To understand the biblical doctrine of giving, we don't start with tithes or offerings. We begin with understanding who God is and how he made the world. We are called to give because God gives to us. We are to be generous in our giving because God is generous. We see displays of His generosity in many ways, notably in the abundance, variety, and beauty of creation, but especially in the generous gift of Jesus Christ. Luke 12:32 declares, "it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." God is happy to give us the kingdom in all its fullness: salvation from our sins, membership in his body, and eternal life. The foundation for giving is the gospel: "freely ye have received, freely give." Without this gospel theology of generosity, however, money discussions are often only about how to be a good steward, stay out of debt, save for retirement, tithe, etc. These things are not wrong but can get in the way of God's call upon our lives. Living for Jesus means living a generous life, and there are no exceptions. There are no "out clauses." We all must give. So, the question then becomes: what does giving look like? First and foremost, our giving must reflect who God is—we must be willing and generous givers like we see in the life of Zacchaeus and the children of Israel when they built the tabernacle.
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Kurt Snow serves as a ruling elder at Covenant Reformed Church of Sacramento (RCUS). He served as a member of the Board of Governors of City Seminary of Sacramento from 2000 to 2020.
