2 Corinthians 9

2 Corinthians 9:1

E. Appeal to the Corinthians to Justify Paul’s Boasting of Them (9:1-5) 9:1 It was quite unnecessary for Paul to write to the Corinthians concerning the subject of sending financial help to needy saintsyet he proceeded to do so anyway. Perhaps there is a trace of irony in this verse. Actually, in some respects it was not necessary for him to write to them. They had shown a willingness from the outset to participate in the collection for Jerusalem. As far as willingness was concerned, they were to be commended. But they simply had not carried out their original intentions.

That is why he feels it necessary to enlarge on the superfluous.9:2 There was no question about their willingness. From the time the subject was first broached they had shown zeal and earnestness. In fact, Paul had boasted about them to the Christians in Macedonia. He told them that Achaia was ready a year ago. Achaia, the southern part of Greece, is here used to refer to Corinth, since Corinth was located there. When the Macedonians heard that the Christians in Corinth had been ready for a year, many of them (the Macedonians) were stirred up; they caught the contagion of Christian giving and decided to give themselves to it wholeheartedly. 9:3 When Paul says here that he has sent the brethren, he really means he is sending them. The past tense views it from the perspective of the readers rather than the writer. The brethren are the three mentioned in the previous chapter: Titus and two unnamed Christians. They were being sent so that Paul’s boasting concerning the Corinthians would not be in vain with regard to the collection. The mission of the three brethren would be to ensure that the collection was prepared by the time that Paul got there. 9:4 When the apostle would make the trip from Macedonia south to Corinth, it was not unlikely that one of the Macedonian believers would accompany him on the trip. How embarrassing it would be to the Apostle Paul if, after boasting of the Corinthians, he should bring one of those Macedonians and find that the Corinthians had actually done nothing about the gift for Jerusalem! In such an event Paul’s confidence in the Corinthians would have been put to shame, not to mention that the Corinthians themselves would then have real cause to be ashamed for their neglect. Phillips’ translation of this verse is colorful: For, between ourselves, it would never do if some of the Macedonians were to accompany me on my visit to you and find you unprepared for this act of generosity! We (not to speak of you) should be horribly ashamed, just because we had been so proud and confident of you. 9:5 This then is why Paul thought it necessary to exhort these three brethren to go to Corinth before he himself went. They would prepare their generous gift beforehand, which they had previously promised for the Jerusalem saints. That it may be ready as a matter of generosity and not as a grudging obligation. There was no thought that these funds should be wrung out of the saints as by extortion but that it should be a manifestation of their generosity, given through their own free will.

2 Corinthians 9:6

F. The Good Rewards of Generous Giving (9:6-15) 9:6 In verses 6 through 15 the Apostle Paul lists some of the wonderful rewards and benefits of Christian giving. First, he sets forth the law of the harvest. It is a well-known fact in agriculture that a generous sowing of seed is necessary if there is to be a generous harvest. Perhaps the farmer is ready to put the seed in the ground. Shall he sow liberally or shall he take some of the grain and use it as food during the months ahead? The thought here is that if he sows it liberally, he will also reap out of all proportion to what he sows. We should remember this with regard to agriculturethe farmer does not reap the exact amount of grain he sows, but much more proportionately. So it is in Christian giving: it is not a question of receiving back exactly what one has given but receiving back far out of proportion to the amount of the gift. Of course, the return is not so much in money as in spiritual blessings. 9:7 Each one is to give as he purposes in his heart. It will be necessary for him to consider what is necessary for his own immediate needs. He will have to think of just obligations which he will incur in the course of normal life. But then above that, he should think of the needs of his fellow Christians, and of the claims of Christ upon him. Taking all these considerations into view, he should give not grudgingly or of necessity. It is possible to give and yet not be happy about it. It is also possible to give under the pressure of emotional appeals or public embarrassment. None of these things will do. God loves a cheerful giver. It has often been pointed out that our word hilarious comes from the word translated cheerful (hilaron). Does God really need our money? No, the cattle on a thousand hills belong to Him, and if He needed anything, He would not tell us (Psa_50:10-12). But our heart’s attitude is what is important to Him. He loves to see a Christian who is so filled with the joy of the Lord that he wants to share what he has with others. God loves a cheerful giver because, as Jowett says: Cheerful giving is born of love, and therefore it is a lover loving a lover and rejoicing in the communion. Giving is the language of loving; indeed, it has no other speech. God so loved that He gave! Love finds its very life in giving itself away. Its only pride in possession is the joy of surrender. If love has all things, it yet possesses nothing. 9:8 Here we have a promise that, if a person really wants to be generous, God will see that he is given the opportunity. Grace is here used as a synonym for resources. God is able to supply us with resources so that we will not only have a sufficiency ourselves, but so that we will be able to share what we have with others and thus have an abundance for every good work. Notice the alls of this verse. All grace, always (that is, at all times), all sufficiency, all things, every good work. 9:9 Now the apostle quotes from Psa_112:9. The expression He has dispersed abroad refers to the act of sowing seed. The verse describes a man who has been generous in his sowing of the seed, or more particularly in his deeds of kindness. The specific kindness in which he engaged was giving to the poor. Is he the loser by such action? No! His righteousness endures forever. This means that if we disperse kindness as a sower scatters his seed, we will be laying up for ourselves treasures in heaven. The results of our kindness will endure forever. 9:10 The illustration of the sower continues. The same God who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food is careful to make sure that those who show kindness to others will reap certain rewards. Some of those rewards are now listed. First, He will multiply the seed you have sown. That is, He will give greater opportunity and more abundant results from showing kindness to His people. Furthermore, He will increase the fruits of your righteousness. The Corinthians were righteous in giving to the saints at Jerusalem. As a result of that giving they would receive fruit by way of eternal reward. As God increased their ability to give, and they increased in generosity, the rewards would increase accordingly. 9:11 It is certainly clear from this section that a person never impoverishes himself by giving to the Lord. Rather, every act of kindness has a reflex action, and the reward is all out of proportion to the gift given. Thus Paul says here that the Christians, by their giving, would be enriched in everything for further displays of great liberality. As the apostles looked on and saw the Corinthians growing in the grace of giving, they (the apostles) would give thanks to God.9:12 When the gift from the Corinthians was put to work in Jerusalem, it would not only supply the needs of the saints there but would also result in many people giving thanks to God. We have noticed, time and again, the emphasis Paul puts on thanksgivings. Anything which resulted in the Lord being thanked assumed great importance in Paul’s eyes. 9:13 There are still other benefits that would result from the Corinthians’ gift. It would be a definite proof to the Judean Christians that there really had been a work of Christ in the lives of these Gentile converts. At one time the Jewish Christians had real doubts about such converts as the Corinthians. Perhaps they did not consider them to be full-fledged Christians. But this kindness would be to them a great proof of the reality of the faith of the Corinthians, and they would glorify God for what the gospel of Christ had done in Achaia, as well as for the liberal contribution which had been made to them. 9:14 And that is not all! Two more benefits follow. Because of the gift from Corinth to Jerusalem, the Jewish Christians would henceforth be careful to pray for the saints in Corinth, and there would be strong ties of affection. The saints in Jerusalem would long for the Corinthians because of the exceeding grace of God which the latter had shown. 9:15 At this point Paul simply bursts out into an exclamation! This verse has been a puzzle to many Bible scholars. They cannot see that it is closely connected with what has gone before. And they wonder what is meant by His indescribable gift. But it seems to us that as the Apostle Paul reaches the end of his section on Christian giving, he is forced to think of the greatest Giver of allGod Himself. He thinks, too, of the greatest gift of allthe Lord Jesus Christ. And so he would leave his Corinthian brethren on this high note. They are children of God and followers of Christ. Then let them follow such worthy examples!