The Grace of Giving

II Corinthians 8, 9

Introduction
One of the things that I often do at the beginning of a new year is to plan some of my giving for the year. Since I usually get a raise, I decide how much I will increase my giving and I think about how much I will give to the church and which organizations besides the church I will try to support.
The Bible has a lot to say about money and about giving. In the Old Testament we read about the different kinds of tithes and offerings the people were to bring to the temple and also how they were to support the poor. In fact, Richard Halverson notes that, “Jesus Christ said more about money than about any other single thing because, when it comes to a man's real nature, money is of first importance. Money is an exact index to a man's true character. All through Scripture there is an intimate correlation between the development of a man's character and how he handles his money.”
There is a story about giving in II Corinthians 8, 9 and this same story is referred to in a number of other passages. This morning, I would like to tell you this story and after that, I would like to invite you to take note of some lessons on giving which are found in these two chapters.
After the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit had come on the believers and the church began to grow, we read in Acts 2 about how the believers had everything in common and how they sold their possessions so that they could help those who were in need. I have often thought that the church quickly and with great insight recognized the implications of the gospel and began to share with each other. Some have suggested that the church in Jerusalem became poor because they shared with each other. The reality may well be quite different. It is more likely that soon after these people became believers, they became poor. Many may have been poor to start with, but others who had a living, would have had great opposition from their friends and family. It is quite likely that many of them lost their jobs, were ostracized by their families and lost family inheritances. Hughes says, they became “victims of social and economic ostracism, ecclesiastical excommunication, and national disinheritance.” Their faith in Christ quickly cost them a lot. In response, the believers who still had means began to share with those who did not. They had a great love for one another and realized that, being brothers and sisters, they needed to care for one another. This poverty continued and we see further evidence of the need to address it in Acts 6 when seven men were chosen to care for the widows. Hughes says, “The first distinct step in the organization of the primitive church was occasioned…by the pressure of poverty.” Later, after the Jerusalem council, we discover in Galatians 2:10 that Peter encouraged Paul to remember the poor, likely meaning the poor people in Jerusalem.
Paul says in Galatians 2:10 that he was eager to remember the poor and so we find that he began to encourage people to take up a collection for the poor in Jerusalem. In I Corinthians 16:1-4 he had encouraged the Corinthian believers to “…set aside a sum of money” and “send … your gift to Jerusalem.” Some time later Paul wrote this second letter to Corinth, he reminded the people of the willingness they had had to take up this collection. In fact, it seems that the willingness of the Corinthians had prompted the churches in Macedonia to also participate in this collection. Now, a year later it seems that the Corinthians had fallen behind in preparing the offering and the purpose of these chapters is to stir up their enthusiasm once again. He tells them that Titus was going to come to encourage them and help them prepare the offering. He also indicates that he will come with some other men in order to collect the offering. It is interesting that Paul had a great concern that everything be above board, and so some of these churches were also encouraged to send representatives with Paul and Titus to Jerusalem in order to make sure that everything was done with integrity.
In Acts 24:17 we read a report that tells us that he had brought the money to Jerusalem. He fulfilled this obligation.
It is in the context of encouraging the Corinthians to fulfill the promise they had made to collect this offering that he says a number of important things about how we think about giving.
I. What does God want?
How do you figure out how much to give? Some say we should give 10% and so they carefully calculate it down to the penny. Some point to the rich young ruler who was told to give everything and they try to figure out how to live that way. What is it that God wants?
A. Us
The first thing that God wants is us. When Paul commends the Macedonians for their participation in collecting this gift for Jerusalem, he says in II Corinthians 8:5, “…they gave themselves first to the Lord…” This acknowledges a value that what God wants first of all and most of all is our heart. He wants us to live in a trust relationship with him which can be described as our love responding to His love for us.
When we give ourselves to God first of all some things change. We are no longer under pressure to give in order to appease God. Instead, our giving is done in response to God. When we give because we have first given ourselves to God, we no longer give because of duty or obligation.
I believe that this is such an important first principle that I would be so bold as to say that if God doesn’t have our heart, we shouldn’t bother making a donation at all. God doesn’t want our money or need our money He wants our heart. Giving must be a consequence of giving ourselves first to the Lord.
B. Generosity
Nowhere in the Bible can we find a mathematical formula for deciding how much we should give. That is a problem because it keeps us off balance. It means that we can never say, “I have fulfilled my obligation and now I don’t have to give any more.” The principle that seems to be found in many places, and also in this passage is that God wants us to be generous. This is not surprising because the first problem with all sin is that we are self centered. Generosity is the precise opposite of self centeredness and that is why God wants it of us.
Please take note of what Paul says in II Corinthians 8:1-5. In this passage, he is commending what the people of the church in Macedonia have done. The most significant phrase is in verse 2, “Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.” This tells us that generosity is what God wants of us and helps us understand what generosity looks like. Generosity is gracious and open towards the other. That is the only way that people who are poor themselves and experiencing severe trial are able to be glad to give, as the Macedonians were. What we would consider normal and acceptable is to meet our own needs, put something aside for the future and then give. The example of the generosity of the Macedonians teaches us that God wants us to hold loosely to what we have when we see another person in need. How can we learn to do that?
In II Corinthians 9:5, 6, we have another phrase which also teaches us that God wants generosity. Twice in these verses, Paul uses the phrase “generous gift.” The offering they were to prepare was to be viewed in this light – not as an obligation, not as a fulfillment of duty, not as something Paul was pressuring them to do, but as a generous gift.
Hughes says, “The source of giving is not the purse, but the heart.” So as we plan our giving, as we meet needs in the course of the year, this attitude is what God wants – an attitude of being prepared to make a “generous gift.”
II. What Kind of Generosity?
As we read more in this passage, we discover more of what generosity looks like.
A. Voluntary
I appreciate the way in which Mel made his year end appeal for funds. I don’t remember everything he said, but I think it went something like, “We need $x to meet our budget, have a good year.” He simply communicated the need and left it up to us to respond. By doing that he exemplified one of the principles of what generosity means and that is that it must be voluntary.
In II Corinthians 8:3, 4 it says that, “Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service…” In other words, their giving was voluntary.
This principle of generosity appears once again in II Corinthians 9:7 which says, “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion…”
To give reluctantly is to give because we feel we have to. Hughes says, “There must be a real freedom in Christian giving.” To give under compulsion is to give because someone makes us give or coerces us to give. Generosity has neither of these motivations. It is entirely voluntary. There is a tremendous freedom in knowing that no one can guilt or coerce or shame us into giving. God wants us to give generously and to do so voluntarily. Our attitude in giving should be, “I don’t have to, I want to.”
B. According to What We Have
As we read the commendation of the Macedonian church in II Corinthians 8:1-4 it feels a little uncomfortable. It says there that they gave “…beyond their ability.” Generosity allows us to do that if we decide to and the Macedonians decided to. But generosity does not require that we give “beyond our ability.” Instead, several times the text encourages giving according to what we have.
In II Corinthians 8:11, 12 this idea is communicated three times. First of all Paul encourages them to give, “according to your means.” Then he encourages them that the “gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.” It is true that if we give beyond our means, then we will become the ones who need help, and Paul does not want to set up such a situation. The intention is, as he goes on to say, “not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed…”
So another way of understanding generosity is that God wants us to give according to what we have.
C. Towards Equality
As Paul explains the principle of giving voluntarily according to what we have, he encourages them in II Corinthians 8:13-15 towards equality. He says, “…that there might be equality... and later in the same section, “Then there will be equality…”
To support this idea he reminds them of an Old Testament story. When the people of Israel were in the wilderness, God provided manna for them. They were not permitted to hoard the manna. If they gathered more than they needed for one day, it became foul. The result was that there was equality. Each person had exactly what they needed for every day.
I must admit that this principle of equality is one that challenges our thinking. We live in a consumer society and have the means to purchase almost anything we want. If we think of the Christians in the world, we know that there is not equality, many are poor. What does that mean for our lifestyle? How can we be generous in a way that moves others towards equality? The answer is not easy. If it weren’t for our consumerism, Ten Thousand Villages would never be able to function. It would be good if we had more conversations about how we can be generous towards equality. For the present, my favorite answer is to support MCC because I know that they are doing what they can to help the poor.
III. What Motivates Generosity?
So God desires that we have a voluntary generosity by which we give according to what we have with the goal of moving others towards equality. How is such generosity motivated?
A. Love
As Paul encourages the Corinthians, he is comparing their response to that of the Macedonians. In II Corinthians 8:8, he is speaking of this comparison and says that he is trying to discern the “…sincerity of your love…” He is not trying to produce guilt in the Corinthian church or a negative comparison which will make them want to do better. He is trying to find out if they have the love in their hearts which will move them to complete what they had earlier promised they would do. This shows us that one of the primary motivating factors in generosity is love for God.
Paul has already said something similar in I Corinthians 13:3 where we read the description of what love is. There it says, “If I give all I possess to the poor…but have not love, I gain nothing.” It is possible for us to give for lots of reasons, but both II Corinthians 8:8 and I Corinthians 13:3 tell us that one of the prime motivating factors must be love.
If we have love for God and for others according to the great commandment which is found in Matthew 22:37-39, then giving will come easily.
B. Joy
Another thing which figures prominently in the motivation for giving, according to these chapters, is joy. In II Corinthians 8:2 Paul indicates that the Macedonians gave, “…out of their overflowing joy…” The motivation of the Macedonians – who were experiencing trial and extreme poverty, nevertheless was the great joy they had.
In II Corinthians 9:7 we read that “God loves a cheerful giver…” In a message on this passage, Mac Burberry writes that “Your giving is not the result of cold calculation, but of warmhearted jubilation!”
C. Jesus
Where does our love and joy come from? It comes from a clear recognition of what God has done for us in Jesus.
In II Corinthians 8:9, Paul points to Jesus’ example. He says, “For 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.” Hughes says, “…redeemed at incalculable cost, I am no longer my own; all that was mine is now His…” The same reminder is found in the very last verse of these chapters when we are reminded of the “indescribable gift” which comes from God.
If we have grasped the generosity of Christ on our behalf, our own acts of generosity come easily.
D. God’s Grace
I don’t know about you, but I am much more generous at the beginning of the month than I am at the end of the month. When there is a lot in my wallet, it isn’t that hard to part with some, but when the wallet gets a little thin, it is much more difficult to open it.
We worry about whether or not we will have enough, but when we read the Bible, we really don’t need to have such concerns. II Corinthians 9:8-11 is one passage of many in the Bible which seems to suggest that we don’t have to worry about tomorrow. If our trust is in God, then we will be supplied with everything we need. We read that “God is able to make all grace abound to you…” and “He…will also supply and increase your store of seed…” and “You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion…” I believe, especially given the promises in Matthew 6 that God does provide for us so that we don’t have to worry about what we give because God will provide for our needs.
However, I wonder if that is really the intent of this section of the passage. There are some things which are said in this passage which suggest a different direction. For example, take a look at II Corinthians 9:8. There we read, “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that…you will abound in every good work.” Please also note verse 10, “…he who supplies seed to the sower…will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.” It doesn’t say that he will simply enlarge your harvest, but “will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.”
Although I believe that God supplies our need and therefore we can be generous and know that God will provide, I think that this is also telling us that what God will supply is the ability to be generous. What will move us to be generous in the way that God wants us to be generous is God Himself. He will help us to trust Him, He will help us see how great His love towards us is and He will change our hearts from self centeredness to generosity and that is the “harvest of righteousness” which He will create in us.
I know that I have not always been generous, but one of my prayers has been that God will change my heart and teach me to be generous. This section encourages me that that is exactly what God promises he will do in us. When he does, we will be motivated to generosity by His grace.
IV. The Results of Generosity
If we learn to be generous in this way, what will be the result?
A. Needs Supplied
First and simply, those who have needs will find their needs met. Sometimes God’s answer to human need is one person giving another person what they need. So as we are generous that will happen. That is what it says in II Corinthians 9:12, “This service that you perform is…supplying the needs of God’s people…”
B. Thanks to God
Furthermore, God will be praised. Just think about the situation of the Gentile converts of Paul sending a gift to the mother church in Jerusalem. We know that some of the Christians in Jerusalem had a hard time accepting that the gospel could go to Gentiles. James, the leader of the church in Jerusalem wrote in his book, in James 1:27, “…Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress…” In chapter 2 of the same book he went on to speak about the importance of caring for the poor. As the Jerusalem church received this offering, they would know that God had changed the hearts of these Gentiles through the power of Jesus. As a result, they would be moved to give thanks to God for what He had done.
The second result we read about is found in II Corinthians 9:11, 12, 13 where it says that the gift “…will result in thanksgiving to God.” And the service is “…overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.” And as a result of their obedience, “men will praise God…”
Generosity will result in praise and thanks to God.
C. Growing Fellowship in Christ
We also read about another result in II Corinthians 9:14 which says, “…their heart will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you.” As I mentioned a moment ago, there was a barrier between the Jewish and Gentile churches. Paul expects that because of this gift, that wall will be broken down. He expects that there will now be a closer relationship between these churches and that also will bring praise to God.
Conclusion
As we look at this passage in this way, I believe that we have a great encouragement in regards to giving. God does not want us to give out of guilt, obligation or mathematical duty; rather we are encouraged to generosity. We are encouraged that such generosity is a response to the love we have received. This is hard in the sense that there is no quick and easy formula which we can apply at the beginning of the year and forget the rest of the year. Rather, we are challenged to constantly grow in knowing that we are loved and in responding to every situation with generosity. God’s plan for our giving is to change our hearts so that they will be filled with grace out of which generosity will flow. The great thing is that God desires to change our hearts in this way. When he does, we will naturally and joyfully give generously.
May God fill our hearts with the spirit of generosity as we plan our giving, but also as we walk through the year.