Can we bribe God?

Answer:

God cannot be bribed for two reasons: First, everything belongs to God. "For every beast of the forest is Mine, And the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the mountains, And the wild beasts of the field are Mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you; For the world is Mine, and all its fullness" (Psalm 50:10-12). "Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine; the soul who sins shall die" (Ezekiel 18:4). Everything we think we own is actually on loan to us. "For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out" (I Timothy 6:7). There is nothing a person can give to God that wasn't already God's in the first place.

Second, God cannot sin. "Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone" (James 1:13). And the receiving of bribes is a sin because it perverts justice. "A wicked man accepts a bribe behind the back to pervert the ways of justice" (Proverbs 17:23). Thus, even if it were possible to offer God something as a bribe, He would not accept it because accepting it would be a sin.

While God wants people saved (II Peter 3:9), God doesn't need men. If no man were ever saved, God would continue to exist. The Bible is given to you as a gift from God to guide you into ways of righteousness. Whether you make use of that gift is up to you. God does offer aid to His followers, but it isn't an exchange of so many righteous deeds to get an answer to a prayer or forgiveness of sin. God has freely given men a way out of sin. That is His gift. If you meet the conditions God has placed, you will receive the gift -- not because God owes it to you. The gift was already given.