A Reward in Kind?
Those popular preachers who seek to motivate others by appealing to the desire for of a reward in kind, such as, for example, promising material rewards to those who tithe, are speaking contrary to the Word and the Spirit of Christ. That they do it in his name renders theirs the grossest of sins. They are only catering to the love of life – and to the temporal value system, which to Jesus is anathema. Jesus continued the sermon with instructions on piety; specifically, he issued guidelines for the giving of alms, prayer, and fasting. In all three cases his dominant concern has to do with motive. There are also two other common elements: his appeal to the reward motive that I have already discussed at length, and the command to secrecy. He concluded the instruction on almsgiving with these words: …and your Father who sees in secret will reward you (Matthew 6:4). He concluded the instruction on prayer with these words: …and your Father who sees in secret will reward you (Matthew 6:6)
