2Cor 8:7 | KingComments | STEP | In chapters 8 and 9 Paul returns to the theme he had already dealt with in chapter 16 of his first letter to them ( ). It relates to the financial support of believers who live in poverty. To put it more bluntly he is concerned with the contents of your wallets. It will cost you in terms of money if you delve into this chapter. So consider well before you do this. In the section which you now have before you Paul in a very impressive way will set you free from your earthly possessions. He deals with this sensitive subject without the slightest self-interest. He speaks not for his own benefit but for the benefit of the suffering believers in Judea. Pay attention to what it’s about: he detaches you from your money; that’s different from the reverse, that he’s trying to detach money from you.. You can learn a lot from the instructions he gives to the Corinthians. He does not speak about the percentage of income one should give. Everyone knows that the Old Testament norm is ten percent of the income. In the New Testament it is not about the amount but about the motive, the mind and the why of giving. . One gets the impression that there were believers in Corinth who were wealthy. But Paul does not say that they should give because they were rich. He commends to them the churches in Macedonia as the model. They must learn from them. These churches had every reason to think on themselves only. The believers there were going through tough times; they were going through persecution. Perhaps they were living in terrible poverty due to affliction. But they were not concerned about their own plight. In the midst of affliction they had an overflowing joy in the Lord. That’s why they thought of others who were in need, and that is the reason why they were abounding in their giving. That is, as Paul calls it, the “grace of God”. . That grace had led them to give on their own accord. Here the subject is not about a command or a commandment. On the contrary, you read of these believers in Macedonia that they begged Paul to allow them to give. What was their motive? This attitude is something you can find exclusively among believers who are deeply aware that they are connected to one another as a family. This is the special characteristic of brothers and sisters who have the same new life, the same Father, the same Lord and the same Holy Spirit. They wanted to have a part in the ministry that took place among other believers. So ministry is not only the ministry of the Word but also the ministry in deeds. Of them Paul could testify that they gave according to their ability and even beyond their ability. They did this because for them giving was a grace. For them giving was not an obligation but a privilege. The one who is of this view does not cling to his money. “It is more blessed to give than to receive”, said the Lord Jesus ( ). . What the Macedonians gave exceeded the expectation of Paul. What is the secret behind such generosity? That you can find in this verse. First they gave themselves to the Lord. The one who devotedly gives himself fully to the Lord first has no trouble giving his earthly possession to others. He knows full well Who the Lord is and trusts that He will provide all his needs. Did He not say: “The world [is] Mine, and all it contains” ( )? Someone once said to me: ‘You can always keep on giving because you can never empty God.’ In other words you can always continue to give away what you receive, for God’s resources can never be depleted. It is the will of God that you first give yourself to the Lord. Next you read that the Macedonians gave themselves to Paul. That means they fully agreed with what Paul exemplified to them as the model for the art of giving. My admonition to you is that you also give yourself to ‘Paul’. By that I mean you read his letters from the Bible and listen to his instructions in them and take them to your heart. This is what God expects from you. . With this thought in mind Titus was urged to go to Corinth to take the money which they had laid aside and stored up in response to his first letter ( ). By this act they can participate in the grace of giving. You can notice that in all this there is no trace of manipulation or exploitation for the sake of money. Paul’s point is that the believers in Corinth handle money in the right way, in the Christian way. . He points to them the abundance of spiritual blessings they already possessed, namely, “faith and utterance and knowledge”. He mentioned these blessings already in 1 Corinthians. There he had to say that they had used those blessings in a fleshly way. Now he speaks positively about them and also adds something more to them. With great joy he speaks to them about the “earnestness” they had shown and their “love” for him. They proved their diligence in listening to what he wrote in his first letter. This also showed their love for him. Faith and utterance and knowledge were no longer things they wanted to flaunt. Now they enjoyed those fundamental graces in the right way. Their trust in God (faith), how they spoke about it (utterance) and what they knew of God (knowledge) were visible in their lives. Now they should add something more to them. They were allowed to give abundantly and therefore he again uses the word “grace”. . To avoid any misunderstanding Paul stresses that he does not give any command. He writes about the diligence of others, i.e. of the Macedonians, to motivate the Corinthians to emulate them in their generosity in giving. He goes further still. A good example has a good following. You also can inspire others to do good by your good example. The subject here is not the sum of money but the motive of giving. Here Paul adds one more point as the litmus test to prove their love. John writes in his first letter: “But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?” ( ). So John presents in strong terms that someone who sees his brother or sister in need and does not mind about it, though he can, is not a believer at all. In such a person the love of God doesn’t dwell. Your purse is the easiest test for your brotherly love. Paul says here as it were: ‘Show that your love for your poor brother is genuine by giving him what you are able to.’ This aspect of the test of love you may apply to yourself. Now read 2 Corinthians 8:1-8 again. Reflection: What do the Macedonians say to you by their example?

‏ 2 Corinthians 8:7

The Grace of Giving

In chapters 8 and 9 Paul returns to the theme he had already dealt with in chapter 16 of his first letter to them (1Cor 16:1-2). It relates to the financial support of believers who live in poverty. To put it more bluntly he is concerned with the contents of your wallets. It will cost you in terms of money if you delve into this chapter. So consider well before you do this.

In the section which you now have before you Paul in a very impressive way will set you free from your earthly possessions. He deals with this sensitive subject without the slightest self-interest. He speaks not for his own benefit but for the benefit of the suffering believers in Judea. Pay attention to what it’s about: he detaches you from your money; that’s different from the reverse, that he’s trying to detach money from you..

You can learn a lot from the instructions he gives to the Corinthians. He does not speak about the percentage of income one should give. Everyone knows that the Old Testament norm is ten percent of the income. In the New Testament it is not about the amount but about the motive, the mind and the why of giving.

2Cor 8:1-2. One gets the impression that there were believers in Corinth who were wealthy. But Paul does not say that they should give because they were rich. He commends to them the churches in Macedonia as the model. They must learn from them. These churches had every reason to think on themselves only. The believers there were going through tough times; they were going through persecution. Perhaps they were living in terrible poverty due to affliction. But they were not concerned about their own plight. In the midst of affliction they had an overflowing joy in the Lord. That’s why they thought of others who were in need, and that is the reason why they were abounding in their giving. That is, as Paul calls it, the “grace of God”.

2Cor 8:3-4. That grace had led them to give on their own accord. Here the subject is not about a command or a commandment. On the contrary, you read of these believers in Macedonia that they begged Paul to allow them to give. What was their motive? This attitude is something you can find exclusively among believers who are deeply aware that they are connected to one another as a family. This is the special characteristic of brothers and sisters who have the same new life, the same Father, the same Lord and the same Holy Spirit. They wanted to have a part in the ministry that took place among other believers. So ministry is not only the ministry of the Word but also the ministry in deeds.

Of them Paul could testify that they gave according to their ability and even beyond their ability. They did this because for them giving was a grace. For them giving was not an obligation but a privilege. The one who is of this view does not cling to his money. “It is more blessed to give than to receive”, said the Lord Jesus (Acts 20:35).

2Cor 8:5. What the Macedonians gave exceeded the expectation of Paul. What is the secret behind such generosity? That you can find in this verse. First they gave themselves to the Lord. The one who devotedly gives himself fully to the Lord first has no trouble giving his earthly possession to others. He knows full well Who the Lord is and trusts that He will provide all his needs. Did He not say: “The world [is] Mine, and all it contains” (Psa 50:12b)? Someone once said to me: ‘You can always keep on giving because you can never empty God.’ In other words you can always continue to give away what you receive, for God’s resources can never be depleted.

It is the will of God that you first give yourself to the Lord. Next you read that the Macedonians gave themselves to Paul. That means they fully agreed with what Paul exemplified to them as the model for the art of giving. My admonition to you is that you also give yourself to ‘Paul’. By that I mean you read his letters from the Bible and listen to his instructions in them and take them to your heart. This is what God expects from you.

2Cor 8:6. With this thought in mind Titus was urged to go to Corinth to take the money which they had laid aside and stored up in response to his first letter (1Cor 16:2). By this act they can participate in the grace of giving. You can notice that in all this there is no trace of manipulation or exploitation for the sake of money. Paul’s point is that the believers in Corinth handle money in the right way, in the Christian way.

2Cor 8:7. He points to them the abundance of spiritual blessings they already possessed, namely, “faith and utterance and knowledge”. He mentioned these blessings already in 1 Corinthians. There he had to say that they had used those blessings in a fleshly way. Now he speaks positively about them and also adds something more to them. With great joy he speaks to them about the “earnestness” they had shown and their “love” for him. They proved their diligence in listening to what he wrote in his first letter. This also showed their love for him.

Faith and utterance and knowledge were no longer things they wanted to flaunt. Now they enjoyed those fundamental graces in the right way. Their trust in God (faith), how they spoke about it (utterance) and what they knew of God (knowledge) were visible in their lives. Now they should add something more to them. They were allowed to give abundantly and therefore he again uses the word “grace”.

2Cor 8:8. To avoid any misunderstanding Paul stresses that he does not give any command. He writes about the diligence of others, i.e. of the Macedonians, to motivate the Corinthians to emulate them in their generosity in giving. He goes further still. A good example has a good following. You also can inspire others to do good by your good example. The subject here is not the sum of money but the motive of giving.

Here Paul adds one more point as the litmus test to prove their love. John writes in his first letter: “But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?” (1Jn 3:17). So John presents in strong terms that someone who sees his brother or sister in need and does not mind about it, though he can, is not a believer at all. In such a person the love of God doesn’t dwell.

Your purse is the easiest test for your brotherly love. Paul says here as it were: ‘Show that your love for your poor brother is genuine by giving him what you are able to.’ This aspect of the test of love you may apply to yourself.

Now read 2 Corinthians 8:1-8 again.

Reflection: What do the Macedonians say to you by their example?