Many Chinese Christians have likely experienced receiving a free Bible, though this probably happened quite some time ago. Indeed, China’s economy was not nearly as developed back then. What now seems like a "commonplace" Bible was once an invaluable treasure, so getting a Bible for free could bring someone joy for a long time.
But times have changed. With China’s rapid economic development, most Christians no longer need to worry about obtaining a Bible. Nowadays, you can buy a well-printed Bible for just the price of a fast-food meal. In this context, the practice of giving away free Bibles has become largely meaningless for most Chinese Christians. As a result, the once-popular Bible giveaways have mostly disappeared.
However, "mostly disappeared" doesn’t mean they’re entirely gone. Recently, a Christian man surnamed Wang encountered such a "good deal." While others don't care for or need a free Bible, Wang is different, as he loves anything free. Although he already has a Bible, he believes that "the more, the better." So, when he heard about the free Bible giveaway, he quickly signed up.
But despite registering and paying the shipping fee, Wang never received the promised Bible. It was only then that he realized something was wrong. After investigating, he discovered that many people, including himself, had been scammed. Dozens, even hundreds, had signed up, but not a single person received a Bible.
Wang wasn’t the worst-off victim. Some claimed they had large families and requested multiple Bibles, paying corresponding shipping fees. Others were so moved by the idea of a free Bible giveaway that they donated thousands of yuan out of enthusiasm and love.
In the story above, why were so many Christians, including Wang, deceived?
Simply put, they were greedy for something free. We often find that many Christians want free things, regardless of whether they need them or not. As soon as they hear something "free," they become eager, wanting to get their hands on whatever is being offered, as if they would suffer a great loss if they didn’t.
They don’t see any problem with this behavior. But as the saying goes, "the onlooker sees clearly," and it is in this context that some criminals exploited the opportunity. They claimed to be giving away free Bibles, and those who wanted one only had to pay the shipping fee. But in the end, they never sent out the Bibles, pocketing the shipping fees instead. Some believers were even so moved by the gesture that they generously donated to the scammers.
Why were the scammers able to get money? Some Christians believe it highlights a need for education among believers—not everything should be expected to be free. Many people know there’s no such thing as a free lunch and that pies don’t fall from the sky. But the problem is, when they enter the church, they change and expect everything to be free. One Christian openly stated, "It’s a double standard. They don’t expect things to be free in society, but in the church, everything should be free." In his view, the expectation of free things is a bad habit for Christians.
There is a serious issue of "free mentality" within Chinese churches, where many Christians believe everything should be free and that this is the only form of grace. But the fact is, even Bibles aren’t free! The paper used for Bibles is often donated by relevant institutions, but even then, Bibles aren’t free. They still need to be purchased, albeit at a lower price. But they’re not free. Many Christians believe that grace equals free, that once they get used to free grace, they can’t do without it, and that grace must mean free.
Conclusion
One reason for the widespread "free mentality" in Chinese churches is that many believe even the precious grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is free, as God gave His only son to us freely. Since such a significant thing is free, other smaller things should be even more so.
However, this is a profound misunderstanding and misinterpretation of the Bible and Christian faith. The truth is, grace is never free, including the precious grace of Jesus Christ being born for us and being crucified for us. To us, it’s free, but what many people don’t understand is that it’s free for us because God and Jesus already paid the price for this precious grace.
In the past, due to diverse factors—mainly financial constraints—the church could only conduct many ministries for free to gather people. But this doesn’t mean that the free approach was correct; it was merely a necessity of the time. However, decades later, with material conditions vastly improved, continuing to practice "free mentality" is undoubtedly a great tragedy for today’s Chinese church.
(This translation is an excerpt of the article "Reflection on the Prevalence of Free Mentality in Chinese Churches: Is Free the Only Form of Grace?" published by the Christian Times and was edited by China Christian Daily under permission.)
- Translated by Abigail Wu
从一个免费送圣经却被骗的故事说起
相信很多基督徒都曾经经历过免费被赠送圣经的事情，不过应该到现在都有一些年头了吧？确实，当年的中国经济远不像现在这么发达。如今看来相当“稀松平常”的一本圣经放在很久以前那可就是不折不扣的大宝贝了；免费得到一本圣经足以让人高兴许久。
只是，今时早已不同往日。随着中国经济的高速发展，绝大多数基督徒再也不用为了一本圣经发愁。如今，甚至只需要一顿快餐钱就能买到一本印刷质量很好的圣经了。在这样的背景下，免费送圣经的做法对于绝大多数中国基督徒来说已经变得没有任何意义了。因此，曾经流行的免费送圣经在今天基本上已经销声匿迹。
基本上已经销声匿迹，并不代表就完全没有了。这不，王弟兄在前段时间就遇到了免费送圣经的“好事”。别人不稀罕也不需要免费赠送的圣经，可是对王弟兄不一样。只要是免费的，王弟兄都喜欢。虽然他已经有圣经了，但是对他来说圣经是“多多益善”。于是，在得知有免费送圣经的活动以后，王赶紧就报了名。
但是名也报了，快递费也转了，声称的免费圣经王弟兄却迟迟没有收到。王弟兄这才发觉有点不太对劲，一番了解下来，他发现包括他在内的很多人都被骗了——报名了几十上百人，可是却没有一个人收到圣经。
王弟兄并不是被骗得最惨的。有人宣称自己家里人比较多，想多要几本圣经，于是就根据圣经数量转给对方相应运费。更有基督徒觉得这样免费赠送圣经的行为非常高尚，于是自己的热心和爱心都受到了激励，给对方“奉献”了好几千元……
免费才是恩典？不，这是吃教陋习的传承！
在上面这个宣称免费赠送圣经的故事当中，包括王弟兄在内的很多基督徒为什么会被骗？
说白了，这些人就是在贪小便宜。我们会发现，有很多基督徒他们就想要免费的东西，也不管自己究竟是否需要；反正只要听到是“免费的”，他们的心就开始蠢蠢欲动。他们就想把东西拿到手，似乎不拿到自己手里就吃了大亏一样。
他们自己并不觉得这样有任何问题。但是，俗话说“旁观者清”，然后就让旁边的一些犯罪分子钻了空子。他们宣称免费赠送圣经，想要的人只要出个运费就可以了。但是最后结果却是他们并没有把圣经寄出来，这些转过来的运费钱他们全给吞了，落入了自己的钱包里。在这个过程中，甚至还会有人很感动，因此慷慨解囊积极给他们奉献。
骗子为什么能够骗到钱？有基督徒认为这就是我们基督徒需要受到教育的其中一个原因，那就是不要老是觉得什么都应该是免费的。其实很多人都知道天下没有免费的午餐，人们也都知道天上不会掉馅饼。但是问题是一来到教会里面他们就改变了，只想要免费的，凡事都应该免费。有基督徒人士对此直言不讳：“说白了就是双标。在社会上不要求免费，到了教会里就什么都应该免费。”在他看来，很多基督徒所期待的免费不但不是恩典，而且还是吃教陋习的传承。
中国教会里面存在非常严重的“免费主义”，很多基督徒认为什么都应该免费，认为这样才是恩典。可是事实是，就算是圣经还不免费呢！我们的圣经所使用的纸张很多都是相关机构奉献的。但是就算是这样圣经也没有免费，还是得大家来买；只不过价格便宜一些而已，但是无论如何都没有免费。很多基督徒认为免费才是恩典，白白得到恩典习惯了就必须要免费；不免费不行，恩典等于免费。
结语
中国教会“免费主义”大肆流行的其中一个原因是很多人认为就连主耶稣基督的宝贵的恩典都是免费的，上帝将祂的独生子白白赐给了我们。既然如此大事都免费，那么其他的小事更加应当免费了。
但是，这分明是人们对圣经和基督教信仰的极大的错误认识和理解。事实是，一切的恩典都不是免费的，包括主耶稣基督为我们出生又为我们被钉死在十字架上的宝贵恩典也不是免费的。对于我们来说这一切确实是免费的，但是很多人其实还不明白的是，对我们来说这一切之所以能够免费，是因为上帝和耶稣早就已经为了给我们的这份宝贵恩典付上了代价。
在过去，因为诸多原因，主要是没有钱，教会在开展很多事工的时候只能免费，不然人就聚不起来。可是这并不代表免费的做法就是正确的，只能说当时这样做属于迫不得已。但是几十年之后物质条件早已今非昔比的今天，如果再继续施行“免费主义”，不能不说这是今天中国教会极大的悲哀。
思考|中国教会“免费主义”现象盛行 只有免费才是恩典？
Many Chinese Christians have likely experienced receiving a free Bible, though this probably happened quite some time ago. Indeed, China’s economy was not nearly as developed back then. What now seems like a "commonplace" Bible was once an invaluable treasure, so getting a Bible for free could bring someone joy for a long time.
But times have changed. With China’s rapid economic development, most Christians no longer need to worry about obtaining a Bible. Nowadays, you can buy a well-printed Bible for just the price of a fast-food meal. In this context, the practice of giving away free Bibles has become largely meaningless for most Chinese Christians. As a result, the once-popular Bible giveaways have mostly disappeared.
However, "mostly disappeared" doesn’t mean they’re entirely gone. Recently, a Christian man surnamed Wang encountered such a "good deal." While others don't care for or need a free Bible, Wang is different, as he loves anything free. Although he already has a Bible, he believes that "the more, the better." So, when he heard about the free Bible giveaway, he quickly signed up.
But despite registering and paying the shipping fee, Wang never received the promised Bible. It was only then that he realized something was wrong. After investigating, he discovered that many people, including himself, had been scammed. Dozens, even hundreds, had signed up, but not a single person received a Bible.
Wang wasn’t the worst-off victim. Some claimed they had large families and requested multiple Bibles, paying corresponding shipping fees. Others were so moved by the idea of a free Bible giveaway that they donated thousands of yuan out of enthusiasm and love.
In the story above, why were so many Christians, including Wang, deceived?
Simply put, they were greedy for something free. We often find that many Christians want free things, regardless of whether they need them or not. As soon as they hear something "free," they become eager, wanting to get their hands on whatever is being offered, as if they would suffer a great loss if they didn’t.
They don’t see any problem with this behavior. But as the saying goes, "the onlooker sees clearly," and it is in this context that some criminals exploited the opportunity. They claimed to be giving away free Bibles, and those who wanted one only had to pay the shipping fee. But in the end, they never sent out the Bibles, pocketing the shipping fees instead. Some believers were even so moved by the gesture that they generously donated to the scammers.
Why were the scammers able to get money? Some Christians believe it highlights a need for education among believers—not everything should be expected to be free. Many people know there’s no such thing as a free lunch and that pies don’t fall from the sky. But the problem is, when they enter the church, they change and expect everything to be free. One Christian openly stated, "It’s a double standard. They don’t expect things to be free in society, but in the church, everything should be free." In his view, the expectation of free things is a bad habit for Christians.
There is a serious issue of "free mentality" within Chinese churches, where many Christians believe everything should be free and that this is the only form of grace. But the fact is, even Bibles aren’t free! The paper used for Bibles is often donated by relevant institutions, but even then, Bibles aren’t free. They still need to be purchased, albeit at a lower price. But they’re not free. Many Christians believe that grace equals free, that once they get used to free grace, they can’t do without it, and that grace must mean free.
Conclusion
One reason for the widespread "free mentality" in Chinese churches is that many believe even the precious grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is free, as God gave His only son to us freely. Since such a significant thing is free, other smaller things should be even more so.
However, this is a profound misunderstanding and misinterpretation of the Bible and Christian faith. The truth is, grace is never free, including the precious grace of Jesus Christ being born for us and being crucified for us. To us, it’s free, but what many people don’t understand is that it’s free for us because God and Jesus already paid the price for this precious grace.
In the past, due to diverse factors—mainly financial constraints—the church could only conduct many ministries for free to gather people. But this doesn’t mean that the free approach was correct; it was merely a necessity of the time. However, decades later, with material conditions vastly improved, continuing to practice "free mentality" is undoubtedly a great tragedy for today’s Chinese church.
(This translation is an excerpt of the article "Reflection on the Prevalence of Free Mentality in Chinese Churches: Is Free the Only Form of Grace?" published by the Christian Times and was edited by China Christian Daily under permission.)
- Translated by Abigail Wu
Reflection on Free Bible Giveaway in China: Is Free the Only Form of Grace?
