Sacredness of Pledges by E. R. ALLEN

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · May 22, 1913

Sacredness of Pledges

By E. R. ALLEN

E. R. ALLEN

THERE seems to be in the minds of many of our people a failure to appreciate the sacredness of pledges made to the various funds and enterprises carried forward in our work. This condition has impressed itself upon me as I have found in different conference offices pledges long since overdue. Conference officials usually dislike to remind the makers of these pledges of their delinquency, yet it seems that more stress should be laid upon the responsibility before God to meet the obligations expressed on these slips of paper which are handed in at camp-meetings and other important gatherings. On this point the Word of God is very plain:—

“When thou shalt vow a vow unto the Lord thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the Lord thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee.” “That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; even a free-will offering, according as thou hast vowed unto the Lord thy God, which thou hast promised with thy mouth.” Deut. 23:21, 23. See also Eccl. 5:4, 5.

In the inspired commentary on the case of Ananias and Sapphira, found in “The Acts of the Apostles,” page 74, we find the following: “God has made the proclamation of the gospel dependent upon the labors and the gifts of his people. Voluntary offerings and the tithe constitute the revenue of the Lord’s work. Of the means entrusted to man, God claims a certain portion,—the tenth. He leaves all free to say whether or not they will give more than this. But when the heart is stirred by the influence of the Holy Spirit, and a vow is made to give a certain amount, the one who vows has no longer any right to the consecrated portion. Promises of this kind made to men would be looked upon as binding; are those not more binding that are made to God? Are promises tried in the court of conscience less binding than written agreements of men?”

God does not require of us pledges and vows. But when we realize the manifold goodness of God and wish to express our appreciation of his mercies, he accepts our pledges for future payment of a specified sum into his treasury. We cannot lightly release ourselves from these obligations assumed under the influence of the Spirit of God.

It would be well if when pledges and

offerings are called for, the sacredness of these promises were more fully explained. No doubt many of the unredeemed pledges in our offices have been forgotten by their makers; but were the seriousness of these obligations more fully understood at the time of making, we should not be so likely to forget them.

May it not be that God is compelled to withhold from our households many blessings which he longs to grant, because we have been individually and collectively remiss in this matter of our pledges to the support of his work?

Regina, Saskatchewan.