The Bible on Giving (NLBT)
The Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians:
“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” This comes from 2 Corinthians 9:6-8.
Deuteronomy 15:7 “But if there are any poor people in your towns when you arrive in the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tightfisted toward them. 8Instead, be generous and lend them whatever they need.
Leviticus 25:35 “If any of your Israelite relatives fall into poverty and cannot support themselves, support them as you would a resident foreigner and allow them to live with you.
Psalm 41:1 Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor. The LORD rescues them in times of trouble.
2 The LORD protects them and keeps them alive.
He gives them prosperity and rescues them from their enemies.
3 The LORD nurses them when they are sick and eases their pain and discomfort.
Psalm 112:8 Happy are those who fear the LORD
Yes, happy are those who delight in doing what he commands. 9 They give generously to those in need.
Their good deeds will never be forgotten.
They will have influence and honor.
Proverbs 3:27 Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it’s in your power to help them. 28If you can help your neighbor now, don’t say, “Come back tomorrow, and then I’ll help you.”
Proverbs 11:25 The generous prosper and are satisfied; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.
Proverbs 22:9 Blessed are those who are generous, because they feed the poor.
Proverbs 25:21 If your enemies are hungry, give them food to eat. If they are thirsty, give them water to drink. 22You will heap burning coals on their heads, and the LORD will reward you.
Proverbs 28:27 Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing. But a curse will come upon those who close their eyes to poverty.
Isaiah 58:6 “No, the kind of fasting I want calls you to free those who are wrongly imprisoned and to stop oppressing those who work for you. Treat them fairly and give them what they earn. 7I want you to share your food with the hungry and to welcome poor wanderers into your homes. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.
8“If you do these things, your salvation will come like the dawn. Yes, your healing will come quickly. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the LORD will protect you from behind. 9Then when you call, the LORD will answer. ‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.
Isaiah 58:10 Feed the hungry and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as day. 11The LORD will guide you continually, watering your life when you are dry and keeping you healthy, too. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring. 12Your children will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities. Then you will be known as the people who rebuild their walls and cities.
Matthew 5:42 Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.
Matthew 19:21 Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
Mark 10:21 Jesus felt genuine love for this man as he looked at him. “You lack only one thing,” he told him. “Go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22At this, the man’s face fell, and he went sadly away because he had many possessions.
Matthew 25:35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ 40 And the King will tell them, ‘I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’
Mark 9:41 If anyone gives you even a cup of water because you belong to the Messiah, I assure you, that person will be rewarded. Luke 3:11 John replied, “If you have two coats, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.”
Luke 11:41 So give to the needy what you greedily possess, and you will be clean all over. 1 Corinthians 13:3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would be of no value whatsoever.
1 Corinthians 16:1 2On every Lord’s Day, each of you should put aside some amount of money in relation to what you have earned and save it for this offering. Don’t wait until I get there and then try to collect it all at once.
2 Corinthians 8:1 Now I want to tell you, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done for the churches in Macedonia. 2 Though they have been going through much trouble and hard times, their wonderful joy and deep poverty have overflowed in rich generosity. 3 For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford but far more. And they did it of their own free will. 4They begged us again and again for the gracious privilege of sharing in the gift for the Christians in Jerusalem. 5Best of all, they went beyond our highest hopes, for their first action was to dedicate themselves to the Lord and to us for whatever directions God might give them.
2 Corinthians 9: 1 I really don’t need to write to you about this gift for the Christians in Jerusalem. 2 For I know how eager you are to help, and I have been boasting to our friends in Macedonia that you Christians in Greece were ready to send an offering a year ago. In fact, it was your enthusiasm that stirred up many of them to begin helping. 3 But I am sending these brothers just to be sure that you really are ready, as I told them you would be, with your money all collected. I don’t want it to turn out that I was wrong in my boasting about you. 4I would be humiliated—and so would you—if some Macedonian Christians came with me, only to find that you still weren’t ready after all I had told them! 5So I thought I should send these brothers ahead of me to make sure the gift you promised is ready. But I want it to be a willing gift, not one given under pressure.
6 Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. 7 You must each make up your own mind as to how much you should give. Don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves the person who gives cheerfully. 8And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. 9As the Scriptures say,
“Godly people give generously to the poor.
Their good deeds will never be forgotten.”
10 For God is the one who gives seed to the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will give you many opportunities to do good, and he will produce a great harvest of generosity in you.
11 Yes, you will be enriched so that you can give even more generously. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will break out in thanksgiving to God. 12 So two good things will happen—the needs of the Christians in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanksgiving to God. 13You will be glorifying God through your generous gifts. For your generosity to them will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ. 14And they will pray for you with deep affection because of the wonderful grace of God shown through you.
15Thank God for his Son—a gift too wonderful for words! Galatians 2:10 The only thing they suggested was that we remember to help the poor, and I have certainly been eager to do that.
1 Timothy 5:16 If a Christian woman has relatives who are widows, she must take care of them and not put the responsibility on the church. Then the church can care for widows who are truly alone.
1 Timothy 6:18 17 Tell those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which will soon be gone. But their trust should be in the living God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. 18Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and should give generously to those in need, always being ready to share with others whatever God has given them. 19By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may take hold of real life.
Hebrews 6:10 For God is not unfair. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other Christians, as you still do.
Hebrews 13:16 Don’t forget to do good and to share what you have with those in need, for such sacrifices are very pleasing to God.
James 2:15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who needs food or clothing, 16and you say, “Well, good-bye and God bless you; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? 17 So you see, it isn’t enough just to have faith. Faith that doesn’t show itself by good deeds is no faith at all—it is dead and useless.
1 John 3:17 But if anyone has enough money to live well, and sees a brother or sister in need and refuses to help—how can God’s love be in that person?