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Biblical Giving, Making Oaths, and Manipulation (Part 2 of 3)
Scripture warns against being a surety for debts
The promise given to the congregation is that God will come through once we are holding the bag (debt). However, after the bills start coming due, new strategies are brought before the church to attempt to increase giving. A friend shared with me that his church hired a professional to come into the church to apply ‘proven strategies’ for increasing giving. The price tag for this guest speaker was $20,000. Why do churches have to apply strategies to increase giving if God provides? We will get into true biblical giving in the last part of this study; however, the point being made here is that it is not God’s provision if we have to manipulate people into first agreeing to go into debt and then into sacrificial giving to make up the shortfall.
Soon the commitment cards will come out and the calls to ‘covenant with God’ will begin. The Bible clearly warns against both of these practices. Let’s first look at the commitment to debt.
Do not make a commitment to debt. The Bible specifically forbids this practice. We have already seen the warning not to commit to debt if you do not already have the money (Proverbs 22:26-27). Look now at these warnings from scripture:
Proverbs 11:15 He who is surety for a stranger will suffer, But one who hates being surety is secure.
Proverbs 17:18 A man devoid of understanding shakes hands in a pledge, And becomes surety for his friend.
If you commit to debt for another person, you will suffer for it; but the person that refuses to do so is secure. The word surety means to commit to a pledge or be obligated in a mortgage. Proverbs 17 pulls no punches. If you make this pledge, you are devoid of understanding. Why? Because you are obligating yourself to someone else’ debt when you should be instructing them in the ways of the Bible. Instead of showing a lack of discernment and participating in foolish and unbiblical activities, we should be pointing others to the ways of God. He blesses and adds no sorrow with it. It is not a blessing if you have to carry the burden of debt.
I know some who were members of a church called ‘The Lord’s House’ in Cartersville, GA. The pastor there had a vision to build a megachurch that would reach the world from Cartersville. He pumped up the vision and got the members excited about the church building. He promised the hundredfold blessing and all the normal promises about God’s miraculous provisions once the church stepped out on faith. Forty families mortgaged their houses and donated all the money to the church. Many others withdrew their savings, signed commitment cards and submitted themselves to the debt. Even after all this, the church still had over four million dollars in debt. They brought in big time Word of Faith speakers who conducted crusades and promised great wealth to those who gave. Many gave but the cost was too great. A couple of years after the church was built, it was foreclosed on by its creditors. Many church members sued because not only did they not receive the hundredfold promises but they were left with heavy debt, home mortgages, and personal loans. If they had followed the scripture, they would have recognized that God was not in these unbiblical strategies for building this church.
For those who have already made a commitment, the Bible provides instruction. Look at Proverbs 6:1-5
My son, if you become surety for your friend, If you have shaken hands in pledge for a stranger, 2 You are snared by the words of your mouth; You are taken by the words of your mouth. 3 So do this, my son, and deliver yourself; For you have come into the hand of your friend: Go and humble yourself; Plead with your friend. 4 Give no sleep to your eyes, Nor slumber to your eyelids. 5 Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, And like a bird from the hand of the fowler.
If you have pledged to debt, you are snared by the words of your mouth. The best advice scripture gives is to humble yourself, plead with the one you have made the pledge and hope they will deliver you by releasing you from the pledge. Once you have pledged, you have committed yourself before God. This won’t work if your pledge is a personal loan. One megachurch leader bragged that he preached that every family should give a thousand dollars and the next day he saw the members of his church lined up at the bank getting loans. True discipleship does not manipulate or teach people to obey a man but to seek God and stand on their own faith. If he were a true man of God, he would have been at the bank explaining to his members that borrowing money is not the ways of God.
Do Not Make Oaths to God or Man
The scripture warns that we should not enter a vow or swear an oath. This is true if we make an earthly oath among each other or make a heavenly oath to God. Look at Matthew 5:33-37
33 " Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.' 34 "But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; 35 "nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 "Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 "But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.
This is reiterated again in James 5:12
12 But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your "Yes," be "Yes," and your "No," "No," lest you fall into judgment.
Twice we are warned specifically not to make any oaths by heaven or by earth – to God or to man. Anything beyond yes or no is from the evil one. James makes it clear that in doing so we are putting ourselves in a position of falling into judgment for the sin of failing our oath.
If God has warned us not to take oaths, why do so many leaders demand church members to make oaths? We are asked to stand to show our promise to fulfill an obligation, sign a commitment card or agree to covenant with the church, church leader or God to fulfill a promise to give. If God forbids this practice, why do church leaders pressure church members to make oaths and vows? To state it plainly, they have blinded themselves to anything but their desire to succeed in building a physical church building. When human desires become the focus of a pastor, scripture violations can easily be justified in their minds. In reality, there is no justification, but people can convince themselves this is right. Jeremiah 17:9-10 explains:
9 " The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? 10 I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.
Just because we can convince ourselves we are right does not make it right. Ultimately, God’s word determines what is right and what is wrong. Each church member must then choose to follow the wisdom of God or the persuasion of men. The world’s philosophy is that the end justifies the means. In otherwords, it doesn’t matter what method you use as long as the end result is what you want. This is not true with God. Obedience is better than sacrifice and truth is better than success.
Consider two examples in scripture. Saul was anointed by God to be king over Israel. On one occasion he prepared for battle and waited for the priest to perform the sacrifices to God as God had required. Samuel delayed his coming and Saul grew impatient. Finally when Saul saw the opportunity to conquer the enemy passing him by, he decided to do the sacrifice himself. Afterward the priest of God arrived and rebuked Saul. Look at 1 Samuel 13:13-14
13 And Samuel said to Saul, "You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you. For now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 "But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you."
Which is better – to be a man after God’s own heart or a man who uses whatever method is necessary to accomplish the end result? Saul remained king for years after this but God was not with him. The same is true in churches across this nation. They remain, they have programs and church growth, but God is not with them. They may equate growth with God’s movement but this is not the measurement of God’s hand. In fact, where you find the masses flocking is rarely the move of God. God does not seek the masses but the individuals who will hear His voice. Clearly the end does not justify the means.
Another example of this is in the life of King David. David was a follower of God and truly did desire to please God. However, sincerity does not equate to obedience. In the law God gave to Israel, He instructed that the Ark of the Covenant be treated with great reverence for it was the representation of God prior to Christ’s coming. Israel was instructed to bear up the Ark by golden overlaid rods through the rings built into the Ark. It was to be born by the priests from the tribe of Levi. In 2 Samuel 6, David moved the Ark and acted presumptuously upon God’s grace. The Ark of the Covenant was placed on an ox and cart contrary to God’s word and was it was also not handled by the Levitical priesthood. David played music and the people rejoiced before the Lord but God did not honor their sincere worship. The ox stumbled, the Ark slipped and Uzzah was struck down by God when he touched the Ark to catch it.
David was a great man of God, the Ark was being moved to a place of worship, all the people were sincere and everyone was worshipping before God, yet God’s wrath was kindled against them for their disobedience. We see the same thing in churches today. While we do not have the Jewish law today, we still have the commandments of God and His moral law. We can’t seek to be justified by keeping rules and regulations; however, it is equally important to understand that we cannot be acceptable to God for refusing His word either. If we are true men and women of faith, we will demonstrate that faith by obedience.
Over obligating ourselves beyond God’s provision is not an act of faith. Using methods that God forbids is not an act of faith. Disobedience is a lack of faith just as obedience to God is evidence of faith. A covenant should not be agreed upon by the church and God fearing leadership should not be presenting covenants to the church.
If the Bible warns us not to swear any oaths lest we fall into judgment, why would any leader put someone in a position of falling into judgment? You are not to swear an oath or make a covenant because you do not know what the future holds. If you are unable to fulfill your obligations, you have lied to God and broken your vow. That is a sin not to be taken lightly. I heard one church leader tell someone that it was o.k. to make the covenant even if they didn’t think they could afford it. It was a best effort commitment. Not so, a vow is an obligation. This is why Proverbs instructs us to humble ourselves and plead with the one we have committed to and see if they will free us of our obligation. The Bible compares it to an animal in the hands of a hunter. You cannot be free unless you are set free. To ask someone to sell their soul for your building program is of the devil. Sounds harsh? Look again at the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:37
"But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.
Why would Satan want you to make vows? Those who make foolish vows will suffer for it (Proverbs 11:15) or fall into condemnation. Anyone who will ask you to make these covenants has been drawn off course and is no longer following the word of God. God is able to provide and He is able to do so without violating His word. Violating oaths places us under condemnation and becomes a hindrance that keeps us from the blessings of God (see 2 Samuel 21:1-2, Joshua 9 and Exodus 34:11-15).
We should be disturbed when we hear people equate building a church building with obedience to God. We should be teaching God’s people to obey God, keep His commandments and fulfill our ministry. Then we can look to God to provide the things that we desire like nice buildings and other such benefits. If we are not faithful in the small things, we cannot expect God to give us big things. If we are not obedient in making disciples of all men, we will not do any better in a large building. If we have not been faithful in our ministry, we cannot expect God to provide the things we desire.
Binding and Non-binding Agreements
A question was raised concerning oaths and Jesus’ statement about letting your ‘yes’ be yes and your ‘no’ be no. It was asked, "Isn’t saying yes or no an oath?" Agreeing with someone is not the same as an oath or covenant. The Bible draws a clear distinction and advises us that an oath is what binds us to our agreement. Look at Numbers 30:2
"If a man makes a vow to the LORD, or swears an oath to bind himself by some agreement, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.
Swearing an oath and making a vow (or covenant) is a binding agreement that cannot be broken. Saying ‘yes’ is not an agreement that cannot be broken. If you say, ‘No I will not do something’, have you sinned if you change your mind and decide to do someone a favor? No, it is not a sin to change your mind. If you say ‘yes’, it is not a sin if you are not able to fulfill what you intended to do. Life has many factors and circumstances – many of which are beyond our control. I may agree to support a ministry with my money; however, if I find out that ministry has practices I object to, I am free to withdraw my agreement without sin. If I agree to help someone with a task but then find out that the work will be at a time when I am not available, I am free to withdraw my offer without sin. However, if I vow my support or swear with an oath that I will do a task or support with my finances, I am bound by that obligation unless it is fulfilled or the person I have vowed to releases me from that agreement.
The Bible clearly identifies binding agreements as oaths, vows and covenants (See also Matthew 14:6-9, Joshua 2:12-14, and 1 Samuel 24:20-22 for examples). Saying yes or no is not equivalent to swearing an oath. Our willingness to fulfill our ‘yes’ agreements will affect our reputation; however, there is an implication that we all accept that a casual agreement is a best effort commitment. A person who says ‘I promise’ is making an oath. Agreeing that something is a good idea, is not a binding oath. If we swear an oath and we break that commitment, we have sinned; if we are unable to fulfill a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ agreement, we may disappoint, but we have not sinned. As Christians, we should put every effort into being a good witness for the Lord and showing ourselves faithful to our word; however, we also know that circumstances affect our ability to carry out our intended actions. Since we are limited in our insight into the future, we cannot foresee all circumstances and should take caution not to make a vow that we are not fully able to fulfill.
An example of a non-binding agreement can be found in 1 Kings 2. King Solomon’s half-brother Adonijah secretly tried to take over the throne when Kind David was on his deathbed. When this was discovered, David proclaimed Solomon to be the king to reign after him. When Adonijah’s attempt was thwarted, he was afraid of Solomon and took the horns of the altar in the temple and would not let go until Solomon swore not to take his life. Solomon swore a binding oath saying that he would not harm him as long as he showed himself to act in a worthy manner. Adonijah did not show himself worthy but secretly went to Solomon’s mother to manipulate her into trying to convince Solomon to give Abishag to Adonijah for a wife. Abishag was the wife taken by King David in his old age.
Bathsheba approached King Solomon on Adonijah’s behalf as described in 1 Kings 2:20-21
20 Then she said, "I desire one small petition of you; do not refuse me." And the king said to her, "Ask it, my mother, for I will not refuse you." 21 So she said, "Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as wife."
In this passage, Solomon agreed to grant Bathsheba’s request but withdrew that agreement once he found out that it was concerning Adonijah. He then declared judgment against Adonijah and had him put to death for breaking his side of the oath. Agreeing with someone is not a binding commitment. We have the right to withdraw our agreement and commitment if we deem the request should be nullified for any reason. We must be aware that if we take our word lightly, it will affect our reputation; however, it is also understood in our culture and in the ancient culture that a non-binding agreement can be nullified at will if we determine withdrawing it is the best course of action. This is not true with an oath, covenant or making a vow.
The Bible clearly warns against swearing oaths and making covenants both with God and man so that we do not put ourselves in a position of falling under condemnation. Those who do are “snared by the words of their mouth”. It is important to heed the Bible’s warning and avoid making oaths but instead agree with ‘yes’ or ‘no’. This gives us the right to alter our course of action if circumstances change.
Biblical Giving
Now that we have looked at some of the misinformation around giving, let’s look at giving according to scripture. Giving is an important discipline in the Christian life. Giving is a sign of spiritual maturity. In fact, God uses money to test us to see if we are faithful. This is why Jesus said that if you are not faithful in the worldly riches entrusted to you, who will entrust to you true riches (Luke 16:11)? The unbeliever hords and clings to everything like a selfish child. If you have raised kids, you will remember the stage where kids grab a toy and shout, “Mine!” Sharing is out of the question because their world centers around self. The immature Christian struggles in a similar way. Everything is “Mine”. The mature believer on the other hand recognizes that nothing is ‘mine’ but all things belong to God. I am a steward (or caretaker) of everything God has entrusted to me. I give what I believe God has put in my heart to give.
While we need to be encouraged to grow in Christ and look at our money from a godly perspective, we do not need someone to tell us how much to give. Our lives should be a continuous pursuit of God as we daily seek His will and His righteousness. When this is lacking in the Christian life, godly disciplines will also be lacking – including a heart of giving. How can God purpose in our hearts what to give when God is not in our thoughts or Lord of our daily lives? The problem is not that people need to be pressured into giving with empty promises or threats of God’s judgment, but many need to be discipled into a deeper walk with God. This is gravely lacking in most churches.
Give and it shall be given
The Bible warns us not to put God to the test. We should never intentionally put ourselves into a position where God has to miraculously intervene to rescue us. Remember when Satan took Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple? He quoted the promise of Psalm 91 where angels would bear Him up to keep Him from striking His foot against a stone and challenged Jesus to jump off and prove this promise. Jesus replied by saying, “It is written that you shall not tempt the Lord your God”. The word ‘tempt’ is the word ‘ekpeirazo’, which means to put to the test. The word ‘tempt’ where Satan is tempting the believer is ‘peirazo’ which means to entice to sin. We know that God cannot be enticed to sin and what Jesus was communicating is that we are not to put God to the test. Now look at Malachi 3:10
10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this," Says the LORD of hosts, "If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it.
Some use this passage contrary to scripture. Many teach that this is the only time God tells us to put Him to the test and that when it comes to giving, we must put ourselves out on the line in order to see God’s promise fulfilled. We are told to give until we are in danger of ruin and God promises to intervene to save us. Some teach this sincerely and some dishonestly but regardless of the motivation, this doctrine is unbiblical. I have heard this interpretation from my youth up and I once believed this to be accurate. However, look at this in context to the passages below it:
Malachi 3:11-12 11 "And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field," Says the LORD of hosts; 12 "And all nations will call you blessed, For you will be a delightful land," Says the LORD of hosts.
It is important to understand this passage so that it is not abused in the church. First, look at the context. We are to bring in our tithes (the first 10% of our increase) into the storehouse of God. If the nation obeys God, He will not allow the things that devour their crops to destroy their produce and the nations around Israel will call them blessed. This is a promise to Israel that if they obey the commandment that they had been given from the beginning of the law, God would bless.
Even though this promise is not to the individual specifically, it takes individual obedience to fulfill this. The principle remains, if you honor God with your first fruits, God will honor you. Jesus said that if you give, it shall be given to you. Look at Luke 6:38
38 "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."
It is not merely a tithe we give – it is what measure you choose. I believe that tithing is our starting point. Abraham was our example of faith and He gave a tithe as an example for all who follow. His tithe was an act of faith. All law is based on faith or it becomes a man-centered effort. If we give sparingly, we will receive the same. I believe that it is true that you can’t out give God.
Putting God to the Test?
Here is where many fall into error. God stated to Israel, ‘test me now in this’. In what? In His command to bring their tithes into the storehouse. We are instructed to put God’s promise to the test – not to tempt or put God to the test. We are to test God’s word to see if what is being promised is true. If God’s people bring in their tithes, God will bless the product of their labors and the increase of their fields will be as the windows of heaven opening up. It is often falsely taught that this means to give until God has to rescue our finances. It is said that we should give until it hurts and then trust God to miraculously provide the money to pay our obligations. This is quite a stretch from the scriptures teaching God’s promise.
We are never told to give God the money that we have pledged to others. This is a sin. When you take out a loan, you sign a pledge to pay the debt. When you sign up for utilities, you sign a pledge to pay for the services you use. If we are to give sacrificially, it should be out of our abundance not out of our obligation. Once you commit to a debt, you are obligated to pay that debt. To go back on your word is sin. To give God out of a sinful practice will not be honored. The root of our financial problems is that we spend more than we can afford and then we have nothing to give to honor God. You cannot honor God by going back on your commitment. You need to first fulfill your obligations, begin to exercise discipline in your finances and then as you get out of debt, you can increase your giving to the Lord. To give your bill money to God and expect God to miraculously intervene is putting God to the test and is a foolish action on our part. It is wrong and goes against the commandments of God. Do not expect the windows of heaven to open if you are dishonestly holding back from your creditors.
I realize that this contradicts what almost every preacher preaches from the pulpit; even so, search the scriptures to see which is true. Can you find any passage that tells us to rob our creditors and give to God? Is there a single passage that says that we have a right to go back on our oath to pay our debts? In fact, can we find any passage that says give until it hurts?
Give until it hurts?
We have all heard this preached at one time or another. Is there a scripture that instructs this? Some have sugar coated this by saying, “Give until it tickles”. Be honest, has it ever tickled to dish out money until you have a shortage? Does this mean we shouldn’t do this? Not necessarily. If you can pay all your bills and fulfill your obligations to those whom you owe money, you are free to give whatever God has laid on your heart. This is the key, “give each one as he has purposed in his heart”. If you are willing to sacrifice in order to give, then do so with what is yours. If you want to give sacrificially, give your cable TV money, soda money, and other discretionary spending. It is noble to see a need and give to it by depriving yourself of something you enjoy so you can meet the need of another. It is not noble to withhold your obligations to do so.
We all give sacrificially to what we believe is important. People will set aside $500 or more a month in order to drive a new car. They do so because having a new car is important to them. Some will spend several hundred dollars a month for a boat, club membership, vacation home and other pleasures. It is not a sin to have these things; however, if we are going to claim sacrificial giving, it should cost us, not our creditors.
The Bible does not teach to give until it hurts; however, if we see a need that we deem of vital importance, we may indeed purpose in our hearts to give out the money that belongs to us until we hurt. It all boils down to priorities. I will give to what I value most. If you really want to give until it hurts, pay all your commitments and then take your personal food money for the week and put God to the test with that. You are free to say, “God I am putting you to the test with that which will cost me personally. Either provide my food or I will fast for the week.” At that point you have put your trust into God’s hands. Be aware that God may put you to the test and let you fast for a week. Either way, our goal should be to invest ourselves into what we see to be important. If it is important enough to you to fast for a week, then take that step of faith. I will sacrifice when I see the need is worthy of sacrifice. This is what is meant by love your neighbor as yourself. If we are over obligated because we have incurred to much unnecessary debt, the pain is not the result of giving but because we have not been good stewards of what God has entrusted to us.
Eddie Snipes
Exchanged Life Outreach
http://www.exchangedlife.com
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