Forgotten Vices, Forgotten Virtues: Greed vs. Charity
Sean Kelly, LAC continues his series on the Seven Deadly Sins and their virtue counterparts. Catch up on Forgotten Vices, Forgotten Virtues: Reclaiming a Christian Tradition here.
“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not;
charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up.”
— 1 Corinthians 13:4
You are, of course, familiar with the verse quoted above – but not in this form. You know it as “Love is patient, love is kind…”—the more modern translation of 1 Corinthians 13 that adorns wedding toasts, marriage conferences, and wall signs from Hobby Lobby.
The older translation sounds strange to modern ears because we’ve lost the true meaning of charity, that most excellent virtue which is the very heart of God.
Which Kind of Love?
I love my wife. I love my daughter. I also love roast beef sandwiches. We use the word “love” in a lot of different ways. These ways aren’t all equal though.
Christian tradition speaks of four main kinds of love that come to us through the Greek language: eros (romantic or sexual love), storge (affection), philia (friendship), and agape (charity). The word translated as charity in 1 Corinthians 13 is agape. C.S. Lewis, in his book, The Four Loves, refers to charity, or agape, as “Gift-love”—that Divine love which freely gives of Himself unconditionally and sacrificially.
Greed: Manipulating God’s Good Gifts
The vice most directly opposed to charity is greed. Greed, or avarice, is an unquenchable thirst for more. More money, more stuff, more power.
Money, material things, power… these are not problematic in and of themselves. God’s creation and the dominion to rule over it are generous gifts that God has given to mankind. When these things are used as a means to a good end, they can be very good indeed. But when they become an end in and of themselves, there is a problem.
It is our attitude, our heart’s posture, toward riches that makes all the difference. Greed only sees riches as something to be acquired and used for one’s own gain, but charity sees the ultimate fulfillment of riches as something to be freely given away for the benefit of others.
Charity: A Two-Way Street
I believe the concept that often eludes us is that charity is always a two-way street. In the act of giving, both the giver and the receiver experience the mercy and grace of God.
A favorite verse of mine is Galatians 6:2: “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Paul tells us here that in order to fulfill the law of Christ, we need others who have burdens to bear. If you get to bear someone else’s burden, they are actually blessing you because they are giving you the opportunity to embody the sacrificial love of Christ.
In this way, we can understand the famous but heavy words of John Chrysostom: “The rich exist for the sake of the poor. The poor exist for the salvation of the rich.”
The Economies of God
Greed looks at the world as a zero-sum game: there are a finite amount of resources to go around, and if I give to my neighbor, there will be less for me. If I only have $20 in my wallet, and I give you $10, then I only have $10 left for myself. But this is not how things work in the kingdom of God. Love is not a zero-sum game.
When Christ gave up everything for us, even to the point of death, death could not hold him—He rose victoriously and has been exalted to the highest of heights. We, in turn, can receive that sacrificial love from God, give sacrificially to others, and then—rather than lose—we gain as we share in Christ’s resurrection power, are exalted with Him, and share in His heavenly rewards.
The more we give away, the more we gain.
7 Practical Ways to Grow in Charity
1. Receive Sacrificial Love
To truly participate in this divine dance of charity, we need to receive as well as give. After all, “We love (agapao) Him because He first loved (agapao) us” (1 John 4:19). Lest we should think we have anything to offer apart from God (and thereby fall into self-righteousness), we must first keep in mind God’s love for us and receive that in humility. We also need to receive sacrificial love from others as a true act of sacrifice rather than taking it for granted. We especially tend to do this with our spouses and our family members (“Well of course, they have to love me”). If we expect acts of love from others as if we are owed them, then we fail to receive the full blessing of what they are offering.
2. Love Your Neighbor (Those Whom God Puts in Your Path)
After declaring the supremacy of the command to love your neighbor as yourself, Jesus was asked, “And who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10). Jesus then shares the famous parable of the Good Samaritan, wherein a man is robbed, beaten, and left for dead. A priest and a Levite both pass by him and cross the road to avoid him. Finally, a Samaritan has compassion on him and nurtures him back to health. Jesus shows us that the true neighbor is the one who doesn’t ignore those whom God puts in his path. While supporting a missionary or giving to a global charity can certainly be a good and beautiful thing, we need to be mindful of who our neighbor truly is – the one whom God puts in our path.
3. Give to the Poor
The Scriptures are full of exhortations to give to those in need. And giving to the poor is a natural consequence of the gospel, as John describes in his first epistle: “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?” (1 John 3:16-17).
4. Think Charitably Toward Others
Loving unconditionally and sacrificially includes not just our actions but our thoughts and our attitudes. When you disagree with someone, when you’re offended, when you’re tempted toward judgment—take a step back. As our clinical director Matt often says, try to think of the “least creepy explanation” for why that person is acting the way they are. And if you’ve still concluded that they’re being a total jerk – consider that only God knows the deep struggle that they may be facing and that He longs to extend them mercy and grace. He may want you to be the means of extending that mercy and grace.
5. Give to Your Local Church
The Church is literally the body of Christ here on earth. Without the Church, there would be no Bible, no preaching of the gospel, no baptisms. The Church is God’s chosen instrument to fulfill His mission, and we can’t fulfill that mission apart from His Church. This has great implications for our local church. We need to support our local church with our time, our money, and our gifts in order to truly fulfill God’s purposes for our lives. How much we give is a matter of personal conviction. God is less concerned with the dollar amount and more concerned with the attitude of our hearts. The poor widow who gave two mites (Luke 21) is celebrated by Jesus as a hallmark of charity, not for the large amount she gave but for the sacrifice that it represented.
6. Set Aside Money (And Time) for Spontaneous Giving
God has a way of interrupting our well-laid plans, of putting needy neighbors in front of our paths. We, like the Good Samaritan, should be ready to answer the call when a need arises. In addition to setting aside money every month for church and other charities, consider putting a small amount every month into a “spontaneous giving pool.” This can free you up to be more charitable when a need arises, as you don’t have to think about your budget and your bank account—the money is already there! As that account grows, you may be more likely to be on the lookout for opportunities to give.
In a similar way, consider if you have time for spontaneous needs as they come up. Is your schedule too packed full—to the point where you would be too busy to help a needy neighbor? If so, consider what in your schedule can be cut back.
7. Give Of Your Gifts
We need to faithfully steward not only our money but also our time and our God-given gifts. How can your knowledge and skills be used to serve those in need? Has God given you a burning passion for something? How can you use that to serve your family, your friends, your church, and your community? If you’re not sure how you could be most helpful, ask your friends and family—our loved ones are often able to see gifts in us that we have a hard time seeing in ourselves.
Where Your Treasure Is
Maybe the passion isn’t there. Maybe the idea of giving more, of living more charitably, sounds nice – but your heart just isn’t in it right now. Thankfully, the Lord has a wonderful promise for us: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). Maybe a better way of thinking about this verse is not as a promise – but as a universal law, like gravity.
Imagine you pass a homeless man on your way to work every day. He always hangs out right outside your company’s building. Maybe you feel a twinge of guilt when you see him, but you quickly reassure yourself that he would probably use any money you give him to his own detriment. Mostly though, you just hold your breath and try to move through the awkward interaction as quickly as possible. You couldn’t say that you really have a heart for this guy. But then, one day, you decide that you want your heart to change. You start talking to him when you see him in the mornings. On your lunch breaks, you take him to get meals with you. You find out his name, his life story, his hopes, his dreams. You may have been a little apathetic when you first started talking to him – but now? Now, you care. You can’t help but care. You’ve invested your treasure in him– your time, your attention, your money. And your heart followed.
Don’t wait until your heart is in it. Start putting your treasure where it belongs, and watch as God transforms your heart.
