This is an interesting passage. I fully support the message, that giving done in secret is more valuable than equivalent giving done for public acclaim, but for a believer, it seems like it leaves the same basic moral philosophical question open.
Instead of giving publicly to receive an extrinsic reward, instead you should give in secret to receive a different but still extrinsic reward.
Of course, a non-believer donating in secret is also probably doing it in order to obtain an intrinsic reward of self-satisfaction, and there’s no real reason why I should view the intrinsic reward self-satisfaction as any more worthy than the extrinsic motivation of God’s reward.
I don’t have any really coherent point here, it just seemed somewhat interesting…
Instead of giving publicly to receive an extrinsic reward, instead you should give in secret to receive a different but still extrinsic reward.
Of course, a non-believer donating in secret is also probably doing it in order to obtain an intrinsic reward of self-satisfaction, and there’s no real reason why I should view the intrinsic reward self-satisfaction as any more worthy than the extrinsic motivation of God’s reward.
I don’t have any really coherent point here, it just seemed somewhat interesting…