MAKING GOOD SENSE WITH OUR DOLLARS

2 CORINTHIANS 8:1-9

NASB

1 Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, 2 that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality. 3 For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord, 4 begging us with much urging for the favor [a]of participation in the [b]support of the [c]saints, 5 and this, not as we had [a]expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God. 6 So we urged Titus that as he had previously made a beginning, so he would also complete in you this gracious work as well.

7 But just as you abound in everything, in faith and utterance and knowledge and in all earnestness and in the [a]love we inspired in you, see that you abound in this gracious work also. 8 I am not speaking this as a command, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity of your love also. 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.

8:4 [a]Lit and  [b]Lit service to the saints  [c]Or holy ones  8:5 [a]Lit hoped  8:7 [a]Lit love from us in you; one early ms reads your love for us 

NLT

1 Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters,[*] what God in his kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia. 2 They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity.

3 For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will. 4 They begged us again and again for the privilege of sharing in the gift for the believers in Jerusalem.[*] 5 They even did more than we had hoped, for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do.

6 So we have urged Titus, who encouraged your giving in the first place, to return to you and encourage you to finish this ministry of giving. 7 Since you excel in so many ways —in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us[*] —I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving.

8 I am not commanding you to do this. But I am testing how genuine your love is by comparing it with the eagerness of the other churches.

9 You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.

[8:1] Greek brothers.   [8:4] Greek for God’s holy people.   [8:7] Some manuscripts read your love for us.  

The church in Jerusalem was in serious trouble, its very existence in doubt. By the time Paul wrote 2 Corinthians, the Jewish church in Jerusalem had already passed its twentieth birthday. During those two decades, the Jewish believers in Jesus had been increasingly ostracized, persecuted, arrested, tried, and shunned. Some were even boycotted, exiled, and executed. Their own countrymen, family members, and friends had turned against them. The prophecy Jesus had uttered prior to His death and resurrection was coming to pass before their very eyes:

Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to SET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; and A MAN’S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD. (Matt. 10:34-36)

In Jerusalem and Judea, most of the same Jewish authorities and institutions that had sent Jesus of Nazareth to the cross still held power. To be a follower of Jesus under that regime had moved from uncomfortable to excruciating. As a result of the persecution, many Jewish Christians had no work. Who would hire or purchase goods from a “heretic” Christian? Without work, they had no money. Without money, they had no food. And considering the church in Jerusalem had burgeoned considerably in its early years (Acts 2:41; 4:4), they had reached the brink of financial ruin. One commentator puts it this way: “They must have become, in consequence of their conversion, the victims of social and economic ostracism. . . . Their business enterprises must in most cases have collapsed in ruins and family bonds been heart-breakingly severed.”[141]

The Jerusalem church was hurting, and it broke Paul’s heart to think that the church where it all began could be facing its end. At that point God gave him a seed thought: “As you travel through these areas, take up a collection for the needs of that church in Jerusalem.” Paul mentions this “collection for the saints” of Jerusalem in 1 Corinthians 16:1, where he provided some general instructions on how the collection should be managed.

Now, in 2 Corinthians 8, Paul returns to that issue as the time for his arrival in Corinth draws near. Given the difficult bumps in the road in Paul’s relationship with the Corinthian church over the preceding months, he understandably felt some concern about whether they would be willing to fulfill their financial commitment before the Lord. He sensed their enthusiasm for the project had begun to wane. Having been cut off from the apostles and temporarily severed from other Christian churches because of the internal strife and influence of Judaizing false teachers, the Corinthians’ attention had been drawn inward. As a result, they had lost their outward focus. To help renew their faithfulness and encourage their outward vision, Paul sets before their minds’ eye two examples of self-sacrificial giving: the Macedonians (8:1-5) and Jesus Christ (8:9). Between these two examples, Paul sandwiches his exhortation to the Corinthians (8:6-8).

— 8:1-5 —

Paul begins by addressing the “brethren,” that is, fellow Christians. This may seem insignificant, but we should keep in mind that the ministry of giving is a ministry of believers. God does not ask pagans to support His work; it is the responsibility of the family of God. Therefore, Paul initially reminds them of their status as “brethren” who are to live as members of an extended family with bonds that extend beyond their local church.

Paul then draws attention away from their own affluent circumstances in Corinth to the financially destitute churches in Macedonia, likely the churches in Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea (Acts 16:11–17:13). His purpose, however, was not to add more needy churches to the charity list, but to show that even in the midst of their “deep poverty,” those churches “overflowed” in their joyful generosity (2 Cor. 8:1-2).

Map of the area around the Aegean Sea

In 2 Corinthians 8:1-5, Paul is probably referring to the churches in the Macedonian cities on this map. Paul encouraged the church in Corinth to give like these churches did, who gave in spite of very limited resources.

Generally speaking, we would assume that an outpouring of charitable giving would come from wealthy churches that could afford a generous philanthropic gesture. Yet Paul employs a common Jewish (as well as Greco-Roman) type of argument, called in Hebrew qal wahomer and in Latin a minore ad maius. We call it “from the lesser to the greater.” His point is quite clear and compelling: If the poor and destitute churches in the region of Macedonia can give above and beyond their means to fulfill their financial commitment (the lesser), how much more should the affluent church in Corinth be able to fulfill theirs (the greater).

GODLY GENEROSITY

Paul never uses the word “money” in 2 Corinthians 8–9. Instead, he uses a number of other descriptive terms to refer to financial gifts or the act of giving:

We don’t know all of the details of the Macedonians’ financial plight, but we do know from ancient historical records that “poverty was a way of life in Macedonia generally.”[142] In addition to this general economic malaise, “the Macedonian Christians had recently been subjected to considerable persecution which had tested their faith.”[143] Nevertheless, in the midst of their poverty and affliction, they gave their financial contributions with an “abundance of joy” (2 Cor. 8:2).

Paul adds yet another dimension to their giving. They gave voluntarily: “of their own accord” (8:3). The Greek word for “accord” (authairetos [830]) is used in the entire New Testament only here and in 2 Corinthians 8:17. It comes from two Greek words for “self” and “choice,” referring to a purely voluntary, free-will decision to commit oneself to a particular course of action. The Macedonians gave spontaneously, with no prompting or pressure. No compulsion. No guilt trips. In fact, they even pleaded with Paul and Titus to take their money (8:4).

What prompted such enthusiasm to meet the needs of people they had never met, even if it meant self-sacrifice? Simple: they saw this as a ministry opportunity, a “favor of participation” (8:4). The Greek word translated “favor” is charis [5485], which actually means “grace.” The Macedonians didn’t see helping needy believers as a laborious hardship but as a grace-based privilege. Because they had received the unmerited grace of God (8:1), this attitude of grace overflowed toward others, manifesting itself in a commitment to give graciously even when it hurt. This is grace-giving at its finest. Because they had first given themselves to the Lord in response to the grace of salvation received from Him, the decision to give sacrificially to the cause of supporting the suffering believers in Jerusalem came easily (8:5).

When we give ourselves without reluctance or reservation to the Lord, then giving our time, talents, or treasures comes naturally. We do not have to be convinced, manipulated, or coerced. We give freely, with an open heart and an open hand. On the other hand, when we find ourselves tightfisted and unwilling to give freely, the problem runs deeper than the balance in our checking account or our cash flow. The problem of selfishness is not financial but spiritual.

— 8:6-8 —

In light of the startling example of the Macedonians’ generosity, Paul turns to the Corinthians. Unlike the Macedonians, who were being ground under the heel of persecution and economic distress, the Corinthians flourished in financial freedom. They had the ability to complete the work they had started a year earlier. The question at hand was not ability, but willingness. Would they, like the Macedonians, fulfill the promise they had made and “complete . . . this gracious work as well” (8:6)?

Because the Corinthians already had made a pledge of participation (1 Cor. 16:1-2), Paul felt the freedom to hold them to it. They needed to be held responsible. He reminds them of their own abundance (in contrast to the Macedonian poverty). In fact, the Corinthians “abound in everything,” not merely financial prosperity, but in faith, speech, knowledge, sincerity, and love (2 Cor. 8:7). They had it all! In his previous letter, Paul noted that they were “not lacking in any gift” (1 Cor. 1:7). Clearly Corinth had both the means and the spiritual motivation to accomplish the task before them. The question was whether they had the discipline and maturity to follow through on their commitment in the midst of their internal conflict.

Paul’s reminder could be misconstrued as manipulation. He points out that this is not “a command,” but merely an attempt to encourage them to hold up their end of the project, using the example of the Macedonians (2 Cor. 8:8). Paul didn’t berate the church by barking orders. He never shamed them. Rather, he appealed to them to rekindle the dormant embers of their love. He graciously drew their attention away from their inward focus to the outward needs, from their self-centered nit-picking to other-centered ministry.

— 8:9 —

We can find no better example of gracious giving than Jesus Christ. Paul calls this “the grace of our Lord,” using the word “grace” for the fifth time in this section (8:1, 4, 6, 7). Paul’s whole argument in favor of giving rests on a firm New Testament theology of grace. The implication is that all giving should come from a context of grace, not guilt; from love, not compulsion.

Don’t miss the contrast between the illustration of the Macedonians and Christ. Though the Macedonians were poor, they gave as if they were rich. Though Jesus was rich, He lived like He was poor (8:9). Both of these acted out of grace —giving sacrificially of themselves for the sake of others. Acknowledging what the Macedonians had already done, Paul exhorts the Corinthians to follow the example of Jesus Christ, most beautifully illustrated in Philippians 2:5-8:

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, 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.

APPLICATION: 2 CORINTHIANS 8:1-9

God Owns It All

An old farmer owned a cow that gave birth to twin calves. That afternoon at lunch, the farmer felt delighted to tell his wife, “Ol’ Bessy had twins today. Twins! You know, honey, we only expected one calf, but the Lord blessed us with two. So we’re gonna give one of those calves to the Lord and we’re gonna keep one for ourselves. That’s the way it ought to be.”

So that farmer made a commitment to his wife that 50 percent of his blessing would go to feed the poor or be sold and the proceeds given to the church. How thrilled both of them were to be able to provide for others out of their abundance!

A couple of days later, however, the farmer’s demeanor fell from joyful to somber. During lunch, he appeared deep in thought as he pushed his food around his plate and sighed heavily. After several minutes of silence, his wife finally asked him what was wrong.

“Well, I have some bad news. I was in the barn this morning and discovered that the Lord’s calf died.”

That poor old farmer meant well, I’m sure. But his choice was shortsighted. I wish I could step onto that fictional farm, sit down with that man and his wife, and share with him four simple, single-syllable words that could have turned a humorous anecdote of human nature into a moving illustration of Christlike giving. The four words aren’t original with me,[144] and quite frankly they don’t sound all that profound. But I have never come across four words in all my studies that can better put our possessions in perspective. Here they are: God Owns It All.

Look closely at the following verses. Memorize them. Meditate on them.

In short, everything we have is on loan from Him. God owns it all.

John Wesley put it this way: “When the Possessor of heaven and earth brought you into being, and placed you in this world, he placed you here not as a proprietor, but a steward.”[145] Stewardship means managing God’s treasures in God’s way, for God’s purposes, and always for God’s glory. So, it is pleasing to Him when we live our lives with open hands. We accept what He entrusts to us only as stewards, never as owners.

Paul instructed Timothy: “We have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either” (1 Tim. 6:7). We dare not think of gripping the things He entrusts to us during this brief span of time between our birth and our death. We must hold everything loosely. We simply maintain the treasures He entrusts to us, investing them wisely but never forgetting that anytime He wants to remove those things from us, it is His sovereign right. That time may be in the middle of our lives when we feel the most prosperous. It may be early in our lives when we think we have earned the right to make a lot and to spend a lot. It may be later in life when the nest egg is broken and we have little to look forward to except an empty nest.

God owns it all. You will never be in financial trouble if you remember those four words. They will revolutionize your thinking on finances. I wish “God owns it all” could appear on every checkbook, every pocketbook, every income tax return, every stock transaction, every credit card, every home mortgage, every car title, every real estate contract, and every business deal. I wish all the stuff in our homes —including our houses —were stamped with that reminder in bold letters.

Why don’t you consider doing something like this as a reminder? Find a conspicuous place where you pay your bills or regularly plan your finances. Maybe at your desk, your computer, or in your office. Write down those four words: “God owns it all.” Post them where you’ll continually be reminded of this truth. Then make the decision to live by it for the rest of your days.