The Grace of Giving
2 Corinthians 8:1–14
Introduction
While on his third missionary journey, the apostle Paul planned to receive a collection for the poor of Jerusalem—the offering to be received from churches he had planted (Romans 15:25–32; 1 Corinthians 16:1–4). It seems that the Jerusalem church had little left to help its own people after years of sponsoring missionaries, enduring famines, and suffering persecution. So Paul planned an offering as a practical response to the need. Beyond meeting needs of the recipients, such an offering would be a powerful demonstration of the church’s unity. Paul’s congregations had many Gentiles, while the Jerusalem church had a very high percentage of Jews. The offering would express a unity in Christ that transcended differences in ethnicity or geography. Paul’s teaching on generosity and giving is centered around the word ‘Grace’.
1. The Grace of Giving Comes from God (1 And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches.)
Paul may have been writing from the province of Macedonia. This was more than 100 miles north of Corinth. Paul had established the churches in Macedonia and Corinth on his second missionary journey. (Acts 16:9–17:15; Acts 18:1–18; 2 Corinthians 9:2). The Macedonian churches were located in Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea. When we give we should consider that this opportunity comes from God.
2. The Grace of Giving Arose in a Time of Trial. (2 In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.)
Wouldn’t giving be stifled by severe trials? When trials come, are we motivated to give or to hoard? Notice the ‘big’ words used here: overflowing, extreme, rich generosity. Are these the words that describe our giving to the Lord?
3. The Grace of Giving Surpasses Ability (3 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 Lord’s people.)
What does it mean that they gave beyond their ability? They plead for the privilege of sharing … what would motivate such a spirit? It is a service to the Lord’s people. Thus it is a service to the Lord Himself. If Christ’s Spirit lives in every believer, if believers together constitute Christ’s body, then generosity toward other Christians expresses generosity toward the Lord Jesus. Proverbs 19:17 Kindness to the poor is a loan to the Lord, and He will give a reward to the lender.
4. The Grace of Giving Begins With Giving Ourselves to the Lord (5 And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. 6 So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part.)
AMP: Nor [was this gift of theirs merely the contribution] that we expected, but first they gave themselves to the Lord and to us [as His agents] by the will of God [entirely disregarding their personal interests, they gave as much as they possibly could, having put themselves at our disposal to be directed by the will of God]
Giving truly begins in the heart, not the bank account. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the richest 20 percent of Americans give only 2.1 percent of their income while the poorest 20 percent of Americans give 4.3 percent. What Paul wrote about the generosity of the Macedonian Christians tells us this is not a new phenomenon—see also Mark 12:41–44. The key is likely to be found in the fact that “they gave themselves first of all to the Lord.” How are we doing in that regard?
If the churches in Macedonia can respond so exceptionally, then Corinth must be challenged to do so as well. So Paul is sending Titus to deliver the letter we are now reading to the believers in Corinth to prepare them to make their own contributions. The Corinthians have already made plans to do so, but Titus will help them finish what they have started. When we give ourselves to the Lord, everything about His ways and His work becomes our passion… giving to Him our time, energy, strength, efforts, and money.
5. The Grace of Giving is an Area of Discipleship in Which to Excel. (7 But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving. 8 I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others.)
How can we know if we ‘excel’ in the grace of giving? We can see how needful it is to pursue faith, speech, knowledge, love … why do we not put giving in that category? Notice Paul does not compare dollar signs, but sincerity, love, earnestness. When we do not exel in the grace of giving should we question our sincerity, love, earnestness?
6. The Grace of Giving is Empowered By the Grace of Jesus (9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.)
Christ was rich in the fact that he enjoyed equality with God the Father—supreme, unsurpassable power and glory. But for the sake of sinners, he set aside those privileges to become human, even suffering an undeserved death for our sake. By that means, we humans, who are genuinely poor in comparison with Christ, become rich, receiving the treasure of God’s kingdom now and forever. Summarizing the gospel in a sentence, Paul thus provides the unassailable foundation for Christian generosity. When the Corinthians realize what Christ has done for them, they will be utterly compelled to be generous. We glorify Christ by imitating his generosity. We can never equal it, but we can reflect it.
7. The Grace of Giving Should be Exercised With Eagerness (10 And here is my judgment about what is best for you in this matter. Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. 11 Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means.)
Evidently they had started a collection, but perhaps the enemies of Paul got in the way and kept them from completing it. They were eager to begin… and he encourages them to be eager to finish their collection. I don’t know how common it is to be eager to give, but what can encourage a spirit of eagerness about giving?
8. The Grace of Giving is Individually Considered (12 For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.)
Marvin Phillips: Just reach into the pocket of the person in front of you and give like you have always wanted to give!
Paul acknowledges that the Corinthians have Their important response, however, is not the amount that they give but their willingness to share from what they have.
9. The Grace of Giving is Reciprocal (13 Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. 14 At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality.)
From the Corinthians’ plenty can come an amount that will meet the need in Jerusalem. Paul assures his readers that were the tables turned, the Jerusalem church would respond similarly. In fact, it was from the Jerusalem church’s generous sharing of their spiritual resources that the Corinthians have become part of God’s family (Romans 15:27).
Conclusion
1. What makes people generous? Some give for the good feeling they experience. Some give to make a name for themselves. Some give to honor someone who gave to them in the past.
2. Christian generosity is founded on the last of those reasons (see 2 Corinthians 9:12). Followers of Jesus are generous because Jesus was supremely generous with them. When that truth gets inside us, it changes our mind about the joy of giving.
3. The instruction on giving must have been successful: Romans 15:25-26 25 Right now I am traveling to Jerusalem to serve the saints, 26 for Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem.
Notes: Some of the observations came from the Standard Lesson Commentary for this lesson. Also another resource I used was the Bible Expositor and Illuminator, Summer 2014.
