We’re all probably familiar with the bible verse, John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.”
This verse may bring back memories of Vacation Bible school for you or it may be a wonderful reminder of God’s love for us. But have you ever thought of this verse and how it pertains to generosity? God’s sacrifice of Jesus sets the Bible’s tone for generosity and is a strong example of sacrificial giving for us.
Here are 23 bible verses that follow John 3:16’s example of generosity and explain the role we have been given from God to be generous. You can share these during the offering moment in your service, when preaching from the pulpit, on social media, or even when questions about generosity arise.
First Fruits
The call on believers to tithe, or give 10% of our income to The Church, is rooted in both New and Old Testament scripture. But the Bible doesn’t stop there. The Lord instructs us to do more than just give the 10%. He calls for us to bring the best of what we have to Him first. He calls us to make Him the first priority in everything.
“Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.” –Proverbs 3:9-10
*Spoiler alert- if we’re consistent in following this principle, God promises blessings in return.
How to Give
We are to give without sparing. We are to give generously. We are to help those in need. For in doing these things, not only are we following God’s Word but we are allowing His love to be clearly shown to those around us. Through this we honor what Jesus tells us are the two greatest commandments: love your God with all your heart and love your neighbor.
“All day long he craves for more, but the righteous give without sparing.” –Proverbs 21:26
“The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives.” –Psalm 37:21
“In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” –Acts 20:35
“By this we know love, that He laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” – 1 John 3:16-18
Give Humbly
Generosity should stem from the heart, not from social advancement or from gaining the acclamation of others. The Lord is clear that we are to be abundantly generous to those around us. But He is also clever that we are not to brag of our generosity. We are to do the Lord’s work through our giving, not our own work for admiration.
“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” – Matthew 6:1-5
Give Freely
The Lord also instructs us to give freely. Don’t hold anything back that you have from those in need. And when giving, do so cheerfully and willingly.
“You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake.” – Deuteronomy 15:10
“Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, who conduct their affairs with justice.” –Psalm 112:5
“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unaware.” –Hebrews 13:2
“Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.” – Matthew 5:42
Give Sacrificially
Give what you have to the Lord and to others. Give sacrificially by giving up something in order to give more.
This doesn’t mean just to make your monthly check bigger. This could also mean to volunteer your talents more at church or offer up more of your time than just volunteering once or twice a year. And even when times look tough, give to the Lord and others around you. For the Lord promises to provide all in which we need. He will not let forsake you.
“Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and He saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And He said, ‘Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.’” –Luke 21:1-4
“Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” –Hebrews 13:6
Give without Expectations
The Lord calls for us to give from a gracious heart. And this means giving without expecting anything in return. Treat a friend to dinner without expecting them to grab the tab the next time. When lending money, don’t charge interest. If you have something someone else needs, give it freely to them without expecting it back.
“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ lend to ‘sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.” – Luke 6:32-35
“If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be like a moneylender to him, and you shall not exact interest from him.” – Exodus 22:25
“Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back.” – Luke 6:30
There is Always a Call to Give
Generosity is not only for Sundays or special occasions. Our call to be generous is a 24 hour, 7 day a week, rain or shine kind of thing. The Lord expects us to maintain a generous heart at all times, under all circumstances.
Proverbs 3:27 “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.” –Proverbs 3:27
“Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.” – Matthew 5:42
“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” – Galatians 6:2
Where our Wealth Comes From
The Lord entrusts us with everything we have from our time, to our talent, to our financial treasures. When we are generous and give, we are only giving back what the Lord first gave to us. After all, it all belongs to Him.
“You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may confirm His covenant that He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.” – Deuteronomy 8:18
Reap What you Sow
We’ve all heard the expression, “you reap what you sow.” But did you know this message actually came from the Bible? The Lord guarantees that if we are generous to others, others will be generous in return. Through cheerfully blessing those in need, the Lord will in turn bless us for our generosity and sacrifice. God will match our effort. God will return in abundance what we give to others.
“The point in this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” – 2 Corinthians 9:6-8
What’s to Follow your Generosity?
So we’ve been generous. We haven’t bragged or boasted about our acts of kindness. We’ve been sacrificial with our resources and we haven’t expected anything in return. So now what happens? The Lord will return your sacrifices two fold on this earth. Because of your generosity, others will be graciously generous with you. But because of your discretion and your obedience, you will be rewarded even greater in heaven.
“The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.” –Proverbs 22:9
“One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.” – Proverbs 11:24-25
The Bible’s approach to generosity is pretty simple: give to others freely and sacrificially, without expecting anything in return. And in doing so, we honor God. The Lord promises to bless us during our earthly days and to abundantly reward us with treasures in heaven. Share these 23 verses with your church to inspire generosity and to teach biblical principles.
