Quick Trip to Luke and Rightly Dividing the Lord's Promises and Commands (part 1)

Sell your possessions and give alms. Provide yourselves purses that do not grow old, an unfailing treasure in the heavens, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

-Luke 12:33-34

This is not an exhaustive study of all the Lord's commands and promises in Luke, just a quick look at a couple of verses I heard preached this past weekend.  

I have highlighted above the phrase the Lord uses when addressing his "little flock" in Luke 12. This phrase was pulled out by a local preacher in a message on tithes and offerings. We have briefly covered tithing in previous posts, I'll just refer you HERE if you have interest in some context on that topic.

When we look at the commonly quoted phrase, "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also," rarely, if ever, do we hear the whole passage. Even in small part here, noting just the previous verse, we see the call to "Sell your possessions and give alms." This is the Modern English Translation (which is from the Received Text), but if you prefer the KJV, it's even more pointed, "Sell that ye have..."

Wycliffe gives us, "Sell ye those things that ye have in possession..." As just one more example, The Worldwide English translation renders it, "Sell what you have and give it to poor people." The sense is clear. A pastor may urge his congregation to give to the local assembly under the promise that "where your treasure is, there will your heart be also," but he should also be quick to add the condition in the discourse from the Lord. That is, he should be instructing them to "sell your possessions." 

Do I advocate such action? No. I'm not opposed to the idea, however. If someone can handle it, I would not stand in his way. But there comes no promise or hope in the courage age as laid out by our Lord for Israel (the singularity of his earthly ministry, Matthew 15:24). If a pastor is asking his congregation to give to the local work (which he certainly can do), he may also add that where their money is, there heart will be there.

Am I contradicting myself? No. What we have in that last phrase is a general truth. It is true in all ages (such as "God is Love" or "Love your neighbor"). But if I go to the Lord's earthly ministry and pull out a verse under the assumption the Lord is speaking directly to me in the entire book, I must lay out the verse in its context and demand all of it be observed.

When we use the principles of Right Division (2 Tim 2:15) we mark those things which are general truth and divide them (draw a straight line) from those things which are commands or promises for another people with a different hope. 

Again, however, I say to those who say they embrace the words of the Lord in his earthly ministry to Israel for themselves, to be consistent, you must embrace ALL his words. All the commands that go alone with all the promises.

If you want to invoke Luke 12:34, you must invoke Luke 12:33. In fact, you should be telling your congregation that God will provide everything and give them the "kingdom."

And do not seek what you will eat or what you will drink, nor be of an anxious mind. For the [éthnos: gentiles] of the world seek all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be given to you “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

-Luke 12:29-32

When a pastor does invoke this passage, be sure he will spiritualize it as to render it meaningless in practical terms. When we see Christians (true Christians separated out from Christendom) being persecuted everywhere (even slaughtered in large numbers as we see in Nigeria today), we have no choice but to spiritualize these promise passages in light of all that. When we do so, we are telling the world the Lord does not truly mean what he promises. All of these things must be rightly divided.

Part 2

Also consider:

Are the Gospel Accounts for Today?