Lactantius: Unsuitable objects

Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” Luke 14:12-14

“If anyone were surrounded by fire, crushed by the downfall of a building, plunged in the sea, or carried away by a river, would they not think it is the duty of a man to assist him? . . . So what reason is there to think that aid is to be withheld when a man suffers from hunger, thirst, or cold? . . . Yet, the pagans make a distinction between these things. That is because they measure all things by present usefulness—not by the truth itself. For they hope that those whom they rescue from peril will return a favor to them. However, because they cannot hope for this in the case of the needy, they think that whatever they give to men of this type is “thrown away.” . . . However, we must not bestow our funds on suitable persons [i.e., ones who will repay us], but as much as possible on unsuitable objects. For when you do it without the hope of any return, you will truly do it for the sake of justice, piety, and humanity.”

Lactantius (c. 250-325) early Christian author and advisor to Roman Emperor Constantine in Divine Institutes book 6 entitled “On True Worship” chapter 9 entitled “of the persons on whom a benefit is to be conferred” from the Ante-Nicene Christian Library, Translations of the Writings of the Fathers Down to A.D. 325.

Jesus used illustrations such as “who to invite to a meal” to explain “grace” giving to us. This was foreign to people who measured their “philanthropy” based on what they could get in return. Church Fathers like Lactantius, similarly had to instruct Constantine and others he tutored what Christian giving was to look like. In their language, giving to “unsuitable objects” reflects justice and “piety” which is also translated “godliness”.

What’s this got to do with you and me today? Don’t measure your giving like the world does. That is, distributing to those you think are deserving (also known as “suitable objects”). Give to those who cannot pay you back. If you want to give like God and look like Jesus, give to those who cannot repay you. Your treasure will be in heaven. And there will be no need to thank me or Lactantius later for this. Thank Jesus who taught us this first and showed us by example. We are the unsuitable objects.

“This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:21

“See how much he sins in the church—he who prefers himself and his children to Christ! Such a person preserves his wealth and does not share his abundant estate to relieve the poverty of the needy.”

Cyprian of Carthage (c. 200-258) as recounted by David Bercot in A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1998) 10.

Our culture celebrates stewards that hoard for themselves. Jesus calls it foolish. Cyprian labels it sin not to share an “abundant estate” following the instructions of Jesus. I believe this is one of the greatest sins in the church today.

God’s design for all of us is to work to have resources to enjoy and share with those who cannot work. How we handle the fruit of labor exhibits our faith. Our generosity, or lack thereof, reveals where our trust has already been placed. Where is your estate?

Don’t store up treasures on earth! Store them up in heaven through giving not because I say so, but because Jesus says so (Matthew 6:19-21). Candidly, letting go of our wealth was not easy, but it was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 

You don’t realize that Christ is all you need until Christ is all you have. Don’t wait! Share your “abundant estate”. In instructing us to live this way, Jesus is not trying to bankrupt us. He’s teaching us how to take hold of life.

If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:17-18

“If your brother should be weak (I speak of the poor man), do not visit such a one empty-handed when he lies ill. Do good under God. Pay your obedience by your money…Similarly, if your poor sister lies upon a sick bed, let your matrons begin to carry food to her. God himself cries out, “Break bread to the needy.” There is no need to visit with merely words but with aid. It is wicked for your brother to be sick because of lack of food. Do not satisfy him with words! He needs meat and drink!”

Commodianus (c. 240) was a Christian Latin poet. Today we have only two extant writings: Instructiones and Carmen apologeticum. This excerpt from Instructiones 4.217 is recounted by David Bercot in A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1998) 9.

With the expression “pay your obedience by your money” Commodianus is basically saying “put your money where your faith is” to his readers. With the candor of John the Apostle, he urges Christians to care for brothers and sisters in the faith with words and aid. This was convicting for me. Often I offer nothing but words. How about you?

If I look into my heart, I find that sometimes I fail to offer aid to brothers and sisters in the faith because I may be aware that their calamity came from their own poor choices. Perhaps you can relate. That’s our flesh thinking “they are getting what they deserve” when, conversely, the Spirit nudges us to visit them and extend aid with grace and mercy. What will we do?

Father in Heaven, make us a people known for offering aid with words and actions. Help us, by your Holy Spirit, generously live out our beliefs with our brothers and sisters in the faith, so that people will see Your grace and love through our obedience. Do this I ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. Romans 13:5-8

“You say, the temple revenues are every day falling off: how few now throw a contribution! In truth, we are neither able to give alms both to your human and your heavenly mendicants; nor do we think that we are required to give any but to those who ask for it. Let Jupiter then hold out his hand and get, for our compassion spends more in the streets than yours does in the temples. But your other taxes will acknowledge a debt of gratitude to Christians; for in the faithfulness which keeps us from fraud upon a brother, we make conscience of paying all their dues.”

Tertullian of Carthage (c. 155-240) in Apology XLII which goes by a longer title: Quintus Septimius Florens Tertulliani Apologeticus Adversus Gentes pro Christianis translated as The Apology of Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus for the Christians.

Christians were under attack in the days of Tertullian, so he wrote a defense (literally, an “apology”) for their collective behavior. While their generosity to Jupiter (the supreme God of the heavens in the ancient Mediterranean mindset) ceased, their respectful behavior, their faithfulness in paying taxes, and their support of those in the streets persisted faithfully.

This behavior follows the instructions of Paul to the Romans. God’s people in the epicenter of the empire were to submit to the authorities, pay their taxes, show respect, and pay their debts, especially the continuing debt of love and compassion. How fitting that Christians by the days of Tertullian would become known for caring for the needy in the streets!

Make it so again today Lord Jesus through the hands of faith Christians!

For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate. For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.” We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the food they eat. And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good. 2 Thessalonians 3:7-13

“For he that vaunts his good services, receives glory as his reward. And he who does any duty for the sake of recompense, is he not held fast in the custom of the world, either as one who has done well, hastening to receive a reward, or as an evil-doer avoiding retribution? We must, as far as we can, imitate the Lord. And he will do so, who complies with the will of God, receiving freely, giving freely, and receiving as a worthy reward the citizenship itself…For it is right to supply want, but it is not well to support laziness.”

Clement of Alexandria (c. 150-215) in Stromata 1.1.1816-1818.

Having received the gift of Christ this Advent, let us show that we are not “held fast in the custom of this world” but that Christ has transformed how we live and give. To this end in the coming weeks we will consider together various early church teachings in the NT and see how they are echoed in church history.

Following the thinking of the Apostle Paul, Clement reminds us to imitate the Lord and set an example to others regarding work and generosity. Good advice! Together let us resolve to celebrate hard work, to not support laziness, and to never tire in doing good for eternal reward and not for earthly recognition.

Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan—The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. Isaiah 9:1-2

“According to Isaiah, the people who sinned sat in the shadow of death. [Isaiah 9:2] For these a light arose, not by the merits of their virtues, but by the grace of God…No man can say that he can acquire more by his own efforts than what is granted him by the generosity of God.”

Ambrose of Milan (337-397) excerpt from his treatise, On Paradise 5.29 (307).

About 700 years before the birth of Christ, the prophet Isaiah writes these words. The land in view is Galilee. It is filled with gloom and covered in the darkness and distress of sin. Yet Isaiah has hope as someday in the future, in an obscure, off-the-beaten-path place beyond the Jordan, a great light would dawn. The great light in view is Jesus, the Christ of Christmas, born in the tiny town of Bethlehem.

Ambrose, approximately 1,000 years later, reminds God’s people that this light arose not because anyone deserved it, but by the grace of God. The gift of Jesus to a world filled with gloom and deep darkness is God’s greatest act of generosity. How his listeners (and that includes us) receive this light—God’s greatest gift—shapes everything in our lives, including our generosity.

If today we believe we have received this gift by our own efforts, we will likewise give to others only rooted in merit, that is, to those we deem “deserving” of aid. We must not go there. In antiquity such giving was called “philanthropy” which is why you will never ever hear me talk about Christian giving with that term!

Alternatively, if we come to realize that a light arose to us not by our merit but by the grace of God, this biblical idea shapes our living and our giving. We become more gracious and generous people. It is fitting that the New Testament writers abandon the worldly language of “philanthropy’ and describe giving as a “grace” for us to grow in as well.

My Christmas prayer for myself, my family, and each of you, now that the waiting of Advent is over and Christ is here is this: May our giving reflect God’s giving in a world filled with gloom and darkness, so that His light, grace, and love shine through us until He calls us home or until His second Advent.

Happy Christmas everyone!

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns! Isaiah 52:7

“The Lord returns to Zion as the reigning king. The herald, who comes from afar, and the watchmen, who stand on the walls of Jerusalem, announce to one another the coming redemption that each will experience personally…the practice of sending a fleet-footed runner to deliver messages of salvation and victory is also found in 2 Samuel 18:19 “Ahimaaz son of Zadok said: ‘Let me run and report to the king that the Lord has vindicated him against his enemies.'” The first to see the runner is the watchman standing on the battlements: “The watchman on the roof of the gate walked over to the city wall. He looked and saw a man running alone” (2 Samuel 18:24).”

Shalom M. Paul in Isaiah 40-66: Translation and Commentary (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2012) 390.

Today is Christmas Eve.

Later, we will go to church and sing our favorite christmas carols. “O Holy Night” is tops on my list. Then we will pick up a pizza (so we don’t have to cook dinner) and head home to watch It’s a Wonderful Life together.

My favorite scene in the movie is an obscure shot of George Bailey (played by Jimmy Stewart) in his father’s office where the framed quote on the wall reads: “All you can take with you is that which you have given away.” Great generosity quote!

Why am I sharing all this?

These traditions have shaped my life and my family. They solidify our role, that is, why we are on this round ball called earth. We are messengers of the good news of our Lord Jesus. Sharing this good news is our greatest act of generosity.

Let us resolve to be fleet-footed runners so that all may experience personally the coming redemption.

Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Isaiah 35:5-6

“These verses picture a transformation of the blind and weak…When God establishes his righteous king over his kingdom, there will be no physical or spiritual disabilities then. This transformational change will open the hearts that are closed, turn the lame into leapers, and enable the silent to shout for joy.”

Gary V. Smith in Isaiah 1-39: The New American Commentary, An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture (Nashville: B & H Publishing, 2007) 580.

This text from Isaiah is another famous song in Handel’s Messiah. Isaiah envisions the transformational power of the ministry of the Messiah. But what, you may ask, does it have to do with God’s generosity and love in this final week of Advent?

In my extended family, I have relatives who have physical disabilities and others with spiritual disabilities. Perhaps you do too. While these challenges are beyond my power (and yours) to change and make right, they are no match for the Christ of Christmas. He can transform them!

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

“Not only is this undoubtedly the best known verse in the New Testament, it’s probably the most distorted verse, as well. Why? It is because people who love the apparent universality of this verse hate the undeniable particularity of it. The verse begins by saying something about the love of God and the object of God’s affection. God so loved…what? “The world.” Now let me finish the verse for you according to contemporary understanding: “God so loved the world that He gave His Son in order to save everyone in the world.”

Some people draw from this text a doctrine of universal salvation; they believe it teaches that God loves the world so much that He saves everyone. But clearly that’s not what the text says…John 3:16 says that God’s love is so deep and so profound, He sent His only begotten Son…He did not love the world so much that He sent multiple saviors. Yet our culture tells us that if God were really loving, He would have provided avatars galore—He would have provided a smorgasbord of salvation options so that everyone could practice his or her own religion, and He would not have been so narrow-minded and exclusive as to require faith in Christ alone…

Are you one who gets angry when he [or she] hears there’s is only one way to God? The question is not “Why is there only one way?” but “Why is there even one way?” The answer to that question is that God loved the world enough to create a way.”

R.C. Sproul in John (St. Andrew’s Expositional Commentary; Ann Arbor: Sheridan Books, 2009) 44-46.

Christmas is a season when many of us see relatives and friends who embrace a contemporary view of salvation, that is, that Christ is one of many ways to eternal life. These people treat the “undeniable particularity” of Christianity as reflecting a narrow-minded lack of love. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The most generous thing we can do this holy-day season is to remind those with whom we celebrate Christmas that our joy is rooted in the love of God made known to us in the Christ child. Jesus is the greatest gift for all who believe, and the greatest gift that we can give others.

He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God…The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:11-12, 29

“The sacrifice envisaged is not restricted in its purpose or effectiveness to the Jewish race. This Lamb of God takes away the sins of the world—that is, of all human beings without distinction, though not, as the Prologue has already made clear (1:11-12) of all without exception. this is God’s provision: Jesus is the lamb of God.”

D.A. Carson in The Gospel according to John (PNTC; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991) 151.

The one thing the whole world needed is the one gift God gave the first Christmas: the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. That’s love! Jesus is God’s provision for all who receive Him. Know anyone to whom Christ has come who has not received Him.

Father in Heaven, thank you for sending Jesus to take away my sin, but not just mine alone. Show me the people in my life who have not yet received him. Give me the courage of John to urge people to “Look” to Jesus. Draw them to faith by your Holy Spirit, I pray. Amen