Sharing is caring!

What Does the Bible Say About Giving? | 11 Bible Verses About Giving

Do you ever find it difficult to give away your “hard-earned” money, your precious time, or your unconditional love? You’re not alone.

It’s not always easy to be a generous person, but there are loads of Bible verses about giving explaining how important it is. In fact, not only is generosity one of the principles of biblical money management, but I think we could make a very strong case stating that generosity is one of the foundational principles of Christian living. 

“God designed us not to be hoarders but to be conduits through which his generosity flows.” 
Art Rainer, The Money Challenge

In this article, we will explore different Bible verses on giving to understand exactly what the Bible says about giving and generosity! 

Here’s the big list of money topics in the Bible, and here is a list of over 100 Bible verses about money.

Bible Verses About Giving 

Bible Verses About Giving in the Old Testament

Psalm 112:9
They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor,
 their righteousness endures forever;
    their horn[a] will be lifted high in honor.

Malachi 3:10
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 there will not be room enough to store it.

Psalm 112:5
Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, who conduct their affairs with justice

Proverbs 11:24
One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.

Proverbs 11:25
A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.

Related: 57 Bible Verses About Gratitude That Will Inspire You to Give More

Bible Verses About Giving in the New Testament

2 Corinthians 9:6-8
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

Ephesians 4:28 
Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need

1 John 3:16
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

Matthew 20:26-28
Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,  and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—  ust as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Acts 4:34
that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales

Act 20:35
In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

1 Timothy 6:17-18
Tell those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money. Money cannot be trusted. They should put their trust in God. He gives us all we need for our happiness. Tell them to do good and be rich in good works. They should give much to those in need and be ready to share. 

2 Corinthians 8:2-4
In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people.

What Does the Bible Say About Giving? 

As you can see, there are tons of Bible verses about giving! The ones listed above are only some of the many we find. Not to mention, that Jesus’ life itself is the greatest example of generosity that we have. 

After examining many Bible verses about money, it is clear that generosity is one of the key financial pillars in the Bible. Let’s take a deeper dive though to really understand some key lessons on what the Bible says about giving and being generous. Let’s discover what does the Bible say about giving?

6 Biblical Lessons About Giving

1. Giving is a way to show we trust God

The only time God gives us permission to test him is when it comes to tithing. He says to test him to see if he will keep his promise to bless us or not (Malachi 3:10). 

God will always keep his promises to provide for us. But one thing he wants from us is to trust him for that provision. It is one thing to say with words that we trust God to provide for us, but the act of giving shows God and others that we trust Him to provide for our daily needs even when we hand off a portion of our income. 

Have you ever stopped to think about why God asks us to give our financial resources? He doesn’t need our money at all. He is all powerful, and no matter how much money God does or doesn’t have will never stop him from accomplishing his mission. 

God blesses us with wealth and financial resources in order that we may use it to faithfully partner with him on his mission to redeem the world. 

How does your giving reflect your trust in God to provide for your daily needs? 

2. True generosity is sacrificial 

Jesus demonstrated a spirit of generosity by pouring His life out to secure our salvation. The three years of His ministry on earth were full of examples of sacrificial giving. 

It is one thing to give when we have excess, but when we give sacrificially that is when we truly put God first.

There is a popular quote from Mother Teresa, “Give, but give until it hurts.” I don’t always love the quote, mostly because I have seen many Christians use it as an excuse to cut off their giving once they feel like their daily comforts are in jeopardy.

I believe the point that Mother Teresa was trying to make was to give until there is no more to give. 

A perfect example of this can be found in Luke 21:1-4: 
As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

Jesus makes it clear here that the woman who gave all that she had was more generous because she had sacrificed everything. Whereas the others had given out of excess. 

In his book, Your Finances God’s Way, Scott LaPierre shares a great explanation of how the Macedonians were an excellent example of giving sacrificially. In 2 Corinthians chapter 8, Paul writes about how the churches of Macedonia “overflowed in a wealth of generosity” even in their extreme poverty (See 2 Corinth. 8:1-3). Check out my interview with Scott LaPierre here!

It’s important to give when we see the need, not when we have a little extra. 

3. Giving should be done cheerfully

If you decide to give sacrificially and “give till it hurts,” but you do it while grumbling, you’ve missed the point. 

Imagine if someone got you a present and when they started handing it over they grumbled and complained about how expensive the gift was and how they were not going to be able to afford some of the other things they wanted to do.

How would you respond to this situation?

I know that I would feel guilty keeping the gift and would insist that they go return it.

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
Corinthians 9:7

“Your attitude towards giving reflects what you really find most important – God‘s mission or your wants”
Art Rainer, The Money Challenge

Don’t give out of obligation. Give when you are inspired to help. Get excited about the opportunity to be a conduit of God’s love. 

4. Generosity is the key to unlocking God’s blessing

There are many Bible verses about God’s provision and blessing, but one thing you may not have noticed is that before God promises to provide abundant blessings, he requires an act of faith first. That act of faith is giving. 

In Malachi 3:10 we read, “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 there will not be room enough to store it.”

God wants us to trust him just as we read above, and when we do trust him, he knows that he can bless us abundantly with more resources. Giving is the true key to experiencing freedom in our finances.

When we give, we are planting seeds that will inevitably produce a harvest. However, we must be careful not to try to “game the system” by giving more in order to receive more. In his book, Biblical Economics 101, Dr. S.R. Watkins warns us against this:  

“The law of sowing and reaping is not a “get-rich-quick” scheme or an overnight success formula that you can apply and then just live anyway you want. Receiving blessings is the result of a lifestyle of seedtime and harvest, to which you have to be committed or it will not work for you.”   
Dr. S.R. Watkins

God’s blessings are activated by faith, but he still wants to prepare your heart to receive the blessings. Not so that you can live anyway you want, but to live the way God intended. Not so you can become great, but so that God’s greatness would be glorified.

5. Giving is one of the primary ways we can participate in God’s mission

Why does God bless us with wealth, resources, and possessions? Sure, he does want us to enjoy some personal delight from these things, but that is not the primary purpose for the resources God has given us. 

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
2 Corinthians 9:8

God blesses us richly and abundantly so that we may partner with him in his mission to redeem the world. I love how Art Rainer puts it in his book, The Money Challenge, he says, 

“Certainly, God is the giver of wealth. But he does not provide wealth for hoarding. He gives wealth to share. He gives wealth for generosity. He gives wealth to invest in eternal treasures. He gives wealth to advance his mission.”

Our generous giving has the power to move mountains! Just as Randy Alcorn says in his book, The Treasure Principle, 

“Giving is a giant lever positioned on the fulcrum of this world, allowing us to move mountains in the next world. Because when we give, eternity will be different-for others and for us.” 

– Randy Alcorn 

Is the money God has given you going toward building your own kingdom primarily? Is it time to reconsider how you are spending it so you can align with God’s purpose for your money? 

6. Generosity doesn’t have a number

Hopefully, by now you can begin to see all of the deeply profound lessons about generosity throughout the Bible and maybe it’s prompting you to begin to become a more generous person in order to model yourself after Christ. 

So you might be asking – how much do I need to give in order to become generous? Is it a percent of my income? Is it a flat number? How much is enough? 

Let me first suggest that if you are not already doing so, you should begin with tithing. Tithing is simply giving 10% of your income to your local church. 

However, tithing was never meant to be a limit on your giving. In fact, when we begin to ask ‘how much’ we are really asking the wrong question… 

In their book God And Money, authors Gregory Baumer and John Cortines suggest asking a different question. That question is, “How much should I keep?” 

You see, generosity does not have a number. And to ask the question “How much should I give?” would be to limit ourselves and our generosity. We should try to follow the example of Christ as much as we can, and learn to give all of ourselves to God’s mission to redeem the world. 

You May Also Like
What Does the Bible Say About Consumerism?
Encouraging Verses for Times of Financial Struggle
Should Christians Track Their Net Worth?
Bible Verses About Self Control

Let's Get Social!