BIG IDEA:
GOOD INTENTIONS IN GIVING MUST BE CONSUMMATED ACCORDING TO YOUR ABILITY – OR IDEALLY BEYOND YOUR ABILITY
INTRODUCTION:
Principle: you can never out give the Grace of God
Paul Barnett: The transition from chapter 7 to chapter 8 is marked by a change of tone. In the former chapter Paul relives the joyous reunion in Macedonia with Titus who brought good news of the Corinthian response to the ‘sorrowful letter’ about the disciplining of the offender. Now, in chapter 8, he writes in more sober tones yet with a real measure of encouragement and optimism about the other report brought by Titus from Corinth – news about the collection.
Chapters 8–9 relate to what Paul elsewhere calls ‘the collection for the Lord’s people’ (1 Cor. 16:1) or, more elaborately, a ‘contribution for the poor among the Lord’s people in Jerusalem’ (Rom. 15:26). This ‘contribution’, finalized c. ad 57, had its beginnings a decade earlier in Jerusalem when Paul and Barnabas made a missionary compact with the Jerusalem church ‘pillars’, James, Peter and John. It was then agreed that James, Peter and John would evangelize Jews while Paul and Barnabas would go to the Gentiles. The one condition attaching to this missionary agreement was that Paul and Barnabas should ‘remember the poor’, that is, make provision from the Gentile churches for the poor among the Christians in Jerusalem (Gal. 2:9–10).
Paul explained to the Romans that the ‘spiritual blessings’ of the gospel enjoyed by the Gentile Christians had come to them from the Christian community in Jerusalem. The Gentiles owed them a spiritual debt which was to be repaid by ‘material blessings’ (Rom. 15:27). Implicit in the collection was Paul’s desire to create a sense of unity and brotherhood between the two branches of Christianity, Jewish and Gentile, between whom there had been a measure of tension. Perhaps Paul, in particular, sought to demonstrate his bona fides in keeping his side of the agreement made at Jerusalem regarding ‘the poor’. Hence it was appropriate that, near the end of his Aegean ministry, Paul should arrange for this collection. In bringing this gift from the churches of Galatia, Asia, Macedonia and Achaia to the church in Jerusalem, Paul fulfilled the undertaking made to James, Peter and John some ten (?) years earlier. It was a fitting end to this chapter in Paul’s missionary career.
Raymond Collins: Apparently the Corinthians’ interest in the collection has flagged, undoubtedly as a result of the difficult circumstances surrounding Paul’s visit to their city (2 Cor. 2:1). Titus’s enthusiastic report about the Corinthians’ renewed zeal for Paul and his work has given Paul hope that this important work can proceed. Christians in Jerusalem are in need (8:14). In his letter to Rome, Paul says that the resources are to be shared with the poor among God’s holy people in Jerusalem (15:26). The poor are not people living on the brink of poverty or who are marginally poor; they are people who are truly destitute, who are suffering from a deeply entrenched poverty.
Any number of factors could have contributed to their poverty. To begin, believers in Jerusalem were not, for the most part, drawn from among the wealthy class. Living in a fairly arid area of Palestine, people in Jerusalem bore the brunt of periodic famines (see Acts 11:27–30). The Sanhedrin had the leading disciples arrested (Acts 4:1–3; 5:21b–41); Paul himself had persecuted the church (1 Cor. 15:9; Gal. 1:13; see Acts 8:1; 9:1–2). It is not unlikely that this open hostility toward believers was accompanied by a more subtle hostility that took an economic toll on believers. Intra-Christian factors may have exacerbated the situation. Some support had to be found for the Galilean leaders of the church who settled in Jerusalem. Hospitality was needed for missionaries and pilgrims. There seems to have been a number of widows who needed support (see Acts 6:1–7). . . the poverty of the church in Jerusalem was real, deep-seated, and prolonged.
Scott Hafemann: As a result, the collection illustrates the significance of Paul’s theology of grace both for the individual (having received from God, Christians give to others) and for the life of the church (having been accepted by God, Christians accept one another). Completing the collection would there-fore be the theological capstone of Paul’s apostolic service, bringing his ministry east of Rome to an end (Acts 19:21; Rom. 15:18-29; 1 Cor. 16:12, 6; Gal. 2:9).
David Garland: The Corinthians’ need to complete their collection
8:1–5 Example: God’s grace given to the Macedonians
8:6–8 Direction: Bring to completion this act of grace (excel in this grace of giving)
8:9 Example: God’s grace in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ
8:10–12 Direction: Finish the work (willingness sanctifies the gift)
8:13–15 Divine principle: Equity (Scripture citation)
I. (:1-6) IT IS COMMENDABLE TO GIVE BEYOND YOUR ABILITY – EXAMPLE OF THE MACEDONIANS – THEIR STRONG DESIRE TO GIVE
Frank Matera: The Greek text of this unit (:1-6) consists of a single sentence that begins in verse 1 with a disclosure formula (“we want you to know”) and concludes in verse 6 with Paul’s decision to send Titus to Corinth once more (“so that we appealed to Titus”). Verses 2 and 3 introduce subordinate clauses, each beginning with hoti (“that”), in which Paul explains how the grace of God manifested itself among the Macedonians. This unit consists of three subunits.
- In the first (v. 1) Paul employs a disclosure formula to announce his theme, “the grace of God.”
- In the second (vv. 2–4) he explains how the grace of God manifested itself among the Macedonians.
- In the third (vv. 5–6) he relates how the extraordinary response of the Macedonians to the collection for the holy ones at Jerusalem encouraged him to ask Titus to resume the collection among the Corinthians.
A. (:1) The Key to Giving = the Grace of God
“Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God
which has been given in the churches of Macedonia”
We do God a disservice whenever we add any elements of legalism into Christian giving.
Charles Swindoll: “grace,” “undeserved or unmerited favor,” “cause of delight” —
Though charis often refers to that which brings pleasure or delight, Paul frequently used charis as a special term for the undeserved and superabundant blessings that God bestows upon His people, especially unto salvation. In 2 Corinthians 8–9, Paul also uses the term in reference to a voluntary financial contribution given for the benefit of the suffering saints in Jerusalem (8:1). This horizontal, tangible manifestation of grace among believers reflects the vertical grace believers receive through Jesus Christ (8:9).
Mark Seifrid: Paul presents the Macedonians to the Corinthians as an example. Yet they are an example, not of generosity, but of the grace of God. Paul seeks to stir the Corinthians to a renewed experience of God’s grace with their completion of their promised gift for Jerusalem. . .
Paul also makes it clear that he understands the Macedonian act of giving as the reception of a gift from God. God is present and active in human giving in such a way that human givers are finally mere receivers. This profound theology of gift continues throughout Paul’s argument in 2 Cor 8–9 and appears emphatically in his closing exclamation in 9:15: “Thanks be to God!”
Will Pounds: The Macedonians make it absolutely clear that our stewardship does not depend upon our circumstances. It depends upon the quality of our relationship with Jesus Christ. We give because He first gave to us His amazing grace. . .
The only true motive for giving is the grace of God. We give because of God’s goodness to us. If God has not done anything good for you please do not give a dime. However, if you are the recipient of His abundant amazing grace then pour it out according to the measure you have received. It is a privilege and opportunity to be involved in the stewardship of grace. It is not our duty; it is our privilege. God invites us to come and join Him in what He is doing. That includes our giving.
John MacArthur: The Corinthians were apparently unaware of the magnitude of the Macedonians’ generosity, prompting Paul to make it known to them. Their giving was not motivated primarily by philanthropy or human kindness, but by the grace of God at work in their hearts. One of the effects of saving, transforming, sanctifying grace is a longing to give generously and sacrificially to those in need, especially other believers.
The Macedonians did not give like worldly rich people often do, mere tokens of their riches, without sacrifice. Nor did they give like selfish Christians, whose love for temporal things matches their love for eternal things. Giving for them is a battle, because they are still holding on to the temporal. The Macedonians gave magnanimously and abundantly, consistent with Christ’s command to “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matt. 6:33). But Paul shuts out all thought of human merit by noting that they did so because they were prompted by God’s grace (cf. Eph. 2:10).
B. (:2-4) The Principles of Giving from the Example of the Macedonians
- (:2) Poverty Does Not Have to be a Limitation to Generous Giving
“that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy
and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality.”
Everyone can participate in the privilege of giving since it is not conditioned on having an abundance of wealth.
Scott Hafemann: The Macedonians’ generosity is also evidence that they passed the “test” brought on by their afflictions (8:2; lit., “in much testing of affliction”). Such giving in the midst of adversity with joy (!) confirms that one’s faith is real (for dokime [test, outcome of a test], cf. 2:9; 9:13; 13:3). Joyful giving to others and joy in one’s good fortune, even in the midst of one’s own poverty and suffering, is the sign of having received God’s grace (cf. 1:24; 2:3; 6:10; 7:4, 7, 9, 13, 16). Though the Macedonians gave generously, the “wealth” that spilled over to others was not the amount that the Macedonians could give, but their joy in what God had done for them (cf. Mark 12:42–44; Phil. 4:4; 1 Thess. 1:6).
John MacArthur: The Macedonians rose above their trying circumstances. They did not allow their situation to have a negative effect on their giving. In the midst of their trials, they put the needs of others, whom they had never met, ahead of their own. Though their poverty may have limited the amount they could give, it did not diminish their love. Devout Christians give no matter what the situation, because even the worst circumstances cannot hinder their devotion to Jesus Christ. . .
Believers are not to base their giving on the Old Testament principle of tithing but on the example of the Lord Jesus Christ, who “though He was rich, yet for [their sakes] He became poor, so that [they] through His poverty might become rich” (2 Cor. 8:9).
- (3-4) Viewing Giving as a Privilege Motivates Sacrificial Giving Beyond One’s Ability
“For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability,
they gave of their own accord, begging us with much entreaty
for the favor of participation in the support of the saints,”
Voluntary giving without any compulsion must be the rule; here the compulsion is turned around so that the givers are begging for the privilege of participating.
David Garland: In making clear that the Macedonians responded “of their own accord,” Paul underscores that he did not constrain them in any way. They volunteered to participate and to give sacrificially. Since Paul encourages the Corinthians to give willingly, he may be referring to how the Macedonians gave. The Macedonians considered it a privilege to contribute. The word translated “privilege” is the same word “grace” in Greek that rings throughout these two chapters. They did not plea poverty to evade any obligation. They pled with Paul instead to allow them to join in this service. By contrast, Paul must plead with the more affluent Corinthians to follow through on their first pledge.
Paul gives the impression that he was taken aback by the Macedonians’ eagerness and generosity. They gave beyond their means and did so without Paul’s encouragement, let alone his insistence. If it comes from “grace,” then it cannot come from coercion. They gave beyond anything he anticipated because they gave of themselves.
John MacArthur: The privilege the Macedonians sought so eagerly was the favor of participation in the support of the saints. Favor translates charis, which is commonly translated “grace.” They literally begged for the blessing of helping to meet the needs of believers they had never met. They did so not out of a sense of obligation but out of the generosity of their transformed hearts.
Eric Mason: Giving Has Three Characteristics:
- “According to their ability” means they didn’t give emotionally
- Paul adds that some were giving “beyond their ability.” Why would he say that? Because there are times when the Spirit will tell you to give sacrificially. There are times when the Holy Spirit will prick your heart, and he will push you to give. And you’re thinking, “But God . . .” Give. Now, that’s not the preacher leaning on you real hard. God will lead you when you are presented with an opportunity.
- But then it says that they gave “of their own accord” (v. 3). That means they freely gave. Why is this important? Because these people were poor.
What was the spirit of their giving? The spirit of their giving was, Paul says, begging us “earnestly for the privilege of sharing in the ministry to the saints” (v. 4). . . In other words, they were saying, “I want in on this kingdom investment. When I look at the investment of that thing, I want to be able to say, eternally, that what I gave helped God’s work to increase.”
Mark Seifrid: In the eagerness of the Macedonians, the roles of apostle and church were reversed. Paul did not need to appeal to them to participate in the collection, for “with much encouragement” they petitioned him to be included in this effort. More precisely, they asked for “the grace and fellowship of the mission to the saints.” Paul again describes the collection as a “grace,” locating the love and kindness of giving within the gift given. He also recalls his opening word concerning the “grace of God” given to the Macedonians. The grace of God given produces the grace of giving in its recipients, without in any way diminishing its unconditioned priority.
C. (:5-6) The Execution of Giving
- (:5) Giving Must Be Preceded by Consecration
“and this, not as we had expected,
but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God.”
David Garland: “First” they gave themselves to the Lord. The “first” refers to the priority of importance, not to time. They also gave of themselves “to us,” which means they dedicated themselves to Paul’s project. He recognizes that the success of the project depends on the churches’ relationship to him. If they are not prepared to give themselves to him, they are unlikely to give to the relief fund. The enmity between Paul and the Corinthians has threatened to suspend their participation. The Macedonians’ eagerness to participate allows Paul to use them as a model for the Corinthians. In doing so he makes clear that this surprising turn of events stemmed entirely from their dedication to the Lord. Paul not only puts their generosity in the context of their Christian commitment but also subtly draws attention to their loyalty to him. Again, Paul leaves the Corinthians to draw the proper inferences for themselves. Generosity stems from devotion to Christ as their Lord. If they renege on their pledge, it raises the question if they have surrendered themselves first to the Lord. Paul implies that devotion to Christ will also issue in support for Christ’s apostle.
- (:6) Giving Must Be Completed as Intended
“So we urged Titus that as he had previously made a beginning,
so he would also complete in you, this gracious work as well.”
This provides a transition to the next major point – moving from the example of the Macedonian churches to the responsibility of the Corinthians.
Frank Matera: From a rhetorical point of view, this unit provides Paul with a shrewd way to broach the question of resuming the collection, and the example of the Macedonians provides the Corinthians with the necessary motivation to do so. But the theological point of view is the most important, inasmuch as it clarifies the meaning and significance of the collection. Participation in the collection is participation in God’s grace, for it is the grace of God that allows believers to be gracious to others, a point that Paul will make most clearly in 9:6–15.
II. (:7-11a) IT IS COMMENDABLE TO EXCEL IN THIS GRACIOUS WORK OF GIVING – CALL TO THE CORINTHIANS – THEIR DUTY TO CONSUMMATE THEIR GOOD INTENTIONS
Paul Barnett: A study of the letters to the Macedonians and the Corinthian churches reveals further striking characteristics. The Corinthians were quick to form factions, take one another to court and parade their spiritual gifts. They were slow to show consideration to their poor and weak members (1 Cor. 11:21). They tolerated, even boasted in, flagrant immorality on the part of some of their members (1 Cor. 5:2). When new ministers from Judea arrived, they quickly lost interest in Paul in favour of these more interesting new arrivals (11:4). Their selfishness and fickleness are written on every page of Paul’s letters to them. The Macedonians, however, though not without their difficulties, reveal themselves to have been more concerned and caring congregations. The Philippians sent Paul money for his ministry and, on one occasion, the gift of a personal companion. Paul is only once able to commend the Corinthians for showing love, and even then he is being somewhat charitable towards them (8:7). So lacking were they in love that it was necessary for Paul repeatedly to exhort the Corinthians to show love. By contrast, Paul commends the Macedonian churches for their loving behaviour. The Macedonians were full of love, and, in spite of their poverty, very generous. The Corinthians lacked both love and generosity. Perhaps it is significant that despite their esteem for ‘wisdom’ (1 Cor. 1:20) it was necessary for Paul to explain to the Corinthian churches at such great length the meaning of the grace of God and the death of Christ. Apparently they did not understand what it meant either to be loved or to show love.
A. (:7) Excelling in Giving Should be High on Your List of Priorities
“But just as you abound in everything, in faith and utterance and knowledge
and in all earnestness and in the love we inspired in you,
see that you abound in this gracious work also.”
R. Kent Hughes: Giving is a matter of grace from beginning to end. Christ gave himself for us. We receive his grace, and then we give ourselves to him and to others in his name. This response to grace includes giving what we have. That is how the Macedonians gave out of their poverty with great liberality. And that is how we give out of our affluence. It is the same.
B. (:8) Excelling in Giving Proves the Sincerity of Your Love
“I am not speaking this as a command,
but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity of your love also.”
Robert Hughes: [Paul] wanted proof of their sincerity (8:8). The Macedonians’ example should have prompted the readers to search their own hearts. Did they care about the poor? Were they earnest in their initial commitment, or did they just want to gain glory and, in the end, get by with giving as little as possible? Was anything like the Macedonians’ earnestness going on in the Corinthians’ hearts? But Paul’s motivation transcends mere competitive impulses. He now moves to the ultimate example of sacrificial giving.
Eric Mason: (:8-15) Main Idea: Jesus has generously given to us, so we should generously give to others.
- Generosity Isn’t Done under Pressure, but It Must Not Lack Commitment (8:8)
- Jesus Sets the Tone for Generosity (8:9).
- Generosity Counts on Follow-Through (8:10-12).
- Generosity Has a Reciprocal Effect (8:13-15).
C. (:9) Excelling in Giving Follows the Pattern of the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor,
that you through His poverty might become rich.”
John Piper: This is the grace of God that turns selfish people into joyful givers. The reason verse 9 should take away our selfishness and make us joyful and generous is that it takes away the only basis for selfishness. The basis for selfishness is the notion that giving less away and keeping more for ourselves will provide more happiness and fulfillment to our lives. But verse 9 shows that God’s purpose in sending His Son was to create joyful, loving, generous givers. Now if God values joyful, loving generosity so much as to give His beloved Son to create it in His people, then we can be absolutely assured that when we are more generous we will be more happy and more fulfilled because God is bound to work mightily for those whose behaviour he values so highly.
John MacArthur: As the eternal second person of the Trinity, Jesus is as rich as God the Father. To the Colossians Paul wrote, “For in Him [Jesus] all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form” (Col. 2:9), and “[Jesus] is the radiance of [God’s] glory and the exact representation of His nature” (Heb. 1:3). Arguments for Christ’s eternity and deity are inseparable. Since the Scriptures reveal Him to be eternal, and only God can be eternal, Jesus must be God. Therefore, He owns the universe and everything in it, possesses all power and authority (Matt. 28:18), and is to be glorified and honored (John 5:23; Phil. 2:9–11). . .
This verse is not a commentary on Jesus’ economic status or the material circumstances of His life. Fred B. Craddock notes, “The gospel can no more be equated with the financial poverty of Jesus than it can be equated with the pain he endured on the cross” (“The Poverty of Christ,” [Apr. 1968], 162). The Lord’s true impoverishment did not consist in the lowly circumstances in which He lived but in the reality that “although He existed in the form of God, [He] did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men” (Phil. 2:6–7). In reality, Jesus did not live His life in abject poverty:
As far as Jesus’ experience is concerned, it is true that Luke highlights the lowly circumstances of his birth, but this is not an indication of the poverty of the holy family, but rather of the overcrowded conditions in Bethlehem at the time of the census (Lk. 2:7). The offering that Mary made for her purification was that permitted to those who could not afford a lamb (Lk. 2:24; cf. Lv. 12:6–8), and this indicates the family were not well off. Jesus was known as “the carpenter, the son of Mary” (Mk. 6:3), and as a craftsman he would not be numbered among the abject poor. During his Galilean ministry he did remind a would-be disciple that “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head” (Lk. 9:58). However, this must not be taken to mean that as an itinerant preacher Jesus was continually in dire economic circumstances. The indications are that the costs of Jesus’ itinerant ministry and the support for his followers were provided by a number of well-off sympathizers who had been the recipients of his healing ministry (Lk. 8:1–3). In addition it was a custom among the Jews to provide hospitality for travelling preachers (cf. Mt. 10:9–13) and Jesus enjoyed such hospitality at a number of homes, and especially at that of Mary and Martha (Lk. 10:38–42; Jn. 12:1–3.). On the evidence, then, Jesus was no poorer than most first-century Palestinian Jews, and better off than some (e.g., those reduced to beggary). Indeed Jesus and his band of disciples had sufficient money to be able to provide help for those worse off than themselves (cf. Jn. 12:3–6; 13:27–29). (Colin Kruse, The Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, The Tyndale New Testament Commentaries [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995], 154)
The Lord did not make believers spiritually rich by becoming economically poor. Paul used the terms “rich” and “poor” in this verse in a spiritual sense, as he did when he described himself as “poor yet making many rich” (2 Cor. 6:10).
The Lord Jesus Christ became poor in His incarnation, when He was “born of a woman” (Gal. 4:4); “in the likeness of sinful flesh” (Rom. 8:3); “a descendant of David according to the flesh” (Rom. 1:3); and “made … for a little while lower than the angels” (Heb. 2:7, 9). He left heaven’s glory (John 17:5) and laid aside the free use of His divine prerogatives. In the most profound theological description of the Incarnation in Scripture Paul wrote that,
although [Jesus] existed in the form of God, [He] did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Phil. 2:6–11)
Though He existed eternally “in the form of God,” possessing all the riches of deity, Jesus “emptied Himself,” becoming poor by “taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.” He suffered human weaknesses and limitations, becoming hungry (Matt. 4:2; 21:18), thirsty (John 4:7; 19:28), and tired (Mark 4:38; John 4:6). In addition, He was “tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15). So completely did Jesus identify with His people as their faithful high priest that “He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death.” . . .
In the incarnation of Christ, the eternal God became poor by taking on human flesh and humbling Himself even to the point of death on the cross. By doing so, He defeated the powers of hell, accomplished the work of redemption God assigned Him, and gave His people the priceless riches of salvation.
Mark Seifrid: According to Paul, then, through the poverty of his incarnation, suffering, and death, Christ confers the riches of salvation, life, and righteousness. The “grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ” — the expression commonly appears in the prescripts and closing of Paul’s letters — is unqualified here, as it is elsewhere. Paul does not introduce it with a prior reference to the grace of God. It is not a “grace” that had to be sought, as with the Macedonians (vv. 1, 4). He speaks instead absolutely of “the grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ” and presents that “grace” as the gift of salvation. The grace of Christ is an absolute gift. Paul thus attributes to Christ the role of giving that is otherwise reserved for God alone. Indeed, the saving exchange of sin and righteousness that appears in 5:21 as an act of God in Christ appears here as Christ’s act of self-giving. Christ has taken our poverty upon himself and has given us his own riches. In so doing, Christ has acted as God.
These riches include all the earthly gifts of salvation, the charismata, which the Corinthians have misjudged and misappropriated. Paul began First Corinthians with thanksgiving to God for the way in which the church has been “made rich in [Christ Jesus],” so that they do not lack any gift as they await the revelation of Christ. Among these gifts is the gift of love and the grace of giving that Paul now urges upon the Corinthians. As we have noted, Paul here reminds the Corinthians of Christ, who is not merely an example of giving but the source of their new life and existence, which is characterized by giving and receiving. The Corinthians know the grace of Christ. For this reason, and not because of any virtue in them, Paul is confident that their love is genuine.
D. (:10) Excelling in Giving Works to Your Advantage
“And I give my opinion in this matter, for this is to your advantage, who were
the first to begin a year ago not only to do this, but also to desire to do it.”
Charles Swindoll: (:10-15) — Corinthians abounded “in everything” (8:7). They had faith, good teaching, knowledge, sincerity, and love. It seems they also were quite well off financially. Yet in the midst of their surplus, they struggled with focus. They had turned inward, consumed by their own internal problems: factions, false teachers, spiritual gifts, unrepentant sin. These things turned their attention from outward ministry to inward controversy. To realign them with their original God-given mission, Paul pointed to two examples of self-sacrificial giving: the Macedonian Christians who gave abundantly despite hardship and poverty (8:8) and Jesus Christ, who gave up all his heavenly riches to become poor in order to save us all (8:9). Now Paul seeks to overcome three common hindrances to giving:
- procrastination (8:10-11),
- hesitation (8:11-12), and
- exception (8:13-15).
Let’s consider how he addresses each of these.
First, procrastination plagued the Corinthians. Though the Corinthian congregation was the first church to commit to financial support, a year later it still had not followed through on that commitment (8:10-11). Procrastination involves intentionally and habitually putting off something that should be done. It’s not just forgetting; it’s forsaking. It is not merely being accidentally delayed; it is intentionally ignoring. The procrastinator’s favorite word is tomorrow. The Corinthians had fallen into that trap. Tomorrow became next week. Next week became next month. And now, a year later, they still had not followed through on their commitment. The decisive cure to the plague of procrastination is the second word of verse 11: now.
Second, hesitation paralyzed the Corinthians. Hesitation is sometimes motivated by uncertainty: “Should I give my money to this person or to somebody else?” “Should we give this amount to the church or that amount?” Sometimes hesitation is motivated by lack of readiness (8:11): “If I just wait a little longer I’ll have more to give.” “My financial situation is almost ready to absorb this kind of financial gift, but not yet.” Paul responds to these excuses (8:11-12). The Corinthians already had made a commitment to a particular cause: the support of the Jerusalem church. The church’s need had not improved during their delay. In all likelihood, it had grown worse. Paul’s point in 8:12 seems to be along the lines of the old adage “A bird in the hand is better than two in the bush.” Paul says to the Corinthians, essentially, “If you’re ready, you can do it. You can complete the project even if you don’t think you have the resources. Do what you can now without hesitation; don’t worry about what you can’t do.”
The third hindrance to the Corinthians’ giving was exception. The person hindered by this excuse says, “Since others have it easier financially than I do, I am not responsible. I’m an exception.” We can always find people better off than we are. Somebody always has a nicer car, a bigger home, a larger paycheck, more free time. If we simply pass the hot potato down the line, nobody will ever give anything to anybody. The Lord’s work will screech to a halt. The Corinthians likely thought others could foot the bill this time; they would catch the next opportunity when it came around.
Scott Hafemann: Paul’s argument is not one of simple expediency (i.e., it is better to finish what one has begun than not to do so), but another expression of his conviction that genuine faith perseveres. The Corinthians’ desire to give in the past cannot substitute for a lack of desire in the present. What began earlier, if it was genuine, must and will continue on as part of their restored faith.
It is also striking that the “not only … but also” comparison in 8:10 underscores the priority of one’s intention over one’s actions. Inasmuch as one can perform apparently loving acts that do not flow from love and are therefore worthless (cf. 1 Cor. 13), Paul’s stress is not on the action itself but on the desire that drives it. He calls the believers in Corinth back to the collection because he has every reason to believe that their initial desire to give was an expression of the love that is born of the Spirit (cf. Gal. 5:22). For what matters in the end is whether their act of giving is an act of grace toward others, like the incarnation of Christ, and whether it flows from God’s grace, like the giving of the Macedonians.
Robert Hughes: The two problems he deals with in this section (equality and cheerful giving) operate at the level of will and desire, not just fiscal ability. Verse 11 urges them to finish what they have begun. He only asked them to honor their promise within the limits of their ability. This leads into the discussion of equality.
E. (:11a) Just Do It! – Good Intentions are not Enough – You Must Consummate Your Giving
“But now finish doing it also; that just as there was the readiness to desire it,
so there may be also the completion of it”
David Garland: The only imperative in the chapter, “finish the task,” appears in 8:11 and expresses concisely what Paul expects to be the outcome of his writing to them. They were the first to get involved. Now they must stop their foot-dragging. Their delay in completing this undertaking not only causes their motivation to ebb but also calls into question their initial willingness. Seneca remarks that “a benefit . . . should not be given tardily, since, seeing that in every service the willingness of the giver counts for much, he who acts tardily has for a long time been unwilling” (On Benefits 1.1.8). “According to what you have” parallels the phrase in 8:3, “according to their ability.” Paul asks them only to give according to their means. They are not to go into debt or to become overburdened. His goal is not unreasonable. He is not trying to raise record amounts. His instructions in 1 Cor 16:2 to set aside a sum of money each week reveals that he knows he is dealing with many who have limited resources, and a significant amount can only be accumulated over time. Whatever they give generously, he assures them, is acceptable to God. God does not expect the widow’s mites, “all she had to live on” (Mark 12:44), but God does expect generosity without a begrudging spirit. What matters to God is only what is in the giver’s heart. In the Corinthians’ case the smallest gift is greater than the grandest intention that goes unfulfilled.
III. (:11b-15) THE RATIONALE FOR GIVING ACCORDING TO ONE’S ABILITY IS THE PRINCIPLE OF EQUALITY (NOT SHIFTING THE BURDEN TO YOURSELF) – FACTORS TO CONSIDER IN GIVING
A. (:11b) Willingness to Give Must be Consummated According to Your Ability
“that just as there was the readiness to desire it,
so there may be also the completion of it by your ability.”
B. (:12) Giving Evaluated Based on One’s Resources
“For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a man has,
not according to what he does not have.”
George Shillington: In this regard, the appeal of 8:12 contains three interlocking elements:
(1) right motivation stands as the condition of gift-giving (if the eagerness is there);
(2) motivation, on one side, determines the acceptability of the gift; and
(3) material means, on the other side, determines the acceptability of the gift.
A person or community may give in excess of the amount proper to their means, but such a gift is not necessary by common standards of gift-giving. The gift is acceptable according to what one has—not according to what one does not have (8:12b).
The gift of money to the saints is no less a sacrificial offering to God than any of the traditional Jewish sacrifices, and as such requires the rule of acceptability (Betz, 1985:66). Poor people offer small gifts; their gifts are acceptable. But when rich people offer small gifts, they are not acceptable (cf. Luke 12:47-48; Grundmann: 58-59). However forceful Paul’s argument for properly motivated proportional giving may be in this section (8:10-15), prescriptive legislation of amounts or percentages is noticeably absent.
C. (:13-15) Principle of Equality Applies to Mutual Giving – Not Shifting the Burden to Yourself
“For this is not for the ease of others and for your affliction, but by way of
equality – at this present time your abundance being a supply for their want,
that their abundance also may become a supply for your want, that there may be
equality; as it is written, ‘He who gathered much did not have too much, and he
who gathered little had no lack.’”
David Garland: This divine principle — no one has a surplus; no one has a shortage — was enforced by God in the time of the wilderness. Now it is voluntary, dependent on the working of God’s grace in the hearts of Christians. The principle governs Paul’s advice on handling money. He told the Corinthians earlier that they should not depend on their money but live independently of it (1 Cor 7:29–31). He warns believers to beware of greed (Rom 1:29; 1 Cor 6:10; 2 Cor 3:5; Eph 4:19; 5:3, 5; and 1 Tim 6:10) and to provide for those in need (Rom 12:13; 2 Cor 9:8; Gal 6:6–10; Eph 4:28; and 2 Thess 3:13). The most remarkable statement appears in Eph 4:28, that one should work so that one may have “something to share with anyone in need” (see 1 Thess 4:12). At the same time, he warns other believers not to take advantage of the generosity of their brothers and sisters (2 Thess 3:8–12).
Paul applies the divine principle of equity to sharing material gifts with the poor in Jerusalem. Hays concludes that Paul uses the story about the manna “to good effect in depicting the Corinthians’ material ‘abundance’ (2 Cor 8:14) as a superfluous store that could and should be made available to supply the ‘wants of the saints.’” God pours out grace on believers so that they can be generous. The sharing of material gifts, however, is also a sign of their spiritual equality. Paul therefore sees this project as the demonstration of an even greater divine principle that is creating a worldwide fellowship of people in Christ. Gentile and Jewish believers are joined together by their faith in Christ and their equal access to God’s grace. If they truly trust in God’s daily provision, then they should not hoard their material blessings. God provides (see Matt 6:25–32). If they should lack anything, they need not fret. God also provides other believers with abundance to offer help.
Robert Hughes: Paul defined equality as the flow from ability to need (8:14). The direction of this flow is temporal. At another time, Jerusalem might have had the ability and Corinth the need. Equality is not all having the same amount. It is having basic needs met by others’ ability. But how is ability defined? Paul spoke to the Corinthians of actual ability, what they could give without going into monetary ruin. Such ability is called “abundance” (twice in 8:14). In 8:14 the noun “abundance” answers to “abound” in 8:7. Abundant giving is caused by abundant spiritual presence. The Corinthians would recognize their ability to give by noting the amount they had that exceeded their basic needs. That would no doubt take them on a conscience-searching trip as each family tried to distinguish needs from wants. That was to be a weekly sojourn (1 Cor. 16:2).
Frank Matera: Paul concludes his appeal with a quotation from Exod 16:18, which occurs in the account of how God provided Israel with manna in the wilderness (Exod 16:1–36). Each day the Israelites gathered the manna, some gathering more, some less. Those who gathered more, however, did not have anything left over, and those who gathered less had no shortage of manna to eat. Paul draws upon this episode to remind the Corinthians that God provided for and established an “equality” among the Israelites of old. Consequently those who hoarded the manna did not have more than those who gathered only a little of it. Rather, all enjoyed the same abundance. Applied to the Corinthians, this means that hoarding their abundance will not assure that they will have more for themselves; for if they do not establish a balance among the churches, then God will.
Scott Hafemann: But whereas the equality in the “first Exodus” was established miraculously by God for the people because of their hard hearts (cf. Ex. 16:18, 28), now it is being established by the people themselves through their own Spirit-led sharing. While God supplied Israel’s physical needs with manna and quail but did not change their spiritual condition, under the new covenant God is meeting the spiritual needs of the Corinthians in order that they might meet the physical needs of others (cf. 2 Cor. 9:8–11). Paul’s expectation in 8:11 is thus one more expression of his confidence in the transforming power of the presence of God under the new covenant (cf. 3:3, 6, 18). For this reason, Paul leaves the amount of their giving up to the Corinthians, convinced that, as a new creation in Christ (5:17), the quantity of their giving will match the quality of their changed hearts (5:15).
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PREACHING CHRIST:
1) As the Lord of our life, Jesus Christ deserves our total consecration as the starting point for whatever steps of obedience we take in individual areas like giving.
2) What high price did Christ pay for the privilege of giving His riches to us? Is it really Christian giving if we do not feel any cost? Do we consider ourselves rich because of what Christ has provided for us?
3) How did Christ exemplify giving beyond His ability rather than just giving in accordance with His ability?
4) What is the current extent of Christ’s riches?