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The Grace of Giving


Thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you. For Titus not only welcomed our appeal, but he is coming to you with much enthusiasm and on his own initiative. And we are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel. What 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. We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man.

In 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. As for Titus, he is my partner and co-worker among you; as for our brothers, they are representatives of the churches and an honor to Christ. Therefore show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you, so that the churches can see it.

There is no need for me to write to you about this service to the Lord’s people. For I know your eagerness to help, and I have been boasting about it to the Macedonians, telling them that since last year you in Achaia were ready to give; and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action. But I am sending the brothers in order that our boasting about you in this matter should not prove hollow, but that you may be ready, as I said you would be. For if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we—not to say anything about you—would be ashamed of having been so confident. So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given. (2 Corinthians 8:16-9:5)


This section of Paul’s letter begins with the word “thanks” in English: “Thanks be to God”. But in Greek the first word is χάρις which is usually translated as “grace”. Paul often uses this word when he is giving thanks. This double meaning has passed into English when we talk about saying “Grace” before our meals. What we are really doing is giving thanks to God for his provision.

 

The word χάρις standing at the beginning of this section which is all about giving reminds us that our giving flows from God’s grace. Once we have experienced the grace of God, our giving to the Lord’s work in return ought to be automatic. Unfortunately, it does not always work that way. It is not so much that we need to be taught about giving, but we do seem to need to be reminded. So, what does Paul remind the Corinthians and us in this passage?

 

We learn at least three things about giving in this passage. First, Paul wanted the Corinthians to give openly. Paul wanted everything to be above board in terms of the financial aspects of ministry.

 

We have talked before in our study of 1 and 2 Corinthians of the collection Paul was taking for the poor saints in Jerusalem who were suffering due to a famine that began around AD 46. In this passage, Paul takes steps to ensure that he will not be accused of stealing from the collection destined for the poor of Jerusalem. Paul, who could write like a poet and think like a theologian could also act like a wise CPA. Mother Teresa once said, “Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Paul lived out the truth of that statement.

 

We don’t know who the unnamed brothers were who accompanied Titus to help with taking up the collection. Nothing much has changed in 2000 years. I imagine most people who give to their local church don’t know who the people are handling the money. We have a number of wonderful people involved in this ministry in our church. Bob Bois serves as our treasurer. Tom Yokum handles all incoming contributions. Rufus Jones and Bud Rowles serve on our finance committee. Hopefully this helps to put a face on this important aspect of our church’s ministry. As Paul says, these men are representatives of our church and an honor to Christ.

 

Though we don’t know for certain who these brothers were whom Paul mentions, that does not mean there has not been speculation. Part of that speculation is based upon Acts 20:4-6 where we read that Paul, at this time,

 

… was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. These men went on ahead and waited for us at Troas. But we sailed from Philippi after the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas, where we stayed seven days.

 

Most scholars think that these men named here in Acts 20 were part of the finance committee that Paul put together to handle the collection for the saints in Jerusalem. Because this is one of the “we” sections in the book of Acts, it has been assumed that Luke, the author of Acts, was part of this finance committee.

 

Bible commentator, Paul Barnett, explains…

 

One possibility is that this famous evangelist among the Macedonian churches was Luke. That Luke, the author of Acts, was present in Philippi (from which this letter was possibly written) from AD 50 to 57 may be inferred from the first ‘we/us’ passage in Acts which ends at Philippi and the second such passage which begins at Philippi. It is quite possible that Luke remained at Philippi throughout those eight years and had become famous in the region. One who was capable of writing the gospel, as Luke was, may well have been famous for his preaching of the gospel.

 

The Collect for St. Luke’s Day picks up these words “whose praise is in the gospel” from 2 Corinthians 8:18…

 

Almighty God, who calledst Luke the Physician, whose praise is in the gospel, to be an Evangelist and Physician of the soul; may it please thee that by the wholesome medicines of the doctrine delivered by him, all the diseases of our souls may be healed.

 

This passage in 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 shows forth the fact that Paul was a brilliant fundraiser. He was encouraging the giving of the Corinthians by the example of the Macedonians (8:1-5), and he was encouraging the giving of the Macedonians by the example of the Corinthians (9:1-5)! Now Paul is just a tad worried that his whole scheme may fall apart if the Corinthians fail to bring their offering to completion.

 

So, Paul wanted the Corinthians to give openly, and he wanted all finances to be handled in a proper fashion. But secondly, and just as important, Paul wanted the Corinthians to give voluntarily

 

2 Corinthians 9:5 suggests what we all know to be true, namely, that various attitudes can underlie our giving. Sometimes we give generously. Other times we give grudgingly. William Barclay identifies four ways in which we might give to the Lord’s work…


  1. We might give as a duty. Barclay says that one “may discharge the claims of generosity but do so as one pays an account or sends a remittance to a tax-collector. It may be done as a grim duty and with such a bad grace that it would be almost better not to do it at all.”
  2. We might give simply to find self-satisfactionWhen giving out of this motive one thinks far more of the pleasant feeling one has when one makes the gift than of the feelings of the person receiving the gift. There are some who give a few dollars to a homeless person because of the glow of satisfaction they feel rather than out of a real desire to help. Barclay says, “Such giving is in essence selfish; people who give like that give to themselves rather than to the recipient.”
  3. We might give out of motives of prestige. Of this motive Barclay says, “The real source of such giving is not love but pride. The gift is given not to help but to glorify the giver. In fact, the chances are that it would not be given at all if it were not seen and praised.” It may even be that the giving is done to pile up credit with God—as if any person could put God in their debt.
  4. Or we might give out of the best motive—love’s compulsion. When love compels us, we give because we cannot help it. The sight of a person in need awakens a desire that cannot be stilled. This is God’s motive in giving. It was because God so loved the world that he gave his Son.

 

So, we see in this passage that Paul wants us to give openly and voluntarily. But a third thing we see in this passage is that Paul wanted the Corinthians to give readily. It is Paul’s desire that the gift from the Corinthians be ready when Titus and the other brothers arrive to collect it. Paul does not want any last-minute scurrying around. 

 

There is a Latin proverb that says, “They give twice who give quickly.” 

 

Barclay says, “The finest gifts are those made, before they are requested.”

 

God gives to us in this way. Paul says that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. (Romans 5) God gives us grace before we even ask or seek it. Jesus often healed and forgave people who weren’t asking for either gift. God hears our prayers before we even give voice to them. So perhaps God wants us to be forward thinking in our giving as well.

 

While there are different motives for giving there are also different causes to which we can give our financial support. Of course, there are no end of causes in the world today. But I wish to highlight three causes to which the New Testament urges us to give our treasure.

 

First, there is the care of those in need. That is the cause for which Paul is taking up this collection. 

 

In Ephesians 4:28, Paul says, “Let him that stole steal no more, let him labour with his hands that he may have to give to him that needeth.” 

 

You know, it makes a difference where you put the comma in Scripture. My father, who was a reformed thief, used to quote this verse with the comma in a different place: “Let him that stole steal, no more let him labor with his hands.”

 

Of course, the truth is Paul does not want us to steal. He wants us to perform honest labor that we might have something to share with others in need.

 

Paul Barnett says, “Grievous illness and hunger in our fellow human beings must always be met by kindness and generosity, as Jesus taught in his parable of the good Samaritan.” (Luke 10:25-37)

 

A second cause to which the New Testament urges us to give is that of the missionary. Paul thanked God for the Philippian Christian’s partnership in the gospel. The Philippians, who had been led to faith in Christ by Paul, supported Paul as a missionary over the course of at least ten years. They sent Paul money when he was in Thessalonica and later at Corinth. Finally, when Paul was in prison in Rome, the Church at Philippi sent money and a companion to be with Paul in prison. (See Philippians 1:5; 4:14-18; 2 Corinthians 11:9.) 

 

We have a wonderful Missions Board here at our church and they help guide our church giving to meet both physical and spiritual needs in our community and world. But there is no reason why each of us, individually, cannot go beyond what we are doing as a church and support a missionary and/or humanitarian organizations.

 

Finally, the New Testament urges us to give in support of the Christian teacher. Paul teaches the Galatian Christians that those who receive Christian instruction are to share their good things with their instructors. Paul taught the Corinthians that those who sow spiritual seed have the right to reap a material harvest. “Those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.” And Paul instructed Timothy that the teaching elder in the local church was a laborer worthy of his wages. (See Galatians 6:6; 1 Corinthians 9:11-14; 1 Timothy 5:17-18.)

 

I know it seems like I am pleading my own case by mentioning this third cause to which the Christian is obligated to give. But it is a truth worth recognizing no matter who your pastor is. The New Testament is clear that the pastor is under obligation to teach and the congregation to support their pastor financially.

 

It always amazes me the fundraising schemes that are out there in the world and that are often used even by churches. The Lord has one plan for the local church, and that is that the members should give to support it. The idea of raising money for Christian ministry from non-Christian sources is totally alien to Paul’s way of thinking.

 

To sum up, there is a lot in this brief passage. We have seen three characteristics of giving. Paul wants our giving to be open, voluntary, and ready. There are also various motives for giving: duty, self-satisfaction, prestige, and love’s compulsion. And finally, there are different causes to which we can give: human need, missionary efforts, and our local church. But it all starts with grace. If we have not had an experience of God’s grace in Jesus Christ, all our giving is ultimately worthless. But if we have experienced the grace of God in Jesus, then we won’t need anyone to plead with us to give. Giving to the Lord’s work will happen naturally, as the overflow of a grace-filled heart.

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