THF_2025ImpactReport_Digital - Flipbook - Page 4
“If there are any poor Israelites in your towns
when you arrive in the land the Lord your
God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted
or tightfisted toward them. Instead,
be generous and lend them whatever they
need. Do not be mean-spirited and refuse
someone a loan because the year for canceling
debts is close at hand. If you refuse to make
the loan and the needy person cries out
to the Lord, you will be considered guilty of sin.
Give generously to the poor, not grudgingly,
for the Lord your God will bless you in
everything you do. There will always be some
in the land who are poor. That is why I am
commanding you to share freely with the poor
and with other Israelites in need.”
DEUTERONOMY 15:7-11
Fostering Kingdom
Generosity
Jeremy Taylor
President, Tyndale House Foundation
At Tyndale House Foundation, one of our guiding principles is that
followers of Christ should be engaged in creating and fostering
cultures of generosity.
We believe generosity is a biblical mandate, not merely a suggestion for healthy
and happy living. Passages like Deuteronomy 15:7-11 and Hebrews 13:16 (among
many, many others) indicate that being generous with what we have is part
of God’s plan for godly living. It is part of Christian discipleship (2 Peter 1:3-7),
and it is closely linked to stewardship (1 Chronicles 29:14) and compassion
(Isaiah 1:17). In short, personal generosity is not optional for Christians.
What is optional is the attitude with which we carry out our responsibility
for personal and corporate generosity. It is certainly possible to fulfill one’s
obligations out of a sense of duty, even with a heart that is unexcited about
obedience. Giving in this way robs the giver of the joy and spiritual satisfaction
typically associated with generosity, but duty performed is duty fulfilled,
and God accepts imperfect obedience. Jesus’ parable of the two sons in
Matthew 21 indicates that sinners who repent of their initial refusal to obey can
be credited for obedience if they acquiesce in the end. The Lord mentions
nothing about attitude in his explanation of the parable’s meaning in verses 31
and 32; the work of the hands, not the reluctance of the heart, is in view.
4
