Giving is a Grace

We're going to be focusing on 2 Corinthians 8 and 2 Corinthians 9 as we take up our study of Second Corinthians. One of the major ministries of Paul during his second missionary journey was taking up a collection. This was a special missionary offering really, for the poor Jewish Christians in Jerusalem and in the Holy Land. You see, many of them had been saved away from home. They'd come in to Pentecost, they'd gotten saved, they hadn't gone back home; they had to be supported. Many poor people trusted the Lord. There had been some economic problems over there, and Paul was greatly concerned about meeting their needs. 

Now this collection for the saints in Jerusalem was much more than simply a welfare program. He wasn't just simply trying to meet a material and physical need, although that was important. To the Apostle Paul, this offering was the—the picture of unity. He was receiving an offering from the Gentile churches for the Jewish Christians. In Romans 15:27-28, Paul talks about the fact that the Jewish Christians had given to the Gentiles spiritual riches; it was only right for the Gentiles to share with the Jews their material riches. That's a good policy, isn't it? That you share materially where you get your blessing spiritually. 

In Galatians 2:10, the Apostle Paul had made a promise to remember the poor at the close of the Jerusalem conference, which is recorded in Acts 15. It was decided that Paul would go to the Gentiles, Peter and the other apostles would minister to the Jews, but that they should remember the poor. And Paul wanted to do that. The Gentiles had a material debt to the Jews because of the spiritual blessings that had come through the Jewish people. 

Now unfortunately, the Corinthian church was a year behind in keeping its promise in this offering. And so Paul has to remind them that they'd made a promise a year before. Here in 2 Corinthians 8:18, he said not only do it, but to be willing. A year ago you were very willing; now do it. He mentions this in 2 Corinthians 8 and 2 Corinthians 9. 

Why did the Corinthian church delay in paying its share in this marvelous offering? Well, there's several reasons for this. Number one, they had a lot of problems in the church. The church was divided. When you read First Corinthians, you discover one group wanted to follow Paul, one group was for Apollos, another group was for Peter, and then one ultra-spiritual group said we only follow the Lord Jesus; we don't believe in spiritual teachers at all. So you had a four-way split in the church. When a church is divided, it always affects the missionary giving, doesn't it? When church members are fussing among themselves, there were problems in the church. 

But more than that, a group of false teachers had invaded the church. We call them the Judaizers. They wanted to wed grace and law. They wanted to put these people back under the Mosaic law. And these false teachers were really robbing the church. You know, this—this crowd always does that. This crowd of people that—they don't go out and win souls, they go out and steal converts. And they don't go out to give, they go out to get. And these Judaizers got into the church and they were really stealing from these Christians. And—that's where the money was going. 

So as a consequence, Paul had to write them to encourage them to give. As you read 2 Corinthians 8 and 2 Corinthians 9, perhaps the two greatest chapters ever written in the New Testament on giving, you'll discover that Paul lifts this attitude of giving to a very, very high level. He uses the word grace ten times: the grace of giving. You see, God wants us to give because of grace. Not because of law, but because of grace. 

How can we tell? What are the evidences that our giving is inspired and motivated by grace? Well, 2 Corinthians 8:1-2: when we give in spite of circumstances. "Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: how in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality." The churches in Macedonia—these Gentile churches in Philippi, and Berea, and Thessalonica, and this included the Galatian churches as well—were going through very difficult circumstances. The trial of affliction. The word trial means the testing of metal. Affliction means pressure. Poverty, their deep poverty—it's the word that means they were as poor as a beggar. In fact, it means rock bottom, down to the depths poverty. They were not only at the bottom of the barrel; there was no bottom to the barrel. They could just keep right on going. Some of them had been persecuted, some had lost their jobs, some had been rejected by their families. They were going through a time of tremendous economic pressure. 

But look at their giving. Trial plus affliction plus deep poverty plus grace equals joy, abundance, and riches of liberality. When grace is mixed with difficulty, it turns into opportunity. Don't forget that. When you live by God's grace, you don't say, "Oh my, we're going through difficulty; we can't give anything." When you live by God's grace, you say, "God is going to enable us to do our very best." They had experienced the grace of God. 

Now this formula for giving in 2 Corinthians 8:2 cannot be explained by the computers, can it? How do you mix trial of affliction, abundance of joy, poverty, riches of liberality? Only one element can bring all of these together, and that's grace. 

Now 2 Corinthians 8:3-4: when we give spontaneously and generously, it's evidence that our giving is motivated by grace. "For to their power (or ability) I bear witness, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves; beseeching us (it's the word begging, begging us) with much entreaty that we would receive the gift (and that word gift is the word grace, that we would receive the grace) and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints." These people didn't say, "You know, we've lost our jobs; you know times are tough; and so would you please have us excused?" No, no. They begged Paul to permit them to share in the ministry.

This sort of puts the Corinthian church to shame, doesn't it? These people in the Gentile churches of Macedonia begged Paul that—because they wanted to be a part of the fellowship. They said, "We're—we're a part of the family. We belong to God's family. Now look, beyond our ability we want to give. Beyond our means we want to share." In other words, they gave willingly. They weren't forced. And they gave enthusiastically. And they gave generously. That's a sign that they were experiencing the grace of God. 

So we can tell that we're giving on the basis of grace when we give in spite of circumstances and when we give spontaneously and generously. And now 2 Corinthians 8:5: when we give because of our devotion to Christ. "And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God." You see, the church at Corinth had sort of turned against Paul. That's why he wrote this letter to try to restore fellowship and—and working together. But here were these churches in Macedonia who were so devoted to Jesus Christ that they gave themselves to Him. They gave themselves to the Lord; then they gave themselves to Paul and said, "Paul, what can we do to help you?" And then they gave themselves to those who were in need. But first they gave themselves to the Lord. 

You see, it's always true that when people do not give, it's because they don't realize how much they've received. Paul emphasizes the grace of God. And here were these people in Macedonia who would have gone to hell had Paul not come and preached the Gospel to them. Were it not for the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, these people would have been lost forever. Now out of gratitude to God, they gave themselves to the Lord. Out of gratitude to Paul, they gave themselves to Paul. And out of a sense of fellowship with fellow Christians who were in need, they gave themselves and of their means to these fellow Christians. They were giving because of the grace of God. Now let me ask you quite pointedly: Do you give? You say, "I don't have the means." Well, we're going to see later on in this chapter, God doesn't expect us to give what we don't have. But God measures our giving on the basis of grace. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Now when you find a Christian who is giving in spite of circumstances, that Christian is living by grace. When you find a Christian who's giving spontaneously and generously, that Christian is living by grace. When you find a Christian who's giving because of his devotion to Christ, that Christian is living by grace. And when you live by grace, you give by grace. And when you give by grace, you always receive far more than you give. I'm not talking about material things; I'm talking about spiritual enrichment. When your life is invested in the things of the Lord, God always enriches you. Give and it shall be given unto you. Freely you have received, freely give. 

The next time you are tempted not to follow through on your giving, just look at these four reminders in 2 Corinthians 8:6-9. First, he reminds them that giving is a grace. 2 Corinthians 8:6: "Insomuch that we desired Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also finish in you the same grace also." You see, a year before, Titus had encouraged the Corinthian church to get involved in this offering. God had worked through Titus to begin this ministry in their hearts. Now Paul is saying, insomuch as God started this work through Titus, let Him finish it. Whatever God starts, He finishes. He who hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. You see, when we make a promise in the flesh, we don't finish it, do we? Man makes promises, man does not keep promises. But when God does it in the heart, then it is a work of grace. 

So Paul is saying to them in 2 Corinthians 8:6, "You had better examine your heart. Did you make this promise just to please me or just to please Titus? Did you make this promise because you were ashamed not to be a part of what the other churches were doing? Or did you make this promise because the grace of God had worked in your heart?" Giving is a grace. For by grace are you saved through faith. You can't work for grace, you can't earn grace, you can't deserve grace, you can't buy grace. God is the God of all grace. And He's able to make all grace abound toward us. And so when you live by grace and you've experienced the grace of God, then your giving becomes an expression of grace. 

So here's the first reminder: he reminds them that giving is a grace. Now when God's grace is at work in your life, my friend, you don't have to be prodded. You don't have to be reminded. The grace of God'll do it. When you're living by grace, you will be giving by grace. And this giving is an evidence that God's grace is at work in your heart. There's the first reminder now, 2 Corinthians 8:6, that he would finish in you the same grace also. 

Now 2 Corinthians 8:7, here's a second reminder: not only is giving a grace, but giving is a part of growing. 2 Corinthians 8:7: "Therefore, as ye abound in everything, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also." The church at Corinth was a gifted church. In 1 Corinthians 1:4-5, Paul wrote this: "I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; that in everything ye are enriched by Him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: so that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." Here was a church that had every gift. If you went to the Corinthian assembly, you would find the gifts of God abundantly showered upon them. Now, says Paul, there's one gift that you still lack. Oh, you have the gift of knowledge; you can teach the word of God with profundity. And you have the gift of utterance; you're abounding in your evangelism. You're abounding in faith, you're abounding in utterance, you're abounding in knowledge, you're abounding in diligence—now start abounding in giving. 

It's interesting to connect the word abound in 2 Corinthians 8:7 with verse 2. You see, the Macedonian churches were abounding. "How that in the great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality." Paul seems to be contrasting the two churches. He says, "Now you Corinthians are blessed in everything. You're not going through poverty, you're not going through difficulty; you're blessed. You have the abundance of the gifts of God. Now why is it that the Macedonian churches that are going through affliction are abounding in joy and abounding in liberality when you Corinthians who abound in everything are not giving at all? You made a promise, you didn't keep it. Now if God really led you to make that promise, God will enable you to keep it, because He's the one who has enriched us in the Lord Jesus Christ." 

2 Corinthians 8:8, he gives us a third reminder to stir us to keep our promise: giving is an evidence of love. "I speak not by commandment." Paul said, "I'm not bossing you around. I'm not telling you what to do." Over in 2 Corinthians 10:8, Paul says, "For though I should boast somewhat more of our authority, which the Lord hath given us." Paul had the authority to command them. 2 Corinthians 13:10, he said, "Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness according to the authority which the Lord hath given me." Paul had authority to command them, but he says giving is not something you command. Giving has to grow out of our love. It's an evidence of love. "I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the earnestness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love." 

Now this word prove has to do with the testing. You see, opportunities to give are testing times. They test the sincerity of our love. Oh, how easy it is to say to a missionary, "God bless you, I'm praying for you," but never get the checkbook out. How easy it is to say to the pastor, "Oh, praise the Lord for our church," but never share in the need. You see, giving is an evidence of love. Now God's love gave. Right? That's right. God so loved that He gave. Jesus so loved that He gave. Paul so loved that He gave. God loved the Corinthians and sent Jesus to die for them. And God loved the Corinthians and sent Paul to preach to them. And Paul loved the Corinthians and stuck it out for 18 months, difficult months of persecution. And now says Paul, "Prove the sincerity of your love to the Lord. Prove the sincerity of your love to Jesus Christ, to me as the one who led you to Christ, to those Jewish believers over there in Jerusalem, your fellow Christians who desperately need your help. Now prove the sincerity of your love." 

Finally, in 2 Corinthians 8:9, he gives the best reminder of all, reminder number four: giving is Christlike. "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich (when He was up in heaven before He came to this earth, though He was rich), yet for your sakes He became poor (the incarnation, when the Lord Jesus entered into human flesh, sinless flesh, He became poor)." He emptied Himself of the independent use of His own attributes. He said, "I've come not to do my will but the Father's will." Now He became poor. Why? "So that ye through His poverty might be rich." This ties in with 2 Corinthians 8:1-3, doesn't it? The Macedonian churches had never been rich, but out of their poverty they gave to others. Now here was Jesus, who had been rich, and He willingly, lovingly, sacrificially laid aside all of that richness and He became poor when He became man and when He died for us on the cross. And out of His poverty we receive spiritual riches. 

Now, says Paul to this church and to us, you are so rich in Christ. You have become rich in Him. And think of what He did to make this possible. How can you sit there, holding on to what you have? How can you not share with others? For the Lord Jesus Christ became poor that we might be rich. Now later on in this chapter, Paul's going to point out that He doesn't expect us to become poor; He's not asking for one to become poor that the other become rich. No, he's going to tell us how God equalizes everything when you and I learn the grace of giving. May the Lord help each of us to discover, and to discover joyfully, that living and giving go together. As your treasure, so your heart. May the Lord help us to love the Lord Jesus Christ and to love others and to share. May He deliver us from a grasping hand; may He give to us a giving heart.