That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
Alms are to be given sincerely, quietly and privately for the benefit of the suffering poor, not to attract attention, praise or honor or to create an outward appearance of goodness. Charitable actions may be made known when the purpose is to encourage others to give and to glorify God, but they must never be displayed for self-glory or to advertise generosity. God sees the motives behind acts of giving and judges them even when people praise those acts, so good deeds done to win human approval receive no reward from Him and have only that praise as their reward. Acceptable giving comes from pity, love, compassion, a kind heart and wholehearted devotion for those who suffer, offered for God's glory with pure motive in penitence and humility. The Father who sees what is done in secret rewards it openly, and God Himself is the great reward as givers grow in His character and become like Him, with character softened, refined and ennobled into the image of Jesus.
Sermon Setting and Background
The saying was uttered on a mountain before a large gathering, given especially to the disciples while the multitudes also listened. Those hearers included people from Galilee and many other regions, and many among them were ignorant and in error.
It belongs to the Sermon on the Mount, which presents truth from God spoken with Christ's own authority in terms simple enough for a child to understand without being misled. That sermon teaches the far-reaching principles of God's law, that the state of the heart regulates life and character and that meeting the claims of the law requires having its spirit in the heart. It corrects a false picture of God and reveals Him as a compassionate, loving Father, and the Father who sees in secret reflects that paternal care.
The saying shows the heavenly Father's requirement that His people walk in the light He gives them. That requirement is always reasonable and just and accepts nothing less than perfect obedience to His commandments. Failure to walk in the light God had given was separating the Jewish people from God. Darkness comes upon those who refuse that light in the same proportion as the light has been permitted to shine upon their pathway.
At Christ's first coming the Jewish nation did the opposite, giving alms to be seen of men. This open display belonged to proud boasting of righteousness, together with making broad their phylacteries and uttering long prayers in the marketplaces to be seen of men, an outward show without inward piety done from love of worldly honor and exaltation and desire to impress others with importance, zeal and devotion to religious duties. Their religion was formal, consisting of ordinances and purifications, rites and ceremonies, and was not heartfelt, yet they made their religious profession very prominent. While making this display their hearts were hard, unmerciful and corrupt, lacking personal piety and virtuous character. They ground the faces of the poor and took advantage of them in every way possible, exacting heavy sums and taxes from the conscientious, the poor, the widow and fatherless for the treasury, devouring widows' houses, and robbing God by appropriating the offerings of the people to themselves.
Secret Giving Explained
Alms are to be given sincerely, quietly and privately for the benefit of the suffering poor, not to attract attention or to win public notice, praise or honor for oneself. Deeds of charity done quietly for God's glory are seen by the Father who sees in secret and rewards openly, while good deeds done to win human approval receive no reward from Him and have only that praise as their reward. Almsgiving done to win notice is only an outward show of goodness and does not show true mercy or devotion, for true religious character is not measured by public display. Charity given without seeking a name glorifies God and is noticed in heaven, and secret acts of kindness toward a poor brother bind hearts together. Benevolence takes its noblest form when offered with pure motive in penitence and humility, and sincere service rendered through grace forms the character, restores its original loveliness, imparts Christ's attributes, gives heaven's peace and joy in blessing others, and fits for trusted service.
The command does not require every good deed to be hidden so that little is done. Charitable actions may be made known or seen when the purpose is to encourage others to give and to glorify God and to testify to genuine faith, but they must not be displayed for self-glory or to advertise generosity and win reputation. What is condemned is charity performed for display and reputation, making the giver the center of attention instead of recognizing that good works come through the Holy Spirit. Giving for admiration may even be funded by exploiting the poor.
Christ's quiet works of mercy without self-exaltation exemplify this unassuming service, shunning human praise. In contrast, the chief priests, scribes, elders and religious leaders made charitable acts conspicuous and gave publicly to draw attention to themselves and trumpet their deeds for effect. Keeping the command in Christian work means self is kept out of view and Christ is exemplified. Making self the center, the alpha and omega, and bringing self to the front in conversation, preaching and all efforts, talking of self and past deeds, magnifying good things done, and covering mistakes and undone duties with excuses while keeping Jesus in the background breaks its command.
Motive and Divine Seeing
The Father looks past outward appearance to the motive that prompted every act of giving, judging it even when human voices praise it. Deeds that seem virtuous may spring from selfishness or hypocrisy, and His judgment of each act turns on the motive behind it.
Alms are acceptable when they flow from pity, love and compassion for those who suffer, from a kind heart and wholehearted devotion rather than from a wish to display good deeds. They are to be offered for God's glory with pure motive, in penitence and humility, and benevolence in this noblest form is what makes the act acceptable to Him. Sincere love without show, not desire for praise, is the true motive in service.
Good deeds done to win people's praise and human approval receive no reward from the Father, for display, praise and honor from men cannot earn His recognition. Those who give for admiration receive that praise as their only reward, while secret acts of kindness for one in need are acceptable to God and will be rewarded by Him. True religious character is not measured by public display, and outward show of goodness to win notice is not true mercy or devotion. Public display meant to advertise generosity is condemned, in contrast to humble giving to advance God's cause, for good works may be seen when their purpose is to glorify God and testify to genuine faith. Giving for reputation may even be funded by exploiting the poor.
God regards with approval the hidden efforts of humble believers, knowing their quiet victories over temptation and their acts of kindness even when others do not notice them. He sees all that is done and said in secret and will bring hidden things to light, with works leading to justification or to condemnation.
Father's Open Reward
The Father who sees what is done in secret rewards it openly, and every good work done without show is met with His open reward. Charity is not to be displayed for self-glory, human praise or honor, and kindness done for reputation and display stands condemned, for true godliness does not seek to make the giver the center of attention but to glorify God. This does not require kindness to be hidden in every case, for generosity may be spoken of and charitable actions may be made known when the purpose is to encourage others to give. Good works done in this spirit are recognized as coming through the Holy Spirit, and those who handle the Word and seek to advance His cause are called to truth in the inward parts, carefully considering plans, signing no agreement that dishonors God, and keeping out threads of selfishness.
Service is to be given for its own sake and not from desire for reward, yet secret kindness does not go unrewarded. The reward is not to be the giver's motive, even while God faithfully sees charitable acts done without show and rewards them openly. God Himself is the great reward, received and enjoyed as the soul becomes like Him in character. When people give themselves and their gifts to God in service to others, God gives Himself to them, and they receive rich blessing as they become channels of blessing to others, with spiritual blessing and growth like a stream that nourishes the land through which it flows.
The open reward is assimilation to the image of Jesus by looking away from self to Him, burying self-exaltation out of sight and making Christ a daily companion. Character is then softened, refined, ennobled and given fragrance like lilies and pinks, restored to its original loveliness and imparting Christ's attributes so that God's image shines in the life and the soul is made ready for the heavenly kingdom. Wholehearted service as a follower of Christ draws the heart into close sympathy with God, and God's Spirit brings forth the soul's sacred harmonies in response to the divine touch. Those who walk and work with God have heaven's peace, begin to experience His kingdom, find joy in blessing others, and are accepted and trusted for His service. Even humble deeds that receive no praise here develop unselfish, ennobling character, draw the giver closer to God, are recognized in heaven, and are a sign of union with Christ. To live with Christ is to stand in open view of the unseen world of heavenly intelligences where nothing is hidden, and they care for the soul with the exact remedy needed, never with flattery or human exaltation.
God knows all self-denial and every sacrifice and the spirit and motive prompting action, including His tried servants accepting a self-sacrificing lower wage to advance soul-saving work. Those who come into right relationship with God in this self-denial are seen by Him and rewarded openly not with money but with living success and victory wherever they go, victory after victory. His open reward is blessing on labor, turning matters in favor when least expected, opening doors, and sending angels to help in hard places. Reaching after higher and still higher wages places them where they no longer stand on vantage ground. In the same way, kindness and material help given to support those bearing testimony, done without public recognition, are faithfully recorded and will not go unrewarded. Loving care and travel assistance given despite reproach for such support, as in the case of the Nichols family, are seen by God without seeking recognition and will be openly rewarded.
God who sees in secret will openly reward those who have declared the truth in His name. Ministers who are giving the last message of mercy to the world, presenting the truth in sincerity and relying upon God for strength, need never fear their efforts are in vain. Although no human eye can see the flight of the arrow of truth and no human ear hears the cry of the wounded soul, the truth silently cuts its way to the heart and God speaks to the soul. In the day of final account God's minister will stand with the trophies of redeeming grace to give honor unto Christ, to whom honor is due.
Daily Life Application
Matthew 6:4 holds lessons still not fully learned, teaching that every gift comes from God and is to be recognized as coming from Him, and that gratitude for His goodness filling the heart brings a heavenly atmosphere around the soul. It calls for ordering life by the truth of God found in His word, studying the Scriptures diligently not as a make-believe story but as the truth of the living God. Studied in this way Scripture becomes the foundation of faith and the assurance of hope of eternal life in the kingdom of heaven.
Its teaching directs the heart toward contentment and submission to the Holy Spirit, being content to serve where God has placed them and seeking His approval rather than seeking recognition or pushing others aside for personal plans. Its teaching on self-denial calls for using entrusted means for God's work rather than for self-interest, giving to those in need secretly with the Father who sees in secret rewarding openly. Because God sees in secret and rewards every good work openly, those handling the Word and seeking to advance His cause must have truth in the inward parts, carefully considering plans, signing no agreement that dishonors God, and keeping out threads of selfishness. The same truth that God sees what is done in secret applies to secret confession to God, laying bare plans, faults and sins before Him and putting wrongs right before it is too late.
The open reward comes to the one who buries self-exaltation out of sight and makes Christ a daily companion. To live with Christ is to stand in open view of the unseen world of heavenly intelligences where nothing is hidden, and they care for the soul with the exact remedy needed, never with flattery or human exaltation. That reward is assimilation to the image of Jesus by looking away from self to Him, with character softened, refined, ennobled, given fragrance like lilies and pinks, and made ready for the heavenly kingdom. Keeping the verse means self must not be the center, the alpha and omega; talking of self and what was done in the past, magnifying good things done, covering mistakes and undone duties with excuses, and in conversation, preaching and all efforts bringing self to the front, exalting self and keeping Jesus in the background breaks its command. Such self-conceit and self-love grieve the Spirit and cause Him to depart, bar the way to usefulness, and leave only a past experience with no Christ for today, so keeping the verse requires being a converted person with the transforming grace of Christ and a fresh daily experience of what Jesus is doing now, for unless converted even one called good, liberal and kindhearted will never see the King of heaven.
Alms are to be given sincerely, quietly and privately for the benefit of the suffering poor, not to attract attention, praise or honor or to create an outward appearance of goodness. Charitable actions may be made known when the purpose is to encourage others to give and to glorify God, but they must never be displayed for self-glory or to advertise generosity. God sees the motives behind acts of giving and judges them even when people praise those acts, so good deeds done to win human approval receive no reward from Him and have only that praise as their reward. Acceptable giving comes from pity, love, compassion, a kind heart and wholehearted devotion for those who suffer, offered for God's glory with pure motive in penitence and humility. The Father who sees what is done in secret rewards it openly, and God Himself is the great reward as givers grow in His character and become like Him, with character softened, refined and ennobled into the image of Jesus.
Sermon Setting and Background
The saying was uttered on a mountain before a large gathering, given especially to the disciples while the multitudes also listened. Those hearers included people from Galilee and many other regions, and many among them were ignorant and in error.
It belongs to the Sermon on the Mount, which presents truth from God spoken with Christ's own authority in terms simple enough for a child to understand without being misled. That sermon teaches the far-reaching principles of God's law, that the state of the heart regulates life and character and that meeting the claims of the law requires having its spirit in the heart. It corrects a false picture of God and reveals Him as a compassionate, loving Father, and the Father who sees in secret reflects that paternal care.
The saying shows the heavenly Father's requirement that His people walk in the light He gives them. That requirement is always reasonable and just and accepts nothing less than perfect obedience to His commandments. Failure to walk in the light God had given was separating the Jewish people from God. Darkness comes upon those who refuse that light in the same proportion as the light has been permitted to shine upon their pathway.
At Christ's first coming the Jewish nation did the opposite, giving alms to be seen of men. This open display belonged to proud boasting of righteousness, together with making broad their phylacteries and uttering long prayers in the marketplaces to be seen of men, an outward show without inward piety done from love of worldly honor and exaltation and desire to impress others with importance, zeal and devotion to religious duties. Their religion was formal, consisting of ordinances and purifications, rites and ceremonies, and was not heartfelt, yet they made their religious profession very prominent. While making this display their hearts were hard, unmerciful and corrupt, lacking personal piety and virtuous character. They ground the faces of the poor and took advantage of them in every way possible, exacting heavy sums and taxes from the conscientious, the poor, the widow and fatherless for the treasury, devouring widows' houses, and robbing God by appropriating the offerings of the people to themselves.
Secret Giving Explained
Alms are to be given sincerely, quietly and privately for the benefit of the suffering poor, not to attract attention or to win public notice, praise or honor for oneself. Deeds of charity done quietly for God's glory are seen by the Father who sees in secret and rewards openly, while good deeds done to win human approval receive no reward from Him and have only that praise as their reward. Almsgiving done to win notice is only an outward show of goodness and does not show true mercy or devotion, for true religious character is not measured by public display. Charity given without seeking a name glorifies God and is noticed in heaven, and secret acts of kindness toward a poor brother bind hearts together. Benevolence takes its noblest form when offered with pure motive in penitence and humility, and sincere service rendered through grace forms the character, restores its original loveliness, imparts Christ's attributes, gives heaven's peace and joy in blessing others, and fits for trusted service.
The command does not require every good deed to be hidden so that little is done. Charitable actions may be made known or seen when the purpose is to encourage others to give and to glorify God and to testify to genuine faith, but they must not be displayed for self-glory or to advertise generosity and win reputation. What is condemned is charity performed for display and reputation, making the giver the center of attention instead of recognizing that good works come through the Holy Spirit. Giving for admiration may even be funded by exploiting the poor.
Christ's quiet works of mercy without self-exaltation exemplify this unassuming service, shunning human praise. In contrast, the chief priests, scribes, elders and religious leaders made charitable acts conspicuous and gave publicly to draw attention to themselves and trumpet their deeds for effect. Keeping the command in Christian work means self is kept out of view and Christ is exemplified. Making self the center, the alpha and omega, and bringing self to the front in conversation, preaching and all efforts, talking of self and past deeds, magnifying good things done, and covering mistakes and undone duties with excuses while keeping Jesus in the background breaks its command.
Motive and Divine Seeing
The Father looks past outward appearance to the motive that prompted every act of giving, judging it even when human voices praise it. Deeds that seem virtuous may spring from selfishness or hypocrisy, and His judgment of each act turns on the motive behind it.
Alms are acceptable when they flow from pity, love and compassion for those who suffer, from a kind heart and wholehearted devotion rather than from a wish to display good deeds. They are to be offered for God's glory with pure motive, in penitence and humility, and benevolence in this noblest form is what makes the act acceptable to Him. Sincere love without show, not desire for praise, is the true motive in service.
Good deeds done to win people's praise and human approval receive no reward from the Father, for display, praise and honor from men cannot earn His recognition. Those who give for admiration receive that praise as their only reward, while secret acts of kindness for one in need are acceptable to God and will be rewarded by Him. True religious character is not measured by public display, and outward show of goodness to win notice is not true mercy or devotion. Public display meant to advertise generosity is condemned, in contrast to humble giving to advance God's cause, for good works may be seen when their purpose is to glorify God and testify to genuine faith. Giving for reputation may even be funded by exploiting the poor.
God regards with approval the hidden efforts of humble believers, knowing their quiet victories over temptation and their acts of kindness even when others do not notice them. He sees all that is done and said in secret and will bring hidden things to light, with works leading to justification or to condemnation.
Father's Open Reward
The Father who sees what is done in secret rewards it openly, and every good work done without show is met with His open reward. Charity is not to be displayed for self-glory, human praise or honor, and kindness done for reputation and display stands condemned, for true godliness does not seek to make the giver the center of attention but to glorify God. This does not require kindness to be hidden in every case, for generosity may be spoken of and charitable actions may be made known when the purpose is to encourage others to give. Good works done in this spirit are recognized as coming through the Holy Spirit, and those who handle the Word and seek to advance His cause are called to truth in the inward parts, carefully considering plans, signing no agreement that dishonors God, and keeping out threads of selfishness.
Service is to be given for its own sake and not from desire for reward, yet secret kindness does not go unrewarded. The reward is not to be the giver's motive, even while God faithfully sees charitable acts done without show and rewards them openly. God Himself is the great reward, received and enjoyed as the soul becomes like Him in character. When people give themselves and their gifts to God in service to others, God gives Himself to them, and they receive rich blessing as they become channels of blessing to others, with spiritual blessing and growth like a stream that nourishes the land through which it flows.
The open reward is assimilation to the image of Jesus by looking away from self to Him, burying self-exaltation out of sight and making Christ a daily companion. Character is then softened, refined, ennobled and given fragrance like lilies and pinks, restored to its original loveliness and imparting Christ's attributes so that God's image shines in the life and the soul is made ready for the heavenly kingdom. Wholehearted service as a follower of Christ draws the heart into close sympathy with God, and God's Spirit brings forth the soul's sacred harmonies in response to the divine touch. Those who walk and work with God have heaven's peace, begin to experience His kingdom, find joy in blessing others, and are accepted and trusted for His service. Even humble deeds that receive no praise here develop unselfish, ennobling character, draw the giver closer to God, are recognized in heaven, and are a sign of union with Christ. To live with Christ is to stand in open view of the unseen world of heavenly intelligences where nothing is hidden, and they care for the soul with the exact remedy needed, never with flattery or human exaltation.
God knows all self-denial and every sacrifice and the spirit and motive prompting action, including His tried servants accepting a self-sacrificing lower wage to advance soul-saving work. Those who come into right relationship with God in this self-denial are seen by Him and rewarded openly not with money but with living success and victory wherever they go, victory after victory. His open reward is blessing on labor, turning matters in favor when least expected, opening doors, and sending angels to help in hard places. Reaching after higher and still higher wages places them where they no longer stand on vantage ground. In the same way, kindness and material help given to support those bearing testimony, done without public recognition, are faithfully recorded and will not go unrewarded. Loving care and travel assistance given despite reproach for such support, as in the case of the Nichols family, are seen by God without seeking recognition and will be openly rewarded.
God who sees in secret will openly reward those who have declared the truth in His name. Ministers who are giving the last message of mercy to the world, presenting the truth in sincerity and relying upon God for strength, need never fear their efforts are in vain. Although no human eye can see the flight of the arrow of truth and no human ear hears the cry of the wounded soul, the truth silently cuts its way to the heart and God speaks to the soul. In the day of final account God's minister will stand with the trophies of redeeming grace to give honor unto Christ, to whom honor is due.
Daily Life Application
Matthew 6:4 holds lessons still not fully learned, teaching that every gift comes from God and is to be recognized as coming from Him, and that gratitude for His goodness filling the heart brings a heavenly atmosphere around the soul. It calls for ordering life by the truth of God found in His word, studying the Scriptures diligently not as a make-believe story but as the truth of the living God. Studied in this way Scripture becomes the foundation of faith and the assurance of hope of eternal life in the kingdom of heaven.
Its teaching directs the heart toward contentment and submission to the Holy Spirit, being content to serve where God has placed them and seeking His approval rather than seeking recognition or pushing others aside for personal plans. Its teaching on self-denial calls for using entrusted means for God's work rather than for self-interest, giving to those in need secretly with the Father who sees in secret rewarding openly. Because God sees in secret and rewards every good work openly, those handling the Word and seeking to advance His cause must have truth in the inward parts, carefully considering plans, signing no agreement that dishonors God, and keeping out threads of selfishness. The same truth that God sees what is done in secret applies to secret confession to God, laying bare plans, faults and sins before Him and putting wrongs right before it is too late.
The open reward comes to the one who buries self-exaltation out of sight and makes Christ a daily companion. To live with Christ is to stand in open view of the unseen world of heavenly intelligences where nothing is hidden, and they care for the soul with the exact remedy needed, never with flattery or human exaltation. That reward is assimilation to the image of Jesus by looking away from self to Him, with character softened, refined, ennobled, given fragrance like lilies and pinks, and made ready for the heavenly kingdom. Keeping the verse means self must not be the center, the alpha and omega; talking of self and what was done in the past, magnifying good things done, covering mistakes and undone duties with excuses, and in conversation, preaching and all efforts bringing self to the front, exalting self and keeping Jesus in the background breaks its command. Such self-conceit and self-love grieve the Spirit and cause Him to depart, bar the way to usefulness, and leave only a past experience with no Christ for today, so keeping the verse requires being a converted person with the transforming grace of Christ and a fresh daily experience of what Jesus is doing now, for unless converted even one called good, liberal and kindhearted will never see the King of heaven.