2 Corinthians 9
Why did Paul
feel it was not really necessary to write to the Corinthians about the
"ministry to the saints" of Jerusalem? vs.1,2
He knew they were ready.
There
is no need for me to write to you about this service to the Lord’s
people. For I know your eagerness to help, and I have been boasting
about it to the Macedonians, telling them that since last year you in
Achaia were ready to give; and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them
to action. [TNIV]
What did Paul "boast about" to the Macedonians concerning the church at Corinth? vs. 2
That they were eager to help and ready to give.
What did the zeal of the Corinthians do for the other churches? vs. 2
It stirred up most of them.
Paul
sent the brethren ahead of the Corinthians to arrange beforehand the
bountiful gift that they had promised to give them. What was Paul
concerned might happen with such a large amount of money? vs. 3-5
That it would be ready as a bountiful gift and not affected by covetousness. That it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given. [TNIV]
Paul
mentions that they had already pledged to make a generous gift. If they
renege on their promises, they would be pledge dodgers. The Corinthians
would be familiar with such public dishonor, and Paul may be asking
them, “Do you want to be known as pledge-dodgers?”
The most
infamous pledge dodgers are Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1–11). This
story, probably unknown to the Corinthians, reveals that such attempts
to cheat or to perform less than one promised was not unknown in the
church.
They should not be motivated to give simply to avoid
shame, however. Paul therefore encourages them to be ready so it is
indeed a gift of blessing and not greediness. This new term, “gift of
blessing,” is related to a thank offering given in response to benefits
received.
The phrase translated “not as one grudgingly given”
(mē hōs pleonexian) does not quite capture Paul’s uneasiness. The word
pleonexia means “greediness,” or “covetousness”; and Paul may be
suggesting that avarice may cause them to give less than they should.
In
2:11 and 7:2, however, the verb form of the word appears with the
meaning “outwit” and “exploit”; and the noun may carry this meaning
here. It would fit the potential quandary that Paul is so eager to
avoid. If they raise the sum they contribute only after Paul and the
others arrive, it will seem as if he is exploiting them in some way.
Moffatt
perhaps translates it best, “not as money wrung out of you.” If it
appears that Paul has twisted their arms to get them to give, they will
come off as ungrateful, stingy givers. If the money donated to the
saints comes as a levy squeezed out of them, it may provide some needed
assistance for the poor, but it will undermine the whole intent of the
project.
This gift is not a tax, nor is it to be a burden that
weighs them down with guilt. All too often people give out of a sense of
guilt rather than from a glad heart, and Paul does not want the
Corinthians to feel that this offering was somehow imposed upon them.
Generous giving only comes when it is voluntary and not coerced.
Paul
uses a new term for the offering in this verse, “blessing” (eulogia).
The NIV is not incorrect to render it as “a generous gift” because it
refers to the rich bounty that comes from giving a blessing.
The
idea of blessing, however, should not be obscured. In the Bible an act
of blessing calls down the grace of God on others. By sharing their
material substance with the saints, they are blessing them spiritually
and materially.
Garland, D. E. (2001, c1999).
Vol. 29: 2 Corinthians (electronic ed.). Logos Library System; The New
American Commentary (403). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
If we sow sparingly into the kingdom of God, what can we be sure about what we will receive in return? vs. 6
Will also reap sparingly.
If we sow bountifully into the kingdom of God, what can we be sure about what we will receive in return? vs. 6
Will also reap bountifully.
The
idea that generosity to the poor would meet with overflowing blessing
in return was common in Jewish thinking (cp. Prov 11:24–25; Mal 3:10).
In
recent times this idea has been perverted by unscrupulous ministers to
entice people to believe that the more they give the more they we will
get in return. They appeal to greed to encourage others to open their
pocketbooks, and they give ultimately to get more for themselves.
But
this verse must be interpreted in terms of what follows. Paul does not
pass this principle off as a shrewd investment strategy on how to reap
greater material blessings by giving a portion of it to others.
If
one gives in hopes of attaining greater material prosperity, then one
will harvest only spiritual poverty. Paul makes clear in what follows
that God rewards generosity with material abundance to make it possible
for people to be even more generous.Garland,
D. E. (2001, c1999). Vol. 29: 2 Corinthians (electronic ed.). Logos
Library System; The New American Commentary (405). Nashville: Broadman
& Holman Publishers.
God loves a cheerful giver! What 3 things must we do to make sure our gifts to the Lord are ones that please Him? vs. 7
- do just as he has purposed in his heart
- not grudgingly
- or under compulsion
Paul
echoes Scripture to bolster the need to give generously: those who give
spontaneously from the heart are especially prized by God. In the Old
Testament, giving reluctantly or under compulsion is portrayed as
cancelling out any benefit that could be received from the gift while
giving with a glad heart promises reward from God: “Give generously to
him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord
your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your
hand to” (Deut 15:10).
Scripture assumes that what is crucial is
the attitude of the one who gives, not the amount. God, who knows and
appraises our hearts, values only those gifts that come as a free
expression of the deepest part of our souls. Gifts given under some
sense of external compulsion will always be halfhearted at best. That is
why the amount makes no difference if it is given with a glad heart
(8:12).
Garland,
D. E. (2001, c1999). Vol. 29: 2 Corinthians (electronic ed.). Logos
Library System; The New American Commentary (406). Nashville: Broadman
& Holman Publishers.
When we put the kingdom above all else, what does God do to take care of all of our needs? vs.8-9
And
God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all
sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good
deed; as it is written, “He scattered abroad, he gave to the poor, His
righteousness endures forever.”
God is lavishly generous and
abundantly supplies us with everything necessary to have enough for our
own needs and to be generous with others.
The phrase “all grace”
is quite broad in scope, covering the material blessings and the
spiritual motivation to share them. Most people become miserly in their
giving because they worry that they will not have enough for themselves.
Paul assures them that God will supply them with plenty for their needs
at all times and uses alliterative repetition to carry his point: “All
grace … so that in all things at all times, having all that you need,
you will abound in every [all] good work.”
Reluctance to sow
generously, then, reflects a refusal to trust that God is all sufficient
and all gracious. It also assumes that we can only give when we are
prospering and have something extra that we will not need for ourselves.
Paul says that at all times God provides us with all that we need so
there is never any time when we cannot be generous.
In 9:8 the
word “having all you need” translates autarkeia, a word that Greek
authors used to mean “self-sufficiency” or “contentment.” Having enough
does not simply mean reducing one’s craving for material goods and
becoming independent from everyone. It means reducing what one wants for
oneself so that one has enough to share with others and create an
interdependence with them.
For Paul, having all you need means
having enough for every good work. Paul’s point is that “God will
provide the means to be generous, that one can sow liberally (which also
means freely and cheerfully, v. 7a) in the confidence that God will
bestow a liberal harvest.”
The more we give, the more we will be
given by God to share with others. We may not have all the money that
we want, but we will have all the money we need to be abundant in our
giving to others.
When God gives us our resources, God gives us
more than we need, not so that we can have more, but so that we can give
more to others. God does not bestow material blessings so that one can
hoard them for oneself or withdraw from others but so that they might be
shared with others.
Paul believes that God bestows both the
generosity and the resources for generosity which explains why he lists
“liberality” as a spiritual gift (Rom 12:8 ).
Paul assumes in
this verse that the most valuable thing about money is that we can use
it for every good work. “Every good work” here refers to acts of
charity (see 1 Cor 15:58 ) and is little different from what James says
about supplying the needs of the brother or sister who is naked and
lacks daily food (Jas 2:14–17).
Garland,
D. E. (2001, c1999). Vol. 29: 2 Corinthians (electronic ed.). Logos
Library System; The New American Commentary (407). Nashville: Broadman
& Holman Publishers.
How does this compare with what Jesus said in Matthew 6:33?
“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Jesus
was saying God has built into His Creation the means by which all
things are cared for. The birds are fed because they diligently work to
maintain their lives. They do not store up great amounts of food, but
continually work. And believers are far more valuable to God than birds!
Rather than being like the pagans who are concerned about
physical needs, the Lord’s disciples should be concerned about the
things of God, His kingdom and His righteousness. Then all these needs
will be supplied in God’s timing. This is the life of daily faith.
Walvoord,
J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1983-c1985).
The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures (2:33).
Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
What is forbidden here
is worry, not responsible provision for one’s own and one’s family
needs; God provides food for the birds, but they still have to search
for it!
The basis of the disciple’s confidence, in contrast with
the anxiety of the pagans, lies in recognizing God as your heavenly
Father (32). The proper attitude then is to put God first (33) and to
trust him for our practical needs.
In today’s world many (some of
whom are Christian disciples) do not have all their needs met. This
passage offers no answer to the problem, but we need to consider how
God’s provision relates to human misuse of what he has provided.
Carson,
D. A. (1994). New Bible commentary : 21st century edition. Rev. ed. of:
The new Bible commentary. 3rd ed. / edited by D. Guthrie, J.A. Motyer.
1970. (4th ed.) (Mt 6:19). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, Ill.,
USA: Inter-Varsity Press.
When
we sow into God's kingdom, He multiplies our seed for sowing! Do we
realize how fast things grow under the law of multiplication? Think
about it. What kind of harvest will God increase in your life? vs. 10,11
Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food
will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest
of your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for all
liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God.
What caused Paul to overflow with thanksgiving concerning the Corinthian church? vs.11,12
For
the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying the needs of
the saints, but is also overflowing through many thanksgivings to God.
What would happen to the other believers because of the obedience of the Corinthians in giving this bountiful gift? vs. 13
Because
of the proof given by this ministry, they will glorify God for your
obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ and for the
liberality of your contribution to them and to all.
Because of
the service by which you have proved yourselves, people will praise God
for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of
Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone
else. [TNIV]
In return, what would the other believers do for them? vs. 14
while they also, by prayer on your behalf, yearn for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you.
Most of all, what can we be thankful to God for? vs. 15
Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!
Thanks be to God for His inexpressible gift! [ESV]
What
do you think the gift is? Has God blessed you with His indescribable
gift? How are you sowing that into the lives of others?
Paul gives thanks here specifically for the “indescribable” (inexpressible) gift.
This
may refer to a number of things that are all connected together: the
gift of salvation, the gift of God’s Son, the gift of God’s grace (8:1,
4, 6, 7, 16, 19; 9:8 ).
Most likely it refers to 8:9, “the
primary gift of God which has established the whole framework of
Christian life and fellowship within which Paul’s preaching and
collection alike stand.”
These words of thanksgiving conclude
Paul’s appeal to the Corinthians to renew their ardor for the
undertaking and to fulfill their promise. They reveal that “all
Christian giving is carried out in the light of God’s inexpressible
gift.”
Remembering thankfully Christ’s sacrifice (8:9) and God’s
grace, which human words fail to capture fully, should cause them to
finish the preparations for their gifts diligently, unselfishly, and
cheerfully. Their gift models the kind of inexpressible gift that God
has given to them.
Garland, D. E. (2001,
c1999). Vol. 29: 2 Corinthians (electronic ed.). Logos Library System;
The New American Commentary (415). Nashville: Broadman & Holman
Publishers.
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