Section III The Grace of Christian Giving
Paul’s attention now turns to the collection which he organized among his missionary churches in Galatia, Achaia, and Macedonia (see map 1) for the relief of the Jerusalem Christian community (cf. Rom. 15:22-28; I Cor. 16:1-4). This offering appears to have been very significant in Paul’s apostolic ministry, for he persisted in its personal delivery in spite of the dangers he knew awaited him in Jerusalem (Acts 20:3, 23; 21:4, 10-15; Rom. 15:30-32). Further, it was accompanied by a delegation (8:16-24; Acts 20:4; I Cor. 16:3) that far outweighed the size of the offering, judging by the poverty of the churches from which it came. The theological significance of the collection has been summed up as
(1) an act of Christian charity among fellow believers motivated by the love of Christ; (2) an act expressing the solidarity of the Christian fellowship by presenting irrefutable evidence that God was calling the Gentiles to faith; (3) an eschatological pilgrimage of the Gentile Christians to Jerusalem by which the Jews were to be confronted with the undeniable reality of the divine gift of saving grace to the Gentiles and thereby be themselves moved through jealousy to finally accept the gospel.1
This collection project was in continuity with the OT covenant ethic (Lev. 19:17-18 and Mic. 6:8) and the charity of Judaism2 (Matt. 6:2; Acts 3:2). It was also in agreement with Jesus’ teaching on assistance to the poor (Matt. 5:42; 6:2; 25:43-46; Mark 10:21; Luke 19:2-9; John 13:29). This teaching, along with the nature of the inner disciple relationship (Matt. 20:24-25; Mark 10:42-45; Luke 22:24-27), came to striking fruition in the “all things common” spirit and action of the earliest church (Acts 2:44; 4:32; cf. 6:1-8). Such spontaneous brotherly love, effected by a new relation to God through the Holy Spirit, was kept by Paul at the heart of the Christian ethic (Rom. 12:8-13; 13:8-10; Gal. 6:6; Phil. 4:14-17). For him, “concern for the needs of a Christian brother was a direct expression of the peculiar organic fellowship which Christians enjoyed ‘in Christ’“3 (Rom. 5:5).
An offering raised among the Gentile churches for Jewish Christians—“the poor saints which are at Jerusalem” (Rom. 15: 16)—would testify to the solidarity of the Church as “one body in Christ” (Rom. 5:5; I Cor. 10:17; 12:12-27; Gal. 3:28). If the Gentiles who have shared in the spiritual blessings of the Jews sense an obligation to be of service to them in material blessings (Rom. 15:26-29), the Jews will be moved to glorify God (9:12-41) for the genuineness of the Gentiles’ faith in Christ. They will see the reality of the bond of fellowship between them as equally privileged members of the body of Christ.4 Paul asked the Romans to pray with him that the offering would be accepted in this spirit (Rom. 15:30-31). He knew that if the Jerusalem church refused such a service they would be denying the lordship of Christ over the Church (cf. I Cor. 1:13; 10:17; 11:29; 12:27).5
As the anticipation of Christian eschatology, the collection project was bound up with Paul’s desire for the conversion of Israel (Rom. 9:1-5). The dominant view of the OT was that Israel would first be restored to the divinely intended relationship and then God through them would call the Gentiles to salvation on an equality with the Jews. Jesus, in opposition to Judaism, which would subject the Gentiles to Israel in the scheme of salvation, revitalized the OT position.6 Paul, faced with the problem of the conversion of the Gentiles and the unbelief of Israel in relation to the gospel, saw the order of redemption reversed for an unbelieving Israel (Romans 9—11). He saw the Gentile Christians as authentically the new Israel (Rom. 9:6-11; 15:15-19), which was now to be the instrument of God for the salvation of Israel according to the flesh (Rom. 11:11-24).
The offering and the witness of the Gentile delegates would be concrete evidence that salvation had come to the Gentiles (9:10) and would, Paul hoped, provoke the Jews to jealousy, so that God might save some (Rom. 11:11-14). The delegates from the churches would be going to Jerusalem as a sign of the Gentiles’ thank offering and the nations’ pilgrimage to Zion in fulfillment of prophecy (Isa. 2:2-4; 60:5-12).7 According to Hahn, “Paul sees himself, as an apostle to the Gentiles, called at least indirectly to the service of Israel. This expectation of Paul’s was not fulfilled; the Jews did not open their minds to the gospel, but used this journey of Paul and his Gentile Christian delegation as an opportunity to take him prisoner.”8
A. PAUL COLLECTS AN OFFERING, 8:1-15
When Paul’s mission to the Gentiles had been recognized by the pillar apostles in Jerusalem as of equal validity with theirs to the Jews, he had been given “the right hands of fellowship” (koinonias) and asked only to “remember the poor” (Gal. 2: 9-10). Because of a famine in Jerusalem, Paul had already, along with Barnabas, brought a relief contribution from Antioch to Jerusalem. This was either before or at the time of the visit for the Jerusalem conference (Acts 15:1-31; Gal. 2:1-10).9 Now on his third journey Paul undertakes a much more widespread offering occasioned, though not solely motivated, by the need among the Christians in Judea. Probable factors in their condition of poverty were (1) the continuing results of the famine, (2) economic persecution, (3) very few rich and many poor in the composition of the church, and (4) their dissipation of what capital resources they possessed.
At least a year prior to the writing of this Epistle, Paul had asked the Corinthians to contribute to the offering week by week and to have delegates ready to accompany him to deliver the offering (I Cor. 16:1-4). Due to the difficulty between them, the church had not much more than made a start (8:10; 9:2), so he seeks to reactivate the project among them.
In what has been called “A Philosophy of Christian Giving,” Paul first bases his appeal (1) On “the grace of partaking in the ministry to the saints,” 8:3;10 (2) On the example of other churches, 1-7; and (3) On the example of their mutual Lord, 8-15.
1. The Liberality of the Macedonians (8:1-7)
Delicately the apostle moves to the touchy subject of money. His perspective is that of grace (charis, vv. 1, 4, 6, 7; cf. 9, 16, 19; 9:8, 14, 15). The churches in Philippi, Thessalonica, and Beroea had been highly motivated in their giving and so ought the Corinthians to be. We do you to wit (1) is, “We must inform you” (KJV, marg.).
Paul wants the brethren in Corinth to know the nature of the grace of God which has been given to the churches of Macedonia. This grace or free favor of God in Christ to men (8:9; Rom. 3:24) is the heart of Paul’s theology from which all else flows. The Macedonian response to divine grace was such that in the midst of severe trial (testing) of affliction (Phil. 1:29; I Thess. 1:6-7; 2:14; II Thess. 1:4-10) the abundance of their joy and “their down-to-depth poverty”11 “overflowed in the wealth of their liberality” (2, NASB). This was a kind of paradox of grace (cf. v. 9). Under persecution and in poverty grace had produced in the Macedonians “two of the loveliest flowers of the Christian character, joy and liberality.”12 Liberality (haplotetos, simplicity, sincerity13) refers here, not to the size of their contribution, but to the attitude of concern which prompted their participation (cf. 9:11, 13; Rom. 12:8). It was their uncalculating spirit of generosity, as vv. 3-5 indicate. Here was unquestionable evidence of the genuineness of grace and of their likeness to Christ (v. 9; cf. Mark 12:41-44).
The liberality of the Macedonians was evidenced in three ways (3-5). These verses are one sentence in the original: “For in accordance with their ability, I testify, indeed, contrary to their ability, of their own accord, with much entreaty beseeching of us the favour, namely, fellowship in the ministry to the saints, and not just as we had expected, but they gave their own selves first to the Lord and to us by the will of God.”14
The verb gave (5) governs the whole sentence. First they gave beyond the limits of the normal precautions for their own necessities of life, and they did it “of their own free will” (RSV). Although the apostle had asked them for the gift, he had not pressured them. Second, they had themselves earnestly begged Paul for the favor15 of fellowship (participation, koinonian) in the ministry to the saints (cf. 1:1). Paul’s use of koinonia for the collection is significant (cf. 9:13; Rom. 12:13; 15:26-27; Gal. 6:6; Phil. 4:15). Implied in the use of this expression is the common participation in the resurrection life of Christ which constitutes the Christian community (cf. 13:14; Acts 2:42; I Cor. 1:9; 10:16; Phil. 1:5; 3:10; Philem. 6; I John 1:3-7).16 As applied to the offering, the term would indicate not only a common participation in the offering, but a deeper relationship “in Christ” of which taking part in the offering is an essential expression. Added to this short line of spiritually significant words (charts, koinonia) with which Paul describes the collection is the ministering (tes diakonias; cf. Acts 6:1-5; 11:29; 12:25). This was Paul’s favorite designation for his own ministry (3:6; 4:1; 5:18; 6:3-4; 11:8, 23; cf. Mark 10:43-45). By ministering (diakonia) he was regarding the collection “as an essential act of Christian fellowship fulfilled in the service of the Lord”17 (cf. 9:1, 12).
The third evidence of Macedonian liberality was that, more than Paul had hoped or expected, they first gave their own selves to the Lord and then had put themselves at Paul’s disposal. Their spontaneous response to the offering was a direct result of their commitment to Christ. This was according to the will of God as it is made known in the grace of God in Christ (v. 1; cf. v. 9). This was as it ought to be.
The appeal to the Corinthians (6-7) is twofold. As a consequence of the liberality of the Macedonians, Paul encouraged Titus to complete in the Corinthians the same grace (gift, charis) also—“this gracious work as well” (NASB). Titus had begun the collection possibly with the delivery either of I Corinthians (cf. 16:1-4) or “the sorrowful letter” (2:3-10). Paul has now applied charis directly to the offering itself. He never uses the ordinary word for “collection” in this letter, as he had in the first (16:1). Strachan suggests, he “uses all the resources of language to dispel any merely commercial atmosphere.”18
But a stronger reason why the Corinthians should respond is that they too are abundantly supplied with the gifts of divine grace (9:14; I Cor. 1:4-5; cf. cc. 12—14). Listed are faith (I Cor. 12:9; 13:2), utterance (I Cor. 1:5; 12:10), knowledge (I Cor. 1:5; 12:8), and all diligence. This diligence (“earnestness,” RSV) is probably not one of the Corinthian charismatic gifts as the former three, but a moral quality which has been renewed among them (7:11); it is one that should characterize all Christians. The last characteristic of grace is your love to us. According to the preferred reading in the MSS it should be “the love from us which is in you,” i.e., “the love we inspired in you” (NASB). Paul’s open affection to them had found its answer in their own hearts (6:13; 7:2-7). Love for one another as members of the body of Christ had not been one of the most cultivated gifts among the Corinthians (I Cor. 8:1; 13:1). Paul’s boast was that they abounded in every thing, so certainly they will abound in this grace also.
If one includes the use of charis in 9 and 19, it can be observed with Nickle that grace as applied to the collection was, first, “the divine gift which made genuine Christian participation possible” (8:1-6; 9:8, 14-15). Second, incorporated in the collection, grace was a “direct expression of Christian brotherly fellowship” (8:4, 7) and “an integral component of Paul’s ministry, stimulated and justified by the example of the grace of Christ” (8:9, 19; cf. 9:1).19
2. The Challenge of the Liberality of Christ (8:8-15)
The challenge to the Corinthians to complete the offering continues. The manner in which Paul seeks to motivate them is thoroughly Christian. Hughes speaks of Paul’s “affectionate diplomacy.”20
Although he had the right by virtue of his authority as an apostle (1:1), Paul does not enforce the offering by commandment (8). That would contradict its nature as a gift of love. Rather he is using the forwardness (lit., earnestness; cf. v. 7; 7:11-13) of the Macedonians to prove (put to the test) the sincerity of the love of the Corinthians. “Genuine” love (RSV) is love in action.
Paul does not need to dictate, for he can crown all other incentives (7-8) with appeal to the ethic of the Incarnation (9). In James Stewart’s words, this is using “a sledgehammer to crack a nut!”21 The “grace of God” (1) is now defined in our Lord Jesus Christ. The Corinthians know that for their sakes22 the One who was rich in preexistent splendor (John 1:1-5; 10:30; 17:5; Col. 1:15-17; Heb. 1:3) became poor23 (cf. Matt. 8:20). Bruce’s translation of Phil. 2:6-8 sharpens this radical contrast:
Though He existed in the form of God,
He did not exploit equality with God for His own advantage,
But emptied Himself and took the form of a slave,
Appearing in the likeness of men.
And thus appearing in human shape,
He humbled Himself and became obedient”
Obedient to the hour of death,
Even death upon a cross.24
Our Lord descended from the height of riches to the depth of poverty. And this was not just a general display of the essence of divine grace. It was a personal example to the Corinthians that they through his poverty might be rich (cf. I Cor. 1:5). Such grace, likewise at the heart of Paul’s own ministry (6:10), should certainly be adequate to motivate the Corinthians. Only Christ’s love could truly make man’s love genuine in such a project. Paul knew of no distinction between dogma and ethic; for him the most difficult doctrines of all, the Incarnation and the atonement, belonged at the heart of the practical ethic of every Christian. The center of our faith must be applied to its every circumference or we are unfaithful servants.
Thus Paul needs only to give advice, for his counsel is in the best interest of the Corinthians. A year ago (I Cor. 16:1-4) they “began not only to do but to desire” (RSV) to perform that which there was a readiness to will (10-11). Forward would be “willing” (KJV, marg.). They should now complete the offering, in order that their original enthusiasm of which Paul had boasted to the Macedonians (9:2-5) might be proved by their performance also out of their ability. They were not asked to give as the Macedonians, “beyond their power.” If a willing mind (12) is present, their contribution is acceptable (cf. 6:2; Rom. 15:16, 31; I Pet. 2:5). God judges according to what a man has, not according to that he hath not (cf. Mark 12:43-44). It is not the size of the offering that counts, but the sense of stewardship from which it actually comes. The amount is determined not so much by a certain proportion of what a man has, but according to the measure of his grace.
The intent of the offering was not to ease others to the impoverishment of the Corinthians (13-14). The principle is that of equality. One section of the Church was not to burden itself for the luxury or indolence of another section (II Thess. 3:10). But the Corinthians in this time of their abundance were to supply the want of the Jerusalem Christians. The time might come when the positions would be reversed and they would be the ones in want. The equality has as its object “the relief of want, not an artificial equalization of property.”25
This mutual reciprocity of resources which expresses the true nature of the Church, Paul illustrates by the daily gathering of the manna in the wilderness by the Israelites: He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack (15; Exod. 16:18). All wealth is as manna from the Lord, intended not for intemperance and luxury but for the relief of the necessities of the brethren.26 Wealth enjoyed at the expense of those in want soon corrupts like hoarded manna and leads to inequalities that are contrary to the nature of the Christian community. There is probably no place for elegance in the fellowship of the Church; it is certain that there is no room for hunger and nakedness that can be relieved (cf. Prov. 3:27-28; Matt. 25:31-46; Acts 4:34). Hanson refers here to the “self-adjusting love of Christ in His members which supplies the need of each without deficiency or embarrassment.”27
“The Criteria of Christian Giving” that Paul applied in these verses include: (1) The magnitude of the grace of Christ, 1-9; (2) The extent of material blessing, 10-12; and (3) The measure of the needs of the body of Christ, 13-15.
B. PAUL CHOOSES MESSENGERS, 8:16—9:15
The spiritual nature of the offering continues to be emphasized in the apostle’s appeal to “the grace of partaking in the ministry to the saints” (8:4, lit.). However, the basis of his request to the Corinthians now moves to include the safeguards surrounding the collection (8:16-25) and the results of the gift for both the givers and the recipients (9:1-15).
1. The Recommendation of Titus (8:16-24)
Three men were sent to collect the offering in Corinth. These verses constitute a letter of commendation (cf. 3:1) for Titus and the two “brothers” who are to safeguard the integrity of the offering.
Paul gives thanks (charis) for the way in which God has used Titus in relation to the church at Corinth (16-17; cf. 2:13; 7:6, 13-16). Even at the time of writing He is graciously putting28 the same earnest care into Titus’ heart for the Corinthians as Paul had. Titus’ concern in coming is far more than just the material needs of the Jerusalem poor. His Spirit-motivated care is such that he accepted (actually “welcomes,” epistolary aorist) the exhortation (appeal) of Paul. In fact, he went (“is going,” epistolary aorist) actually of his own accord (cf. 3).
The brother (18) whom Paul sent (“is sending,” epistolary aorist) with Titus is one already famous in the work of the gospel throughout all the churches. Further, he has been chosen (19)29 by the Macedonian (?) churches to accompany them in30 this grace (charts, cf. 6-7), which is being administered … to the glory of the … Lord himself. Generous giving manifests the very glory of God (cf. 9). All of these arrangements show the ready mind of Paul and his fellow workers in the matter (cf. Gal. 2:10). The best attested reading is “our” rather than your; a scribe could have made the substitution in the light of 8:11 and 9:2.
The identification of the brother is problematic. Luke has most frequently had this honor in the minds of exegetes but the reasons are far from conclusive.31 Nickle, interpreting the churches (19) as the churches of Judea, identifies the two brethren respectively as “Judas surnamed Barnabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren” (Acts 15:22). He feels that these men, appointed to carry the apostolic decree to the Gentile churches, were also selected to assist with the collection among the Gentiles.32 This identification is plausible, but again far from certain.
When it came to money, Paul was extremely cautious (20-21). He shared with others the responsibility of its being administered (diakonoumene) in order that no man should blame (or “discredit,” NASB; cf. 6:3) us in this abundance. The abundance (“liberal gift,” RSV) implies that Paul expected their giving to be generous. He thus is indirectly motivating them not to disappoint his expectations. The ASV translates 21, “For we take thought33 for things honourable not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men” (cf. 4:1). This verse indicates that Paul recognized the importance not only of being honest, but also of appearing honest before men. Hodge comments that “it is a foolish pride which leads to a disregard of public opinion.”34 Paul’s language reflects Prov. 3:4, which, as Nickle points out, “was used to justify the elaborate care exercised at the appropriation from the Temple treasury.”35 The care which Paul was taking may have been due in part to criticism from some in Corinth (cf. 12:16-18).
The second delegate, our brother (22), who was to accompany Titus to Corinth, Paul had “often tested and found diligent in many things” (NASB). This brother was now all the more diligent36 in the face of his assignment in Corinth, due to the great confidence he had in the Corinthians. Although the Greek does not specify, the confidence is more naturally the envoy’s (cf. marg. reading; also RSV, ASV, NASB) rather than Paul’s, as in KJV.
Titus (23) the apostle can commend as his full partner (koinonos)37 in the gospel ministry. He had shared with Paul in his work in the service of the Corinthians. As for the brethren, they are the messengers (lit., apostles) of the churches—ones who come with the full authority of those who have commissioned them (cf. 5:20; Phil. 2:25).38 Further, to those who would raise a question, Paul presents them as the glory of Christ, men in whose ministry the light of the gospel shines out (cf. 3:4-11; 4:4, 6; 8:19; 9:13). They are men who are “a credit to Christ” (Bruce).
The Corinthians should therefore demonstrate to these messengers the proof (24) both of their love (cf. 8) and of Paul’s reason for boasting about them (cf. 9:2). This consideration is to be shown before the churches (lit., “in the face of the churches”). Plummer suggests, “as if the congregations to which they belong were present,”39 for the delegates will report back to their respective churches.
Paul has encouraged the Corinthians to full participation in the offering (1) by his handling of the project in a manner which leaves no room for suspicion. This he did (2) by delegating a share of the responsibility for the collection and its oversight to others, (3) to spiritual men duly qualified to adequately represent Paul and the churches who sent them.
2. The Sending of the Brethren (9:1-5)
These verses are not a misplaced fragment, for the connection in thought is close with the preceding verses.40 The apostle here intensifies the urgency of his appeal to the Corinthians to complete the offering.
It is superfluous (1) for Paul to write more about the ministering to the saints (cf. 8:4); what they need is to get on with the project. He is aware of their willingness—forwardness of your mind (2)—for he boasts continually to the Macedonians that Achaia (Corinth) was ready a year ago (cf. 8:10-11). The tense (perfect) implies only that the beginning was made. The result was that the Corinthians’zeal had provoked (stirred up) “most of them” (RSV).
So Paul is sending (epistolary aorist) the brethren (3) that his boasting of the Corinthians should “not be made empty in this case” (NASB); that is, that their completion of the offering would bear out what he had been saying about them. Again his reference is to the preparation that had been made a year ago (2).41 If some Macedonians come with (4) Paul on the heels of Titus and the two brethren,42 there is danger that they might find the Corinthians unprepared. If so, Paul and his companions—to say nothing of the Corinthians—would be put to shame by their supposition43 or confidence in the church.
Prudently (cf. 8:20-21) Paul has exhorted the brethren (5) to go on ahead and arrange beforehand for the bounty (eulogia, gift of blessing) which had been promised.44 The apostle wanted the offering to be ready as indeed a “blessing” and “not as something grudgingly parted with” (Bruce, cf. 7). Covetousness (pleonexia) is the opposite of bounty (eulogia). Because of the character of its purpose and the quality of the motives behind it, Paul, with a play on words from I Cor. 16:1 (logia, collection), now labels it eu-logia, a “really fine collection” which will be a blessing.45 The term ordinarily reflects the relationship between man and God (cf. Eph. 1:3). Here it relates to motivation, for “only if their participation was a free act of Christian love could their gift be a vehicle for the blessings of God.”46 This is the thought that is developed in the next section.
Paul sought to insure the appropriate response to the mission of the brethren (1) by reminding the Corinthians that he had staked the integrity of his word on their performance, 1-4; and (2) by the use of language that highlights the spiritual character of the undertaking, 5.
3. The Blessings of Liberality (9:6-15)
The theme touched on in the last clause of v. 5 is now expanded to show how giving, when done in the proper spirit, can be a fountain of blessing to all concerned—to others, to God, and to ourselves.
The apostle first explains that the Christian giver is “one who sows.” There is no fear of destitution in giving, for “to give is to sow,” and to sow is to expect a harvest. The world enriches itself by depriving others; the Christian enriches himself by giving to others. In one of his contrasting expressions (cf. 2:16; 4:3; 6:8; 10:11-12; 13:3) Paul suggests that there are two ways of sowing”sparingly and bountifully (6)—with the appropriate harvests. “One man gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. A liberal man will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered” (Prov. 11:24-25, RSV; cf. 19:17; Gal. 6:7-10). He who sows bountifully (ep eulogias) sows “on the principle of blessings,”47 and on this basis he reaps. The idea of blessings is the principle of Christian stewardship (cf. Luke 6:38).
Consistent with this principle is another. Each man (7) is to give only as he has freely decided in his heart ahead of time48 (8:3; cf. Acts 4:32). Giving is not to be done grudgingly (lit., from grief) or of necessity (compulsion). Giving that is motivated primarily by external compulsion is done with pain and regret. Such giving cannot be reconciled with the mind of Christ (cf. I Cor. 2:16; Phil. 2:5). It is the cheerful giver that God loves (Prov. 22:8, LXX). The Greek puts the emphasis on cheerful (hilaron) and on God. It is from hilaron that we get our word “hilarious.” This verse implies that tithing merely as a legalistic duty is sub-Christian. Christian giving is adequately motivated—giving that stems from grace (8:1; 9:8) and aims at blessing.
God is able (8) to furnish both the motivation and the means for generous giving. The big word is grace, the concept that underlies Paul’s entire treatment of the collection.49 It is every grace that God is able … to make … abound. Thus the Christian in everything with every sufficiency … may abound to every good work.50 The term sufficiency or “self-sufficiency” is the ability to be independent of external circumstances in the sense that one can view what he has as sufficient for his needs. The man who has the grace to get along with less has more for others. God by His gifts of divine grace can supply all that a man needs—spiritual and material—to be a blessing to others. God’s grace is a giving grace, able to fatten the leanest and meanest of souls.
Paul illustrates his point from Ps. 119:9, where the man who serves the Lord scatters his wealth like the farmer scatters his seed, giving to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever (9; cf. 1, 3). The man who expresses his righteousness in acts and gifts of kindness will never lack the means to do it. Righteousness would then mean here “almsgiving” (cf. Matt. 6:1-4). If righteousness is primarily a godly quality of life,51 it will stand the test of judgment. Both ideas are probably present here as in Matthew 6.
His point reinforced by scripture, Paul now (10) nails it down. He calls attention to God in the descriptive words of the prophet Isaiah as “he who furnishes seed to the one sowing and bread for eating”52 (55:10). Even the seed and the strength to sow are from God (cf. I Cor. 4:7). The verbs that follow are future in the better MSS, and thus the parenthesis of the KJV around vv. 9-10 is unnecessary. Such a God, Paul promises his readers; “will supply (lavishly) and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness” (NASB). The last phrase is taken from Hos. 10:12.53 The apostle has painted the generosity of Christians in a vivid picture of the farmer as he plants and harvests.
Thus, to sum it all up, the Corinthians will be enriched in every thing to all bountifulness (11; haploteta, liberality; cf. 8:2). The “harvest of righteousness” is a single-minded spirit of generosity from which comes selfless giving for the needs of others. This kind of giving—in the concrete form of the collection raised and delivered through Paul and his helpers to the saints in Jerusalem—will produce thanksgiving to God.
The offering will have a twofold result. It not only supplieth (in full) the want (cf. 8:14) of the saints (12), but also causes an overflowing through many thanksgivings to God. Paul interestingly calls it the administration (diakonia; cf. 8:4; 9:1, 13) of this service (leitourgias;54 cf. Rom. 15:27; Phil. 2:17). He is using the language of sacrifice (cf. Luke 1:23; Heb. 8:6), as he often does for Christian work (Rom. 12:1; 15:16). What is done in the name of Christ partakes of the character of His sacrificial service.
Literally translated, vv. 13-14 show the profoundest result of the collection. “By means of the test of this ministry (diakonia), they will glorify God for the submissiveness of your confession in regard to the gospel of Christ, and for the singlemindedness of your sharing-out attitude (haploteti ten koinonias)55 towards them and all others; while they also, with supplication on your behalf, are longing for you because of the surpassing grace of God upon you.”
The offering will cement the ties of mutual recognition and love between Gentile and Jewish believers. God will be glorified because the genuineness of the Gentiles’ confession of Christ will be evidenced by the grace of God (14) which the collection so beautifully displays. It is a long way from Jerusalem to Corinth, but the distance can be spanned by prayer and intercession. Perhaps too, Israel can be provoked to jealousy as the Gentile delegates witness in Jerusalem to the reality of their reception of redemption (cf. Rom. 11:11-14).56
The subject of the collection is closed by Paul with an outburst of gratefulness: Thanks (charis) be unto God for his unspeakable gift (15). The gift (dorea) is supremely God’s indescribable gift of himself in His Son. Here is the source of all the grace and love and blessing that will flow through the churches as a result of the offering (cf. Rom. 8:32). The apostle’s appeal proved successful, for a few months later he wrote from Corinth to the Romans: “Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem” (15:26,NASB).
Paul gives us (6-15) three “Valid Motives for a Generous Attitude and Joyous Giving”: (1) To give with a right spirit is a sowing that guarantees a harvest, 6-7; (2) God is able and willing to grant all that a man needs within and without for a loving sharing with others, 8-10; (3) What is given does more than meet material needs; it has thrilling spiritual implications—blessings all around, 11-15.57
If one puts together all the significant terms that Paul applies to the collection in cc. 8—9, Christian giving is (1) an expression of grace (charis, 8:1, 4, 6-7, 9; 9:8, 14); (2) freely and sincerely motivated (haplotetos, 8:2; 9:11, 13); (3) the implementation of Christian fellowship (koinonia, 8:4; 9:13-15; Rom. 15:26-27); (4) an indispensable part of a Christian ministry (diakonia, 8:4, 19-20; 9:1, 12-13); (5) a generous gift (hadrotes, 8:20); (6) a means of spiritual blessing (eulogia, 9:5-6); and (7) a sacred service (leitourgia, 9:12).