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Writer's pictureBible Brian

Charity does not excuse heresy


One peculiarity I find in discussions with heretics is that, sometimes, they try to divert attention away from good theology by focusing on charity. Rather than "this is what the Bible says", they turn to "this is what my Church does", and in some cases, even "this is what I do". I even had one Catholic demand to know exactly how many soup kitchens I volunteered in. This isn't limited to specific churches, either. I once had a particularly pompous Theistic Evolutionist insist that, because he cures cancer, he is more qualified to tell me the origin of life on Earth than Moses.

Whether you are trying to defend a heretical Church, or just stick up for one particular heresy you prefer to believe, your charitable deeds are not worth boasting about. First, it is just poor logic. "I'm a good person, therefore my beliefs are true" just doesn't work. What does your personal goodness tell us about the accuracy of your personal beliefs? Second, while it doesn't tell us that your views are true, it does tell us that your mindset is not in accordance with the Lord Jesus Christ.


See, while Jesus did teach that charity is necessary, He also taught that it should be secret. When you boast about your charitable deeds, Jesus compares you to the hypocrites in the synagogues. These would often boast about their charity, but charity done for selfish motives is, itself, selfish. Therefore, it is null and void, according to Jesus. The admiration you gain from man as a result of boasting is, according to Jesus, the full reward you will receive. God will not reward you for charity if you boast about it.


If you are truly Christian, do not boast about your good deeds. Rather, Jesus says when you do a good deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Obviously, this is a metaphorical statement, but it basically means keep your charitable deeds between you and God. Not even the recipient needs to know about your good deeds all the time. To give an example, I am currently writing a crime drama. One of the main characters, Roman Voskaboynikov, is a very devout Christian, and he takes his charity very seriously. In one scene, he hears his enemy, Chris, begging his girlfriend for some money because he can't afford a ride home, but she hangs up. Roman slinks past Chris while his attention is diverted, and places a £10 note in his pocket. A stranger sees Roman's actions, but misinterprets it. Rather than seeing the money go in Chris's pocket, the stranger thinks Roman has stolen something from it, which leads to a confrontation. Just as Roman was so sneaky, he looked like a thief, we, as Christians, ought to do our good deeds as if we were thieves: secretly, trying to be observed only by God Himself.


Ultimately, Christianity is not now, nor has it ever been about our external good deeds, but our internal hearts. Have we repented of our sins? Do we confess Jesus as Lord? Do we believe He died for our sins, and rose bodily from the dead? Do we believe the Bible is the word of God, and do we seek to faithfully study and apply it to our lives? The answer to all of these things must be yes. If we answer no to any of them, we could be ex-trillionaires who gave away all our property to tend to the poor, it still wouldn't be enough. You can't bribe God, nor can you buy the eternal with the worldly. Therefore, let us not even try. Let us not shield our poor theology with our care for poor people. By all means, give to the Lord, and that without compulsion, because the Lord loves a cheerful giver. But according to Proverbs 6:16-19, He hates a lying tongue. His love for a cheerful giver is not sufficient to cover His hate for the lying tongue. Therefore, cease with the lying. Learn good theology, teach good theology, repent of your sin, and believe the Lord Jesus died and rose for you. Anything else will doom you.

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