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What the Bible says
What Does the Bible Say About Generosity?
The Bible calls God's people to open-handed generosity, giving freely because we have freely received, and promising that a giving life is a blessed one.
Generosity flows from trust: when we believe God will provide, we can give without fear. Scripture says God loves a cheerful giver and that it is more blessed to give than to receive.
Giving is one of the surest antidotes to greed. The Bible ties generosity to joy and to genuine wealth, not the wealth we hoard, but the treasure we lay up in heaven by loving others.
Key Bible verses
“I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Acts 20:35 · King James Version (public domain)
“But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”
2 Corinthians 9:6-7 · King James Version (public domain)
“The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.”
Proverbs 11:25 · King James Version (public domain)
“Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”
Luke 6:38 · King James Version (public domain)
How this points to Jesus
Jesus is generosity itself. Though He was rich, for our sakes He became poor, giving up everything, even His life, so that we could be made rich in Him. Our giving is only an echo of His. When we grasp how much we have received in Christ, our hands open naturally to others.
