Hypocrisy in the Giving of Our Offerings

["Click here for Matthew's account"]

Hypocrisy, according to Webster, is faking or acting out the appearance of virtue or religion. This has been called the "sickness of the self-righteous". It was the downfall of the Scribes and Pharisees. It is the worst enemy of the Church today. Matthew Henry says, it is the "dead fly" that spoils the whole box of precious ointment, or in more recent language, it is the rotten apple that spoils the whole bushel.

Two suppositions are here expressed:

1. That the giving of our money is a duty that we all, as followers of Christ, must do. We believe that the returning to the Lord that which is His, and other charity, is a privilege.
2. That there is a reward in the proper giving of our tithes and offerings. Luke says that we shall be resurrected in "eternal riches", Jesus says that we shall be rewarded 10 times over. But all is lost if our charity is improperly motivated, done for the phrase of others. This is hypocrisy. "The riches you impart form the only wealth you will always retain."

How should we give of our money? Never let your right hand know what your left hand is doing. Conceal it as much as possible. Do it because it is a good work, and the promise is to those who are sincere in these efforts and whose charity is in secrete that God will reward, not just in proportion to what we have done, but abundantly more. If you give in secrete, the reward will be in public.

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