What Shall I Do To Be Saved?

By Rev. Dr. Curian Kaniyamparambil

Question 134. Your church encourages offerings and vows. Isn't it a sort of bribe to please God?

Please refer to the following passages from the Bible.

There are offerings you shall make to the Lord on your festivals, besides whatever holocausts, cereal offerings, libations, and peace offerings, you present as your votive or free-will offerings (Numbers 29:39)
"Jacob vowed a vow saying, If God will be with me, I will surely give the tenth unto thee." (Gen 28:20-22)
"And Jephthah vowed a vow to the Lord and said Then whosoever comes forth of the door of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the children of Ammon shall be the Lord's and I will offer him up for a burnt offering." (Judges 11:30)
"The next time her husband Elkanah was going up with the rest of his household to offer the customary sacrifice to the Lord and fulfill his vows." (1 Samuel 1:21)
"And you shall make your prayer to him, and he shall hear you and you shall fulfill your vows." (Job 22:27)
"I will go into Thy house with the gifts; I will pay thee my wows." (Psalms 66:13)
"When you make a vow to God, delay not its fulfillment, For God has no pleasure in fools; fulfill what you have vowed." (Ecclesiastics 5:4)
"The Lord shall make himself known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the Lord in that day; they shall offer sacrifices and oblations, and fulfill the vows they make to the Lord." (Isaiah 19:21)
"Struck with great fear of the Lord, the men offered sacrifice and made vows to him." (Jonah 1:16)
"At Cenchreae he [St. Paul] had his hair cut because he had taken a vow." (Acts 18:8)
"We have four men who have taken a vow." (Acts 21:23). So even the apostles take vows.

Jesus Christ taught us to bring offerings to the altar (church). If it happen therefore that while you are presenting your offerings upon the altar, and right there you remember that your brother has any grievance against you, leave your offerings there upon altar, and first go and make peace with your brother, and then come back and present your offering (Mat 5:23). Jesus Christ did not scoff at the widow who gave her offering to the church but praised her! (Again refer to Nehemiah 13:10,12 Malachi 3:10). One has to understand that offerings are not bribes, but an act of thanksgiving and sacrifice.

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