Our Thread

Pasa Graphe' Theopneustos Kai Ophelimos (Greek) is one of the most often-repeated passages from the Scriptures, ie, the Bible. The passage appears in the heading of our Facebook page. But what does it say to us in our various tongues? Well, for those of us who speak English, this passage is a bold testimony from the pen of one Paul, a first-century scholar from the Isrealite tribe of Benjamin. It is also a statement steeped in the thelogy of the Biblical narratives. So, Paul wrote to a young ethnic Jew named Timotheus: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable......"
At the time Paul wrote those words, there was not yet a codex known as the "New Testament." The scrolls of papyrus on which were written the Scriptures are what we call today the "Old Testament." In its immediate and limited interpretation, Paul is saying that the messages in the Old Testament are inspired by God. That being so, who is the man who would say that the record of the flood in Noah's day was simply an allegory, and not an historical account?

Giving

God is pleased with personal giving. It's in the Bible, Exodus 35:22, TLB. "Both men and women came, all who were willing-hearted. They brought to the Lord their offerings of gold, jewelry—earrings, rings from their fingers, necklaces—and gold objects of every kind."

God is pleased when we give generously. It's in the Bible, Ezra 2:68-69, TLB. "Some of the leaders were able to give generously toward the rebuilding of the Temple, and each gave as much as he could. The total value of their gifts amounted to $300,000 of gold, $170,000 of silver, and 100 robes for the priests."

God is pleased with regular sacrificial giving. It's in the Bible, II Corinthians 8:2, TLB. "Though they have been going through much trouble and hard times, they have mixed their wonderful joy with their deep poverty, and the result has been an overflow of giving to others."

Generosity takes preparation and planning. It's in the Bible, Leviticus 19:9-10, TLB. "When you harvest your crops, don't reap the corners of your fields, and don't pick up stray grains of wheat from the ground. It is the same with your grape crop—don't strip every last piece of fruit from the vines, and don't pick up the grapes that fall to the ground. Leave them for the poor and for those traveling through, for I am Jehovah your God."

Giving can be an act of worship. It's in the Bible, Matthew 2:11, NIV. "On coming to the house, they saw the child with His mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh."

Gifts should be given willingly. It's in the Bible, II Corinthians 9:7, NIV. "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."

Each person should give as much as he or she is able. It's in the Bible, II Corinthians 8:12, TLB. "If you are really eager to give, then it isn't important how much you have to give. God wants you to give what you have, not what you haven't."

Much is required of those who have been given much. It's in the Bible, Luke 12:48, NIV. "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."

Giving tithes and offerings assures the blessings of God. It's in the Bible, Malachi 3:8,10, NIV. "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob Me. But you ask, 'How do we rob You?' In tithes and offerings…Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this, says the Lord Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it."

Generosity comes back to the giver. It's in the Bible, Luke 6:38, TLB. "For if you give, you will get! Your gift will return to you in full and overflowing measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use to give—large or small—will be used to measure what is given back to you."

God is the ultimate example of giving. It's in the Bible, John 3:16, TLB. "For God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son so that anyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."