Paul And Jesus Teachings On Giving

What does the Old Testament and the New Testament Say about Giving and Money?

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What does the Old Testament and the New Testament Say about Giving and Money?

Minimum wage is a thing that touches on money and it significantly features in the both

the teachings of the Old and New Testaments in the Bible. For instance Paul in the Old

Testament spoke extensively regarding the associated benefits of giving. The latter is evident in

2 Corinthians 8 and 9. From the Chapter, Paul cites the significance of generosity, giving

according to ability, and the need to be trustworthy when it comes to finances. Jesus also

contributed to the topic of money through citing various things such as God watches what we do

with our money, deceit and danger associated with money, and the need not to focus on money

as a source of our security. Notably, all the teachings by Paul and Jesus regarding money touch

on minimum wage to some extent as will be explicated below.

According to Stott, Paul in 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 insinuated that money can never be

enough for a person

. Paul talks about the Macedonians whom he indicates that they were poor

themselves, but despite been asked for help, they learned about the collection, which Paul was

undertaking and they were more than willing to help. Consequently, they ended up contributing

more money that Paul anticipated. According to Paul, their contribution stemmed from their

giving themselves to the Lord before investing themselves onto others. The latter was a sign of

spiritual maturity, which Paul expected the Corinthians to replicate.

Paul also spoke regarding giving depending on a person’s ability. He was addressing the

Corinthians in this context citing that although they were the first to give the past year, they

should continue with the same generosity so that the work they had started could be completed.

The latter is evident in Corinthians 8:10-11. Paul qualified the above statement through touching

on the need to give according to a person’s ability. According to Paul, God looks on the heart

Stott, John. The Grace of Giving: 10 Principles of Christian Giving. London: Hendrickson Publishers, 2012. 105

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and willingness to give, but not the amount. According to Paul, willingness reflects the

acceptance of what is given because giving does not depend on what a person does, but on what

a person has.

The above statement was made with an intention to encourage the Corinthians to give,

but also to save enough for their use. Notably, Paul cites that financial help will not always be

one direction because those that help today might be the ones that need financial assistance in the

future. In Corinthians 8:15; and Exodus 16:18, it is cited that it is written in the Bible that those

who saved more did not have too more and those that saved little did not have too little

. The

quote is aimed at showing the equality amongst men.

The New Testament also features significant teachings regarding finances. For instance,

in Mark 12:41-44, Jesus talks about the Widow’s offering. In the parable, Jesus stresses the need

to give from our heart rather than what we are worth. Notably, the parable features a poor widow

that came and placed her very small copper coins, which were worth only a few cents. Jesus

compared her to other rich people that gave out their wealth, but she gave everything out of her

poverty.

In the Parable of the Sower cited in Mathew 13:1-9, Jesus talked about a farmer that went

out to plant seeds. Some of the seeds fell along the path and were eaten by the birds, the ones that

fell on rocky places sprout quickly due to lack of enough soil, but withered quickly at the same

time due to lack of roots, while other seeds planted in thorns were chocked. However, the seeds

that fell on good soil produced good yields. This verse touches on the element of deceit and

danger associated with money that people need to be keen about. From the verse, it can be

Stott, John. The Grace of Giving: 10 Principles of Christian Giving. London: Hendrickson

Publishers, 2012. 174

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deducted that money is not evil in itself; however, it is important for people to understand that

they are not above others because they own material things. The latter is critical since money can

taint us; thus, the need to be careful.

Lastly, Jesus also taught the Parable of the Rich Fool in Luke 12:13-21. In the parable,

Jesus anecdotes a rich man that had plentiful of harvest and thought to himself that he should tear

down the current barns and build large ones stemming from the lack of enough space to store the

current harvests

. However, God said to the rich farmer that his soul was required of him on that

particular day. Significant lesson derives from the teaching whereby Jesus is of the opinion that

people should strive to be full in Christ or God rather than be full of earthly things because

eventually we will all die and there is no great treasure than what God has preserved for us in

heaven.

To surmise, Paul and Jesus spoke extensively regarding money in both the Old and New

Testament respectively. Paul advanced the need for generosity, giving according to ability, and

being trustworthy when it comes to money. Paul asserted that money or material things should

not be the things that separate us from one another, but should be a unifying factor as we can

invest ourselves onto others as sign of love. Jesus also contributed to the topic of money by

indicating that God watches what we do with our money, deceit and danger associated with

money, and lastly, the need not to focus on money as the source of our security.

Witherington, Ben. Jesus and Money. New York: SPCK, 2011. 142

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Bibliography

Stott, John. The Grace of Giving: 10 Principles of Christian Giving. London: Hendrickson

Publishers, 2012.

Witherington, Ben. Jesus and Money. New York: SPCK, 2011.

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