Giving Units, Or Those Given to Marital Union with Jesus Christ?

Last updated on: February 10, 2018 at 10:34 am by Paul Louis Metzger

Giving Units, Or Those Given to Marital Union with Jesus Christ? 2018-02-10T10:34:57-08:00 Paul Louis Metzger

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Creative Commons

Pastors face a great deal of pressure in our day. We hear often of church decline across the U.S. (For example, refer here and here). In my estimation, pastors wrongly bear a preponderance of the burden to right the ship and build church attendance and overall growth. It must get lonely at the top. Perhaps due to the pressures they face from boards, congregations and other domains, at times pastors slip into using commodifying language such as “giving units” to refer to their congregations. I was deeply surprised when I first heard this phrased used. Rather than referring to congregants as giving units, it makes more biblical and communal sense to think of congregations as those given to marital union with Jesus Christ (See Ephesians 5:25-33). Our churches are not made up of commodities, or those who give simply for religious goods and services, but persons in communion who share sacrificially in Christ Jesus’ good life together.

Now some might think that I am turning a both/and statement into an either/or. I beg to differ. Of course, we as Christians should give to the building of the church and Jesus Christ’s kingdom work. In fact, I believe the more we emphasize the biblical foundation that we are given to marital union with Jesus Christ, the more we will likely give—not out of compulsion or guilt, but abiding gratitude. In my estimation, to use commodifying language of giving units to define and refer to congregations is part and parcel of looking at people from a human point of view. Paul said, “From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer” (2 Corinthians 5:16; ESV).

I wonder what the rich young ruler thought when he asked Jesus how to inherit eternal life (See Matthew 19:16-30). Maybe the rich young ruler thought he could buy his way to heaven with gold coins or his virtue. But Jesus did not want his money, and the virtue he had accumulated was not enough, or better, was not the point (See Matthew 19:20). Jesus wanted him–his whole heart and life, just like he wants all of us. Just think how the rich young ruler must have experienced the following words by the Lord Jesus: “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me. When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions” (Mathew 19:21-22; ESV). Moralistic Therapeutic Deistic types in our day have a tendency to give to God to get from God: if they are good people, God must reward them with eternal life. Such give and take, the exchange of good works for the heavenly good life, misses the point of relational union with Jesus Christ. Good works, including giving, follow from Jesus loving and liberating call of holy love. Our good works do not wring grace from his miserly heart and death grip hands. After all, Jesus gives us his very self, as does his Father. Romans 8:32 declares, “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (ESV).

This same orientation can show up in how we approach church gifts in the church. In a paper I delivered at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, I incorporated rich reflections (at no extra charge!) from my colleagues Brad Harper and Daniel Somboonsiri. Here I draw from that presentation titled “Downward Mobility and Trickle-Up Economics: A Trinitarian Reflection on Money and Power”:

See Ephesians 4:7-13; while the passage is about spiritual gifting in the ecclesial body bound up with Christ’s descent and ascent, it reflects the heart of a God who gives good gifts to people in various ways in view of his mercy in Christ and who makes it possible for them to be good stewards of his grace… This is a great Pauline passage on gifts. Here Paul frames consideration of the gifts in communal terms. As my colleague and Exploring Ecclesiology co-author Brad Harper claims, God gives gifts to us through persons, such as teachers, not teaching. The gifts cannot be seen as commodities. When God gives his grace, it is the person of Christ, who also gives us persons as gifts as teachers, etc. Going further, the Spirit, too, is personal and is the gift of grace through whom God’s very love is poured out into our hearts (See Romans 5:5; see also 1 Corinthians 13, which appears in the context of the discussion of spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12 and 14; see also Jonathan Edwards’ “Treatise on Grace” for his discussion of the Spirit as the personal grace of God; Jonathan Edwards, Treatise on Grace and Other Posthumously Published Writings, ed. Paul Helm {Cambridge: Lutterworth Press, 1988}). Evangelicals tend to view gifts as commodities of production rather than as communal persons who produce relational fruit. To return briefly to Ephesians 4, I wish to draw attention to a point on this passage made by my colleague Daniel Somboonsiri in personal correspondence. According to Somboonsiri, Paul’s argument in this passage provides a beautiful view of economics broadly defined in light of the Trinity. When Paul quotes Psalm 68:18 in Ephesians 4:8, he likely does so from an Aramaic Targum which portrays God giving gifts to men, rather than the LXX or MT which speak of men giving gifts to God. Somboonsiri draws attention to Andrew T. Lincoln, Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 42, Ephesians (Dallas, Texas: Thomas Nelson, 1990), pp. 242-243, in this context. According to Somboonsiri, the apostle’s midrash combines the two texts to reveal that, through union with God, what is given to God is also for the body of Christ. If true, this combination provides a beautiful image of the Trinity engaged, not in consumption, but in communal sharing for the benefit of all. God has not consumed or hoarded what has been given to him by humanity. Neither is the church to hoard and consume what has been given by God, but rather to share with anyone in need (Ephesians 4:28).

Where does this leave us? Where we began. The triune God does not approach us as isolated commodities or as those with whom he engages primarily or exclusively from the vantage point of financial transactions. Rather, as the quotation above indicates, the God who is Father, Son and Spirit engages us communally, gracing us with the gift of God’s love and various other spiritual gifts. Thus, we should not look at others from a worldly point of view. Rather, instead of talking about and even identifying the church as giving units, we should look upon each person in Jesus’ community of faith as those given in marital union to Jesus. Even our spiritual and financial gifts are communal offerings as we share as those gifted with God’s gracious love in Jesus’ life.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

February 4, 2018

Hebrews—Jesus Descends to the Depths to Take Us to the Heights. Take Hold in Faith and Rise!

Next Post

February 14, 2018 Suffering Is Key to Missional Success

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month June 2025 April 2025 March 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz