the associate reformed presbyterian

The Lordship of Jesus Christand Christian GivingSynod EmphasisBy Rev. Robert AndersonThe Bible has much to say about money and giving, and most of what is saidshould give the Christian pause. In one of the well-known statements ofScripture, Paul tells Timothy that the love of money is “a root of all kinds ofevil” (I Timothy 6:10a).Luke offers warning upon warning about the seriousness of Christian philanthropy.Shortly after his “Parable of the Rich Fool,” Luke follows with yet another wellknownverse, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded;and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked”(Luke 12:48b).The biblical mandate to handle money means that every Christian must takethe topic of stewardship and philanthropy seriously. And one essential help in understandingmoney and our stewardship responsibilities comes as we deepen ourknowledge of and appreciation for the Lordship of Jesus Christ.The many biblical descriptions of God’s creating power and glory form the backboneto several key passages – from the Messianic psalms to the declarations of Godbefore a humbled Job to the Mount of Transfiguration to the cross of Calvary. Andsuch power stands behind the sense of total authority which Jesus possessed, evenin his incarnate being, emptied of his glory from heaven.Giving is a Privilege.Imagine what it means that such majesty, glory and power, such complete authority,such Lordship over all of creation, has adopted us as his children and has becomeour Brother! Our giving, in the light of such grace and mercy, becomes a privilege.The Lord has given his children everything, and everything his children have thereforebelongs to him.For twenty years I was privileged to serve as the vice president for developmentat Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. I lived each day in the worldof giving and philanthropy, and most of the issues I encountered fell under threequestions: how much should I give; to whom should I give; andwhat about tithing?Many Christians wonder about how much one should giveto the Lord. I do not believe that is a question anyone can easilyanswer for another individual. The New Testament Christian,aware of the Lordship of Christ, must continuously do twothings: He must earnestly and wisely investigate his life and hissurroundings for the biblical needs which the Lord brings to hisheart, and he must pray for the Lord’s guidance to determinehow much to give toward each need.To whom should the Christian give? While I believe that thelocal church must be the primary focal point for every Christian’sgiving, to give additionally to agencies and individuals outside thelocal church is both biblical and beneficial. Again, serious investigationinto kingdom causes outside the local church, with prayerregarding the role one may be called to play in support of suchcauses, will determine how to proceed.tithing of their garden herbs is due totheir lack of Lordship understanding;these were men operating under thelaws of the Old Testament).Why does tithing not enter the conversationsof Paul as he encourages givingfrom the local church? Because theincarnate Christ and his total Lordshiptake the place of such non-involvedgiving practices. Tithing is replaced bysuch examples as the sacrificial givingof the churches of Macedonia (II Corinthians8-9) as the Holy Spirit led theseChristians to see and respond to a specificneed, in spite of their own poverty.While tithing may perhaps serve asa baseline of assessment, no mechanicalprocess should ever replace a gratitudefor the Lordship of Christ and a willingnessto allow the Spirit’s guidance ofa heart seeking to serve such amerciful God.Giving is an essential and vital responseof the Christian to the blessingsbestowed by the Lord, blessings thatreflect aspects of the Lordship of JesusChrist. In the Sermon on the MountJesus said, “For where your treasure is,there your heart will be also.” The Lordshipof Christ is a blessed and powerfultreasure! The tombstone epitaph, properlyunderstood, still rings true: “WhatI spent, is gone; what I kept, is lost; butwhat I gave will be mine forever.”?Rev. Robert “Bob” Anderson ispastor of Oconee ARP Church,Seneca, SC.But What About Tithing?Should the Christian tithe to his local church? Here especiallythe Christian is helped by a full awareness and understanding ofthe Lordship of Jesus Christ. The Old Testament has numeroustexts which demand tithing. However, such texts virtually disappearin the New Testament (Jesus’ approval of the Pharisees’NOV/DEC 2012 7