The Paradox of Wealth, 2 Corinthians 8:7-15
Introduction
In today’s Scripture reading, we pick up on a similar theme. This is only once complete chapter away from the passage we examined last week. Now we pick up on the Apostle Paul instructing the Corinthian Church with regard to generosity and giving. As always, the Holy Spirit uses the Apostle not only to teach of surface matters; generosity and giving, but to move to the deeper matters which drive our generosity; namely, the nature of true wealth and the heart’s attitude of the genuine giver. What is the right attitude toward giving an offering to the Church, a donation to missions, or a charitable gift to someone in need? It occurs to me that there is no better way to gauge where a person’s heart is than to look how that person spends their money. It also occurs to me that for many people there are few subjects which make them less uncomfortable than money. For me, money is not something that I enjoy talking about very much. Money is a tool for living; it is a means and not an end in and of itself. As such, I am not very well inclined to discuss it much, not because I am uncomfortable with such dialogue, but because I am not overly concerned with it.
But for some people, the pursuit of money, the clinging to money, the seeking after ways to make more and more of it is a very serious ailment. Indeed, it has been my experience that it is not, as some have supposed, necessarily those with the most money who tend to be the most consumed buy it, though certainly greed without bounds is a common theme in our day. Often it is those who have the least money who are the most consumed by the quest for more of it; as many of these folks live under the false assumption that if they had more money they would have more peace, security, and be altogether happier. This is not always the case. Today, we will talk about money but even more than that we will talk on matters of generosity and what it means to have the heart of a giver.
Illustration
The story is told of three preachers who were having lunch together one afternoon. As often happens in such settings, the subject of church finances came up in conversation and each man told of how he handled the offering plates at his church on Sunday mornings. The first man said that what he did was to take all of the money out of the offering plate and gather it together in his hands, after having drawn a straight line on the floor in front of the place where he stood.
He said that he would throw all of the money in to the air and whatever money fell on the left side of the line was his and whatever fell on the right side of the line was Gods. The second preacher said, well that is a pretty good system but what I do is to draw a circle on the floor. Then I take all of the money and throw it into the air. Whatever money lands inside the circle is God’s and the rest is mine. The third preacher, not to be outdone said, well, what I do is very similar to what both of you do; only I don’t draw any line. I take all of the money and throw it up into the air and I figure that whatever of the money God wants He can reach down and grab and whatever is left over on the floor I keep for myself!
Transition
Before moving on, allow me to assure you that we do not use any of these systems of caring for the offering in the Church! As this story illustrates, in its own way, a lot of us do have false thinking about giving to God don’t we?
Some of us give but aren’t sure how much we should give or we aren’t sure if there is any kind of a standard of what is the right amount to give. Others give so much that it becomes a great burden; giving more than perhaps they should as their compassion compels them to give even what they don’t have to give. There are many healthy and unhealthy attitudes which drive our giving. It is not always the one with the most who gives the most. Let’s look at our text for today to see what we can learn from the word of God with regard to giving.
Exposition
In verse seven the Apostle Paul opens his admonishment toward generosity by commending the Corinthian Church with regard to their spiritual fruits. He writes, “But just as you excel in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us – see that you also excel in this grace of giving.” (2 Corinthians 8:7 NIV)
Here the Apostle tells the Church that they excel in all things spiritual and that it is right for them to “Be as eminent for your charitable disposition as ye are for your faith, doctrine, knowledge, diligence, and love.” (Adam Clarke’s Commentary) To put it another way, they have been faithful in bringing the first fruits of faith and it is fitting, even full of grace, that they also bring the first fruits of their harvest; the first fruits of their wealth and financial resources.
The words of the preceding section of the same chapter speak to the heart of true giving. “And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will.” (2 Corinthians 8:1-5 NIV)
There are two very important themes in this passage which the Apostle repeats again in his admonishment to the Corinthian Church. (1) It was out of their severe trial and poverty that they gave in such remarkable abundance. It was not out of their surplus or great store of wealth. (2) It was entirely on their own that they gave in such abundance. They were not coerced, convinced, and their giving was not contrived by some manner of manipulation or craftiness. The people of the Macedonian Church gave to the Jerusalem Church out of a heart of giving.
In ancient Israel in the first month of the Jewish calendar, Nissan, about the month of March or April, was the celebration of the first fruits. The festival was held on the first Monday following the Passover sadder which was also the start of the week of the feast of unleavened bread. The connection between these events is profound, both for Old Testamental Judaism and for early Christians as well as the modern Church of Christ. All through the Bible there is a consistent theme of “First Things.” According to the teaching of the Hebrew Scriptures, the Tanakh, the first fruits of all of the agricultural products belonged to the Lord.
This included the first and the best of the harvest of barley, wheat, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and dates. Whether it was grains or wine or oil, the first and the best belonged to God. The sacrifice of the Lord, the offering made from faithful believer to the King of the Universe was not that which was left over, it was the first and the best! O let it never be said of God’s person that in giving to the King’s table he gave crumbs, rather than the most choice of offerings!
According to Mosaic Law, each firstborn male was to be presented to the priest at one month of age so that a child might be dedicated in order to redeem him from a lifetime of service to the Lord. This is what we read about in Luke chapter 2 when Jesus parents brought Him to the Temple to be dedicated.
The dedication ceremony was for all of the tribes of Israel except for the tribe of Levi because the Levites were to be set apart purely for Temple worship and the Lord’s work. This dedication ceremony, as with all things in the Old Testament, pointed us to the very redemption that would be offered in Christ. This dedication ceremony was one of redemption; picturing the redemption of the first born of Israel even as God has smote the first born of Egypt due to Pharaoh’s disobedience of God to set the Israelites free.
As with many things in Old Testamental covenantal life and in the life of the Church, this ceremony was done each year to remind people of the beauty of the Lord’s provision for His chosen covenant people. Those who are alive in Christ rightly commemorate the Lord’s dealings with them.
There is among many in our day a move away from ceremony and liturgy as a model for worship. While I appreciate the heart of some of these folks who genuinely want to have a worship experience of vibrancy and vigor. I disagree that it is necessary to abandon methods of worship which find their roots in the Scriptures and which have such power in our lives.
Each week we begin our worship with a responsive liturgy and a unison prayer. This is not merely to go through the motions. I take great care as to the content of that material to tie in themes of worship for the day so as to facilitate remembrance of the beauty of God’s work in our lives.
Illustration
It’s an interesting thing about routines and ritual; ceremony and tradition. Each evening we have a general routine. Our lifestyle does not facilitate sticking to it as closely as some families do, but it gives a sense of stability to our life that we would not otherwise have. We generally have dinner. Of late it has been outside on the picnic table served from the bbq grill, though this is certainly not true year round in the Illinois Valley. We eat and then clean up while the kids start to play outside or in their playroom. After a time of play we will usually head upstairs for a much needed bath for the boys. Then it is back to a playroom for some games, shape sorting toys, and / or reading time. After this is all complete we will wind things up and begin heading off to bed. Ritual, ceremony, routine, has the power to anchor our lives so that we know what is coming next. It is also in the rituals of this life that we build signpost to remember the past in our lives.
It was at this dedication ceremony that Jesus true identity began to be shown publicly, though that would not come to full fruition for a much later time. It was here that the godly man Simeon and the Prophetess Anna recognized who Jesus was; is. He is the first fruits of God unto the salvation of His people! We have received the first fruits of God in Christ and it is right that He receive ours.
While the feast of first fruits is not directly quoted in the New Testament, it is alluded to at least seven times, of which I am aware. We are spoken of time and again as the first fruits of the Lord in salvation. The spirit of generosity and recognition from where our fruit ultimately comes from is inherent to the biblical motif of the first fruits. We give back to God the first born son, the first fruits of the harvest, the first and best lamb of spring, as a sign that God gets our best because God is the source of all that we and all that we have!
Conclusion
In today’s passage the Apostle Paul encourages the Church at Corinth to be generous in their giving; following after the example of the Macedonian Church. Paul, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, says that the Corinthian Church abounded in all things spiritual and points to the reality that in giving we also worship the Lord; it is not possible to buy favor with God but our generosity or lack thereof may very well be a good indicator of the temperature of our relationship with God.
I would suggest to you that there has yet been a man who loved money more than the Lord that was happy in him and endeared himself very deeply to others. Having wealth is not what hinders a relationship with God. It is in loving wealth more than God that we get off track; that we go wrong. When Jesus told the rich man to go and sell all of his possessions and then come back and follow him, he was telling the rich young man that his wealth was a hindrance; surely God uses many people of great financial resource. (Luke 18:18-32)
Jesus looked into the man’s heart and saw that he loved his money more than God. He saw that his money was a god for his own worship! The paradox of wealth is that no matter how much we do or do not possess; we possess nothing! In the giving of the first fruits to the Lord every year, the people of Israel commemorated the reality that it was not the land or even their toil which provided for them. It was the Lord God!
In our generous giving we do the very same thing. Our giving is a sign and symbol of our hearts dedication to the Lord and to His work. There are some who say that Christians are still bound the tithe of the Old Covenant. They say that it is right for us to give the first 10% of our income to the house of the Lord; the local Church where we worship and then we should give offerings to other organizations or to special projects for the work of the Gospel. Some folks get very detailed in their assessments of this, giving specific details of whether we should give our 10% before or after taxes, household expenses, etc.
There are others who say that we are bound by nothing and should simply give as we feel appropriate by any standard that we devise, be it what we think we can afford or what we think the church needs or whatever. Let me offer you and alternative to both of these positions, taking insight from both.
In today’s text the Apostle says, “I am not commanding you” but says that the churches generosity is an expression of worship. He ties giving generously directly to the nature and manner of our devotion to God. In II Corinthians 9:6-7 the Apostle Paul says, “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (NIV)
If you choose to tithe, well. If you do not, fine. Hear the words not of the legalist or of the antinomian (those who reject the law of God). Here the word of the Lord as given unto the Apostle Paul and unto us this day. The tithe is a starting place. The antinomian view is insufficient. Give out of the abundance of grace that has been poured out to us in Christ.
Give from a heart that longs to give adoration to the King of Glory, knowing that all that we have belongs to Him, flows from His throne, and is the consequence of His mercy and provision in our lives. Give from a heart that longs to see the Gospel go forward, people reconciled unto God through faith in Jesus Christ! Give knowing that true wealth is not possessing anything that this life has to offer but in being possessed, in the Grip of His Grace! “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9 NIV) True wealth is in knowing and being known by God! Amen.
