2 Corinthians 8:1-15
“As Poor, Yet Making Many Rich”
I. Intro.
If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a thousand times: “All the Church ever talks about is money!!!” Second Corinthians chapters 8-9 are all about Christian giving, what Paul calls “hilarious” giving (9:7). Yet in these two chapters, he doesn’t mention the word money once! This section of scripture isn’t about tithing; it’s about a one-time gift to help the needs of another church. The word “grace” appears eight times in these two chapters, and Paul uses the word in conjunction with the giving of the Macedonian Church, which was “dirt poor.” These chapters don’t speak of how much we give but rather “How We Are To Give.” Many Christians don’t know how to give and, as such, are either doing so for the wrong reasons or are not giving at all. If the Church is going to arise to the tremendous opportunity in these days, it will only be as we know the grace of our Lord Jesus who, though rich, yet for our sakes became poor, that we through His poverty might be rich (verse 9). Henry Crowell, the founder of the Quaker Oats Company, viewed all things as a stewardship from God. In whatever he did, he sought to honor God, whether it was through business or his 40 years as chairman of the Board of Moody Bible Institute. He gave away nearly 70% of his earnings for more than 40 years. Today, over 75 years later, the Trustees are still dispersing funds, blessing hundreds of ministries every year all around the world.
II. Vs. 1-5 Spending God’s Blessings
Vs. 1-5: The reason why Paul is bringing up the topic of “giving” is because there was a famine in the land of Israel, where many were unable to provide for their needs and were going hungry. When Paul heard about it, he was determined to do something about it and went about asking for contributions from all the Gentile churches he had been a part of for the relief of Jewish Christians in Israel. Here was a practical way of demonstrating the love of Christ and breaking down the barriers many of the Jewish believers had towards the Gentile believers. Such was the case when he went to the Macedonian churches, which would include the churches at Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea. The response of those in Macedonia was tremendous, and Paul tells the Corinthians that he was blessed by their giving, and as such, they provide an example of proper giving.
- Vs. 1 Origin of Giving: There are a lot of reasons that people give.
- Tax write-off: Some do so as a tax write-off, and I’m thankful that they prefer the church to the government! But if that is the only motive for giving, it is a wrong one because although the Church will receive the contribution, the person who gave won’t receive a blessing in heaven.
- Bribe to God: Some people give to God with the motive of a bribe, to get Him to look the other way with regards to their life in hopes that they will earn points to get to heaven without turning their life over to Him. God loves people too much to settle for their bank accounts and wallets.
Those Macedonians gave according to Paul because they were “well aware of the unmerited favor God had bestowed upon them.” They weren’t giving to GET; they were giving because they GOT! You will never be able to joyfully and abundantly release to the Lord what you believe is yours by right or effort. I bet you have recognized this truth in your kids as they have no problem spending your resources! It is always easier to spend someone else’s resources; just look at the government, they have been doing it for hundreds of years. You aren’t giving what is yours; you are giving what God has given you. In 1 Chronicles 29:16, God gave David the opportunity to collect the resources to build the temple, and the people gave so willingly that David was reminded where it had all come from, saying, “O Lord our God, even these materials that we have gathered to build a Temple to honor your holy name come from you! It all belongs to you!” The only true motive in giving is the understanding that what you are giving hasn’t originated from you and was never intended for you to hoard. In Matthew 6:19-20, Jesus admonished us, saying, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” Jesus didn’t have a problem with “laying up treasures,” only the location in which we store them: earth versus heaven! The Bible’s focus isn’t upon what we give; it is upon what God has blessed us with. So give to the level you feel you have been blessed! If God has not done anything for you, then don’t give Him anything. But if He has, then give to the measure you have received. The New Testament principle of giving is that it is a privilege that we can partake of to express the gratitude of our hearts for the grace that God has already given.
- Vs. 2-5 Effects of Grace: Look at how the “unmerited favor of God” had affected the Macedonians. Paul says in verse 2 that their giving was despite the trial of affliction of deep poverty. Paul says they were going through “a great test of affliction”; they were being persecuted. It would have been natural for them to try to hang on to as much of their income as they could because they might need it, but they ignored the normal excuse for not giving. But they didn’t because they had personally been touched by God’s abundant blessings, which caused them to see their situation as a glass full and overflowing instead of empty. Instead, their lack enabled them to see God’s abundance all the more, and they gave to help others because they personally knew what it was like to be in need. In verse 3, Paul points out that they not only gave “according to their ability,” but they gave “beyond their ability.” They dug deep, and according to the words of Paul in verse 4, asked for the privilege of doing so. Paul was reluctant to tell them about this need in Jerusalem because he didn’t think they could afford to give. But when they heard about it, they told him they couldn’t afford to not give to those needy people in Jerusalem. What was the key to this view that they had? Verse 5 tells us: “they first gave themselves to the Lord.” These Macedonians first gave themselves and with it everything they had as well to the Lord. There are only four verses in the New Testament where you read the word “tithe,” and each time it is in reference to the Old Testament. The tithe was a tax levied upon people for the purpose of supporting priesthood, a separate body of people who did religious things. When you come into the New Testament, you find that every Christian is a priest (1 Peter 2:9), so there is no special tax to support it. Thus, it is upon us to give as our hearts are stirred and moved by the grace of God.
III. Vs. 6-9 Two Examples
Vs. 6-8: Notice how carefully Paul avoids pressuring them into giving. He doesn’t say they have to give; neither is he saying, “Hey, let’s see if you can’t outdo the Macedonians! We are going to have two thermometers, one for you in Corinth and one for those in Macedonia, so we will see who will raise the most!” Paul’s words are an encouragement, saying that, “The Macedonians gave out of love as they were moved by the grace of God. So if you’re going to give on that basis, then do so.” Giving is “a manifestation of a heart that has been touched by the love and grace of God.”
Vs. 9: The highest example of giving is to be found in Jesus. There was a time, according to Jesus, that He was rich! Oh, not on this earth; He Himself said that He had no place to lay His head. In John 17:5, during His prayer to the Father, Jesus said, “Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began.” In Colossians 1:15-17, Paul says that, “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before God made anything at all and is supreme over all creation. Christ is the one through whom God created everything in heaven and earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—kings, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities. Everything has been created through Him and for Him. He existed before everything else began, and He holds all creation together.” Jesus laid that aside to give to you His life; He wasn’t forced to or manipulated to. No, Hebrews 10:5 tells us, “That is why Christ, when He came into the world, said, ‘You did not want animal sacrifices and grain offerings. But you have given me a body so that I may obey you.’” In Philippians 2:8, we read that Jesus, “being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!” Paul reminds us that Jesus did this in order that we might be rich.
IV. Vs. 10-15 Two Principles
Vs. 10-15: In these verses, we have some wonderful principles of giving. Apparently, when Titus first visited them in Corinth, he announced the need of the saints in Jerusalem, and many had promised to give to that need, but it was never taken, so now, a year later, Paul is reminding them of this.
- Vs. 10-12 Give what you can: If it is not as much as you said you would give, God understands. He knows your heart, and He is not requiring something that you do not have. He delights in one who gives all that he can. Later on, in 9:7, Paul will say, “God loves a cheerful giver.”
- Vs. 13-15 Give now, not later: Some have taken the mention of the word “equality” here as justification for a kind of Christian socialism that some have devised so that wealth is redistributed so that everyone has an “equality.” But that is not what Paul says. He is not speaking about the equality of the amount; he is speaking of the equality of the response as he says, “Now at this TIME.” “It’s your time to give now because it may be your turn to receive soon.” Paul isn’t saying, “I want you to give to me, and I (like the government) will take 80 percent of it for my expenses and deliver 20 percent of it to Jerusalem.” Paul quotes Exodus 16:18: “he who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack. Every man had gathered according to each one’s need.” That comes out of the story of the manna falling in the wilderness to feed this around 2 million people. When they went out to gather it, some were able to gather more than others. The amazing thing was that when they got it all together and started dishing it out, those who had more than they needed gave to those who had less so that it came out exactly even; everybody had exactly what they needed. God gives to some more than they need in order that they might have the joy of giving to somebody who has less. And perhaps someday it may be gone and they will be the ones that have need and will have to receive.
The little tax collector Zacchaeus gave away 50% of his wealth to the poor, then from the remaining 50% pledged to make restitution of 4 times the amount of what he had extorted. As such, he went into that night as a man mastered by the passion to get and left mastered by the passion to give! What caused such transformation? Well, he met the Master Giver, Jesus!