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It Is More Blessed to Give Than to Receive

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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jun 24, 1915

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 92, No. 31.

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“It Is More Blessed to Give Than to Receive”

By L. R. CONRADI

In the words, “It is more blessed to give than to receive,” the apostle Paul adds an additional and precious gem to the glorious treasures of heavenly wisdom with which the Teacher sent of God, enriched mankind. Acts 20:35. This saying of Christ’s was not reported by the four evangelists, but the life and deeds of the Saviour expressed it in the fullest manner.
The grace of God reveals its inexhaustible fullness in this, that his Son, who had been immeasurably rich from the days of eternity, condescended to become as one of the poorest, that we through his poverty might be made rich. 2 Cor. 8:9. The human mind is unable to comprehend the fullness of the riches which the Son of God possessed before he came into this world, and which he readily sacrificed in our behalf. The apostle Paul gives us a glimpse of these riches in testifying of the Father, that it pleased him to have all fullness dwell in his Son. Col. 1:19. Through Christ, the image of the invisible God, were “all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: and he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” Verses 16, 17. Our Heavenly Father has appointed his Son “heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.” He is the effulgence of his glory, and the very image of his substance, and upholds all things by the word of his power. Heb. 1:2, 3.
In order to understand the magnitude of the sacrifice of Christ in all its bearings, we must be fully persuaded that before he became man, in him dwelt “all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” Col. 2:9. As all the fullness of the Godhead dwelt in him before he came to this world, he asked of his Father, after finishing his work on earth, not for a glory which he had never possessed before, nor for an increase of his previous glory, but his prayer was, “O Father, glorifythou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.” John 17:5. Being possessed of this fullness of the divine glory from eternity by the good pleasure of his Father, he counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped.
Impelled by a love that man cannot fathom, the Son of God of his own free will emptied himself of all this fullness. He took upon him the “form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross.” Phil. 2:6-8.
How much is included in this emptying himself of all the divine fullness! In this present time of trouble many make gold their hope, and say to the fine gold, “Thou art my confidence.” Job 31:24. The Son of man, before the incarnation, could say, “The silver is mine, and the gold is mine.” Haggai 2:8. Being the Creator of the world and all its treasures, all the riches of the universe and all its wealth rightfully belong to him. He who made the innumerable streets of the heavenly Jerusalem out of pure gold, and its foundations and walls and dwellings from most precious gems, and its gates of the most priceless pearls, became so poor on our account that he could say to the scribe, “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the heaven have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.” Matt. 8:20.
And yet from the days of eternity he possessed something still more valuable to him. His body was most glorious, spiritual, and immortal, and knew no pain or suffering. Yet for our sakes, he partook of our flesh and blood, “that through death he might bring to naught him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and might deliver all them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” Heb. 2:14, 15. Filled with infinite love to fallen man, he risked all to save man. The Creator of the world came to this earth, “and the world knew him not.” The heir of the world “came unto his own, and they that were his own received him not.” John 1:10, 11. Before he became man, all the angels of God had worshiped him, but now “he was despised, and rejected of men.” He whose glorious body had never known pain became “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with sickness.” Isa. 53:3. R. V., margin. Cradled in a manger, compelled to flee into Egypt, reared in despised Nazareth, he toiled as the son of a poor carpenter until he was thirty years of age. He worked, hungered, thirsted, wept, suffered, bore, and was constantly persecuted on account of the hatred of the Pharisees, during the entire period of his ministry. He drank the most bitter cup, however, at the time of his passion. In his great agony “his sweat became as it were great drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.” He was mocked, beaten, spit upon, struck, and crowned with thorns. Barabbas, the robber, was preferred to the innocent Lamb of God, and he was hung between two criminals on the accursed tree. He whom all the angels hitherto served became the servant of all. He to whom as Creator of the world all things belonged, as a man had to ask all things of his Father. The Prince of life had to taste of the most bitter death. In view of all this, how much personal experience is expressed in these simple words uttered by our Saviour, “It is more blessed to give than to receive”!
Saul was by birth “a Hebrew of the Hebrews.” He had belonged to the Pharisees, “the most straitest sect” of Israel. He had been educated in the celebrated school of Gamaliel. By birth he was a free Roman citizen. And he had advanced beyond many of his own age among his countrymen, so that without doubt the highest positions of honor in Israel were open to him. Phil. 3:5; Acts 23:6; 22:28; Gal. 1:14.
In view of the striking example of his Lord and Master, animated by the same spirit, constrained by the same love, and filled with the same grace, he could also testify: “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, . . . that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.” Phil. 3:7, 8, 10. Permeated by such a spirit, he ceased not for the space of three years to admonish every one in Ephesus “night and day with tears.” He coveted “no man’s silver, or gold, or apparel.” His own hands ministered unto his necessities, and to them that were with him. In all things he gave an example, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, “that he himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:31-35.
To the church at Corinth, Paul could bear this testimony of his service as well as of that of his colaborers: “For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that one died for all, therefore all died; and he died for all, that they that live should no longer live unto themselves, but unto him who for their sakes died and rose again.” 2 Cor. 5:14, 15. The apostle Paul was ever ready to present his body a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, and to be fully spent in his service. Not all his coworkers were like-minded, for of some of them he said, “They all seek their own, not the things of Jesus Christ.” Phil. 2:21. Demas even forsook him, having loved this present world.
Such shining examples of divine grace as Paul, Timothy, Titus, Silas, and others, were bound to exert a lasting effect upon the hearts of the converts won by them. In a night vision the Lord called Paul to go to Macedonia in order there to preach the gospel. Imprisonment and persecution awaited him and his coworkers while founding churches in Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea. But the grace of God worked so mightily in these churches that Paul could leave us the following testimony of their willingness to give and sacrifice: “Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; how that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves; praying us with much entreaty that we would receive the gift, . . . not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.” 2 Cor. 8:1-5.
Our Lord and Master, his faithful apostles, and the churches founded by them are for us today a glorious example of the application of the principle, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” The same grace awaits our reception today which at that time constrained workers and people to give such liberal gifts. The words of James 4:6 (margin), “But he giveth a greater grace,” are a sure promise today. The treasures of divine grace have not diminished during the past centuries; and we, as children of God, still enjoy the precious privilege of saying, from experience, “For of his fullness we all received, and grace for grace.” John 1:16. Whoever lets this fullness of God’s grace work in him in such a time of need, will abound even in deep poverty unto the riches of his liberality. We who are bought of God with the precious blood of Christ do not belong to ourselves. We are “an elect race,” “a people for God’s own possession,” “unto the praise of his glory.” All we are and all we have we owe to the Lord. We have everything from him, and to him we must give a final account of our stewardship. Our property, our talents, our means, have been intrusted to us only as temporal possessors; we are not the real owners of them. It depends upon our faithful stewardship as to whether we shall receive an eternal inheritance of untold value with the Lord.
The world lies in darkness. Everywhere reapers for the heavenly harvestare needed. All about us souls are perishing. All those to whom the Lord has given the fullness of his grace in Christ are, as Paul, “debtors” to the whole world, “to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish.” Rom. 1:14. We are living in the time of the end; and as God has intrusted us with special light for this time, we are debtors to our Lord and to the world to proclaim this gospel of the kingdom to every nation and tribe and kindred in all the world. Everywhere reapers are necessary to garner in the rich harvest of souls. But in order to assure their support, means must flow freely to complete the work of God on earth. The Lord, however, loves only the cheerful giver, never the unwilling, reluctant giver. Knowing that his coming is right at hand, we should be of the same mind as Jesus, constrained by the same love of God as was Paul, filled with the same grace as were the churches in Macedonia; and then in our own souls we shall experience the full truth of the saying of Christ. Then we shall gladly sacrifice for the salvation of sinners, and for the spread of the gospel in the dark corners of the world. To the poor we shall give liberally, because we have known the grace of Jesus Christ, who became poor that we might be enriched by his gospel. We shall not need to be urged to give, because we ourselves have tasted the blessedness of the words of Christ, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
L. R. CONRADI.