WHEN IT'S WRONG TO GIVE

The Bible tells us it's a good thing to give. Jesus even said:

Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. (Luke 6:38)

The Bible also teaches us about "charity" which carries with it the connotation of sacrificial giving:

Let all your things be done with charity. (1 Cor 16:14)

So in the Bible, there is much teaching about "giving." But as I read the Bible, it doesn't command us to give away everything we have (communism), nor does it teach us we have to give to everyone we meet. In fact, as I read the Bible, I find that there are some times when it is actually WRONG to give to others. And I'd like to focus on this topic in this blog: "When it's wrong to give."

1. It's wrong to give when you are constrained to do so.

The Bible clearly teaches this in 2 Cor. 9:6-7...

6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

Here the Bible teaches that giving should be as one desires to do from their heart, and not being forced to give against their will. In other words, giving should be something a man wants to do, and not something he has to do.

Giving should never be something that a person is pressured to do against their will. Paul makes this clear in 1 Cor 13:3, "And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing."

Paul says even if he gives away all that he has, it's for nought if he gives it without charity. He even says it profits him nothing. What he desires then, is to give out of love, and wanting to help, not out of constraint.

Oh, if only some of today's ministers would realize this and spend more time preaching on CHARITY than on TITHING, how different the world might be! For it's wrong to give because you've been forced to do so. You should give because you want to do so.

No wonder Jesus preached against the Pharisees who gave, but forgot to give with compassion:

But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you. But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. (Luke 11:41-42)

2. It's wrong to give when you do so only to look good in the eyes of others.

Jesus criticized the Pharisees continually because all they did was to be seen of men (Mt. 23:5), and not to please the Lord. When they gave offerings, they frequently gave large amounts, but did so only while making sure others were watching, so others would see what appeared to be a great sacrifice on the Pharisee's part.

Jesus even sat in the temple and watched the Phariee's giving, and was little impressed. In fact, he said the following:

And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury. And he [Jesus] saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites. And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all: For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had. (Luke 21:1-4)

Here we we the Pharisees giving of their abundance, and doing so only to be looked upon by man. However, Jesus saw a woman who gave more than them all, because she gave everything she had, and she did so willingly, and without pomp and circumstance.

If only our churches of today would learn this lesson. I've been in churches where offerings were received by a man in the pulpit like an auctioneer saying, "Who'll give 10 dollars, 20, 50, 100?"

After each monetary unit, he asked for a show of hands of who would give what, and then had a young person take the plate directly to the person who raised their hand to collect on the spot. Everyone looked around to see who was giving what. When it got to the 100 dollar denomination, very few raised their hands, but those who did were looked upon as those who gave the greatest sacrifice. But how is this scriptural? Is it right to give to the Lord and allow others to know how much you are giving, and then feel good about yourself because you gave more than others. Certainly not! That's what the Pharisee's did, and God didn't like it.

3. It's wrong to give when giving makes a person dependent upon you instead of working for themselves.

In this day and age in which we live, people have become accostumed to taking "hand-outs." This didn't used to be, as people knew the importance of hard work. But we live in a society today of lazy people who don't want to work. And, by giving a sob story, they've found they can live off of the kindness of others who out of pity (not love) give them alms.

Now hear me out. I'm not against helping people who really need it like the crippled who can't work. But I am very much against giving people something who don't need it, don't deserve it, and who have the ability to work for themselves, but just don't want to.

Does the Bible mention such people? Yes it does, and it calls them "sluggards:"

As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him. (Proverbs 10:26)

The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat. (Proverbs 13:4)

The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing. (Proverbs 20:4)

Yes, there is a class of people who do not want to work. They would rather beg for a living than work. It is WRONG to give to such people, especially when they can work and contribute to society. For giving them welfare makes them dependent upon man instead of trusting in the Lord to supply their needs as they toil and labor as the Bible commands them:

For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread. (2 Th 3:10-12)

Even Jesus said:

Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you. (Matthew 7:6)

For giving to such people and making them dependent upon you will make them angry when you run out and are unable to continue giving - so angry they will turn on you and perhaps even do you bodily harm. In Honduras they had a word for such people: PARASITES!

Therefore, it is wrong to give to those who are not truly in need, and can fend for themselves but they just don't want to.

4. It's wrong to give when what's given is used for evil.

I'm surprised how many non-profit organizations there are in the world today, and how they all are run by donations. But have you ever checked on those organizations to see who they really are and where the money really goes? Every now and then a news report will come out about one of these non-profit corporations which laundered money, and used people's donations for selfish gains instead of for it's intended purpose. What gets me is people who have given to that organization don't think much of it. But the truth is the money they gave in which they thought was going to a good cause was embezzled and enjoyed by someone who didn't need it!

The Bible commands us to "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." (1 Thes. 5:21)

And again we are instructed to be busy: "Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." (Eph 5:10-11)

We should never give without first investigating who we are giving to and exactly what it's going for. There are many liars and deceivers out there who are only interested in taking and using money for their selfish and ungodly lusts. They will LIE to get what they want. So it's important to make sure the person you are giving to can be trusted, and will not use what's given for evil, rather for good.

5. It's wrong to give when it's not your money to give!

You would think this would be a no-brainer. But unfortuneately, it's not. When it comes to politics and politicians, they give away a ton of money to many different nations through aid and international trade agreements. I'm not saying it's not good to help people with aid, but it should be the people's choice to give aid, and not the government's choice to use the people's money without their consent. There is a word for that - it's called STEALING!

What saith the scriptures about that? I'm glad you asked. (What's that? You didn't ask. Oh, well, I've give it to you anyway).

Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. (Eph 4:28)

Notice this verse says that you should not steal. It further states that it's the individual who worked for the money who is responsible for giving to him that needeth, not a nation or an institution.

6. Finally, it's wrong to give to someone when he is doing wrong.

As we've seen, giving should be out of compassion, and it should be to help others in need. But when someone is living in sin openly and doesn't care about doing right, we should not support them or we too will be guilty of the sins they commit.

My Dad used to always say, "When you do right we'll help you and support you. When you do wrong we won't. We just can't help you do wrong! We don't reward bad behaviour!"

His philosophy was a good one. It made me want to do right in order to get reward. But, someone who rewards evil, helps evil increase.

A good example of this is a child who is living like the devil, yet his or her parents, give them everything their heart desires: a car, a home, money, the latest electronics, etc., but they never deal with the child's sin. What will happen to a child like that? Isn't it obvious? They will become a spoiled brat, who is used to getting their way. As they grow they will become more ungodly until they ultimately cross the line and experiment with drugs, liquor, fornication, adultery, etc. Eventually, the most likely the scenario is the child we transgress the law and begin a life of crime as they continue to get things the "easy way" through stealing, grand larceny and robbing from others. Because they were never taught to get reward by doing right, they will continue to do wrong and learn how to prosper in so doing. (This is how things like gangs, the mafia, and ungodly secret societies get started).

Should we give to the ungodly in hopes that it will make them do right? I'll let you decide that for yourself. But the Bible teaches us the following:

Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away. For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall. For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence. (Proverbs 4:14)

We should not enter into the path of the wicked, nor help them in any way in their wickedness. They live only to do violence, and mischief, and we are not to reward them for their transgressions.

In Summary, we find there are times in which it's WRONG to give. It's wrong to give because someone constrains you to give, it's wrong to give just too make yourself look charitable in the eyes of others. It's further wrong to give when you make a person dependent upon you and don't allow them to learn to work and provide for themselves. And finally, it's wrong to give to those who are doing evil and who will use what you give for the forces of darkness, rather than for what's right.

By all means, I'm not against giving. It's a good thing to be charitable. But you need to make sure what you give goes a long way and will make an impact for the most good. Don't give frivolously, but give smart. Giving to a cause that can and will use your donation to the fullest for the most good.