One of the wonderful characteristics of this present dispensation is that God has revealed Himself as a giver. He was always a giver, in one sense, as Paul could say to the Athenians, “He giveth to all life, and breath, and all things” (Acts 17:2525Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; (Acts 17:25)).
However, in the Old Testament, God was testing man to see if there was any good in the natural man and ultimately proved to him that there was none. God gave to Israel, as His chosen people, every possible advantage in government, law, prosperity and a relationship with Himself, asking only obedience in return. We all know the result — they corrupted themselves to the point where God had to allow them to be carried away into captivity. Finally He sent His Son, whom they rejected and crucified.
But was God going to be frustrated in His purposes of love? No, for as a result of the work of Christ on the cross, “where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (Rom. 5:2020Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: (Romans 5:20)). Now God has come out as a giver, not only of salvation through the blood of Christ, but also of “all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Eph. 1:33Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: (Ephesians 1:3)). These are ours to enjoy now, while we look forward to “the ages to come” when He will “show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:77That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:7)).
The Exhibition of His Character
In view of all this love and grace, God calls us to exhibit His character in this world as givers and presents to us the most touching motive for this. In 2 Corinthians 8:9 we read, “Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich.”
The One who has saved us and made us rich became poor in order to do this, and it was poverty such as none of us can ever experience. We know that our blessed Lord was a poor man on earth in natural things. He had to ask for a penny when He wished to use it for an illustration. He could say to one who asked to follow Him, “The Son of Man hath not where to lay His head” (Luke 9:5858And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. (Luke 9:58)). We know that He received the charity of others at times, for we read of “certain women . . . which ministered unto Him of their substance” (Luke 8:2323But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. (Luke 8:23)). All this is most blessed and touches our hearts, as we think of who He was and how He humbled Himself.
However, this kind of poverty, touching though it is, could never put away our sins. His poverty in natural things, although displaying the love of God, could never make us rich. Even His sufferings at the hands of man — the mocking, scourging, buffeting and the crown of thorns — while they show us how much He loved us, could never make us rich. No, the poverty necessary to make us rich was in the three hours of darkness, when He suffered at the hand of God for our sins. Here is a depth of poverty to which none of us could go, yet our blessed Saviour went there, in order to make us rich. God shut out the eye of man from that sacred scene, while He laid upon His Son the judgment that was ours. What love and grace beyond our understanding!
The Right Motive
It is this giving of the Lord that Paul uses as a basis for exhorting the Corinthians in giving, and it is the basis of giving that God sets before our own souls. We may sometimes give “grudgingly, or of necessity” (2 Cor. 9:7), but the only right motive for giving that Scripture presents is love to Christ — love that flows from a sense of His love and grace in our souls. Our Lord was the merchantman of Matthew 13:4646Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. (Matthew 13:46), “who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.” When we consider how much He gave for us, how can our hearts help but respond in love and take on the character of givers too?
If His love really laid hold of our souls and if we had a greater sense of what He has done for us, surely our hearts would respond by being ready to give everything for Him. If we remember the price that was paid for us, we would be more ready to embrace what Scripture tells us: “Know ye not . . . that ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Cor. 6:19-20).
W. J. Prost