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The subject of giving and how to do it properly in the context Of the holy scriptures is something of much debate among Christian and religious denominations. The Bible does emphasize the importance of giving. In Luke 6:38, Jesus said “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.” In 2 Corinthians 9:7, Paul writes “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
These passages and many others in the Bible make it clear that we should give generously, but the question of financial obligation to others is a bit more complicated.
People always argue that it's of personal interest to give to others. True as this may seem, in the old path YouTube video dealing with this matter Brother Eli stated that, spiritually speaking, we have Financial Obligations to people who are needful of help. His submission was based on the holy scriptures as recorded in the book of Matthew chapter 5:42;
"Give to him that asketh thee and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away"
The above bible verse is a clear indication that Christians are to be financially generous as children of God. The scripture is a commandment from the Lord Jesus Christ. This means Christians should render financial assistance to the needing.
In his words, according to the world's view, you do not have any financial obligation to those who are sick, to the poor, or the needy. However, spiritually speaking we have Financial Obligations to people who are needful of our help. "Give to him that asketh thee and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away". "so it is a law of the Lord Jesus Christ"
Furthermore, Christian financial obligations have no boundaries. Brother Eli clarified that reading from the book of Luke 6:35 (KJV)
"But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil".
If we believe we are Christians we are bound by this law to give to those who are in need and to lend to those who are asking or borrowing money from us and this extends even to our enemies as stated in the above-quoted bible verse.
The issue with lending or giving financial support to our enemies is something that seems so sensitive. However, if we are Christians, we will need to obey what God said. This is not just about the new testament Christians, God gave the children of Israel an obligation not to turn away from somebody that is borrowing money from them even if it's their enemy.
We need to obey this commandment as well. Christians will eventually have to be made accountable for their actions so we must not mislead people through our actions. The Children of Israel were blessed because they followed God's commandments. They were not exempt from punishment from God when they disobeyed him. In the new testament, Jesus said, "If you love me keep my commandments."
If a Christian has money, it should be evident in the Christian's attitude towards others and everyone who knows the Christian. The NIV translation states it as follows in Philippians 2:3, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
Unlike the society today, God never asked the Israelites to take an interest in the money they borrowed to the needing. Brother Eli explained this by reading the book of Exodus 22:25 (KJV)
"If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury"
That's a clear commandment that the Israelites are to follow whenever they lend or borrow money to the poor or needing. The same applied to us, we have some financial obligations to people who need our help.
God does not require interest from poor people. But why?
Why God never required interest for loans?
Society today would say that it is because the interest payment is the source of the rich man's wealth. If the poor did not have to pay the interest, there will be no more rich people in this world. However, this is not right.
While it is true that nowadays wealth is earned through taking interest-based loans and lending, it was not always that way. We are discussing lending money in biblical terms and ignoring our modern financial system and economic concepts.
To further explain the above, Brother Eli showed us what the bible says in the book of 1 John 3:17 (KJV)
"But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?"
The above scripture is self explainable, "who so had these words good". If You have money, you have food, you have materials, you have animals Etc, and see a brother has a need and shouted up your bowels of compassion, how can you say the love of God is in you?
We are to be compassionate wholeheartedly with all the innermost sentiments of our hearts. if you shut it how dwell the love of God in you? What this implied is that we have obligations financially to people who need our help. That shows that the spirit of love and compassion dwells in us.
As a church, we all have to help people in need, by all means, available to us. Even if you're not in a position to help materially, you always have the option of spreading goodwill and cheer.
You do not have to be rich to be charitable, you simply need to be willing to give what you have. Jesus showed us how important it is to be hospitable, kind, and generous toward others.
The Bible says that if you give out money and possessions to those who are in need, you will receive a generous reward from God himself. This is an encouragement for us all; so as Christians we should be always prepared to help others, not just financially but also with our time and energy
The summary of this teaching is for us to understand that we have an obligation to those who are in need, the poor, sick, and handicapped in society. We don't need to be like the world, the Bible showed us in several places what God said, and if we're children of God, we need to obey God.
we are Christians, we are mature, we have a good understanding of the Bible, and we have been given something priceless in the eyes of God our creator, and in the eyes of others. We have been given God's Holy Spirit which gives us wisdom, knowledge, and understanding from Jesus Christ our Lord and savior. We need to understand that since God has given us this great opportunity to be in His family and to be part of his eternal kingdom, we are financially obligated to the World.
By giving to others we are doing the same things that Jesus did when He was here on Earth, He gave away all of his comfort, happiness, and life to those in need. The Bible teaches us that Jesus said:
"In as much as you have done it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you have done it to Me." Matt. 25:40.
It's our obligation, which means it's a commandment from the Lord Jesus Christ unto the church, to love God and to do good to all men irrespective of who they are to us.
The article is more or less a transcript of the Old Path Youtube video below.
