Churches of Christ -- Sermons; Sermons, American -- 20th century
In 2 Corinthians 9:5-7 we are not only taught to give liberally but we
are encouraged to do so by the statement: “He which soweth sparingly
shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap
also bountifully.” It appears to me that the New Testament thus puts us
on our honor. If it had named a certain number of dollars or a certain
percentage of our income, we might just give that amount and claim the
rest to do with as we pleased. But God has placed us on our honor, the
amount of our giving to be determined by general instructions and our
love of Him and those to whom we give. When an honorable man is placed
on his honor, it seems that he should do even more than when he is under
definite laws. Some schools have what they call “the honor system.”
According to this system, the teacher may put a test on the board and
leave the room. The students are on their honor. It seems to me that one
would be less likely to cheat under those conditions than with some one
on guard. The New Testament puts us on our honor, so to speak, with only
general instructions and commands to guide our giving.
II
Individual Responsibility
Each individual must answer for himself this question: “How much is
liberal?” The Old Testament required a certain percentage; the New
Testament requires liberality. _How much is liberal?_ What does the
Bible mean when it says, “give liberally?” Liberality would not mean the
same amount in every case. Some must give more than others. This story
was published some years ago in the _Gospel Advocate_: There was a
certain rich man in a congregation who had as much money as all the
other members. When money was being raised for any purpose he would
propose to give as much as any other _one_. When the congregation was
trying to raise money to put a new roof on their building, he arose,
according to his custom, and said, “Brethren, I will give as much as any
other man in the house toward putting on this new roof.” There happened
to be a rich infidel present that day, who arose and said, “Well,
Mister, you and I will pay for the new roof; I will give half the cost.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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