We’re beginning a new series on generosity as we enter the holiday season. Before we can talk about standards of Christian giving, we have to recognize the generous Father who inspires our giving.
There are many characteristics we use to describe God, and one of them is the word “generous.” Throughout Scripture, we see God giving. He gives us the breath in our lungs. He gives us
But most importantly, He gave us His son Jesus. God’s generosity, as explained in John 3:16, sets a model for our own giving.
First, we see that God gives lovingly. John 3:16 is perhaps one of the most famous verses in the entire world, but it’s also one of the most unbelievable. It’s unbelievable because many people, even Christians, struggle to believe that God could actually love them. They may believe in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, but they can’t believe that God could love someone like them.
If our belief in the gospel doesn’t start with God’s love, it calls into question God’s very motive for sending His Son. Perhaps, some believe, God gave begrudgingly. Or perhaps He gave reluctantly, or perhaps conditionally, or perhaps He gave expecting reciprocity.
We must first understand that the gospel starts with God and His love, and that His goodness and mercy will always triumph over our sin.
Second, we see that God gave out of His scarcity. When we think about what God has, we think of abundance. He created everything, after all. There aren’t many resources God has in scarcity. The Bible says in Psalm 50:10 that the cattle on a thousand hills are His. But there’s at least one thing he has in scarcity…sons. He only has one. And He gave His first and last, His only begotten son, from His scarcity.
We also see that God’s giving is complete. Jesus didn’t say, “whosoever believes is off to a really good start.” God gave until the need was met. He didn’t make us halfway righteous and ask us to close the gap with our good deeds; the Bible is clear that we’re powerless to establish any righteousness of our own, try as we might.
God did all the work to ensure our need for salvation was met – completely, indefinitely, and without condition.
Christians should be the most generous people on earth, because we serve and follow the most generous Father and the most generous Savior. May God reveal Himself to others this season through our generosity!
