2 Corinthians 8:1-15

2 Cor 8:1-15

Introduction: Read the text. Reread the text closely (look for repeated words, pay attention to the conjunctions, figures of speech, etc.).

Literary Context: Please summarize 2 Cor 1:1-11 (Paul, beginning to reconcile, describes how God comforted him so that they may also be comforted). Now 1:12-23 (Paul defends his integrity and begins to explain the change of plans. He argues for the trustworthiness of his word based on the trustworthiness of God and the Gospel and the work that God is doing in him).

Now 2:1-11 (Paul explains why he changed his travel plans: to avoid causing too much pain. While the letter was necessary, and would cause pain, he did not want to cause excessive pain. He also encourages them to give the verdict of love for the individual who had caused much pain). Now 2:12-17 (Paul expresses his consternation at the absence of Titus’s report while Paul was in Troas. He then describes himself as one captured by the triumphant Christ, and within this asks “who is sufficient for these things?” pointing the ministry of the Gospel).

Now 3:1-18 (He points to the one who makes him sufficient to be an apostle and then describes the nature of the new covenant of which he is a minister, and it is the nature of this ministry that allows him to speak forthrightly about the glory of God made accessible only by means of Christ).

Now 4:1-18 (Paul continues to assert why he speaks boldly and the content of his preaching. He then underscores the power of God by highlighting his own frailty. As he continues to talk about why he can speak boldly he reiterates that his suffering is for the sake of others and demonstrates an intimacy with Christ rather than a separation from God).

Now 5:1-21 (Paul discusses the ‘outer vs. inner’ man in greater detail with an eye towards the unseen and his anticipation thereof and his ‘good courage’ that stems from his confident expectation. This doctrine leads to a proper conduct in Paul, that he makes it his ambition to please God by fulfilling the commission given him, and this leads to a further defense of his ministry where Christ’s love is stated to be the compelling force behind it. Recognizing that Christ died for all leads to a new view of others as either those in Christ or those in need of the ministry of reconciliation. The charge in 6:1 is to not have received this grace of God in vain).

Now 6:3-7:1 (In 6:3-10 Paul commends his apostleship through his endurance of many sufferings and hardships and noted that he did not put a stumbling block before anyone to give them cause to find fault with the ministry. The concept of causing another to stumble was incredibly important in the culture. In 6:11-7:1 Paul begins by saying that any failure to reconcile was not on his part but theirs, and then he proceeds to instruct them that this reconciliation would involve obeying the instruction of their apostle and cutting partnerships with the world).

Now 7:2-16 (Paul relates the comfort God gave him through Titus, and he states that his confidence in the Corinthians was not misplaced because the Corinthians received Titus properly).

8.1: Moving into chapters 8 and 9 the major topic is the collection for the poor living in Jerusalem. By “poor” we are referring to those Christians who are physically poor (there are some who debate the meaning of this term, but this face value reading seems the most likely). Paul had really begun the collection in 52 with a number of the Gentile churches eagerly contributing (more on that in just a moment) (Harris 429). Now there are several factors that resulted in the economic poverty of the Israeli’s living in Jerusalem during this period. Harris notes: “After their conversion to Christianity, many Jews in Jerusalem would have been ostracized socially and economically…Persistent food shortages in Palestine because of overpopulation culminated in the famine of AD 46 in the time of Emperor Claudius (Acts 11:27-30)…Jews in Palestine were subject to a crippling twofold taxation—Jewish and Roman—which in the first century may have been as much as 40 percent” (430).

The giving was significant to Paul. It was an expression of love for the believers in Jerusalem (see vv. 8 and 24) and a demonstration of the unity between the two groups (the Jewish believers and the Gentile believers). In Romans 15:26 Paul refers to the contribution as the κοινωνία for the poor among the Lord’s people in Jerusalem. That term refers to “fellowship, participation, or partnership.” It is a sharing with others, or a participation with others. It is more than just an act of benevolence. It is a demonstration of Christian love and fellowship.

In verse 1 Paul talks about the “grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia.” These churches would include Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea. The term “grace” will occur throughout this section with great frequency, albeit with slightly different nuances. Garland notes that as Paul uses it here it refers to “human generosity, which Paul understands to be something given by God. Frace is God’s unconditional benevolence toward us. When people are spontaneously generous toward others, Paul takes it as clear evidence that God’s grace is working in and through them” (365).

8.2: Verse 2 carries on the sub theme of “trouble” for one welling up into “life” for another. He uses the repeated term θλῖψις to describe the Macedonians situation, as well as stating that they “abounded in joy.” Joy in the midst of trial is a character trait of the Christian. Remember what Paul stated in 7:4 “I have great pride in you; I am filled with comfort. In all our affliction, I am overflowing with joy.” This was perfectly on display in the Macedonian Christians.

This θλῖψις and their extreme poverty “abounded in rich generosity for others.” Notice the themes that are picked up from chapter 1: abounding, trouble. Trouble does not demonstrate God’s separation from us, for we know that Christ identifies himself with his people. We also know that the Macedonian churches were birthed in great trouble for both the apostle and the members, yet, as Kruse writes: “The Macedonian Christians knew the joy of being the recipients of God’s free grace, and in that joy they gave freely. Because of their own situation, what they gave was probably quite a small amount, but measured against their extreme poverty it represented rich generosity” (199).

8.3-4: Now it seems reasonable to suggest that Paul had not actually intended to bring the Macedonians in on the project at all because he was aware of their own poverty. Harris notes “v. 4a implies Paul’s reluctance to encourage the Macedonians to contribute, since he knew of the desperate poverty” (497). Garland notes: “in 1 Cor 16:1-4 Paul only mentions giving directions for the collection to the Corinthians and the churches of Galatia” (368). If this is the case, then it demonstrates all the more clearly the voluntary nature of their giving (which Paul highlights) and their intense desire to κοινωνία (term Paul uses in verse 4) in this χάρις (typically translated “grace” here carrying the sense of privilege) of the ministry to the saints.

Verse 3 highlights the extent to which they participated. They went “above and beyond” as we would say today. Paul says in two parallel statements “according to ability, and beyond ability.” This is certainly worth noting. The poor gave to the poor beyond their own capacity to do so (perhaps without Paul even ever having to ask) while the “rich and affluent” Corinthians Paul is asking to give according to their means (cf. 1 Cor 16). The Macedonians are the example for the Corinthians to strive for.

8.5: Verse 5 demonstrates that it was God working in the Macedonians that empowered such a longing desire and full participation in this ministry. The phrase “by the will of God” conveys the means by which their “giving of themselves” took place. Furnish notes that Paul “attributes it neither to his own successful ministry…nor to their own selfless action. It is God working in them, just as it will be when the Corinthians have completed their contribution to the fund (9:4)” (quote Garland 370-371).

Paul states that their giving was beyond “what we had hoped” (ἐλπίζω) and involved two integral aspects: first, they “gave themselves to the Lord.” This involves an “entrusting” of themselves wholly to God. No doubt this was necessary since the giving was done self-sacrificially. Calvin has a wonderful quote about this concept: “The thing that makes us more close-fisted than we should be with our money is that we are too careful and look too far forward at possible dangers that might come upon us and so become too cautious and anxious and work out too fretfully how much we are going to need during our whole life and how much we lose when the smallest part is taken away. But the man who depends on the Lord’s blessing has his mind set free from these vexatious cares and at the same time his hand set free for beneficence” (Kruse 199). The “giving” also involved “giving themselves to the apostle.” They trusted Paul. Paul demonstrates a recognition in this statement that the success of the collection is in part dependent upon his relationship with the Churches. They must “give themselves to Paul” in a sense in order to participate in the ministry to the saints.

8.6: One of the results of the Macedonians excellent example was that it encouraged Paul to encourage Titus to return to Corinth and “bring to completion” the work of the collection among the Corinthians. This work presumably began when Paul wrote 1 Cor 16 and Titus may well have gone to the church to see to it that they did as Paul had instructed, but now that Titus has returned to Paul, Paul is wanting to send him back to the Corinthians who responded so well to Titus in order to see to it that they would finish the work. Harris writes: “In Paul’s judgment, something more than the dispatch of another letter was needed to make sure the Corinthians completed their contribution to the relief project. Titus should pay a third visit” (498).

8.7: The language of abounding resumes in verse 7. The Macedonians “abounded in joy” and their poverty “abounded into rich generosity.” The Corinthians are said to “abound” in a number of spiritual blessings. Paul has said similar things concerning them in the past. In 1 Cor 1:5-7 he wrote: “in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge—even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you—so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

They abound in these blessings of God, so they ought to abound in this grace as well. Garland points out that the grammatical construction here is probably the most indirect he could be in making a command (374). He’s not begging them to participate, but he is telling them to participate. Notice also that Paul refers to this ministry as “grace” once again. This was the mindset of the Macedonians and points to the “benevolence of God at work within the giver.” This would be, as Dahl puts it: “a visible sign of an invisible grace” (quote Garland 365).

8.8: In verse 8 Paul states that he is not in fact giving a command. Rather, he is testing the sincerity of their love through the eagerness of others. The others in this verse are the Macedonians who have demonstrated themselves to be quite eager to participate in the ministry despite their own poverty. Now the Corinthians who “abound” in so much certainly must rise to the occasion and demonstrate their own love for the body of believers by acting in kind.

This may sound like Paul is trying to pit them against each other in some sort of fund-raising rivalry, but this is hardly the case. Harris writes: “The apostle is not promoting a contest among rivals but encouraging friendly imitation among equals” (quote Kruse 202). The Macedonians are the standard and a partial incentive to compel the Corinthians to act. Paul will not force them, but he does certainly encourage them.

8.9: Verse 9 shifts their eyes from the Macedonian’s participation in the grace to the ultimate example of grace in Christ Jesus. This is the fifth mention of χάρις (grace) in these verses and points to God’s unmerited gift of favor extended to us through Christ Jesus. This statement alone already tells us how we ought to understand the following statement. Paul uses economic language to describe the incarnation and offering of salvation. Christ was immeasurably rich, yet for our sake humbled himself and took on the form of a servant, he became a man. The purpose statement in 9c is “so that you, by his poverty, may become rich.” Now, if we are speaking in strictly material terms, then this statement is wholly incorrect. The Macedonians clearly were not “rich” in material gain, nor were the Jerusalemites to whom the collection was going. Quite clearly this refers to that “act of grace of Jesus,” the giving of salvation. Kruse writes: “It is salvation itself and the blessings accompanying it that constitute the riches which Christ by his ‘poverty’ enabled believers to enjoy” (204).

Now the Macedonians gave out of their poverty, while Christ gave when he was formerly “incalculably rich” (Harris 500). Harris notes: “In their present circumstances the Corinthians fit somewhere between these extremes. Like the Macedonians, Christ gave himself. The Corinthians would do well to emulate these examples” (500).

8.10-11: Turning to verse 10 Paul begins to give his “careful consideration” of the matter to them. Notice that he does not give them a command here, but the term (as Baker notes) “conveys the sense of a decision after considerable thought” so that they should not be quick to turn it aside (especially after being reminded of these two examples) (302). But before he does, he reminds them of some history. Last year (remember that 1 Corinthians was written a year prior) they had begun and really desired to begin this contribution. In 9:2 we’ll find that these Corinthians even served as part of the motivation for the Macedonians to join in this “privilege/grace” of ministry.

The advice then comes in verse 11 in the form of an imperative “but now even finish doing it.” Remember, Titus will be sent “to bring it to completion.” The same verb is used here. They started out well enough, but now they need to see this ministry through to the end. The “so that” purpose statement that follows is “so that your readiness to want to may be matched by your completion of it according to what you have.” Apparently the collection remains incomplete in some way. It is doubtful that they had some money goal and more likely that Paul knows that they have ceased the weekly collections that they began the year prior. This is a call to pick that back up again (Baker 302).

Notice also that he is not demanding that they give “beyond their ability.” Clearly the Macedonians were seen as an extraordinary example. The Corinthians are not called to impoverish themselves, but to complete the collection “from what you have.” Baker writes: “The Corinthians must give what they are able to give, out of earnings that are available for them to give” (303).

8.12: This notion is reinforced in verse 12. The gift is not assessed strictly on the quantity given. The widow’s mite demonstrates this well enough. Christ did not commend her based on the sheer value of the gift given, but rather on the generosity exhibited by her willingness to give in proportion to what she had. She could not give nearly to the same monetary value as the Pharisees and Sadducees, but what she had she was willing to give and demonstrated that in her giving. The Corinthians are not called to give “beyond their ability,” but rather “according to their ability.” Carson writes: “God assesses the value of a monetary gift not in terms of the actual amount one gives but by comparing what one gives with one’s total financial resources…Paul here advocates giving in proportion to one’s means, not giving by any particular percentage” (ZSB 2372).

8.13: Paul seems to cut some objection off at the pass. “Are you demanding that we impoverish ourselves so that those in Jerusalem may be relieved?” Again Paul uses the term θλῖψις here, but only to describe what he is not asking of them. The goal is not that they “suffer hardship” but rather that there would be “equality” or “a fair balance between.” By this, does Paul mean that all of the individual’s in every church would have the same amount of wealth (or lack thereof)? It seems readily apparent that this is not the case, otherwise (as Thrall notes) “he would have solicited support for the Macedonians who were experiencing ‘extreme poverty’ rather than accept donations from them” (quote Kruse 207).

8.14: What Paul has in mind is spelled out in verse 14, and it seems that what he desires is that the churches would take care of one another’s needs as the situation requires. The Jerusalemites are poverty stricken and in need, while the Corinthians have plenty. In the present, the Corinthians are able to provide (within their own means) for the needs of the Jerusalemites, and should the situation arise in which the Corinthians should be in need, the Jerusalemites (or some other group of Christians) would step in and supply for the Corinthians needs out of their plenty.

Again, it is worth noting, as Kruse does: “it is from the abundance or surplus of those who are better-off that Paul expects the needs of those who are worse-off to be met. He does not advocate that those who are better-off reduce themselves to poverty to do so” (207).

8.15: However, the goal is a voluntary equality among the believers in which each person’s needs are met and all are trusting in the daily provision of God. The passage to which Paul refers in verse 15 is Exodus 16:18 concerning the collection of manna in the wilderness by the Israelites. Starting in verse 16, the passage reads: “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Everyone is to gather as much as they need. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.’ The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. And when they measured it by the omer; the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered as much as they needed.” Clearly in this passage there is neither a surplus nor a shortage. This was a God enforced equality among the Israelite community, for each one’s needs were met by God. The ideal for the Christian community is that we were meet one another’s needs as the situation demands. Rather than hoarding up for a rainy day (with such hoarding having the same results as the manna hoarding of the Israelites) the church is to allow the invisible grace of God to be made visible through her own gifts of grace.