The Biblical Principle of First #2 Gods Love language ~ Dr William P. Hohman
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Discover how placing God first in every area of life activates His redemptive power to transform finances, relationships, and purpose beyond what the world can offer.
Description
Biblical Principle First Overview
In this powerful sermon from NTC Ministries, Dr. William P. Hohman continues his teaching series on the Biblical Principle of First, building on prior sessions about the two economies — the kingdom of heaven versus the corruption of this world. Dr. Hohman establishes that the first is always the redemptive portion: just as Jesus Christ was given first to redeem all that is unclean, believers are called to place God first in every area of life so that redemption can flow through every circumstance. Drawing from Exodus 13, 1 Peter 1:18-19, Colossians 1:13-14, and the account of the widow of Zarephath in 1 Kings 17, Dr. Hohman demonstrates that giving God the first — of time, money, attention, and obedience — activates a supernatural redemptive process that transcends natural limitations. He shares a compelling real-life testimony of a physician whose obedience to put God first radically transformed both his marriage and his career. The sermon also confronts the spirit of mammon, poverty mentality, and the danger of leaving one’s first love as warned in Revelation 2, calling every believer to build a God-first mentality in an increasingly corrupt world.
Biblical Principle First Outline
- 0:00 – Transition from Two Economies to the Principle of First: Dr. Hohman recaps the previous teaching on the kingdom economy versus the economy of corruption and introduces the principle of first as the thread connecting both.
- 6:30 – The Firstborn Belongs to God: Old Testament Foundation: An examination of Exodus 3 and 13 establishing that the first belongs to God and must be redeemed, laying the theological groundwork for the entire principle.
- 14:00 – Redeemed by the Incorruptible: 1 Peter and Colossians: Dr. Hohman connects the Old Testament firstborn laws to the redemptive work of Christ, citing 1 Peter 1:18-19 and Colossians 1:13-14 to show how God’s love drives redemption.
- 23:00 – God Is Love and Created Us for That Love: A pastoral reflection on why God created humanity — not out of loneliness but out of love — and how that love expressed through the Holy Spirit is the foundation of saving faith.
- 33:00 – The Widow of Zarephath: Giving First Unlocks Abundance: A detailed exposition of 1 Kings 17 showing how the widow’s obedience to give first to Elijah, despite her destitution, activated divine provision that outlasted the famine.
- 45:00 – The Physician Testimony: God First in Career and Marriage: Dr. Hohman shares a true account of a physician who obeyed God’s call to quit his job, and experienced a near-tripling of income alongside a fully restored marriage.
- 53:00 – Breaking the Poverty Mentality: Teaching on how poverty is a generational mentality, not merely a financial condition, and how the spirit of mammon holds believers captive unless God is consistently placed first.
- 1:01:00 – Leaving Your First Love: Warning from Revelation 2: A sobering examination of Christ’s rebuke to the church at Ephesus — that even great works and endurance cannot substitute for maintaining God as the first love and first priority.
- 1:06:00 – Seek First the Kingdom: Matthew 6:33 and Daily Application: Dr. Hohman closes with a practical exhortation rooted in Matthew 6:33, urging believers to tithe their day by giving God the first moments of every morning before anything else.
Scripture References
Exodus 13:2, Exodus 13:12-13, 1 Peter 1:18-19, Colossians 1:13-14, Romans 5:5, Jeremiah 31, 1 Kings 17:12-16, Psalms 103, Matthew 6:33, Psalms 5:3, Mark 1:35-37, Revelation 2:1-5
Key Takeaways
- The first is always the redemptive portion — giving God first in every area of life activates His power to redeem and restore what corruption has damaged.
- God created humanity not out of loneliness but because He is love, and His love expressed through the Holy Spirit is both the foundation and the evidence of true salvation.
- The miracle of the widow of Zarephath was not about the prophecy of Elijah but about the priority she chose — giving to God first before providing for herself.
- A poverty mentality is a spiritual condition that is often generational, and it must be broken through intentional, faith-driven obedience to place God first with time, money, and talent.
- Leaving your first love, as warned in Revelation 2, is a spiritual fall even when outward works and ministry activity continue — God demands priority, not just productivity.
- Faith works by love: confidence in God’s redemptive character grows as believers consistently encounter His love through Scripture, prayer, and Spirit-filled intimacy each morning.
- Seeking first the kingdom of God, as Jesus commands in Matthew 6:33, is not merely a devotional suggestion but the divine mechanism by which all other needs are added and redeemed.
Biblical Principle First Notes
The Redemptive Logic of Giving First
Dr. Hohman establishes that the biblical principle of first is not an arbitrary religious rule but the very structure of God’s redemptive plan. Just as the firstborn in Israel had to be consecrated or redeemed, every area of a believer’s life requires the redemptive touch of God placed first. The pure, when offered first, redeems what is impure. This principle culminates in Christ Himself, given first by the Father to redeem a corrupted humanity. When believers honor this order — giving God the first of their time, finances, and attention — they align themselves with the redemptive flow already built into the fabric of creation.
The Widow of Zarephath and the Power of Priority
First Kings 17 provides Dr. Hohman’s most vivid illustration of the principle. A widow facing starvation prepares what she believes to be her final meal when the prophet Elijah requests she feed him first. Her obedience despite extreme scarcity triggers a supernatural multiplication that sustained her household through the entire famine. Dr. Hohman emphasizes that the miracle was not produced by the prophecy alone but by the act of prioritizing God’s servant before her own survival. This ancient account mirrors the exact dynamic believers face today: placing God first before all circumstances are resolved is what releases divine provision.
A Physician Transformed by Radical Obedience
One of the most memorable moments of this message is the real-life testimony Dr. Hohman shares of a physician working over a hundred hours a week, whose marriage had deteriorated and whose health was failing. When prompted in prayer, Dr. Hohman delivered a difficult word: quit your job. The physician obeyed, and within weeks a nearby hospital offered him a position with fewer hours, no government paperwork, and significantly higher pay. A third income stream followed shortly after. Dr. Hohman draws the parallel clearly — the transformation was not the result of strategy or self-effort, but of placing God first before any plan was in place.
Poverty Mentality as a Spiritual Stronghold
Dr. Hohman teaches that poverty is not primarily a financial condition but a deeply ingrained mentality, often passed down through generations. The widow of Zarephath embodied this mindset when she resigned herself and her son to death rather than believing in a possibility beyond her visible resources. This same spirit of mammon operates today, convincing believers that what they hold onto is theirs alone and that generosity is risk rather than redemption. Breaking this mentality requires more than financial instruction — it requires an encounter with the love of God that reshapes the believer’s core assumptions about provision, sufficiency, and trust.
The Danger of Leaving Your First Love
Closing the sermon with Revelation 2:1-5, Dr. Hohman delivers a sobering pastoral warning. The church at Ephesus was commended for its labor, discernment, and perseverance, yet Christ held one devastating charge against it: they had left their first love. The lampstand was at risk of removal. Dr. Hohman connects this directly to his own season of exhaustion during a church building project, where relentless ministry work had quietly displaced personal intimacy with God. The call to repent and return to the first works is not a call to do more but to reorder — to restore God to first place before all else proceeds.
Tithing the Day: A Practical God-First Discipline
Drawing from Mark 1:35-37, where Jesus rose long before daylight to pray before anyone could find Him, and from the historical practice of Martin Luther who refused to shorten his prayer time even on the busiest days, Dr. Hohman urges believers to tithe their day. This means giving the first moments of each morning to God before any screen, conversation, or obligation. Psalm 5:3 anchors the practice: directing prayer to the Lord in the morning and looking up. This discipline of seeking God first is not simply devotional routine — it is the daily act of redemption that determines the quality, fruitfulness, and peace of everything that follows.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the biblical principle of first in Scripture?
The biblical principle of first holds that the first portion of anything — time, income, offspring, or harvest — belongs to God and carries redemptive power. Established in Exodus 13 and fulfilled in Christ as the firstborn over all creation, this principle teaches that when God is given first, He redeems and blesses all that remains. It is not merely an Old Testament law but a living spiritual pattern woven throughout Scripture.
How does giving God first unlock provision in hard times?
First Kings 17 illustrates this clearly through the widow of Zarephath, who gave her last meal to the prophet Elijah before feeding herself and her son. Her obedience to give first — even in extreme scarcity — triggered a supernatural multiplication that sustained her household until the famine ended. Dr. Hohman teaches that the miracle was activated not by favorable circumstances but by the priority of placing God first regardless of what remained.
What does it mean to leave your first love as warned in Revelation 2?
In Revelation 2:1-5, Christ commends the church at Ephesus for its hard work and doctrinal faithfulness, yet rebukes it for leaving its first love. This means the church had allowed activity, even godly activity, to displace intimate priority with God Himself. Leaving the first love is a spiritual fall, and Christ calls the church to remember, repent, and return to the first works — meaning the posture of heart that keeps God as the supreme priority.
What is a poverty mentality and how can it be broken?
A poverty mentality is a deeply held belief that there is never enough, often passed down through generations regardless of actual income level. It causes people to hoard rather than give, to fear rather than trust, and to miss the opportunities God places before them. Dr. Hohman teaches that this mentality is broken not through financial strategy alone but through a revelation of God’s love and the deliberate, faith-driven act of placing Him first with money, time, and trust.
Why does Dr. Hohman say faith works by love?
Rooted in Galatians 5:6 and Romans 5:5, this teaching holds that biblical faith is not conjured through mental effort but grows naturally as a believer encounters the love of God. When God’s love is shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Spirit, confidence in His character and promises increases. Faith, therefore, is the overflow of a relationship with a God who has proven His love through the giving of His Son and continues to demonstrate it through daily provision and care.
How should believers apply the principle of seeking God first each morning?
Psalm 5:3 instructs believers to direct their voice to the Lord in the morning and look up. Jesus modeled this by rising long before daylight to pray in solitude before the demands of ministry and crowds could reach Him. Dr. Hohman calls this practice tithing the day — giving God the first moments before television, social media, or conversation. This daily habit of seeking God first is what fills the believer with the spiritual resources needed to redeem the rest of the day.
Is God in control of everything that happens in the world?
Dr. Hohman addresses this directly, affirming that while God is sovereign and all-knowing, He has given human beings genuine free will. If God controlled every outcome, all people would be saved, since Scripture is clear it is His will that none perish. Instead, God draws humanity with everlasting love, as stated in Jeremiah 31, and invites each person to respond. Believers participate with God in redemption by choosing to give Him first place and acting in obedience to His Word.
What role does the Holy Spirit play in the principle of first?
The Holy Spirit is the active presence of God’s love in the believer’s life, and Dr. Hohman emphasizes that without ongoing intimacy with the Spirit, the principle of first cannot be sustained. The oil in the lamp of the ten virgins represents the Holy Spirit, and those without it were excluded from the marriage supper. Being continually filled with the Spirit — not just converted — is what enables believers to live in the economy of the kingdom rather than the beggarly elements of a corrupted world.
