giving is a manifestation of the true life of God that we have received.

1 Thessalonians 2:13 - "For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe."

Understanding Grace in Its Fullness

Grace is a past reality: exoneration from the payment and damages of sin.

Grace is privilege:

Ephesians 3:8-9 - "To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ;"

Grace is empowerment: divine capacity in us that makes us live the way God wants us to live.

The fundamental way of God bringing grace to a man is by bringing the Word of God to the person.

The Transformation from Taker to Giver

It is not normal by nature for a man to give. Man is a taker. He can take all he gets and sits on all he has.

The DNA of a Christian carries the gene of generosity.

Luke 6:38 - "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."

Luke 6:38 (GNT) - "Give to others, and God will give to you. Indeed, you will receive a full measure, a generous helping, poured into your hands—all that you can hold. The measure you use for others is the one that God will use for you."

God Works Through Givers

What you think you have is often times is nothing compared to what you really have. You are just not aware of it.

The only way God succeeds at ever doing anything is through givers. Anywhere God is working, there are givers there at work. God cannot work without givers.

God's care for you is usually about what you have and not what you do not have.

Acts 3:6 - Referenced in context of using what we have been given.

When the disciples deployed what had been given to them, they got what was yet to be given to them.

The Principle of Freely Giving

Matthew 10:8 - "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give."

Luke 22:35 - "And He said to them, 'When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?' So they said, 'Nothing.'"

2 Corinthians 8:1-8 - Referenced in context of excelling in generosity.

2 Corinthians 8:7 (TPT) - "You do well and excel in every respect—in unstoppable faith, in powerful preaching, in revelation knowledge, in your passionate devotion, and in sharing the love we have shown to you. So make sure that you also excel in grace-filled generosity."

Christ's Example of Generous Giving

2 Corinthians 8:9 - "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich."

The Heart of True Giving

The overarching principle of giving is that all men should purpose in their mind what to give.

Any giving out of compulsion or fear is not giving.

2 Corinthians 9:7 - "So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver."

The more you study the Word of God, the more you know the mind of God as regards a matter.

Conclusion

Biblical giving flows naturally from the transformed heart that has received God's grace and life. As believers, our DNA has been changed from takers to givers, reflecting the generous nature of our heavenly Father.

True giving is purposeful, cheerful, and motivated by love rather than compulsion or fear, and it positions us to be instruments through which God accomplishes His work in the earth while experiencing His abundant provision in return.