Life Project Blog

2 Corinthians 9

In the first 5 verses, Paul wraps up his discussion from chapter 8 about the collection for the church in Jerusalem. In this conclusion, he tells the Corinthians that he has told the people in Macedonia all about their willingness to give, how the Corinthians have assured him that they will be all in when the time comes to produce their contribution to the fund. He gives them a heads up that the men are coming to collect their gift, so they won’t be surprised; so they can be prepared, in other words.

Of course, he did manage to mention how embarrassing it would be if they didn’t come through with their pledge… no pressure or anything.

After this, there is a subtle shift from this specific collection, to a more general theme on giving, one we can all benefit from.

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. (9:6-8)

Who can argue with any of this?

In my experience, quite a lot of people argue with this. Oh, of course they agree with every word when they’re talking about someone else, but if there is the slightest implication that it might apply to them, they become indignant: “They just want my money”, they say. If you ask me, I’d say that if this is how you feel about it, then you should keep your money; every penny of it.

This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! (9:12-15)

With these verses, Paul makes the whole point of the exercise clear: We are asked to give because we need to give, not because God cannot provide in other ways. As people who have so fully received God’s blessings, doesn’t it follow that we would want to be a blessing to others, particularly to our brothers and sisters in Christ whom we love? Wouldn’t we want to be a blessing to that neighbor of ours whom we love as ourselves?

Wouldn’t we want to bring glory and praise to God through our giving to fill the legitimate needs of others?

Well, if the answer is no, then by all means, keep your money; we’ll pray for you that God will open your eyes to see the blessing you are missing out on.

Yes, I think that about sums up what Paul is saying here, don’t you?

2 Corinthians 8

In this chapter, Paul returns to one of the main issues that caused the recent controversies in Corinth; the gift of financial aid to the church in Jerusalem. As we have already seen, his accusers in Corinth made a lot of this action, apparently claiming that Paul was involved in something less than honest, yet Paul and the Corinthians had now moved beyond these attacks, had dealt with the accusers, and reconciled.

Haven’t they?

What is really interesting here, is that Paul, full of optimism and joy, is giving the Corinthians an opportunity to demonstrate their rejection of those accusers, and their commitment to Christ and His people by giving their money for the relief of the Jerusalem church.

Was Paul pushing his luck when he wrote this? Remember, he didn’t know what the response would be…

Over the years, I’ve listened to many an annual sermon about tithing come from these verses, and I’ve often wondered if that was the best application of the text.  If I’m honest, I have to say that I still wonder about that.

Yet putting our love into action might well mean that from time-to-time we must part with our cash. No, I don’t mean “tithing”. After all, tithing is part of the Old Testament Law that is “obsolete and useless” according to the author of Hebrews. What I mean is that so many of us say that Christ is first in our lives, that He is our center and our rock, and then refuse to give our earthly treasure to His cause. Is it just me, or is there perhaps the slightest bit of hypocrisy at work there…?

I’ll let you be the judge of that, and I’ll just say that Paul is clearly challenging the Corinthians to put their money where their mouths are.

As for us, I think it is safe to say that we should be good stewards of or material resources, wasting not. I think it is important for us to avoid being a burden upon others if it is at all possible. At the same time, it is also important that we be quick to give to those who have a real need, for how can we say that we love our brother and sister, all the while refusing a legitimate need? No, we shouldn’t become enablers to enable people to waste their resources and very often it is hard to be sure where the need actually comes from.

Yet as the rich man said, “I may have lost millions in business, but I never lost a cent that I gave away.”

2 Corinthians 7:2-16

As we all know by now, Paul has been defending his apostolic ministry since chapter three, and this passage is his conclusion; or maybe I should more accurately say the epilogue. When you come right down to it, the conclusion of the persuasive defense was in the last passage, for here we have more about the result of the matter than a final appeal.

Everyone was now happy.

First, let’s recap the events: Paul spent a significant amount of time in Corinth preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and working with the new believers there to build a church. After that he went to Ephesus where he remained for a long time. While in Ephesus he kept in touch with the church in Corinth and sent at least one letter there. Later, they sent a letter to Paul asking about a number of things they were having trouble with and Paul wrote back answering their questions and adding his thoughts on a few things they hadn’t asked about; we call that letter 1 Corinthians.  Pail had plans to return to Corinth for a visit…

Then, word reached Paul that a group had arisen, mostly from outside of the congregation, in opposition to Paul, apparently telling the people there that Paul had mis-taught the gospel, taken advantage of them and was apparently attempting to abuse their contributions made for the church in Jerusalem. I think we can infer that these allegations became rather personal: Paul went to Corinth to confront his accusers, and that confrontation wasn’t pretty; things were said, emotions rose… Paul went to Macedonia.

From Macedonia, Paul shot off another letter to Corinth, a letter containing some pointed comments. Paul, who had expected to meet up with Titus in Troas, was very grieved; Titus was not there or anywhere in Macedonia. The people in Corinth were also very grieved; what had they done?

Finally, Titus appears on the scene and he was able to report that the Corinthians had come to their senses, dealt with the troublemakers and repented entirely of their little rebellion against Paul. As a result, Paul is all the more impressed by the Corinthians, for they have come to see a mistake and they had rectified it themselves: Harmony was restored and everyone is happy again. Then, Paul sent another letter, we call it 2 Corinthians.

Reading though the text we have already seen quite a few lessons to apply to our own times. Yet there are a few more we should consider…

First, there are a lot of people who would like to sow chaos in the church, and we must not allow ourselves to be misled by them.

Second, Christians should not take church advice from non-Christians.

Third, we are all human, and even the best and most mature among us are susceptible to being carried away with emotion: Be careful what you say to people.

Fourth, when there is a real threat to the unity of the church, deal with it sooner, not later.

Fifth, when we realize that we have made a mistake, admit it, repent and move on in the Lord, don’t worry about saving face.

Sixth, always remember that in Christ, forgiveness is the default setting.

I’m sure I can come up with a few more, and by all means, feel free to chime in with your own thoughts if you’d care to. For me the bottom line is this: Even in the first century when churches had direct communication with the apostles, they had problems. People made mistakes, people said things they shouldn’t have, and had their feelings hurt. Yet they faced their issues, they repented when they needed to, and they forgave when they needed to; it was never perfect, it was never easy. Yet they persevered and built the Kingdom, and their legacy is with us to this very day, a legacy of purpose, of hope and of life, and we should thank God for them and follow their example as best we can in the Lord.