Ok, this has been on my mind for awhile, it always seem to bother me when I am asked to make sure my address is correct on the giving form, whether tithe or offerings, to make sure that I get my "statement" that tells the government what a great person I am and that they should give me a tax break because of it. I am fully aware that I might ruffle some feather and if I do...then so be it, maybe God is trying to tell you something... :)
I do understand that the Churches have to provide those because the government requires it and that part is Biblical; Jesus teaches us that we should respect all authority (Romans 13) I am not really sure how it works and if the Churches are require to produce a statement for everyone who gives or if it could be optional, which would also help being good stuarts of God's money.
So, maybe I am miss understanding how we are suppose to use these statements and maybe there is somewhere in the Bible where it is all explained and I just haven't found it yet, so please, if you know something I don't, put it in the comments section below.
Thank you for your help!
It’s Been My Pleasure
4 years ago
Posts
6 comments:
I might not be helping, but I can contribute to the discussion.
I'm not sure if the giving statements are necessarily commands from the bible. I think they are something cultural with respect to our government. Biblically, I think it's optional. But here are some reasons why I think they are good/useful:
1. If the church has an external company auditing their finances, the more documentation the better. Giving/Receiving receipts are great for this.
2. You get more money back from the government to give back to the Church! :P
I might not be helping, but those are some thoughts :P
God Bless '_^
Thank you for your comment Suraj. Maybe my title was a little confusing :) my question is on the recieving end, what do we do with those giving statments? I have no peoblem with the Churches producing the statments and I agree with the two reasons you give as well as the Biblical side found in Romans 13, but what do we, as Christ Follower, do with those?
hmm. Not too sure about that end, but don't we use it in filing taxes? As in, it lowers your taxable income, and you get money back from the government? (I don't know 5about filing taxes indepth)
You are correcto my friend :) Now, where does it say in the Bible that we are to use what we joyfully give to God as a taxe deduction?
I don't think it does :P
But I don't think it says anything against it either. If it gives us back more to give again, and we do it with that in mind, I think it is biblically sound.
I usually throw them away. When I give to God, I give without expect anything in return. :o) That's just what I do, not saying it's right or wrong.
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