Paul has thoroughly removed all occasion for offense and won the respect of the Corinthians. There is no way that they could resent him after what he has said in this letter to this point. And from the beginning of chapter 8 through the end of chapter 9, Paul will use his hard earned authority, shifting gears, to discuss the financial collection (Acts 19:21-22; Romans 15:25-28; 1 Corinthians 16:1-4). Calvin says, “He could not, with any great advantage, have attempted this in the commencement of the Epistle. Hence, he has prudently deferred it, until he has prepared their minds for it. Accordingly, he takes up the whole of this chapter, and the next, in exhorting the Corinthians to be active and diligent in collecting alms to be taken to Jerusalem for relieving the indigence of the brethren. For they were afflicted with a great famine, so that they could scarcely support life without being aided by other churches” (Galatians 2:10). Let’s take a look.
1) V1-7 – 1And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. 5And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will. 6So we urged Titus, since he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. 7But just as you excel in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us – see that you also excel in this grace of giving.
Paul tactfully begins the discussion of financial gifts by praising God’s grace at work in the Macedonian churches (Philippi, Berea, and Thessalonica). God provides both the resources and the willingness to use them! Now Paul did not need to commend the Macedonians, but since the Corinthians needed a stimulus, Paul uses the occasion to praise God for the work of the Macedonians and thereby motivate the Corinthians to action. We see in v2-3 that the Macedonians – unlike the wealthier, yet less generous Corinthians – gave financially beyond their means, even in the midst of “the most severe trial,” which was over and above what Paul had asked for or commanded (1 Corinthians 16:1-4). Moreover, they did far more than give financially, what may have been expected, for “they gave themselves first to the Lord” (v5). V3-5 is one lengthy sentence in the Greek, a typical characteristic of Paul’s thought and writing process.
John Piper explains their joy in giving (1 Thessalonians 1:6): “How did such countercultural and counter-natural behavior come about? How were the Christians freed from the natural love of money and comfort? Part of the answer in v2 is that their abundance of joy overflowed. Joy in something else had severed the root of joy in money. They had been freed by joy to give to the poor. But where did this powerful, unearthly joy come from? The answer is that it came from the grace of God… What the Corinthians [as well as you and I] are supposed to learn from this story is that the same grace that was given in Macedonia is available now in Corinth… When poverty-stricken Macedonians beg Paul for the privilege of giving money to other poor saints, we may assume that this is what they want to do, not just ought to do, or have to do, but really long to do. It is their joy – an extension of their joy in God. To be sure, they are ‘denying themselves’ whatever pleasures or comforts they could have from the money they give away, but the joy of extending God’s grace to others is a far better reward than anything money could buy. The Macedonians have discovered the labor of Christian Hedonism: love! It is the overflow of joy in God which gladly meets the needs of others.” Sam Storms concludes, “Note well the dynamic at work here: grace comes down, joy rises up, generosity flows out. It is because of divine grace that they experienced joy, and because they experienced such joy in grace that they gave so generously.”
The application is clear for us, especially seeing the motivation in v4 – “they urgently pleaded…for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.” We simply don’t do that today. Their giving was calculated, yet irrational, motivated solely by love. Calvin paraphrases, “If the Macedonians, without needing to be besought, press forward of their own accord, nay more, anticipate others by using entreaties, how shameful a thing is it for the Corinthians to be inactive, more especially after being admonished! If the Macedonians lead the way before all, how shameful a thing is it for the Corinthians not, at least, to imitate their example!” And Sam Storms says, “Here we see the harmony between the antecedent presence of divine grace and the moral accountability of human decisions. In v3 Paul says they gave ‘of their own accord,’ while in v1 their willingness is traced to a gift of God: grace. The same principle is found in v16-17 where Paul says God put ‘earnestness’ in Titus’ heart, who in turn, ‘of his own accord,’ went to the Corinthians.”
Now just as Titus had started the generosity in Corinth (v6), Paul urged him to continue “this act of grace” unto completion. And Paul commends the Corinthians in v7, acknowledging their strengths “in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness, and in…love.” He may be engaging in a little flattery for the sake of encouraging them to generosity. He knew they were proud, and though they should not have been as proud as they were, he may have appealed to that pride to gain their generosity. Yet he is also challenging them to surpass others in their generosity, just as they surpass others “in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness, and in…love,” as in Luke 12:48. The bottom line is this: in urging them to excel here, Paul doesn’t fail to remind them again that it is the “grace of giving.”
2) V8-15 – 8I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. 9For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich. 10And here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. 11Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. 12For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have. 13Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. 14At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, 15as it is written: “He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little” [Exodus 16:18].
Paul could have commanded a “generous” gift, but he asks instead (Philemon 14; Matthew 20:25-26). It’s far better to give out of authentic love producing a desire to contribute (v4) than to be compelled from a begrudging heart. Barnett says, “The Corinthians were strong in activities that are local to and centered upon them (miracle-working faith, charismatic speech, and theological understanding), but weak on those that are for the benefit of those outside, in this case the 'saints in Jerusalem.' As they overflow in other ‘graces,’ let them also overflow in this.” Paul provides this opportunity for generosity as a test of their love, and as usual, Paul turns to Jesus for the best model in this endeavor of generosity and giving.
Rich beyond measure (Hebrews 1:2), He became poor (Luke 9:58) so that His children could become rich (v9). V9 is, says Robert Rayburn, “one of the many statements by the by in the New Testament that assume the stupendous fact of the incarnation. Jesus did not begin to be when he was conceived in the womb of his mother. He had been rich before, rich beyond our power to conceive. He was the eternal Son of God, or God the Son. Only his manhood began to be. We have the whole doctrine of Jesus Christ here in a nutshell: One person and two natures. We also have the motive that lay behind this greatest thing that ever happened. The incarnation of the Son of God was an act of self-denial, of self-abasement, of becoming poor for us. It was to suffer as a man in our place and so endure the punishment of our sins in our place that he became a man.”
Paul reminds them of their precedent in giving last year, referring to their apparent gift after reading Paul’s requests in 1 Corinthians 16:1-4. It appears that they had started a fund this time around but may have lost momentum in keeping it going. Thus, Paul wants them to finish it up (v11; Proverbs 19:17). Calvin hints at three motives for doing the right thing. First, the right thing may be done unwillingly, out of fear or being compelled. Second, the right thing may be done willingly, but still not cheerfully, perhaps with an ulterior motive in mind. Third, and most properly, the right thing may be done as a result of genuine desire to please God in faith, which is the motive that Paul is urging here. Calvin says, “He has urged them comparatively with the Macedonians’ example; he has urged them based on the concept of finishing what they had started; he has urged them based on their superiority in other graces; and he urges them finally with the example of Jesus Christ. Good motives must lead to lasting good actions to be genuinely fruitful. New Year’s resolutions don’t do much good if we fail to keep them going past January.
In v12, Paul hints at Jesus’ teaching from Mark 12:41-44. The widow’s offering could be seen as a warning not to give what you don’t have. But the problem is usually failing to increase giving when increased blessings come your way (1 Corinthians 16:2; Galatians 5:25). In all likelihood, Paul is unconcerned with the amount of their giving but anxious about the state of their heart in being generous.
Finally, in v13-15, we can glean that Paul wasn’t a socialist or communist; he didn’t seek fairness or financial equality among all believers, and this passage is not about economic philosophy. What Paul desired was equity stemming from genuine Christian love (Colossians 4:1); everyone must carry the burden. Rayburn says, “Lest anyone think he cares more for the poor in Jerusalem than for his Gentile converts he hastens to say that he is not interested in easing one group’s burden by impoverishing another. He simply wants those who are enjoying a measure of prosperity to see their responsibility to relieve the pressure on those who are suffering want.”
The quote from Exodus 16:18 refers to the gathering of manna. Calvin says, “He would have this to serve as a never-failing proof, that men do not live by bread alone, but are Divinely supported, by the secret influence of His will, who maintains and preserves all things that he has created.” If someone didn’t gather enough while another gathered too much, they would share such that everyone was satisfied. That’s God’s way of providing for everyone (Deuteronomy 8:3). Perhaps our problem is that we aren’t satisfied with enough (“frugality and temperance,” according to Calvin); we always want more (“excess and abundance”) than the next person. Calvin concludes, “Let those, then, that have riches, whether they have been left by inheritance, or procured by industry and efforts, consider that their abundance was not intended to be laid out in intemperance or excess, but in relieving the necessities of the brethren.”
3) V16-24 – 16I thank God, who put into the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you. 17For Titus not only welcomed our appeal, but he is coming to you with much enthusiasm and on his own initiative. 18And we are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel. 19What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honor the Lord Himself and to show our eagerness to help. 20We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. 21For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of men. 22In addition, we are sending with them our brother who has often proved to us in many ways that he is zealous, and now even more so because of his great confidence in you. 23As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you; as for our brothers, they are representatives of the churches and an honor to Christ. 24Therefore show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you, so that the churches can see it.
We see Titus has the same care and concern for the Corinthians as Paul does, and Paul thanks God for that. Because of his increasing love for the Corinthian believers, Titus decided to visit Corinth again (v17-19) before Paul arrived, and he would be accompanying another brother – a famous preacher, perhaps Luke (for his likely already published gospel account) or Barnabas (for his encouragement alongside Paul), or even Apollos, whom the Corinthians may have especially favored (Acts 18:27; 19:1; 1 Corinthians 3:4-6; 4:6; 16:12). From v19, we learn two things: first, it appears that individual congregations played a role in selecting a representative to travel with Paul; and second, administration of finances is a God-glorifying responsibility.
In v20-22, we see that Paul takes ethics seriously regarding the money that congregations gave for an offering to support the Jerusalem church. Witherington says, “Money matters were a – if not the – most serious obstacle to reconciliation between Paul and his converts, and these matters had to be addressed before he could go on the attack against the opponents.” He wouldn’t steal it, misrepresenting what he’s doing with the donations. That’s why others are present, for accountability. There’s no place for suspicion of wrongdoing (1 Corinthians 16:3-4). So Titus and two or more unnamed brothers (Luke, Barnabas, and Apollos? Or Silas or Timothy?) are heading to Corinth ahead of Paul to handle the financial collections. And they are trustworthy, according to Paul in v23, honoring to Christ; therefore, the Corinthians ought to be extra-generous in this opportunity to show the churches their love (v24). Storms notes, “The word translated ‘messengers’ [or “representatives”] in v23 is…‘apostles’. Here we see Paul using the term in a broad, non-theological, non-technical sense to refer to church envoys or ambassadors, delegates appointed by churches for specific tasks and missions.”
For our application, allow Robert Murray McCheyne to speak, “I fear there are many hearing me who now know well that they are not Christians because they do not love to give. To give largely and liberally, not grudging at all, requires a new heart; an old heart would rather part with its life blood than its money. Oh my friends! You better enjoy your money; make the most of it; give none of it away; enjoy it quickly; for I can tell you, you will be beggars throughout eternity.”
Storms offers one more important note on this chapter as a whole: “Note the use of the word charis, ‘grace’, throughout this section of 2 Corinthians. It is used in 8:1,4,6,7,9,16,19;9:8,14,15, with a wide range of meaning, from divine enablement to human privilege to a monetary gift to a word of gratitude to divine favor. What does this tell us about the nature of our giving, as well as its ultimate cause? Grace is more than an attitude or disposition in the divine nature. It is surely that, but an examination of the usage of this word in Scripture reveals that grace, if thought of only as an abstract and static principle, is deprived of its deeper implications. The grace of God, for example, is the power of God’s Spirit converting the soul. It is the activity or movement of God whereby He saves and justifies the individual through faith (see Rom. 3:24; 5:15,17). Therefore, grace is not something in which we merely believe; it is something we experience as well. Grace, however, is not only the divine act by which God initiates our spiritual life, but also the very power by which we are sustained in, nourished, and proceed through that life. The energizing and sanctifying work of the indwelling Spirit is the grace of God.”