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Biblical Principles To Guide Our Giving

I. Each person is to give according to his/her ability

All Christians, according to their ability, should be involved in sharing their material possessions to carry on God's work in the world (Acts 11:19-30).

II. Our giving is to be regular and proportionate

Christians should set aside a certain percentage of their income on just as regular a basis as they are paid in order to be able to systematically give to God's work (I Corth. 16:2).

God honors believers' gifts once they begin to give regularly and systematically, even though they may not be able to give as proportionately as they will be able to once they have their economic lives in order (2 Corth. 8:10-12).

III. We are to give willingly

Christians should organize and plan their giving in a systematic way so that they can give generously and not respond in a grudging fashion (2 Corth. 9:5b).

IV. We are to be held accountable in our giving

Christians need to be held accountable when they make financial commitments to God's work (2 Corth. 8:6,10,11; 9:3).

V. We are to give what we have

God desires to use Christians who may not have an abundance of material possessions but who unselfishly use what they have, including their skills, to do the work of God (Acts 9:32-43).

VI. We are to support our local church

It is by divine design that local churches provide the primary context in which Christians are to use their material possessions to further the work of God's kingdom (Acts 2-6).

The local church is God's primary context for maintaining accountability in the area of material possessions.

Bible Verses Supporting A Life of Giving and Stewardship

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Romans 8:32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
Luke 12:34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Acts 11:29 The disciples, each according to his ability, decided to provide help for the brothers living in Judea.
2 Corinthians 8:1 And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches.
2 Corinthians 8:2 Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.
2 Corinthians 8:3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own,
Acts 11:29 The disciples, each according to his ability, decided to provide help for the brothers living in Judea.
1 Corinthians 16:1 Now about the collection for God's people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do.
1 Corinthians 16:2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.
2 Corinthians 8:12 For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.
2 Corinthians 9:5 So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given.
2 Corinthians 8:6 So we urged Titus, since he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part.
2 Corinthians 8:10 And here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so.
2 Corinthians 8:11 Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means.
2 Corinthians 9:3 But I am sending the brothers in order that our boasting about you in this matter should not prove hollow, but that you may be ready, as I said you would be.
2 Corinthians 9:4 For if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we--not to say anything about you--would be ashamed of having been so confident.
2 Corinthians 9:5 So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given.
Acts 9:36 In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which, when translated, is Dorcas ), who was always doing good and helping the poor.
Acts 9:39 Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.
2 Corinthians 8:10 And here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so.
2 Corinthians 8:1 And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches.
2 Corinthians 8:18 And we are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel.
2 Corinthians 8:19 What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honor the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help.
2 Corinthians 8:23 As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you; as for our brothers, they are representatives of the churches and an honor to Christ.
Luke 12:34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.