Does God honour such?

[Classik]

Do you mean something like this?

The Huffington Post reported in April 2012 that "81 billionaires committed to giving at least half of their fortunes to charity".[1] As of February 2014, 122 billionaire or former billionaire individuals and couples have signed the pledge.[2]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Giving_Pledge

At the end of the wiki page is a list of the people who have signed the pledge. I was surprised at some of the names on this list, such as Ted Turner and Mayor Bloomberg.
I don't know if any of these people are Christians.

???

 

[Classik]

I had to capture this thought before it could slip any further away from my mind. So does God honour the gift of an unbeliever...or are they just a filthy rag? If your answer is yes and positive, can they also give to churches?

 

[Gary]

I had to capture this thought before it could slip any further away from my mind. So does God honour the gift of an unbeliever...or are they just a filthy rag? If your answer is yes and positive, can they also give to churches?

God always searches the heart. I believe He honors all gifts that are given in a humble spirit of charity. Believers and nonbelievers alike.

I don't see a problem with a nonbeliever giving to a church.
.

 

[Deborah13]

I had to capture this thought before it could slip any further away from my mind. So does God honour the gift of an unbeliever...or are they just a filthy rag? If your answer is yes and positive, can they also give to churches?

Honor for what, salvation? No
Plenty of unbelievers give to churches according to most people on this forum.

 

[Obadiah]

"Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” (Jesus, Mark 12:41-44, NIV)

Seems Jesus answered this question concerning the religious of the day. It seems even less likely he would be impressed with non-believers giving their money to the church. Not saying unbelievers shouldn't give it, that's a noble gesture toward humanity on their part. It's just that they aren't going to buy God's approval by doing that, and the amount they give is irrelevant.

 

[Deborah13]

???

Sorry Classik, I don't know what your ?? are asking.

I posted what I did in response to Kathi post about people give up what they don't need.

 

[Classik]

Sorry Classik, I don't know what your ?? are asking.

I posted what I did in response to Kathi post about people give up what they don't need.

Alright. The thought is totally different here.

 

[Classik]

Does God consider such offerings or whatever given to the less privileged or to churches holy? You know in the OT times it was different. They gave holy stuff.

 

[reba]

Salvation ( imo and all that goes with it) is a free gift we cant buy it...

 

[Deborah13]

Does God consider such offerings or whatever given to the less privileged or to churches holy? You know in the OT times it was different. They gave holy stuff.

What makes something holy is what I asked myself. So the unsaved spouse is holy because the saved spouse is holy so that the children are holy.
If God, who is holy, causes an unsaved person to give something to someone I think the gift would be holy.

 

[Obadiah]

The word holy simply means separated, or you could probably say separated unto God. If the unsaved person is truly giving his gift to God (making it holy) then I suppose it is. But I would venture to say that most unsaved people who give things like money to the church, charities, or whatever are usually doing it for other reasons other than to give it to God. It could be for tax write offs, or to make themselves feel good, or elevate their status as a philanthroper among their peers, whatever. But if they truly believed in God to the point that they understood the concept of giving anything directly to Him as an offering, whether money, service, or whatever, it's hard for me to imagine they could have this level of understanding and respect for God, yet still not accept Christ as their savior.

 

[for_his_glory]

Good intentions do not place ones name written into the lambs book of life. It's only by that of John 3:3-7 and Romans 10:9, 10 that ones name is found there.

 

[Deborah13]

The word holy simply means separated, or you could probably say separated unto God. If the unsaved person is truly giving his gift to God (making it holy) then I suppose it is. But I would venture to say that most unsaved people who give things like money to the church, charities, or whatever are usually doing it for other reasons other than to give it to God. It could be for tax write offs, or to make themselves feel good, or elevate their status as a philanthroper among their peers, whatever. But if they truly believed in God to the point that they understood the concept of giving anything directly to Him as an offering, whether money, service, or whatever, it's hard for me to imagine they could have this level of understanding and respect for God, yet still not accept Christ as their savior.

I don't think when an unsaved person gives a gift to charity they get any credit for that from God.

But is the gift itself holy, not the person giving it, if God was the cause of it happening?

 

[Classik]

I don't think when an unsaved person gives a gift to charity they get any credit for that from God.

But is the gift itself holy, not the person giving it, if God was the cause of it happening?

Good question - kind of makes the op clearer, sorta

 

[Kathi]

I don't think when an unsaved person gives a gift to charity they get any credit for that from God.

But is the gift itself holy, not the person giving it, if God was the cause of it happening?

If the unsaved person gives a gift it definately will be taken before their judgment.I believe there are different degrees of torment and punishment in hell just as there are different rewards on heaven.

 

[Deborah13]

Good question - kind of makes the op clearer, sorta

Here's an example that I think may fit this view.
When Abraham met up with the heathen Pharaoh and he told Sarah to say she was his sister, not his wife. The heathen king gave him many gifts in exchange for Sarah. Of coarse God stepped in and didn't allow anything bad to happen. But God didn't tell Abraham not to take the gifts or to give them back. In fact these gifts enriched Abraham.

God can use unbelievers to enrich his people and to bless other people's lives.
How many of us have had unbelieving employers. We pray for a job, God gives us a job, it is God doing the giving. Do we praise the unbelieving employer for the job or do we praise God. So the money we make from the job is a blessing from God, all God's blessings are surely holy.

 

[Kathi]

Here's an example that I think may fit this view.
When Abraham met up with the heathen Pharaoh and he told Sarah to say she was his sister, not his wife. The heathen king gave him many gifts in exchange for Sarah. Of coarse God stepped in and didn't allow anything bad to happen. But God didn't tell Abraham not to take the gifts or to give them back. In fact these gifts enriched Abraham.

God can use unbelievers to enrich his people and to bless other people's lives.
How many of us have had unbelieving employers. We pray for a job, God gives us a job, it is God doing the giving. Do we praise the unbelieving employer for the job or doing we praise God. So the money we make from the job is a blessing from God, all God's blessings are surely holy.

We can also be a Blessing to those unbelieving co-workers or boss just by our actions and words.We can be a representative of who God is everywhere we go.Be the salt and light of this world.Even in the work place.

 

[Deborah13]

If the unsaved person gives a gift it definately will be taken before their judgment.I believe there are different degrees of torment and punishment in hell just as there are different rewards on heaven.

I don't see how any of those "good works" can stand up unless they were done in the name of God. They are just self-righteous works.
I am not saying you are wrong about the different levels in hell but I don't see in scripture, the lake of fire is the lake of fire. The idea of different levels is seen in Dante's Inferno as is the idea of purgatory.
But if you can show it to me in scripture my mind could be changed.

 

[Kathi]

I don't see how any of those "good works" can stand up unless they were done in the name of God. They are just self-righteous works.
I am not saying you are wrong about the different levels in hell but I don't see in scripture, the lake of fire is the lake of fire. The idea of different levels is seen in Dante's Inferno as is the idea of purgatory.
But if you can show it to me in scripture my mind could be changed.

I have read a couple of very good articles on this and it makes total sense.When a person has commited a crime and they go into a courtroom and are on the stand they get a verdict from the judge.Not everyone is condemned to death or life in prison.There are different degrees of punishment.Our God has so much compassion,grace and mercy that we can not even wrap our human minds around it.I do not think that the sweet little grandma who did nice things for people but was not a believer is going to get the same punishment as Hitler.Yes,it is all hell it is all bad.