2 Corinthians 9:1-15 The Gift to be Shared
Check out the Bible Project Video on Generosity first HERE
Last week we looked at 2 Corinthians chapter 8 and the key verse was highlighted in the Bible Project video we just saw:
2 Cor 8:9 – “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 by his poverty might become rich.”
This week we are looking at chapter 9, so I invite you to take a moment to turn to chapter 9 in your Bible’s.
Just a recap on the context. Paul has been talking with the Corinthians about the Jerusalem Collection. The church in Jerusalem was extremely poor and plagued by famine and persecution. So, over a five-year period Paul organized relief for them from churches all around such as Achaia, Asia, Galatia, and Macedonia.
Paul’s motivation for this was to care for the poor Christians in Jerusalem and it would also make sense that Paul also sought to build the divide between the Jewish Christians and the non-Jewish (Gentile) Christians, as this was part of his commitment and calling from Jesus.
And so, Paul is appealing to the Corinthians to get involved in this big collection project.
We dive in at chapter 9 as Paul continues his case.
(9:1-5) Preparations and readiness.
Paul kicks off by noting that he doesn’t really need to say more about the collection.
Paul does however want to reiterate his point and make sure that the Corinthians are ready to give.
Paul is planning to send others ahead of his coming to the Corinthians and he hopes that when the messengers go to Corinth that they are prepared.
He has been boasting to others about the Corinthians and he doesn’t really want his boasting to be empty. He has been talking up their contribution (perhaps because of their wealth and their pledge to give).
In chapter 8 Paul has urged the Corinthians to finish the work they started, implying that they have pledged to give to the Jerusalem project and now he doesn’t want them to drop the ball.
He doesn’t want them to be known as “pledge dodgers.” In a culture of honour and shame this would be a great disgrace. Pledges and giving were a big part of Graeco-Roman society. Not following through could lead to public dishonour.
In the ancient world there are examples of this. Apparently, names of those who didn’t follow through on pledges, so called “pledge dodgers” were published in the Athenian Agora for all to see.[1]
This is not likely Paul’s plan. Paul notes this risk of embarrassment; however, we hear at the end of verse 5 that what Paul really wants to see is a “willing gift” not an exaction. He wants the Corinthians to be motivated from their hearts. As he says in verse 7: “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
To get them thinking about their motivation and where their hearts are heart, Paul borrows language from the farming world. Maybe he learned this one from Jesus, since Jesus often used images from the farm and from the natural world to talk about spiritual realities.
(9:6) Sowing and reaping. Sparing or bountiful?
In verse 6 we hear: The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
Paul uses this farming image – a simple and obvious one. Even “townies” like me can get it. If you only sow a little bit of seed not much will grow, if you sow plenty of seed then lots will grow.
This isn’t profound agricultural science.
So, what does this mean when it comes to generosity?
Let’s have a look at how Paul uses this idea elsewhere…
In Galatians 6 Paul says this…
7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. (Galatians 6:7-10)
We see this idea in the wisdom literature of the Bible too.
In Proverbs 11: 24-25 we hear these two proverbs:
One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.
“Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.”
In the Jewish law we hear a similar sentiment.
Deuteronomy 15 talks about the “Sabbatical year” where people are released from debt.
From verse 10 it reads:
10 You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. 11 For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore, I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’
Sadly, this image of sowing and reaping that we find in 2 Corinthians has so often been mutilated by prosperity teaching. Some have said that this is saying – give and God will give you lots back. In other words, give generously so you will be materially blessed. Some have treated this verse on its own like a transaction. But this is to miss the broader context of what Paul is saying and what Scripture teaches.
The blessing referred to isn’t for the giver, and it isn’t about gaining earthly riches.
We see what this is about by reading on.
In verses 10 when we hear about a harvest of “righteousness.”
Before this Paul quotes from Psalm 112:9. This Psalm in the ESV is titled “The Righteous Will Never Be Moved.”
It is a song about what a righteous person looks like.
In Psalm 112:9 we hear this:
“He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever; his horn is exalted in honor.”
So what Paul refers to when he refers to when he refers to reaping bountifully is not reaping material reward but rather reaping righteousness, that is, a life in line with God’s grace and goodness, a life that glorifies God and is a life of worship toward him.
(9:8-11) Let’s look at the whole section here:
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 9 As it is written, He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” 10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.
The first thing that catches my eye is this line “so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times…”
Paul uses the Greek word meaning sufficient (αὐτάκρεια, autakreia) in 9:8 as well as in 1 Timothy 6:6 where it refers to contentment.
1 Timothy 6: 6 But godliness with contentment is great gain, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.
Paul here acknowledges God as the great provider or supplier of our needs.
In Jesus’ teachings we are taught not to worry or fret, but rather to look to Him for what we need.
Think for a moment about Jesus and his feeding the 5000 people who were gathered to hear him teach. Jesus provided the people with all they needed. Why would he perform this miracle of turning just a few loaves and fishes into a fully catered banquet? It wasn’t just a cool party trick, it was a reminder of God’s provision.
And so, Paul, in the light of Jesus’ teachings points the first followers of Jesus to this idea of God’s provision.
So, what does it mean to “have all you need?”
How do we define this?
We often do, individualistically right?
The Cynics and Stoics, philosophers who were contemporaries of Paul understood the idea of “sufficiency” or “contentment” as being about freedom from others and able to cope on one’s own.
We have examples of this thinking today.
A recent example I came across was a story about a floating house in “Freedom Cove”, Canada.
A couple – Wayne and Catherine have built this place where they can live self-sufficiently. Off the grid, they do their own thing – growing their own produce, collecting water, solar batteries – the whole lot.
It works for them.
And it’s cool to see sustainable ways of living.
But is it good for more than just them? Who else benefits from this?
I think what we see in Paul is a more collective notion.
We see this in verse 11 – “You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way.”
God provides and gives abundantly so we might give. As one commentator puts it…
“When God gives us our resources, God gives us more than we need, not so that we can have more, but so that we can give more to others. God does not bestow material blessings so that one can hoard them for oneself or withdraw from others but so that they might be shared with others. The whole purpose of the collection, therefore, is not to establish the independence of the Gentile Christians from the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem but to deepen their interdependence.”[2]
This idea of interdependence and sharing is at the heart of Paul’s economics. Paul wants the Corinthians not to be self-sufficient but rather to see that all sufficiency comes from God and is given that all might experience sufficiency.
An image that I think of when daydreaming about this idea is the idea of a pipe with water flowing through it.
The water is the provision of God given for all. When we receive it is to flow through us and to be shared – this can apply to our time, our talents, and our treasures.
It works if everyone functions this way. But the flaw in the system is when we set up a block in the pipe or a diversion in the pipe to gather all the water for ourselves.
I think of the story of the rich fool in Luke chapter 12. He builds bigger and bigger barns to store up wealth for himself.
Yet it leads nowhere good. He dies and it goes to waste.
Jesus then goes on to say to his disciples:
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them… “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Luke 12:22-24 and 32-34)
The treasure Jesus refers to is like the harvest of righteousness Paul refers to in 2 Corinthians.
In verses 12-15 Paul connects generosity with worship, noting that what generosity and sharing results in is praise and thanksgiving to God. It is for God’s glory and in worship of God that the Corinthians are encouraged to give.
So, what about us?
For me I find a deep challenge and an invitation in these words of Paul’s.
First the challenge – The challenge laid down by Paul is that we invest wisely. We are called to invest our time and energy and our resources generously in to what God is doing in the world.
This means that we as Christians should be famous for our generosity. We should be famous for caring for the poor and the needy, we should be famous for our hospitality and our willingness to share.
In a world that is so ready to tear down and destroy we are invited to constructively build with God, to partner with God in mission to bring the good news in word and deed. In other words = tell people about Jesus’ love and the salvation he offers, but also show people by our generosity and care in practical ways.
Secondly, there is an invitation for us here.
Paul finishes this chapter with a doxology – a word of praise – He says: “Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift.”
This gift is Jesus.
And this gift is for everyone.
The gift that Jesus gives is healing and hope in a broken world. Jesus through his life, death, and resurrection conquered sin and death.
Through Jesus we are invited into a fresh relationship with God, we are made righteous through Jesus – that is set in right relationship with God.
Let’s face it, there is something in all of us that isn’t good at sharing. We all struggle with selfishness, and none of us is perfect. The good news of the Gospel isn’t that we have to be good and perfect, but rather that God through Jesus Christ has offered us forgiveness where we fall short and fail and the promise of a new life breaking in among the old.
We are simply invited to receive the gift with gratitude and walk in the way of our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
[1] David E. Garland “THE NEW AMERICAN COMMENTARY Volume 29 2 Corinthians.”
[2] David E. Garland “THE NEW AMERICAN COMMENTARY Volume 29 2 Corinthians.”