5. Giving to Get
We might think that giving would be such a simple thing: that we simply extend the help we can when we see a need. But the Bible shows that is not always the case. In this chapter we will look briefly at some of the reasons for giving that we need to avoid.
Giving to Get Approval
A frequent mistake in giving comes when people give with the wrong motivation: giving something to get something. Perhaps the most common human failing is giving to get the approval of others. Jesus himself warned his disciples about this:
Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matthew 6:1–4)
In this powerful statement Jesus made the point that giving is not for the approval of others. That does not mean that we must only give anonymously – often that is not practical or even possible, and sometimes it is good that the recipient of a gift knows where it is coming from when this gives the person a sense of connection with the giver and an understanding that they are experiencing the love of an actual individual. Even theologically we see that giving need not be anonymous. God did not give the gift of his Son secretly – the Scriptures proclaim his gift! – but on a daily basis, God gives continually, often without us even realizing it. If we never give unless others are aware we are giving, then we are almost certainly missing Jesus' warning in this area.
In a similar manner, our giving should never be to try to gain approval from God. Our good works should always be done from a motivation of love or concern for others. God certainly sees and is pleased with his people's generosity (Matthew 6:4), but that should be the result, not the sole motivation, of our giving!
Giving Because We Feel Compelled
A related way in which many people fall down in the area of generosity is in giving only because of a feeling that they will be looked down on if they do not give. It is a well-known fact of fundraising that people who might not otherwise give at all will give if they feel social pressure or responsibility to do so.
In one study the role that social pressure played in motivating people to donate to a children's hospital was examined. It was found that when people were given the chance to opt out of being asked to donate, donations fell dramatically. The study concluded that at least 75 percent of the money donated to this charitable cause was due to social pressure, with only 25 percent of the donations being due to true altruism (S. DellaVigna, J. List, and U. Malmendier, The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Volume 127, Issue 1, February 2012, pages 1–56).
This phenomenon is not quite the same as giving to get positive approval, as that is often done willingly. Giving because we feel compelled to give is usually based on fear of negative approval – of being thought ungenerous or not a "good person" – but it is unwilling giving. As the apostle Paul stressed "Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion" (2 Corinthians 9:7).
Giving to Be Blessed One of the most widespread wrong reasons for giving is that proclaimed in the so-called "prosperity" or "health and wealth" gospel. This misunderstanding of biblical teaching places great emphasis on "claiming God's promises" of good health and abundance at the present time. While it originated in the U.S., the prosperity gospel has spread around the world and especially in parts of Africa, Asia, and Latin America where poverty is prevalent.
Although the Bible does show that God wants those who turn to him to enjoy great spiritual blessings, physical blessings are by no means a guaranteed part of Christian life. In his wisdom, God allows many Christians to experience persecution, loss, illness, and physical discomfort in this life (2 Corinthians 4:16–18; Hebrews 10:32–34; etc.). The Bible teaches that in the next life God's people will experience no sickness or disease, no poverty or loss, no persecution or injustice – no evil of any kind – but that is in the age to come (Revelation 21:1–4). In this life, God's word preaches not freedom from such things, but persevering faithfully despite them (1 Peter 1:6).
Unfortunately, the prosperity gospel is more than just a faulty doctrine. It has direct repercussions on how we live. It encourages believers to focus on the physical instead of the spiritual (Hebrews 13:5), to place their own desires rather than the needs of others at the center of their prayers, and to focus increasingly on what we hope to receive rather than what we can give. This twisting of the gospel often leads believers to feel they are not loved by God, or not doing something right, if they do not enjoy health and prosperity. It also – even if only subconsciously – encourages the elevation of those whose lives exhibit health and wealth and a judgmental attitude toward those whose lives do not.
Although one of the leading founders and proponents of prosperity gospel recently announced that he has seen the error of this teaching and has discontinued it, the doctrine cannot be simply "pulled back" and continues to be followed by many around the world. We must all exercise care that we are not influenced by this message. The apostle Paul speaks bluntly about teachers who become "people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain" (1 Timothy 6:5). We must be careful, Paul warns us, never to use giving as a way to get, never to see generosity as a means to gain. It may seem a basic lesson, but it is one we must never forget.