2 Corinthians 8:20-21 By avoiding this, lest no one blame us about this generous ministry being administered by us, 21 for we care for the honorable not only before the Lord but also before people.
Integrity and accountability are especially needed in church finances. Paul recognized that when he wrote this letter and administered the offering for the saints in Jerusalem. One way to ensure honesty is to have several reputable witnesses to the whole process. Titus and the unnamed “brother” serve that role. Every offering and counting should involve at least two witnesses. Deuteronomy 17:6 and 19:15 established the need for at least two witnesses to prove a matter. This principle may have led Paul to appoint certain colleagues to help guide this collection. He had a group go with him when this offering was finally taken to Jerusalem (see Acts 21). He wanted to avoid any blame or question of the integrity of him or any of his companions. Paul wanted to do what is “good” or “honorable” before the Lord, to whom he would have to give an account, and before people, who were watching the situation and could either be impressed by this ministry or raise suspicions and thus hinder the spread of the gospel.
The principles of this passage are important for ministry giving today. One principle is that money must be publicly accounted for by people with integrity. Most corruption or theft occurs when a person hides the finances and giving. Especially in a church, the finances should be open for all to see. All accounting should be done by at least two reliable people who have integrity. Paul was wise to include others in this and not make this a one-man ministry. Pastors especially should be careful in handling any church money by themselves and never count the offerings by themselves. The temptation is great to use the funds for personal reasons, especially in the financially hard situations in many ministries where there is little compensation. Money can be a great temptation.
A second principle is that the ministry of financial giving is a team effort. More can be accomplished when we join together with others. This is a great encouragement to the group or church and is also a great witness to unbelievers. We must evaluate our motives to ensure that they are honorable because we realize that we will have to give an account before the Lord for how we have been stewards of the blessings he has given us. We acknowledge that all we have comes from God and we are only caretakers of these gifts.
For older posts, click here.