Born a Taker, Reborn a Giver: Generosity and the Transformed Heart in Ephesians 4

Why is generosity so hard? Because nobody is born generous. You never had to teach a toddler to grab a toy, only to share it. The Bible's answer is a new heart. When Jesus transforms you, generosity grows out of that change, and you move from living as an owner to living as a steward of what is God's.

Why doesn't generosity come naturally?

Generosity doesn't come naturally because our nature is bent toward keeping. Pastor Marty Sloan summed it up in one line: "I was born a taker, I am reborn a giver."

Scripture is full of people who learned the other way. God gave us the world and our lives. Jesus gave His life for our salvation. The widow of Zarephath shared her last meal and found it was the first of many. A boy handed over five loaves and two fish, and Jesus multiplied them. Barnabas gave to fuel God's mission. A tax collector named Zacchaeus went from taker to giver in one afternoon.

What does Ephesians 4 teach about generosity?

Ephesians 4 teaches that a new life in Christ replaces taking with giving. In Christ, your former way of life must go and a new way must begin, and generosity is clear evidence of that change. Paul tells believers to put off the old self, which is corrupted by deceitful desires, and to be made new in the attitude of their minds.

And to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Ephesians 4:24

A few verses later, Paul gets very practical.

Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.

Ephesians 4:28

Notice the reason Paul gives for getting a job. He doesn't stop at "take care of yourself." He says work so you can share. The former thief becomes a source of help for someone else. The Christian life involves stopping old things, and it also means starting the right things.

A transformed life is generous. God changes the purpose of increase. The world says increase means upgrading your lifestyle. The kingdom says increase means increasing your impact. Rob Ketterling's book The Generous Life describes generosity as a lifestyle.

How did Zacchaeus show a changed heart?

Zacchaeus showed his changed heart with his money. As a tax collector, he had cheated people for years. Then he met Jesus.

Zacchaeus stood up and spoke to Jesus.

Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.

Luke 19:8

Jesus answered, "Today salvation has come to this house" (Luke 19:9).

Once Jesus transforms you, what matters most to you changes. Jesus said it plainly: "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21). Your treasure shows where your heart lives, more than your words do.

Pastor Marty was blunt about church life. If you attend every week but never give, you are saying the church should be there and someone else should pay for it. He has said the same at both churches he has pastored.

Can money become an idol?

Yes. Money becomes an idol when you trust it more than God. Your sin nature bends inward and makes you a consumer, a generosity imposter. Tim Keller's Counterfeit Gods shows that idols are often good things turned into ultimate things. Money can become a functional savior: you worship God on Sunday and trust money Monday through Saturday. Pastor Marty observed that money and politics are the two topics that upset people most in church. The topic that offends you most shows which god you're bowing to.

A generosity imposter is someone who agrees that God is generous and that Christians should give, then freezes when the offering comes by. For example, a friend of Pastor Marty's at the gym watched his churchgoing father ask a server for two dollars back from a tip. The son asked, "Isn't that what all Christians believe anyway, you should be generous?" If you believe everything in the Bible and carve out this one part, you carve God out of being your provider.

The culture says to keep more, spend more, and build bigger barns. It trains you to trust things such as a paycheck, a savings account, or a full garage. Pastor Marty admitted he recently cleaned out a garage full of screws and scrap boards he had saved for 30 years. Stuff can hold you captive.

He also acknowledged that some people hold back because they've seen churches handle money poorly. He takes that seriously. Even so, don't let anyone's failure keep you out of God's plan. God will hold every leader accountable for how resources are used, and He will honor your faithfulness.

What is the difference between ownership and stewardship?

Jesus replants you, and the gospel changes how you think. Ownership says it's mine. Stewardship says it's God's, on loan to me. Before Christ, you live as an owner. After Christ, you live as a steward.

The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it.

Psalm 24:1

Some people read that and think they're business partners with God, half and half. It's all His. You are blessed to become a blessing.

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.

2 Corinthians 9:10

Seed and bread is Paul's picture of what God supplies: bread is what you eat to live, and seed is what you sow. You need both. Pastor Marty asked a searching question: what has God put in your hand as seed that you're holding back as bread you'll never eat?

That Sunday he showed what multiplication looks like. He planned to hand out a few hundred dollars from his own pocket so volunteers could give it to people in need. A staff member and others chipped in. After an earlier service, a man handed him more and asked him to bring six more people on stage. A young woman told him she'd had four dollars and put three in the offering, so he blessed her on the spot. What started as his gift became far more than he planned. Calvary's giving also helped buy down $2 million in medical debt for lower-income families through a nonprofit partner that month.

How does generosity break idols?

Generosity breaks idols because giving loosens money's grip on your heart. Pastor Marty began tithing as a boy on $75 every two weeks, and he still remembers his $7.50. As a teen, he loved money. He kept cash in his desk drawer and counted it at night. Then he met Becky, and his heart moved. When your heart changes, the things you once worshipped change with it.

When you give, you tell fear, "You are not my master." You tell money, "You are a tool, not my god." You declare that God is your provider. Pressure and emotion at offering time are poor reasons to give. We give because Christ has changed our hearts. If you never trust God in this area, you'll never see Him prove Himself as your provider.

Common questions

What does Ephesians 4:28 say about work and giving?

Ephesians 4:28 tells anyone who has been stealing to stop and work with their own hands. The purpose of the work is to have something to share with people in need. The verse turns a taker into a giver.

What does it mean to be a steward instead of an owner?

A steward manages something that belongs to someone else. Psalm 24:1 says the earth and everything in it belongs to God. Christians hold money and possessions as God's resources on loan, to use for His purposes.

Why is giving a sign of a changed heart?

Jesus said your heart follows your treasure (Matthew 6:21). When Zacchaeus met Jesus, he gave half his possessions to the poor and repaid those he cheated four times over. Generosity grows out of a heart Jesus has transformed.

What if I can only give a little?

Give what you have by faith. Pastor Marty Sloan reminds the church that the widow's small offering caught Jesus' attention. Whether your gift is small or large, God honors faithfulness and small steps of trust.