Craig Blomberg: Accountability and Generosity

“Integrity and accountability in management of funds are as absent today as generous, sacrificial giving. Organizations that hold their member churches and parachurch groups to principles of financial disclosure and accountability have helped in some circles and should be widely supported…

Individual believers need fellow Christians with whom they can share the details of their stewardship so as to hold each other mutually accountable for their lifestyles. Those who are afraid that they will receive too much criticism for these various disclosures more often than not have misguided priorities.”

Craig Blomberg in 1 Corinthians (NIVAC 7; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994) 329.

Tonight I will share this among other quotes in my remarks at the International Accountability Summit. I am thankful that my good friend and fellow NT scholar, Craig Blomberg, sees value in accountability work and makes three important connections. First, accountability is linked to generosity. If we do not handle funds with transparency and integrity, we may not see much generosity either.

Second, his statement that these efforts have worked in “some circles” is spot on. For example, while the ECFA has grown to serve over 1,900 ministries in the USA, there is room to grow in the area of ethnic diversity. Through the formation of a global network of colleagues devoted to the faithful financial administration of God’s work, the ECFA hopes to learn how to better serve the peoples of our nation.

Third, Blomberg notes that individual believers must have friends to hold them “accountable for their lifestyles” and to ensure no “misguided priorities” persist in secret. At this point you may say that I have gone “from preaching to meddling” as they say in the South, but don’t allow fear or failure to keep you stuck. Open your books today with a trusted friend. Perhaps also study 2 Corinthians 8-9 together.

“In Colossians 3:9-10, clothes are a metaphor for behavior: some we must take off and others we put on…some of the “old clothes” we need to throw into the trash: the apparel of anger, list and lying, the garb of malice, greed and immorality. We used to wear those clothes before we became people in whom Christ dwells and delights. They were our natural wardrobe. Without Christ living in us, enlivening us, making us new, we were spiritually dead, alone and scared. We put on anger in order to manage others; we put on lust in order to feel intimacy; we put on deception in order to get what we wanted…

Now we are Christ-inhabited. We live in the strong and unshakable kingdom of God. We know who we are and whose we are…Apprentices of Jesus put on compassion. Christ-followers wear kindness each day. Students of Jesus put on humility and gentleness and patience. These are the clothes we now wear…The image Paul gives us of having stripped off old filthy rags and put on new clothes begins the transition from getting rid of vices to putting on virtues.”

James Bryan Smith in Hidden in Christ: Living as God’s Beloved (Downers Grove: IVP, 2013) 108-109.

Last night I flew to Dallas to host delegations from twelve countries at the ECFA International Accountability Summit and to attend the Christian Leadership Alliance conference. En route I got a huge black grease smudge and a tear in my khaki dress pants. I won’t wear them again. They are history!

This made me think of Paul’s instructions to the Colossians. We must trash the garb of greed and put on gratitude which fuels a lifestyle of generosity (cf. Colossians 3:5-17). If we don’t do this, we are the ones who miss out on life as God intended. Imagine wearing old rags when new clothes are in the closet.

Is it time for you to change clothes?

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:10

“Peter is explicit that [an economy of “grace” (charitas)] is the fundamental economic character of the messianic community: the members of the community are each to understand themselves as “economic stewards” (oikonomia) of “the manifold grace of God,” entrusted with the task of wisely administering (diakonountes) the gifts that they have received. This is a radical departure from the greed, hoarding, and consuming that characterizes the economy of scarcity among “the Gentiles” and that is so often the root cause of envy, theft, and violence–as we as condescending benevolence–that destroys human communities.

God’s economy is one of abundance. His grace is always “superabounding” to sinful beggars (Rom. 5), His riches are always inexhaustibly being given, His giving is never ending. When we acknowledge that everything we have is a gift given from “the manifold grace of God,” and is always more than enough we are liberated from the greed that once consumed us and are instead employed as faithful stewards in the eschatological economy of God’s coming kingdom. The great model of such an economy is given for the churches contemplation and corresponding practice in the church of Jerusalem (Acts 2:41-47; 4:32-35).”

Douglas Harink in 1 & 2 Peter (Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible; Grand Rapids: Brazos, 2009) 114.

Unless we abandon the perspective of the economy of this world, we will never move beyond greed, hoarding, consumption, and condescending benevolence (cf. Robert Lupton’s “toxic charity”). The pathway for Harink (and I agree with him) is for each of us, both as individuals and in community, to live as faithful, generous stewards of God’s grace in God’s economy of abundance. When we do this, we are not only liberated from greed, we exhibit life in God’s kingdom of grace, which is inviting and welcoming to all.

“Be not anxious! Earthly possessions dazzle our eyes and delude us into thinking that they can provide security and freedom from anxiety. Yet all the time they are the very source of all anxiety. If our hearts are set on them, our reward is an anxiety whose burden is intolerable. Anxiety creates its own treasures and they in turn beget further care. When we seek security in possessions we are trying to drive out care with care, and the net result is the precise opposite of our anticipations. The fetters which bind us to our possessions prove to be cares themselves.

The way to misuse our possessions is to use them as an insurance against the morrow. Anxiety is always directed to the morrow, whereas goods are in the strictest sense meant to be used only for today. By trying to ensure for the next day we are only creating uncertainty today. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. The only way to win assurance is by leaving tomorrow entirely in the hands of God and by receiving from Him all we need for today. If instead of receiving God’s gifts for today we worry about tomorrow, we find ourselves helpless victims of infinite anxiety.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) in The Cost of Discipleship (New York: SCM Press, 1959) 178.

These words of Bonhoeffer come from his comments on the Sermon on the Mount (cf. Matthew 6:25-34). He thoughtfully explains what happens when we misuse our possessions and look for security in the wrong place. Sound familiar? Our society seems to me like a sea of “helpless victims of infinite anxiety.” If you find yourself feeling troubled, I suggest meditating on Matthew 6:25-34 and asking the Holy Spirit to reveal to you what steps you should take linked to your handling of possession to find freedom from anxiety.

“Our churches can do little to change economic reality on the macro level. Plant closings, unchecked suburban growth, and population booms and busts are not trends that the church in its ordinary operations can affect. Yet at the micro level, at the level of the congregation, we can do much to live in the broader economy constituted by God and not only in the economy as narrowly construed by those who measure employment, prices, and interest rates.

Congregations can be substitutes for the country club, or they can serve as a witness to God’s alternative economy. That is, they can accept and affirm the status quo, or they can place what seems to be given realities in a larger moral framework that calls into question the debilitating assumptions of the status quo. The church’s message to the world is that there is much more to live than meets the eye. God’s alternative economy is, if we will let it be, more real that the closed-universe economy in which we constantly feel ourselves to be trapped.”

James Hudnut-Beumle in Generous Saints: Congregations Rethinking Ethics and Money (Herndon: Alban Institute, 1999) 21-22.

What a line! “Congregations can be substitutes for the country club, or they can serve as a witness to God’s alternative economy.” What message do our churches send to the world? There is more to life than working for money and trying to amass possessions! Congregations must help people realize that life according to the world’s economy is nothing but a dead-end roadway filled with disillusionment.

Life in God’s economy is rooted in the realization that in Him we have everything we need and obedience to God’s Word is the only pathway to individual and community flourishing. We must make this known with the same love that Paul urged Timothy to further it in Ephesus in the first century.

As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the [economy] of God which is by faith. But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 1 Timothy 1:3-5

“Paul speaks of [the Jerusalem] collection in terms that are full of theological content: “fellowship” (2 Corinthians 8:4; 9:13; Romans 15:26), “service” (2 Corinthians 8:4; 9:1, 12, 13; Romans 15:31), “grace” (2 Corinthians 8:4, 6, 7, 19), “blessing” (2 Corinthians 9:5), “divine service” (2 Corinthians 9:12; cf. Romans 15:27).

All of this together suggests that the “collection” was not some mere matter of money, but was for Paul an active response to the grace of God that not only ministered to the needs of the Lord’s people but also became a kind of ministry to God as well, which resulted in thanksgiving toward God and in a bond of fellowship between “the Lord’s people” across the Empire.”

Gordon D. Fee in The First Epistle to the Corinthians (NICNT; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1987) 898.

Since the Apostle Paul talked about giving with “terms that are full of theological content” I believe we should too, as giving is “not some mere matter of money!” The spiritual growth of stewards is at stake. Giving is “an active response to the grace of God.”

“What exactly is wrong with desiring money too much? Put in the biblical context, what difference does it make to God if the ancient Israelites worship a golden calf [cf. Exodus 32]? Why should He care if people love money more than God and neighbor? God cares about these matters because He cares about us…love of money does not hurt God, it does not diminish God Himself in the least if we do not worship Him…love of money hurts us…

When love of riches grows too strong, other sins typically follow: neglecting family to pursue career, donating little or nothing to charity, leaving inappropriately meager tips for help staff…devoting unreasonable time and attention to financial matters…lying to get more money, taking financial advantage of people…Greed…leads to the harm of others rather than the service of others…Simply put, if we love money more than God and more than other people, we make ourselves–usually sooner rather than later–miserable.”

Christopher Kaczor in The Seven Big Myths about the Catholic Church: Distinguishing Fact from Fiction about Catholicism (San Francisco: Ignatius, 2012) 52-53.

The Apostle Paul warns us that the love of money is a “root of all kinds of evil” which has led many to wander away from the faith and pierce themselves with many pains (cf. 1 Timothy 6:10). Kaczor does a good job showing how this thinking reveals itself in the activities of life and leads “to the harm of others rather than the service of others.”

Father in Heaven, convict us, by your Holy Spirit, of any greed or avarice that may hinder our love for You, our service of others, and seek to ruin our lives. Conform each of us to the image of your son, Jesus, in whose name we pray. Amen.

You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us; for the rendering of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows with many thanksgivings to God. 2 Corinthians 9:11-12

“The message from [the Apostle] Paul is not primarily that we will be blessed if we are generous. Rather, the point is that we must be generous in thanksgiving of the many blessings already received. Our generosity then will lead others, especially the recipients, to thank God who is the source of every good. It is this God who moves us to be charitable in the distribution of our resources. Will we in turn be rewarded for our generosity? Perhaps, but the focus here is on God, the bestower of all that is good and the one who has put us in a position to be generous.

Homilies or talks during financial stewardship campaigns occasionally seek to assure listeners that blessings will come their way if they give generously. They have it backwards. We should give generously because we already have been blessed by a loving God. There is nothing wrong with believing that our generosity will be rewarded by God but that should not be the motivation for our giving. We give out of grateful hearts because God has blessed us already and we want our act of sharing to give glory to God.”

Bernard F. Evans in Stewardship: Living a Biblical Call (Collegeville: OSB, 2014) 124.

After Easter too many pastors will focus on “casting vision to people and promising rich blessings from God” in order to increase giving. My prayer is that those reading this will shift their focus to “giving thanks to God and encouraging joyful giving from people” in order to increase glory to God. The former is yet another illustration of “the love of money” in the modern world, while the latter demonstrates “the love of God” in action. When the focus shifts, the glory shifts and that’s not a good thing. Do you have it backwards?

“When my wife died the world seemed to die with her. I see little now, but my ministry and my Christian profession, to make a continuance in life, for a single day, desirable; though I am willing to wait until my appointed time. If the world cannot restore her to me, it can do nothing for me. The Bank of England is too poor to compensate for such a loss as mine. But the Lord, the all-sufficient God, speaks, and it is done. Let those who know Him, and trust Him, be of good courage. He can give them strength according to their day; He can increase their strength as their trials are increased, to any assignable degree. And what He can do, He has promised He will do.”

John Newton (1725-1807), former slave trader, preacher, and author of the famous hymn, Amazing Grace (1799), in “A Relation of some Particulars, respecting the Cause, Progress, and Close of the last Illness of my late dear Wife,” in The Works of the Rev. John Newton, Volume IV (New Haven: Nathan Whiting, 1824) 212.

Why conclude Lent with this statement from Newton?

Everyone reading this has experienced brokenness, is currently enduring difficulty, or will someday suffer great trials. The gospel is not a magic wand to make our troubles go away. In the midst of our pain, Newton rightly announces, “But the Lord, the all-sufficient God, speaks, and it is done.” Jesus proclaims peace! Because of the resurrection that we celebrate today, we know that all Jesus promised He will do, and someday, thanks to His great love and grace, He will make all things new.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

As we move from this season of Lent (where we have focused on growing in our understanding and practice of the disciplines of prayer, fasting, and giving to those in need) to living the rest of our lives, let us depend on the strength of God to share the precious gift of the peace of Christ in word and deed with a lost and hurting world. Should trials bombard us along the way, Newton would remind each of us to proclaim: ’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.

“At the heart of this celebration, which seems so festive, are the words we heard in the hymn of the Letter to the Philippians: “He humbled Himself” (2:8). Jesus’ humiliation. These words show us God’s way and the way of Christians: it is humility. A way which constantly amazes and disturbs us: we will never get used to a humble God…

This is God’s way, the way of humility. It is the way of Jesus; there is no other. And there can be no humility without humiliation. Following this path to the full, the Son of God took on the “form of a slave” (cf. Philippians 2:7). In the end, humility means service. It means making room for God by stripping oneself, “emptying oneself”, as Scripture says (v. 7). This is the greatest humiliation of all.

There is another way, however, opposed to the way of Christ. It is worldliness, the way of the world. The world proposes the way of vanity, pride, success…the other way. The evil one proposed this way to Jesus too, during His forty days in the desert. But Jesus immediately rejected it. With Him, we too can overcome this temptation, not only at significant moments, but in daily life as well.

In this, we are helped and comforted by the example of so many men and women who, in silence and hiddenness, sacrifice themselves daily to serve others: a sick relative, an elderly person living alone, a disabled person…

We think too of the humiliation endured by all those who, for their lives of fidelity to the Gospel, encounter discrimination and pay a personal price. We think too of our brothers and sisters who are persecuted because they are Christians, the martyrs of our own time. They refuse to deny Jesus and they endure insult and injury with dignity. They follow Him on his way. We can speak of a “cloud of witnesses” (cf. Hebrews 12:1).

Let us set about with determination along this same path, with immense love for Him, our Lord and Savior. Love will guide us and give us strength. For where He is, we too shall be (cf. John 12:26). Amen.”

Pope Francis in Palm Sunday Homily delivered at St. Peter’s Square on 29 March 2015 (Vatican Radio).

Pope Francis points us to a powerful text. Let us meditate on Philippians 2:1-11 today, Holy Week Saturday. Therein, the Apostle Paul announces that Jesus was “obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Do we imitate Christ’s humility, service, and obedience? Or do we conform to the pattern of the world (cf. Romans 12:1-2)?

Take ten minutes today and pray for Christians around the world. Many imitate Christ’s humility through serving the sick or the elderly. Some have wandered down the path of worldliness. Others, for naming Jesus as “Lord and Savior,” are suffering martyrdom. What about you? In life after Lent, what path will you take, humility or worldliness?