Q: If you give more to the kingdom of God, would God love you more? Conversely, if you give less, does He love you less?
The Explanation
This question cuts right to the heart of how we think about our relationship with God. Let’s work through it carefully.
God’s Love Is Not a Score
The short answer is no — God does not love you more when you give more, and He does not love you less when you give less. His love is not a score that goes up and down based on your performance.
Think about the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). The younger son takes his inheritance, wastes every bit of it, and crawls home in shame. And what does the father do? He runs to meet him. He throws a party. He does not love the son because the son earned it back. He loves him because he is his son.
Or think about Dismas, the thief crucified next to Jesus (Luke 23:40-43). He had no time to give anything to anyone. He simply turned to Jesus in his final moments and was promised paradise that very day. He did not earn it. He received it.
God’s love toward His children is settled and secure — not because of what we bring, but because of who He is.
So Why Give at All?
Here is where it gets interesting. If giving does not earn God’s love, what is the point?
Think about someone who loves something deeply. A devoted fan of a band will spend hours, money, and energy on that music — and they do not call it sacrifice. It is joy. It is what love looks like from the outside.
Giving to God’s kingdom is like that. The Westminster Shorter Catechism says the chief end of humanity is “to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.” When we truly know God and love Him, giving to His kingdom is not a burden we perform to earn points. It is an expression of love that is its own reward.
So the real question behind “should I give more?” is not “how do I earn more of God’s love?” It is “do I love God?” If giving feels only like a duty or a payment, that may be a sign that the relationship needs attention — not the giving.
Is There a Reward for Giving?
Yes — but it is not what we might expect. Jesus summed up the whole law as two things: love God and love your neighbor (Matthew 22:37-39).
The reward for loving God is the greatest thing imaginable: to see Him face to face, to glorify Him, and to enjoy Him forever. There is no greater reward than God Himself.
And the reward for loving your neighbor? The Reformers called this an accidental reward — not accidental meaning unimportant, but meaning it comes alongside the primary reward rather than being the main point. When we love others and give to the kingdom, we get to see God’s glory reflected in the people we love. We get to see neighbors, friends, and family shaped by grace. If there is one thing we could want besides seeing God Himself, it is to see the people we love beside us.
You Cannot Out-Give God
Here is one more thing worth sitting with. You will never out-give God. Everything you could ever offer — your time, your money, your energy, your whole life — is a small cup held up next to an ocean. God gave His own Son. There is no topping that (Romans 8:32).
That is not a reason to give less. It is a reason to give freely, joyfully, and without anxiety — because you are not trying to match anything. You are simply responding to what has already been given to you.
What Doctrine Says
- God’s love for His people is free, unchanging, and not based on their merit or performance (WCF 11).
- We are called to give and serve God out of gratitude for what He has done — not to earn His favor (WCF 16).
- Good works done in faith do bring blessing, but this is God’s gracious reward, not wages owed (WCF 16).
- The greatest good is to know and enjoy God. All other blessings flow from this (WCF 2).