Biblical Self-Denial

Biblical self-denial is the voluntary giving up of good things for the sake of better things. I’m stressing the word biblical in order to distinguish Christian self-denial from pagan asceticism. There is an undeniable and unavoidable strain of asceticism in the Scriptures. We can’t ignore or minimize it. But we must recognize that Christian asceticism and self-denial has a particular and unique shape. There are five main characteristics of biblical self-denial.

• Biblical self-denial stresses the goodness of the gifts, even when we abstain from them (1 Timothy 4:3-5).
• Biblical self-denial recognizes the goodness of divine boundaries for our enjoyment of the gifts themselves. Self-restraint and self-control serve our joy in God’s gifts.
• Biblical self-denial maximizes our joy in God Himself. For instance, consider food or fasting. We deny our earthly appetite in order to increase our earthly appetite ultimately so that we can connect our longing for food to our longing for God.
• Biblical self-denial willingly gives up good things in order to follow Jesus on the Calvary road (Luke 9:23-35). In this way, self-denial guards us from worldliness (1 John 2:15).
• Biblical self-denial is always accompanied by “unblushing promises of reward,” both in this life and the one to come (Mark 10:23-30).

When we leave good things for the sake of Christ, God gives us back good things, with interest. Whatever from the replacement gifts takes, Jesus is clear – we ought to expect a hundredfold value returned to us in this life (even with continued suffering), and in the age to come, eternal life.

Generosity

Generosity takes self-denial to another level. Generosity is not just a giving up; it’s a giving to. It’s the voluntary giving of good things to others in the cause of love (1 Timothy 6:17-19).

• Generosity fights against being haughty. It is easy for the rich (of which 99% of those reading this would be compared to world history) to think that they’re somebody, to boast in their riches. Wealth and haughtiness often go hand-in-hand. So Paul says, “Don’t boast.”
• Generosity keeps us from setting our hope on the uncertainty of our riches (1 Timothy 6:6-10). Our riches are uncertain because we can’t take them with us. All the wealth in the world won’t keep us from dying. It is not wrong to be rich, but desiring to be rich jeopardizes your faith. Don’t set you hope on riches.
• Generosity helps set our minds on God. He’s not uncertain. He’s not unstable. Moth and rust don’t destroy Him; thieves cannot steal Him from you. You can take God with you out of this world. He will never leave you nor forsake you.

Paul then encourages Paul to remind the rich that they are to enjoy their riches. God gives us riches to enjoy them.

Paul gives us an important test to ensure that we enjoy God’s provision without setting our hope upon it. He provides us provisions so that we can do four things (1 Timothy 6:18-19):

1. To enjoy
2. To do good
3. To be rich in good works
4. To be generous and ready to share

How do we test whether we’re enjoying God’s gifts rightly? By our generosity. By our eagerness to do good. By whether we are as rich in good works as we are in money. If wealth comes to us and we’re enjoying it, but it’s not spilling the banks and flooding the lives of others, then something has gone wrong in our souls.

If wealth comes to us and we're enjoying it, but it's not spilling the banks and flooding the lives of others, then something has gone wrong in our souls. –Joe Rigney Click To Tweet

Our goal is this: We want to be as generous with others as God has been with us. We want to freely receive because he richly provides us with everything to enjoy, and therefore freely give because he richly provides us with everything to share. Our generosity ought to be a glorious and costly thing.

Doing good and being rich in good works and being generous and ready to share aren’t just about money. Too often we limit generosity to writing checks. But wealth is more than money. We ought to be generous with our time and our efforts and our talents and our skills. Even if your bank account is empty, God has still enriched you in all kinds of ways so that you can be generous in all kinds of ways so that thanksgiving would be offered to God for all kinds of reasons. So be creative in how you think about what God has given you and how your life can be poured out for the sake of others.

Our goal is this: We want to be as generous with others as God has been with us. –Joe Rigney Click To Tweet

Gladly Spend and Be Spent

Let me close this post by showing how these two dimensions – the enjoyment of God’s provision and generosity with God’s provisions – can come together (2 Corinthians 12:14-15). Spend and be spent – that’s generosity. Sacrifice, self-denial, pouring ourselves out as we seek to do good and be open-handed with our families and our friends and our neighbors.

You save us and you gladly spend it. You store up and you pour it out. This is the true life; this is the true foundation for the future, the true foundation of everlasting joy.

 

From Kevin:

Incredible challenge, isn’t it? Joe Rigney provides us with these two tests to help us determine how we see God’s provision in our lives and the wonderful things all around us. These two tests to guard us from falling into greed, covetousness, and idolatry. Are we willing to practice self-denial? Are we generous with what we have?

If you will notice, these two go together. If you practice a bit of self-denial, it provides you more resources to serve others. Cool and challenging how that works! 

Even if your bank account is empty, God has still enriched you in all kinds of ways so that you can be generous in all kinds of ways. –Joe Rigney Click To Tweet