Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.
I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.
And here is my judgment about what is best for you in this matter. Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.
Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, as it is written: “The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.”
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.

• 2 Corinthians 8:1-24

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

2 Corinthians 8:1-4 ‘The Offering for Jerusalem’s Christians’: “On his third missionary journey Paul raised an offering to relieve the poverty of the Christians in Jerusalem and to demonstrate the unity of the Jewish and Gentile churches (see 1 Cor. 16:1–4; Rom. 15:25–28). Corinth was in Achaia, just south of Macedonia from which Paul was writing. The Christians in Corinth, a great commercial center, were better off financially than those in Macedonia and Jerusalem, yet Paul encouraged the Corinthians to participate in this offering by praising the generosity of the Macedonians (2 Cor. 8:1–4).”

• Timothy B. Cargal, et al., The Chronological Study Bible

2 Corinthians 8:1-4 ‘Geography and Environment’: “The Macedonian churches had produced an example of generosity. Among the provinces, Macedonia was worse off economically than Achaia, in which Corinth was located. Since Corinth was a great commercial center, the Christians there were much better off financially than those in either Macedonia or Jerusalem. In spite of their poverty, the Macedonians gave far beyond what one would expect (2 Cor. 8:1–4).”

• Timothy B. Cargal, et al., The Chronological Study Bible

2 Corinthians 8:1-2 ‘collection for the poor in Jerusalem’: “Paul had organized a collection for the poor in Jerusalem (Gal 2:10; Ro 15:25–28). The Corinthians volunteered to contribute, but their good intentions did not translate into practical aid. Paul made another appeal to them, citing the example of the Macedonian churches, who had become involved entirely on their own initiative, though deeply poor and greatly afflicted (2Co 8:2).”

• Dorothy Kelley Patterson, General Editor, NIV Woman’s Study Bible (Patty Comber, Pauline Epistles contributor)

2 Corinthians 8:2 ‘abundance if their joy’: ” ‘Abundance’ means ‘surplus.’ In spite of their difficult circumstances, the churches’ joy rose above their pain because of their devotion to the Lord and the causes of His kingdom. deep poverty. ‘Deep’ means ‘according to the depth,’ or ‘extremely deep.’ ‘Poverty’ refers to the most severe type of economic deprivation, the kind that caused a person to become a beggar. riches of their liberality. The Gr. word for ‘liberality’ can be translated ‘generosity’ or ‘sincerity.’ It is the opposite of duplicity or being double-minded. The Macedonian believers were rich in their single-minded, selfless generosity to God and to others.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Corinthians 8:3-7 ‘grace giving’: ”In this section of the letter, Paul draws on the example of the churches in Macedonia to demonstrate what could be called ‘grace giving.’ This type of giving is sacrificial but encompasses several other important features.
“First, grace giving is spontaneous. As the apostle Paul wrote, the believers in the Macedonian churches gave ‘not grudgingly or of necessity’ (2 Corinthians 9:7). Rather, the Christians in those communities gave willingly and were excited about the prospects of doing so. They earnestly desired to be involved in the project.
“Second, grace giving is selfless. Paul wrote that the believers in the Macedonian churches ‘were freely willing, imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints’ (verses 3-4). Human nature usually finds its focus in its own needs, but grace giving always focuses on the needs of others. Grace giving always looks to how God is going to be able to use what we give to help others find Christ or grow in Him.
“Third, grace giving is systematic. Paul wrote, ‘We urged Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also complete this grace in you as well’ (8:6). The missionaries spent a whole year planning for the offering. They made sure it was organized and put together right, and when the time came for it to be collected, they made sure they had competent people to deliver it. Notice that this system began with a commitment. The believers could not wait until the time was ‘right’ to give or until they felt they could afford to give. In the same way, grace giving will require us to be committed to the process … and to keep moving forward.
“Finally, grace giving is spiritual. Giving is not a necessary evil or something we have to do to pay the bills. Rather it is just as much a part of our spiritual lives as Bible reading, prayer, and witnessing. We see this is true when we read that Paul encouraged the believers in Corinth to ‘abound in this grace also’ (8:7). For Paul, stewardship was on the same level as any of the other spiritual disciplines that we find in the New Testament. It is a spiritual exercise.”

• David Jeremiah, 2 Corinthians (Jeremiah Bible Study Series)

2 Corinthians 8:3-5 ‘giving to believers they had never met’ : “Not only did the Macedonians give, but they even went beyond their ability, begging for the opportunity to contribute to believers in need whom they had never even met. By giving to a legitimate need through legitimate ministers, they had the privilege of sharing in the ministry (8:3-4). Thus, they opened themselves to experiencing the spiritual blessings and benefits that accrue as a result of sacrificially giving to the Lord’s work with the right attitude. Their submission to the Lord Jesus had prompted them to commit their financial resources through these God-ordained leaders (8:5).
“Why do you give to gospel ministry? Is it because you feel guilty? Is it because you’re trying to cut a deal with God? Oris it because you know and have experienced the unmerited goodness of God in your life? When you are characterized by spiritual satisfaction and a true understanding and appreciation of grace, giving to the Lord’s work will be something you are excited to do.”

• Tony Evans, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Corinthians 8:6-7 ‘the Corinthians could not do less’: “In light of the evident grace of God in the response of the Macedonians, how could the Corinthians do less? So just as Titus had begun the collection among the Corinthians, Paul dispatched him again to bring it to completion (8:6). The apostle longs to see them excel in giving to the poor Jewish Christians, just as they have excelled in other ways-in faith, speech, knowledge, and in all diligence (8:7). When we respond to God’s grace in our lives with a willingness to give to others, his grace to us and through us is magnified all the more. The Corinthians had the chance to make God look good.”

• Tony Evans, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Corinthians 8:8-9 ‘motivated by love’: “Paul wants them to be motivated by love, however, not by external pressure. He was not giving them a command but pleading with them to follow in their Lord’s footsteps (8:8). Though Jesus Christ … was rich, for [our] sake he became poor, so that by his poverty [we] might become rich (8:9). The eternal Son of God had enjoyed heavenly glory and fellowship with the Father from all eternity. But ‘he emptied himself’ and took ‘on the likeness of humanity’ (Phil 2:7). Then he gave ‘his life as a ransom for many’ (Mark 10:45). Christ exemplified the spirit and attitude that Paul longs to see from the Corinthian church. It wasn’t asking too much to prompt them to honor what Christ did for them by meeting the needs of fellow saints.”

• Tony Evans, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Corinthians 8:9 ‘rich becoming poor’: “The apostle meant we know his grace through what he has done for us. We might have known that Jesus was gracious, but we could not have known it practically, and we would have no grace of our own.
” ‘Though he was rich, for your sake he became poor.’ ‘He was rich’ takes us back in thought to the glories of eternity. There was no need for Christ to become poor-except for our sakes. His poverty, an emphatic poverty, was voluntarily undertaken for our sakes. This poverty was seen in his condition as a man. Humanity is a poor thing in comparison with deity. As man, he was a poor man. He was born poor and he lived poor. He was also poor in his reputation. While he was here, people treated him with all the scorn and contempt they could possibly display. They called him ‘a glutton and a drunkard’ (Mt 11:19). They even went so far as to say he worked his miracles through Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons (Mt 12:24). He was poor in the use of his power, for in his divine state he was able to do anything he pleased. But here he restricted himself to loss, suffering, and death, when by nature he possessed the power to deliver himself from all of these. He was poor in communion. Our Savior never consorted with anybody who could be called his equal. Jesus here associated with the sin. A person may be poor in worldly goods and may be able to bear it, but our Savior bore our sins for us. Though he was rich in holiness, for our sakes he became poor in bearing our sin. The climax of his poverty was when he ‘who alone is immortal’ died (1Tm6:16).
” ‘So that by his poverty you might become rich.’ The riches of believers are exactly parallel with the poverty of Christ. By Christ’s poverty we are made rich in our condition-we are the children of God. With regard to the believer’s reputation, we are righteous in his righteous-ness. The same is true as to our power: while Christ voluntarily limited his power, he has widened our power. Jesus said, ‘The one who believes in me will also do the works that I do. And he will do even greater works than these’ (Jn 14:12). He also has wonderfully enriched us in communion: we have come ‘to the assembly of the firstborn whose names have been written in heaven’ (Heb 12:23). Next, we are rich in that we have acceptance with God. Finally, we are rich in the indestructible everlasting life he has bestowed on us through his atoning death and glorious resurrection. He was poor as poor can be, and we, if we believe in him, are as rich as rich can be!“

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

2 Corinthians 8:9 ‘we give of ourselves. We receive Grace.’: ”In chapters 8 and 9 we find Paul’s declaration of the giving and service ministry of the church. Because of the great famine in Jerusalem, Paul was taking up a collection for the relief of the saints in that city. Giving, said Paul, is the proof of genuine Christian love, and he appealed to the Corinthian believers to open their hearts to give, just as they had received from Jesus Christ.
“Here, as in many places in Scripture, we see a spiritual paradox at work: Christianity operates in poverty, making many rich. Jesus, the Creator of the universe, set aside His riches and entered into His creation in a state of poverty in order to enrich us all by His grace. He is our pattern. We are to give in order to enrich others with the grace of Jesus Christ.“

• Ray C. Stedman, Adventuring Through the Bible

2 Corinthians 8:9 ‘Christian generosity’: “The supreme reason for Christian generosity is the self-giving and self-impoverishment of Christ, who gave up his glory and his rightful position in heaven on our behalf. Christ became what the Corinthians were (poor) so that they could become what he is (rich). Self-sacrifice is the proper test of love. The example of Christ and the debt Christians owe him should lead them to be generous toward others.”

• Dorothy Kelley Patterson, General Editor, NIV Woman’s Study Bible (Patty Comber, Pauline Epistles contributor)

2 Corinthians 8:10 ‘advice’: “Paul was not commanding the Corinthians to give any specific amount. It was his opinion, however, that it was to their advantage to give generously so they might receive abundantly more from God in either material blessings, spiritual blessings, or eternal reward (cf. 9:6; Luke 6:38).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Corinthians 8:11 ‘complete the doing of it’: “The Corinthians needed to finish what they had started by completing the collection (cf. Luke 9:62; 1 Cor. 16:2). They needed this reminder since they likely stopped the process due to the influence of the false teachers, who probably accused Paul of being a huckster who would keep the money for himself (cf. 2:17).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Corinthians 8:13-14 ‘Friendship with the Master’: “In the Roman world, a ‘friend’ was often a political ally who owed one a favor, or a more powerful patron on whom one could depend. But the traditional Greek concept of friendship remained influential even during the apostle Paul’s day. Paul had urged the financially well-off Christians of Corinth to treat Christians in Jerusalem as friends by sharing all things in common. Friends treated one another as ‘equals’ (2 Cor. 8:13, 14).”

• Timothy B. Cargal, et al., The Chronological Study Bible

2 Corinthians 8:14-15 ‘no intent to give until you become needy’: “Paul did not intend that the financial relief of the saints at Jerusalem should impoverish those in Corinth. He was not advocating an artificial equalization of property but rather the relief of need. Paul stressed that all believers had a duty to contribute out of their own abundance to the needs of the poor, but he also stressed that the poor were to work and support themselves to the best of their ability (2Th 3:10). The give and take ‘equality’ (translated ‘fair’ in Col 4:1) he had in mind could be illustrated by God’s provision of manna for the Israelites in the wilderness (Ex 16:18). All the Israelites gathered manna to eat; but when they measured the amounts, the ones who had gathered more only had as much as they required, even as did the ones who had gathered less. There was neither excess nor insufficiency but equality of provision according to each one’s needs.”

• Dorothy Kelley Patterson, General Editor, NIV Woman’s Study Bible (Patty Comber, Pauline Epistles contributor)

2 Corinthians 8:19 ‘chosen by the churches’: “To protect Paul and Titus from false accusations regarding the mishandling of the money, the churches picked the unbiased brother (v. 18) as their representative to lend accountability to the enterprise. to the glory of the Lord Himself. Paul wanted careful scrutiny as protection against bringing dishonor to Christ for any misappropriation of the money. He wanted to avoid any offenses worthy of justifiable criticisms or accusations.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Corinthians 8:20-21 ‘sent with Titus’: “Paul was aware that his critics would seize any opportunity to accuse him. It was not enough that honesty be practiced in the Lord’s sight; Paul also felt it imperative to be open and honest in the sight of people (Pr 3:4). Therefore, Paul did not take the gift of money to the church in Jerusalem but sent it with Titus, whom the Corinthians loved and trusted. Furthermore, he had the churches (perhaps those of Judea, Asia Minor and/or Macedonia) choose two other men to accompany Titus.”

• Dorothy Kelley Patterson, General Editor, NIV Woman’s Study Bible (Patty Comber, Pauline Epistles contributor)

2 Corinthians 8:21 ‘to be like Jesus’: “The Christian’s greatest goal is to be like Christ. We want to emulate His exemplary life, model His method of teaching, resist temptation as He resisted it, handle conflicts as He did, focus on the mission God calls us to accomplish as Christ focused on His. And certainty it is our desire to commune with the Father as the Son did throughout His ministry and suffering. No greater compliment can be given than this one: ‘When I am with that person, it’s like I’m in the presence of Jesus Himself.’”

• Charles R. Swindoll, Bedside Blessing

2 Corinthians 8:23 ‘partner and fellow worker’: “Titus was Paul’s ‘partner’—his close companion—and fellow laborer among the Corinthians. They already knew of his outstanding character. messengers of the churches. The two men who went with Titus were apostles in the sense of being commissioned and sent by the churches. They were not apostles of Christ (11:13; 1 Thess. 2:6), because they were not eyewitnesses of the resurrected Lord or commissioned directly by Him (see … Rom. 1:1). glory of Christ. The greatest of all commendations is to be characterized as bringing glory to Christ. Such was the case of the two messengers.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Corinthians 8 ‘Challenge’: “Before the judgment seat of Christ my service will be judged not by how much I have done, but by how much I could have done. In God’s sight my giving is measured not by how much I have given but by how much I could have given and how much I had left after I made my gift. The needs of the world and my total ability to minister to those needs decide the worth of my service.
“Not by its size is my gift judged, but by how· much of me there is in-it. No man gives at all until he has given all. No man gives anything acceptable to God until he has first given himself in love and sacrifice.”

• A. W. Tozer, That Incredible Christian

My Thoughts

What is giving above your ability?

There is so much talk today about giving ten percent, but then some scholars mention that when you add all the different offerings that the Old Testament speaks of, there is a lot more than ten percent that is mentioned.

Some churches ask for your tithes and offerings.  Thus, the tithe is the ten percent (in most churches) or what the person pledged to give (not considering percentage).  Then the offering was something above and beyond the tithe (regardless of how tithe is defined).

But giving above your ability to give, as Paul says many Macedonians did, is not giving an offering.  These poor people heard that due to a famine, people were starving in Jerusalem.  They gave their grocery money to Paul, so that he could pass the money on to the poor in Jerusalem.

What would they then do for grocery money?  They might have to do some extra work to put food on the table, or as my wife used to do, make poor men’s meals that are inexpensive but fill the tummy.  By design, these meals were not very dietetic meals.  The extra calories boosted the energy and the internal heat to survive the cold nights without a roof over your head.  Like the comedian would say, “We were Ramen noodles poor, Mac and Cheese poor, Toast with no jelly poor.  We’d lick the glue off the stamp until it wouldn’t stick to the envelope.  (but these days stamps are too expensive for that luxury.)”  In other words, low protein (especially meats) and high carbohydrates and fiber.  My wife’s favorite was Hopping John: rice, black-eyed peas, and a hint of a little bacon (one or two slices chopped up).  The Cajun Red Beans and Rice may be a delicacy, but it was originally just that, red beans and rice and a few spices to make you think there was something else in there.  The old joke is “company was coming so add water to the soup,” but there is just so much water that you can add.

But the Macedonians put themselves into that problem.  Sooner or later, there simply were no more odd jobs, and the cook of the family had run out of rice and beans.  And instead of Jerusalem Christians going without, it was Macedonian Christians who were going without.  And Paul is pleading with the Corinthians for the privilege to give in such a sacrificial manner.

If you make a dollar and you need 95 cents to put food on the table, then giving 10 percent is being sacrificial.  With the poor among us, we need not speak of percentages.

The entire concept of this giving is not that we are compelled by external force or browbeat into doing so.  The people in Jerusalem were starving.  Christians love with the love God places in our hearts, and we should show that love.  And the goal is equality.  We all get what we need.

And do not think Paul carried this money.  On this particular mission journey, right after the riot in Ephesus, Luke wrote about the people who accompanied Paul. “He 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” (Acts 20:4).  Why were members of the various churches accompanying Paul?  Each had been entrusted with the money from their church.  Paul understood the audit trail, and he had depth in his followers to ensure no one skimmed some of the money off for private gain.

And Titus, never mentioned in the book of Acts, was Paul’s liaison in resolving the issues in Corinth, and now Titus would carry out this mission of Grace, carrying the Corinthian offering to Jerusalem.  Another person, unnamed, went with Titus.  The two men ensure that neither takes from the money that is donated.  One, a trusted member of the Corinth community and the other a partner of Paul in the ministry.

Some Serendipitous Reflections

2 Corinthians 8:1-15 Generosity Encouraged 1. If you were to evaluate your zeal for God in light of your checkbook, what grade would you give yourself? What from Jesus’ example (v.9) prompts you to be generous with your money, time, and energy? What inhibits you?
“2. How can the equality principle (vv.13-15) help you decide which needs your immediate attention?
2 Corinthians 8:16-9:5 Titus Sent to Corinth 1. How do the groups you contribute to practice Paul’s principle in verses 20-21? Why is this especially critical for Chris-tian organizations?
“2. If Macedonians came to visit you, would they find your generosity lacking or overflowing? With what else besides money are you generous?
“3. To become more generous, what would have to change: Your job, time priorities, spending habits, mission vision, or what?”

• Lyman Coleman, et al, The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

Second Corinthians 8:1-9:5 has two sets of questions as noted above.

Substitute whatever group for any reference to a small group or ask who could come to your aid.

If you like these Thursday morning Bible studies, but you think you missed a few, you can use this LINK. I have set up a page off the home page for links to these Thursday morning posts. I will continue to modify the page as I add more.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.