Biblical Passages

The Lord God then took the man and settled him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and care for it.
Genesis 2:15

Jacob then made this vow: “If God remains with me, to protect me on this journey I am making and to give me enough bread to eat and clothing to wear, and I come back safe to my father’s house, the Lord shall be my God. This stone that I have set up as a memorial stone shall be God’s abode. Of everything you give me, I will faithfully return a tenth part to you.”
Genesis 28:20-22

This is what the Lord then said to Moses: “Tell the Israelites to take up a collection for me. From every man you shall accept the contribution that his heart prompts him to give me.”
Exodus 25:1-2

When the whole Israelite community left Moses’ presence, everyone, as his heart suggested and his spirit prompted, brought a contribution to the Lord for the construction of the meeting tent, for all its services, and for the sacred vestments…Every Israelite man and woman brought to the Lord such voluntary offerings as they thought best, for the various kinds of work which the Lord had commanded Moses to have done.
Exodus 35:20-21,29

The land in mine and you are but aliens who have become my tenants.
Leviticus 27:23

All tithes of the land, whether in grain from the fields or in fruit from the trees, belong to the Lord, as sacred to Him.
Leviticus 27:30

Each year you shall tithe all the produce that grows in the field you have sown…so that the Levite who has no share in the heritage with you and also the alien, the orphan and the widow who belong to your community, may come and eat their fill so that the Lord your God may bless you in all that you undertake.
Deuteronomy 14:22 & 29

No one shall appear before the Lord empty-handed, but each of you with as much as he can give, in proportion to the blessings which the Lord, your God, has bestowed on you.
Deuteronomy 16:16-17

When you have come into the land which the Lord, your God, is giving you as a heritage, and have occupied it and settled in it, you shall take some first fruits of the various products of the soil which you harvest from the land which the Lord, your God, gives you, and putting them in a basket, you shall go to the place which the Lord, your God, chooses for the dwelling place of his name. There you shall go to the priest in office at that time and say to him, ‘Today I acknowledge to the Lord, my God, that I have indeed come into the land which he swore to our fathers he would give us.’ The priest shall then receive the basket from you and shall set it in front of the alter of the Lord, your God.
Deuteronomy 26:1-4

For all in heaven and on earth is yours; yours, O Lord, is the sovereignty; you are exalted as head over all. Riches and honor are from you and you have dominion over all.
Chronicles 29:11-12

But who am I, and who are my people, that we should have the means to contribute so freely? For everything is from you and we only give you what we have received from you. For we stand before you as aliens: we are only your guests, like all our fathers. Our life on earth is like a shadow that does not abide. O Lord, our God, all this wealth that we have brought together to build you a house in honor of your holy name comes from you and is entirely yours.
I Chronicles 29:14-16

Son, give alms in proportion to what you own. If you have great wealth, give alms out of your abundance; if you have but a little, distribute even some of that. But do not hesitate to give alms; you will be storing up a goodly treasure for yourself against the day of adversity
Tobit 4:8-9

The Lord’s are the earth and its fullness; the world and those who dwell in it.
Psalm 24:1

How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good he has done for me?
Psalm 116:12

Honor the Lord with your wealth, with first fruits of all your produce; then will your barns be filled with grain, with new wine your vats will overflow.
Proverbs 3:9-10

One man is lavish yet grows still richer; another is too sparing, yet is the poorer. He who confers benefits will be amply enriched, and he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.
Proverbs 11:24-25

Let not your hand be open to receive and clenched when it is time to give.
Sirach 4:31

The just man’s sacrifice is most pleasing, nor will it be forgotten. In generous spirit pay homage to the Lord, be not sparing of freewill gifts. With each contribution show a cheerful countenance and pay your tithes in a spirit of joy. Give to the Most High as he has given to you, generously according to your means. For the Lord is one who always repays, and he will give back to you sevenfold..
Sirach 4:31

The word of the Lord came to me thus: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations, I appointed you…To whomever I send you, you shall go; whatever I command you, you shall speak. Have no fear before them, because I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord.
Jeremiah 1:4-5,7-8

You have sown much, but have brought in little; you have eaten but have not been satisfied; you have drunk, but have not been exhilarated; have clothed yourselves, but not been warmed; and he who earned wages earned them for a bag with holes in it…You expected much, but it came to little; and what you brought home, I blew away. For what cause? Says the Lord of hosts. Because my house lies in ruins, while each of you hurries to his own house.
Haggai 1:6,9

Dare a man rod God? Yet you are robbing me! And you say,”How do we rob you?” In tithes and in offerings! You are indeed accursed, for you, the whole nation, rob me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, That there may be food in my house and try me in this way, says the Lord of hosts; Shall I not open for you the floodgates of heaven to pour down blessing upon you without measure?
Malachi 3:8-10

NEW TESTAMENT

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroy, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.
Matthew 6:19-21

Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.
Matthew 10:8

What profit would it be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life?
Matthew 16:26

But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as ransom for many.
Matthew 20:26-28

So do not worry and say. “What are we to eat?” or “What are we to drink?” or “What are we to wear?” All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom (of God) and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides.
Matthew 6:31-33

He sat down opposite the treasury and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents. Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them, “Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.
Mark 12:41-44

“Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?” He said to them in reply, “Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.”
Luke 3:9-11

Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.
Luke 6:38

Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew with it and choked it…This is the meaning of the parable. The seed is the Word of God…As for the seed that fell among thorns, they are the ones who have heard but as they go along, they are choked by the anxieties and riches and pleasures of life and they fail to produce mature fruit.
Luke 8:7,11,14

Then he said to all, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself?”
Luke 9:23-25

Then he said to the crowd, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.”
Luke 12:15

But God said to him, “You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?” Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God.
Luke 12:20-21

Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.
Luke 12:48

Everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.
Luke 14:33

Jesus said in reply, “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?”
Luke 17:17-18

Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do all the works that I do.
John 14:12

The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common. With great power the apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great favor was accorded them all. There was no needy person among them, for those who owned property or houses would sell them, bring the proceeds of the sale, and put them at the feet of the apostles, and they were distributed to each according to need.
Acts 4:32-34

In every way I have shown you that by hard work of that sort we must help the weak, and keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus who himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Acts 20:35

He who did not spare his own Son but handed him over for us all, how will he not also give us everything else along with him?
Romans 8:32

For as in one body we have many parts, and all the parts do not have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ and individually parts of one another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us exercise them: if prophecy, in proportion to the faith, if ministry, in ministering; if one is a teacher, in teaching; if one exhorts, in exhortation; if one contributes, in generosity; if one is over others, with diligence; if one does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
Romans 12:4-8

None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself. For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord; so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.
Romans 14:1-8

Therefore, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who causes the growth. The one who plants and the one who waters are equal and each will receive wages in proportion to his labor. For we are God’s co-workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.
I Corinthians 3:7-9

Thus should one regard us: as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Now it is of course required of stewards that they be found trustworthy.
I Corinthians 4:1-2

Who confers distinction upon you? What do you possess that you have not received? But if you have received it, why are you boasting as if you did not receive it?
I Corinthians 4:7

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been ineffective.
I Corinthians 15:10

He indeed died for all, so that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
II Corinthians 5:15

Consider this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you, so that in all things, always having all you need, you may have an abundance for every good work.
II Corinthians 9:6-8

For we brought nothing into the world, just as we shall not be able to take anything out of it. If we have food and clothing, we shall be content with that. Those who want to be rich are falling into temptation and into a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all evils and some people in their desire for it have strayed from the faith and have pierced themselves with many pains.
I Timothy 6:7-10

Tell the rich in the present age not to be proud and not to rely on so uncertain a thing as wealth but rather on God, who richly provides us with all things for our enjoyment. Tell them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, ready to share, thus accumulating as treasure a good foundation for the future, so as to win the life that is true life.
I Timothy 6:17-19

Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have; God is pleased by sacrifices of that kind.
Hebrews 13:16

Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers: all good giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father…
James 1:16-17

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
James 2:14-17

As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace. Whoever preaches, let it be with the words of God; whoever serves, let it be with the strength that God supplies, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong glory and dominion forever and ever.
I Peter 4:10-11

If someone who has worldly means sees a brother in need and refuses him compassion, how can the love of God remain in him? Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth.
I John 3:17-18


Collection of passages courtesy of St. Raphael Cathedral.

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