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2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 8

By Pastor Doug
Grace Giving

As the offering plates were being passed during worship, a little boy seated with his father whispered loudly: "Don't pay for me, daddy. I'm under five."[1]

The thoughts of this child are cute and entertaining.  However, many in the church offer similar ideas of why they would never give:

  • Giving is for people with money;
  • I'm excused because I don't have enough.
  • I could never give enough to make a difference;
  • I'm excused because the result won't be worth it.
  • There are plenty of other people with more than me:
  • I'm excused by the abundance of those around me.
  • I need it worse than others;
  • I'm excused to take care of me (because God won't or can't)
  • I'll only give if the need is legitimate in my eyes;
  • I'm excused because of my high standards.

The idea of a bible study that deals with money probably doesn't bother most folks; until you get to the giving part!  The idea of giving brings many different responses.  For many the defenses go up; they've seen abuses in the church or experienced poor stewardship in a church.  Others are just more focused on keeping what they have.  This happens for many reasons.  Some believe that giving is for the people with extra money.  Others have always intended to give, yet never done so because there's never any money left.  Among those that give, you'll find some joyful givers, maybe a few fearful givers, and a sprinkling of reluctant, miserly, bitter or angry givers among others.  A few let go of their offering as if it were a precious deposit earning great interest; others release their offering bitterly, as if paying taxes.  

Our initial response is probably determined by our experiences, emotions, feelings and upbringing.  Yet, Paul doesn't address any of that.  As born-again believers who've yielded to Christ, we've set aside our old ways.  Once again, we are reminded of Paul's view of the believer being an ambassador; representing King Jesus in this foreign land.  All we say and do; all our actions or inactions reflect the king we serve.  This includes giving. 

As you begin chapters 7, we'll see that Paul switches gears.  He's pled his case for reconciliation and explained why the things that happened had to happen.  He's shown the church in Corinth where they needed some correction and he gave them a little exhortation.  Now, with all that done he's back to the business of ministry.  He's wrapping up his missionary journey and headed back to Jerusalem and he wants to bring a gift to the poor there from the church of Asia. 

Delivering an offering to the Church of Jerusalem would accomplish several things.  And it's important to think about these things so we don't stay solely focused on money for the next few chapters. 

First, this gift of grace would assist the poor Christians in Jerusalem materially.  It would give them the means to provide for daily needs.  That's good.  This offering would show the love and care for the poor among them, just from a human compassion standpoint.  Paul had promised earlier that he would not forget the poor.  This is evidence that he remembers his promise.

Many of the Jews were zealous for the law and saw Paul as some sort of enemy of the Jews.  No enemy would assist the poor in this way.   Paul wasn't an enemy, he was simply leading the charge to take care of his people.  These poor Christians were his people and Jerusalem was his home.  He had a passion for them because so many were lost.  Maybe by feeding some materially he could feed some of them spiritually also.

Second, this offering would strengthen the unity of the church.  There was not much of a connection between the church in Asia and the church in Israel.  When these people of Asia reached out to them it would form a connection and a bond that wouldn't be forgotten.  Paul thought the Gentile Christians owed a debt to the Jewish congregations.  He wrote about it in Romans 15:25.  But now I am going to Jerusalem to minister to the saints. 26 For it pleased those from Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who are in Jerusalem. 27 It pleased them indeed, and they are their debtors. For if the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister to them in material things.  This gift could be considered a sort of repayment of the debt owed the spiritual brothers in Jerusalem.

Third, this offering would show that the ministry and the spreading of the gospel of Jesus Christ among the gentile lands was very real.  There was something bigger than their problems, their church, their desires; the bigger things were eternal.  The ability to love and give a grace offering to people who are only bonded by Jesus Christ is a pretty powerful testimony.  These were very real churches, saved by the grace of God and filled with the Holy Spirit.  This offering would be a testimony to the Jewish saints. 

As part of this outreach, it took their eyes off themselves.  In a way, our eyes are on the Lord and on His will when we are seeing to the needs of others; much more so than when we are seeing to our own desires.

I'd like to make the case that giving isn't about money at all.

 

2 Corinthians 8:1-2

Wow, look at that sentence.  Great trial of Affliction, abundance of joy and deep poverty.  Joy is sandwiched between affliction and deep poverty and the result was riches of their liberality.  That says a lot about these churches in Macedonia right away.  Paul had just got done writing about his great confidence in the Corinthians right at the end of chapter 7, now, he his holding up the churches in Macedonia as an example.  They had experienced the grace of God bestowed on them.  I was as if Paul said, "Speaking of confidence; you need to know about the Macedonian churches."

The churches of Macedonia were in Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea.  These were other important churches in important cities of that time.  Macedonia was essentially the northern part of Greece while Corinth was in the southern part called Achaia at that time.  Achaia was the homeland of Alexander the Great; yet when Rome conquered it, they hauled off much of the wealth of the land.  The cities in Macedonia were in deep poverty.  The 'deep poverty' means dirt poor on the street.  They were experiencing a great trial of affliction, yet, right in the middle of that, there was, by the grace of God, a joy among them to give what they could with liberality.  This liberality might be also translated sincerity. 

Even in a situation where people were driven to begging and amidst this affliction there was a joy of giving among them with sincerity.  That's just a miracle because the grace to give overcame the instinct to hold tight to any resource that could soothe the sting of poverty.  Grace overcame the survival instinct.

Paul traveled among these churches taking up a collection to help the saints in the church in Jerusalem.  He is getting ready to return to Corinth.  Paul had already mentioned this collection to them back in 1st Corinthians.  As He comes near to taking up the collection there, he is holding the churches of Macedonia up as an example.  He's setting the Corinthians up to remind them of what they promised.

 

2 Corinthians 8:3-5

Why would these people do this?  This is like the widow with two mites to her name somehow coming up with three to give.  Paul saw this happen first hand; and you should note, he isn't impressed with the amount given, but their ability to give and do so freely.  In poverty, these people gave not just according to their ability, but beyond. 

The widow with two mites could have given one and kept one according to her ability.  But she gave both and gave beyond her ability and she did it freely.  For most, two mites were nothing.  For her it was everything.  In God's eyes, it was an act of sacrificial love and grace.

Paul said the people in those churches in Macedonia were imploring them.  This word 'imploring' means begging; they were begging Paul to take up a collection.  When was the last time you saw that?  These were people in deep poverty; defined as those who have no choice but to beg resorting to begging Paul to take a collection from them.  The Macedonians responded to the call and there was urgency in their response to the need in Jerusalem.  They wanted to give their gift and be in fellowship with others who were helping and ministering to the saints by the grace of God.  This went beyond what Paul could have hoped for. 

Why would these people do this?  Paul said it happened because they gave themselves first to the Lord.  They were living sacrificial lives in the sense that they had died to themselves.  They had given their lives over to the Lord to be used as he saw fit.  This in turn allowed them to give sacrificially by the will of God.

These people in poverty were sold out to the Lord.  They were able to let go of what little they had because they saw it as the will of God.  The Lord put a need before them and they responded, not by directing the need to someone with more resources but by giving as they could and beyond.

 

2 Corinthians 8:6-7

How would Corinth respond to this need?  We've been talking about this little church quite a while now.  The worldliness had crept in everywhere and I don't think there is anything more worldly than money when it's in your pocket.  This would be a real test for them.  Paul had corrected them in so many issues, now that money is involved had he crossed the line to meddling?  This would be a test of that reconciliation. 

Paul had to have some concerns regarding their response.  Would they, could they abound in this grace like the Macedonians?  When Paul spoke of his confidence in them, it was a confidence that they had stepped out of this worldliness.  Paul is saying, "You have abounded in everything else, I would expect you to abound in this also."  That's probably a bit of sarcasm and more likely an indication of what the Corinthians believed about themselves.  Paul throws down a challenge to them to prove that they really can abound in this.

In Paul's thinking, the idea of giving sacrificially was another evidence of salvation; right there on the same list as faith, speech, knowledge, diligence and love.  Imagine exercising these graces, yet turning away from the need of your brothers and sisters in the Lord.

This is one of those places where the rubber meets the road.  As Christians, we believe giving is good, we talk about it, we have good plans and intentions.  However, actually doing it sometimes never comes around.  That's why Paul said Titus would come allow them to complete this grace.  It had started, now it was the time to complete it.  No more talk, no more cliché' sayings and empty promises.  It was time to give.

Titus would be the one taking this letter to the Corinthians.  Then after reading this, Titus would be the one actually taking up the collection.  This may have been because of the recent friction between Paul and that church.  They might be more willing to give it to Titus, but ultimately it was for the good it would do in Jerusalem and had no benefit for Paul. 

 

2 Corinthians 8:8
Paul wasn't commanding them to give.  He wanted that to be understood.  This was a test of the sincerity of their love as seen in the light of the diligence of others.  This 'diligence of others' is a reference to the Macedonians.  How would the love of Corinth compare with the diligence of Macedonia?

That's like saying, I'm not commanding you to give, I just want you to understand what you'll look like if you don't.  He was right, if they didn't give, they would look selfish, self-centered and worldly, which is exactly the charges brought against them previously.

 

2 Corinthians 8:9
So far Paul has several times referred to giving of money as a grace.  Giving is a grace from the Lord.  Giving is a work of the Lord because our sinful nature would have us hoard everything we put our hands on.  Paul compares the grace of giving to the grace of Jesus Christ.  This grace was given freely and generously out of love.  Jesus Christ doesn't offer his saving grace because he wants us to pay it back; after all, we couldn't if we wanted to.  Does your giving look like grace?  Does it resemble the same grace we experienced from Jesus Christ?  Is our grace given freely and generously, out of love, expecting nothing in return?

Christ was rich in righteousness, rich in heavenly glory, yet for our sakes became poor by taking on humanity.  He came to this earth and walked as a man setting aside the glory of heaven for a time.  He had a humble beginning and lived a humble life, then died poor as if he were the worst of criminals.  He became poor by taking our sin and shame to the cross.  And because he did that, we are delivered from a poverty of righteousness.  We are made rich in Jesus Christ.  There is no way our giving could ever match that amazing grace.  Have we ever given so much that we became poor so someone else could become rich in any way?

 

2 Corinthians 8:10-12
Paul doesn't have a command for them, he has advice.  If there was a command, this would have been a good place for God to place it.  He could have said thou shalt give some percentage and then we would know exactly what to give and we could give it and everything would be good.  Instead Paul offers his Godly counsel to them.  This talk of an offering started long ago and the Corinthians joined the talking and desired to help but talking and desiring to help others doesn't cost anything.

Paul said it would be advantageous of them to complete their plan of giving.  It was now time to put their money where their mouth was.  There had been a genuine readiness to desire it and now they needed to bring it to completion giving out of what they had.  The advice for the Corinthians and for us is to give out of what you have.  These are the resources God had given them.  God didn't expect them to take out a loan to give a lot of money.  Nor did he expect them to sell all they had and lower themselves into poverty.  Yet, for some, they may as well have been asked to sell all they had as to give a little because they held to everything they had so tightly.

Every one of us is more apt to over spend than to over give.  When a need is in front of us do we try to figure out how not to give or how little to give.  We have all kinds of excuses to hold onto our cash.  An hour later we whip out the plastic at a restaurant or dump our cash at Walmart for some want in our life.  We are all better at overspending than over giving.

God does not expect us to give what we don't have.  But if you don't have anything because you've spent every penny on yourself then your heart is not in the right place.  Your heart isn't reflecting the grace extended to you.  What we have came from God.  If he's blessed you, should you not be a blessing to others?  The widow's mite was worthless to most people at that time but it was all she had and she gave it freely and willingly.

So just how much were these people in Corinth expected to give?  Come on Paul, just tell us so we can decide if we can afford it.  Paul didn't know.  He said he was testing them, but in reality, what they gave was between them and God.  He had no idea what the right amount was.

How much are we to give?  Paul is talking specifically about a grace gift here, but this is one thing among many responsibilities.  Obviously, we have financial responsibilities at home to our family.  Outside of our home, it's our job to support the church.  Then, within the church, it is our job to take care of each other.  Things come up among us, where we can help each other.  It's happening all around us, all the time.  These are opportunities for gifts of grace.  Are you looking for those opportunities to give?  Won't it be nice when you have a need and that kind of culture exists here and your brothers and sisters reach out to you.  Then, we should look outside the church to our communities and the world.  I really love that, as a church, we support this little girl in India, Barsa.  It's my prayer that our little offering will allow her some relief from poverty.  And it's my prayer that I may hear about her life when we speak in heaven.

Here are the rules on giving: 

  • Giving should be done regularly.  This should be planned giving and not just planning on giving what's left because there is never anything left is there?
  • Giving should be proportional.  If God has blessed you with much, it would be wise to give proportionally of what's been entrusted to you. 
  • Giving is private.  What you give is between you and God whether you are giving to your church or to a ministry.  If you are out to impress anyone please check your heart.  None of us have enough to impress anyone, especially God. 
  • Giving must be generous.  Do you find joy in giving generously?  If the answer is no, do you know why?  Are you holding to tightly to your money?  Someone once said you should give till it hurts.  Does it hurt you just to think about giving?
  • Giving must be done freely and cheerfully.  Are you giving because you feel like you have to?   Do you feel compelled to give?  Are you grudgingly writing a check to a ministry?  If so, stop!  Put you money back in your pocket until you get your heart in the right spot.  If you aren't able to give with joy and then take joy in being part of a ministry or helping others, then keep your money.

For many, the question on their mind is "How little can I get away with?"  If that's the case then it's an indication of your heart.  It shows the priority of money in your life.  If you can't give cheerfully then money will likely always be a problem in your life.  You'll never have enough of it and it will be a curse to you because you've given it to high a priority.

 

2 Corinthians 8:13-15

If you offer from your abundance to those that are lacking, then they can offer from their abundance when you are lacking someday.  That's all Paul was saying here.  The Church in Jerusalem gave spiritually because of their abundance, they gave what was lacking in Asia.  The church in Corinth had material abundance, Paul was calling on them to supply what was lacking in Jerusalem.  He wasn't trying to burden Corinth so Jerusalem could get rich.  As brothers in Christ, the church of Corinth had the ability to offer them bread in the name of Christ.

Then Paul quotes Exodus in verse 15: "He who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack."   These were the principles of the collection of manna.  Calvin said, "All that we have is manna . . . And just as manna, which was hoarded to excess out of greed or lack of faith, immediately putrefied, so we should have no doubt that riches which are heaped up at the expense of our brethren are accursed and will soon perish and their owner will be ruined with them."  

Whatever manna that was gathered in excess of need could only be shared, it couldn't be kept.  When they tried to store up God's provision, it went bad.  The person that gathered little still had enough.  Isn't it interesting that Paul applies these same principles to money?

 

2 Corinthians 8:16-21
Paul said Titus was trustworthy and he was sent along with another brother to receive this gift.  We don't know who this other brother is but his praise was among all the churches.  So, he was well known.  These two men would receive the gift and this way Paul keeps his distance so no one could make any accusations.  Paul was making sure these financial dealings were completely above and beyond reproach.  There would be no place for any accusation.

 

2 Corinthians 8:22-24
We talked about letters of commendation a few chapters back.  That's kind of what we have here.  Paul is commending Titus and this other brother to them saying they are trustworthy and they are messengers of the churches.  And then Paul gives the Corinthians saints the final encouragement to give generously.

This opportunity to give was really important to Paul.  But think about this, if you step back from this for a second, you remember how Paul and the church had just been reconciled.  Now Paul is encouraging them to dig deep and give.  He had to worry about how that would be perceived.  Its wasn't for him anyway, it was for the church.  But it still had to be awkward.

Paul sees this as an opportunity for them to show where their heart lies.  Were they still worldly?  Would they give sparingly because they were hoarding their material wealth?  Or would they give materially because they were walking in the Spirit because they knew it all came from God and belonged to him anyway.

Paul even noted that the other churches would know how much they gave as a church.  This was Corinth's chance to stand out.  Paul was asking them to make him proud, not because the amount was important, but only that it was a measure of their love for the church.  Paul made a direct link of their giving with the love.

***

A man doesn't decide to become a steward after he has been saved, nor after he begins to make good money. He is a steward—good or bad—when he becomes a Christian. Stewardship in the Christian life demands that a man take good care of his financial affairs because he has been commissioned by Christ to manage those affairs for the Lord.[2]

In this passage, we've seen Paul add the grace of giving to the lives of Christians.  It's not about money though. Money is a terrible master, but a good servant.  It can rule your life (in abundance or poverty); or you can have good stewardship of it in your life.  Paul gave several reasons why they should follow through in this gift:

  • The example of others; the Macedonians giving out of poverty & affliction.
  • The example of Christ; who freely gave Himself.  He came as a man; born in the equivalent of a barn, not a throne room.  Born into nothing and died with no worldly possessions but was rich beyond this world.
  • Their past record; this was worldly and moved by flesh.  If they had changed, this was proof of that change; to themselves, to God, to the world.
  • Necessary to move from feeling to action; It was time to walk the talk.  Anyone can make promises and sound very concerned and desirous to help.  The crowd always thins out when its time to walk it out. 
  • The grace you extend may reflect the grace extended to you; We have high expectations of what others should give when we have a need; the expectations are lowered when its our time to give.  Giving or our self is a great blessing and grace many will never know. 

I've spoken of this very real picture of presenting ourselves before God; as if to say, "Here I am Lord, reporting for duty.  Here's my hands, my feet, my mind, my heart, my love."  Paul adds to the list, "Here's my money."  All these things were once used to serve me or other gods.  Now they are Yours, Lord.  I may not be able to lift much, run far or express deep Godly principals; but I'll lift as much as I can, run till I drop and love till my dying breath.  My mind and heart will express the love & grace extended toward me because of faith in the gospel.  And Lord, let me meet those needs you set before me.

An old Indian, after living many years in sin, was led to Christ by a missionary. Friends asked him to explain the change in his life. Reaching down, he picked up a little worm and placed it on a pile of leaves. Then, touching a match to the leaves, he watched them smolder and burst into flames. As the flames worked their way up to the center where the worm lay, the old chief suddenly plunged his hand into the center of the burning pile and snatched out the worm. Holding the worm gently in his hand, he gave this testimony to the grace of God: "Me … that worm!"609[3]

©2006, 2010, 2016, 2022 Doug Ford, Calvary Chapel Sweetwater 

 

[1] Jones, G. C. (1986). 1000 illustrations for preaching and teaching (p. 176). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

[2] Tan, P. L. (1996). Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (p. 1352). Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc.

[3] Michael P. Green. (2000). 1500 illustrations for biblical preaching (p. 176). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.