The Vanity of Philanthropy
Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). Because God is the Creator of all things, He is the owner of all things, “For the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it” (Ps 24:1). It is an error, therefore, to imagine we are anything except stewards who must give an account of our stewardship to God, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be required and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more” (Lk 12:48).
Giving is an act of faith in the One who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy (1 Tim 6:17). It is God who has made both the rich and the poor (Eccl 7:14); and He made such an economy between the two that the goal of giving might be equality (2 Cor 8:13–14). Thus, the receipt and possession of wealth provide a test of faith in the Giver of every good and perfect gift (Jas 1:17).
As a Giver, God gives good things for the purpose of glory due His Name. As the architect and builder of all things (Heb 3:4; 11:10), who distributes liberally to sustain the life of all His creation, we give thanks in everything to Him (1 Thess 5:18) because from Him, through Him, and to Him are all things (Rom 11:36).
If God gives, to bring glory to Himself, how then should we give? The vanity of philanthropy is that people give with other motives than to bring glory to God. In fact, when people give money or possessions with any other motive than the glory of God’s name, then they sin by actually stealing glory from God.
To give glory to God’s name means we are giving credit where credit is due. He made us; we did not make ourselves (Ps 100:3). He supplies us by entrusting us with a portion of His wealth (stewardship). Hence, by acknowledging that all we have in our possession, and all we give away is by His grace, we ascribe the glory to Him who alone is worthy of all praise (2 Sam 22:4; Ps 18:3).
Grace is God’s work in ordering and executing all things for the good of His chosen people (Rom 8:28). He is willing and doing all His good pleasure…again, for His glory (Phil 2:13). Those who receive from God and acknowledge Him are those He has chosen to be witnesses of His Person and work (Acts 1:8). It is our delight to speak of Him.
It is a grievous evil for men to suppress the truth about God being the Creator and His ownership of all things (Rom 1:18). It is wretched for a person to be philanthropic, to make a name for him or herself. It is also chasing after the wind to give toward any cause that does not further the kingdom of God, in the name of the King of kings (1 Tim 6:15). This, too, is a test of one’s stewardship.
The kingdom of this world (system) is operated by the ruler of this world, Satan, our adversary (Jn 12:31; 14:30; 16:11). He is our adversary because all he does opposes the kingdom of God, which has been entrusted to the Son of God, Jesus the Christ (Mt 28:18; Col 1:13). Thus, the father of lies works to destroy anything that gives glory to Jesus Christ, whose name is above every other name (Eph 1:21; Phil 2:9).
Satan deceives sinners into positions of pride. When the serpent lied to Adam and Eve about their becoming gods (Gen 3:5), if they disobeyed God, he introduced his strategy of blinding the minds of men from seeing the truth about God and about themselves (2 Cor 4:4). He taught them to steal glory. He came to steal, kill, and destroy (Jn 10:10).
God gave His only begotten Son (Jn 3:16), who then, gave His life a ransom for many (Mt 20:28; Mk 10:45). God the Father and the Son then sent the Holy Spirit (Jn 14:26; 15:26), the Lord, the Giver of life. He Himself is the gift of God that gives gifts to men (Acts 2:38; 10:45). It is also the Spirit who gives witness and testimony to the fame of Jesus’ name (Jn 15:26).
Where credit is given to Christ Jesus, one can be assured of the presence of the Holy Spirit. Where credit to Christ is denied, one can be assured of the presence of the spirit of Antichrist. Let us consider an illustration.
A man makes a billion dollars or more…making shoes, or distributing parcels, or developing software, or simply by making wise investments. He nears the end of his life. In the fear of death and the prospect of possibly being judged, he gives his billion dollars away to a hospital or a university, which promptly names a new building after the benevolent billionaire. The media broadcasts the name of the billionaire and the organization to the public, who give praise to all involved. Everyone is happy. What could possibly be wrong in this scenario?
The boast of men is their performance. They think they are good. They think they do good. The billionaire and the beneficiary would surely object to the preacher who exposed their sins in this transaction void of God. One can only imagine the extent of arrogant pride committed in the name of philanthropy across history and in every place.
Men and women receive their supply from God (1 Tim 6:17). They do not give thanks to Him (Rom 1:21). Next, they multiply their wealth and give credit to either luck or genius. They then give to the satisfaction of their guilty conscience, in payment for whatever corruptions are attached to their increase. Finally, they accept the praise and thanks for their generosity. They glorify themselves. In this, they also destroy the fame of Christ’s name; and they steal glory from Him to whom it is due.
My dear reader, no doubt, there is much to be repented of in this subject matter. Who would ever claim innocence in the criminal charge of vanity in philanthropy. We are thieves even as we give wealth away! Remember, if you confess your sin, He is faithful and just to forgive you (1 Jn 1:9).
Confession of sin is a pride-killer. It always calls our original motive into question. Confession of sin tells the truth about our commitment to bring glory to God. Confession of sin, in truth, sets us free from bondage to the lie that we somehow created what we have given away. It sets us free from slavery to self-aggrandizement. It sets us free to serve and worship the true and living God.
May God have mercy on you and your history of giving for any other reason than to bring glory, honor, and praise to Jesus Christ, our God and Savior, who is Himself the indescribable gift of God (2 Cor 9:16).
David Norczyk
Spokane Valley, Washington
September 10, 2025
