The Grace of Giving | 2 Corinthians 8:1-9
Introduction
I have a very vivid memory of the first time I was introduced to Charles Dickens’ wonderful story, “A Christmas Carol.” I was in elementary school, not sure what grade, and sometime in December, on the TV mounted in the corner of the room, we watched the greatest and most official version there is, “The Muppet Christmas Carol.” That has stuck with me all these years. I’ve seen other film versions, been to the Guthrie’s annual performance of it in Minneapolis, but Michael Caine as the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge is still the very best.
This past Christmas season, I decided to do what I hadn’t done yet, and read Dickens’ original story. And as I read, I was blown away by the descriptions and character of Scrooge. You can’t help but hate him! He is just the worst. And you don’t need the omniscient narrator describing his inner workers to realize what a terrible character he is—you see it plainly and discernibly in his interactions with other characters.
Bob Cratchit (His Clerk) – Scrooge sees his clerk as a mere employee, undeserving of kindness or fair treatment. He begrudges Cratchit’s request for Christmas Day off, calling it “a poor excuse for picking a man’s pocket every twenty-fifth of December!” He forces Cratchit to work in a cold office, providing only a single coal for warmth.
His Nephew, Fred – Scrooge ridicules his nephew’s Christmas cheer and generosity, dismissing his invitation to dinner with a sharp (and famous) “Bah! Humbug!” He considers Fred foolish for celebrating Christmas despite his lack of wealth, saying, “What right have you to be merry? What reason have you to be merry? You're poor enough.”
Charity Collectors – When two gentlemen ask Scrooge to donate to the poor, he responds cruelly, refusing to help and questioning why workhouses and prisons are not sufficient. When they protest that many would rather die than go there, he coldly replies, “If they would rather die, they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.”
The Poor in General – Scrooge shows no sympathy for the less fortunate, believing they are responsible for their own suffering. He is indifferent to their struggles and sees them as a burden on society.
As we think through and preach through these shaping virtues, I am just so drawn to characters who either exemplify that virtue, or personify the opposite, the antithesis. And as we consider the shaping virtue of generosity, Dickens’ gives us that antithesis in his story. When Scrooge, the picture and model of stingy, miserly, unkindness is taken by the Ghost of Christmas Past to revisit his time as an apprentice under Fezziwig, his perspective shifts dramatically. Unlike his usual contempt for others, Scrooge recalls Fezziwig with deep admiration and warmth.
Fezziwig is portrayed as a joyful and generous employer who hosts a lively Christmas party for his employees, treating them with kindness and respect. Watching this scene, Scrooge becomes nostalgic and praises Fezziwig, saying:
“He has the power to render us happy or unhappy; to make our service light or burdensome; a pleasure or a toil. Say that his power lies in words and looks; in things so slight and insignificant that it is impossible to add and count them up: what then? The happiness he gives is quite as great as if it cost a fortune.”
Scrooge begins to see the sharp contrast between how Fezziwig treated him as an employee, and how he treats his clerk, Bob Cratchet. And these comparisons are helpful. They give us a sharp view of who we are and who we should want to be. So when we confront these characters, the question becomes who are you and who do you want to be?
In a lot of ways, Scrooge is given an immense and gracious gift. He is given a view of himself and time to course correct—a gift that was not given to his business partner, Marley. And you and I are given the same gift in God’s word. In our text today, the Lord is holding out for you an example of the virtue of generosity and abundance, anchored in his character and actions to you in the past, so that you might examine yourself and excel in the act of grace that is the shaping virtue of generosity.
It’s difficult to approach a sermon on generosity and not anticipate the pushback—”here we go, another church, another pastor telling us from the pulpit that we need to tithe more or give more money or whatever. You’re telling me I need to stop being a Scrooge and take out my wallet and just start throwing money around.” Let me ease your concerns right up front—that is not what this sermon is about. And it’s not what this sermon is about because that is not what this text is about.
The context for 2 Corinthians 8 is not about tithing, or the regular giving of your first fruits to the work of Christ’s church. Rather, Paul is appealing to the Corinthian church to join in the efforts of the global church to raise funds for a gift to the struggling Jerusalem church. The church in Jerusalem, led by James the brother of Jesus, was the first and oldest church in all of Christendom. Ever since the ascension of Christ and Pentecost, that church had been going through it. If you’re following the Emmaus Bible Reading Plan, you just read this past month in Acts all about the persecution the believers in Jerusalem faced. And it has not let up.
So Paul appeals to the various churches he had an organic relationship with to appeal to them to strengthen that vital and historic church. And so it is in the middle of 2 Corinthians he calls them to give. But Paul’s scope and his purpose, as we will see, is much greater than just meeting the physical and financial needs of the saints in Jerusalem. He desires to cultivate among the entire church grace, unity, and generosity, anchored in the gospel.
Abundance, fruitfulness, and generosity pervade throughout this text. Just look at how the characteristics of things are heightened in v. 2:
Not just a test, but a severe test of affliction has fallen on the churches in Macedonia.
Not just joy, but abundance of joy.
Not just poverty, but extreme poverty.
Not just produced, but overflowed in a wealth of generosity.
Paul is on a mission in this text, and his aim is my aim this morning, to motivate you of this… Out of Christ’s abundance, live an abundant and generous life.
Who doesn’t want to live an abundant life? Who doesn’t want fruitfulness and plentifulness and bountifulness? We all do. And, according to 2 Corinthians 8, by the grace of God, you already have it! The question is now raised, what will you do with it?
The grace of God pervades this text, because the grace of God pervades our whole lives. But after we receive such amazing grace by faith, what ought to be the effect on a thankful, humble, joyful people? Generosity. Dane Ortlund commenting on this passage puts it this way…
Grace without giving is fraudulent and no real grace at all. Giving without grace is moralistic do-goodism and only makes cranky Christians crankier. But when the grace of God in the gospel, outrageous and undeserved, in defiance of what we most deeply deserve, comes washing into our hearts, our clenched hands soften and we are released into the joy of generosity.
—Dane Ortlund
As we walk through this text, we will see the joy of that generosity in 3 ways: through a commendation, through a charge, and finally and ultimately, through Christ.
The Commendation
The church in Corinth was planted by Paul, and holds a special place in his ministry heart. During his second missionary journey, Paul came from Athens to the chaotic city of Corinth to do his usual routine of reasoning with and preaching to the Jews. Acts 18 documents how the Jews rejected, opposed, and reviled Paul, causing him to shake his garments of them and turn to the Gentiles.
Corinth was a frustrating church to him. One that seemed to always be a problem, needing admonishment and rebuke. Even in that first time evangelizing in the city, he was tempted to despair. But the Lord came to Paul one evening in a vision and encouraged him with this:
“Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.”
—Acts 18:9–10
Despite its obvious flaws, Paul loved the Corinthian church. And the reason he loved the Corinthian church is because Christ loved the Corinithian church. Here we have another example of how our view is not always the same as Christ’s. Let this be a lesson for all who are prone to despair, thinking someone is too lost or too far gone—or if you think you are too lost or too far gone. Our view is not the same as Christ’s.
2 Corinthians is the fourth of Paul’s letters to the church in Corinth. And as we’ve said, part of his purpose is to urge the believers in Corinth to contribute to his collection for the Jerusalem church, and he holds up the churches to their north in Macedonia (Thessalonica, Philippi) as examples of generous giving. He commends the Macedonians and wants the brothers in Corinth to know about it. Their generosity is discernible, noticeable, and commendable. Just like Dickens gives us a Fezziwig to compare Scrooge too, Paul gives us the Macedonians.
In v. 2, the Macedonian context is just as bad as the Jerusalem context: an extreme and severe test of affliction has fallen on that church as well. And yet, Paul frames it in such a surprising way. Look again at 8:1–2…
We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.
—2 Corinthians 8:1–2
Notice that not only their response of joy and generosity, but their circumstances as well, are framed as a grace of God that has been given. The circumstances and the fruit of their circumstances are understood by Paul to be from the same gracious and sovereign hand. The context is a severe test of affliction. And yet, it is how they respond to that test that Paul highlights for the Corinthians, and for us as well.
If you were to put Paul’s logic in these first 2 verses into a formula it would read: abundance of joy + extreme poverty = a wealth of generosity. That is shocking. That does not make sense. In the midst of their affliction and persecution, from their meager storehouses of extreme poverty, they have joy that overflows in generosity.
My guess is that if the elders of the churches in Macedonia had sat down with a financial planner, opened up their budget, given the constant oppression they were under from the city governments, tax collectors, vandalizers and thieves, and then asked their finance guy what he advised they should do with the request from Paul to give to the church in Jerusalem, my guess the planner would say, “NO! We’re barely making it right now and likely won’t see out the year at this rate. We are in no position to give. Let’s spend a few years quietly saving, and then give from stability.”
Now, I want to be clear—financial wisdom is crucial. Living wisely within your means is a sign of spiritual maturity and godliness. Financial stewardship is listed among the qualifications of an elder in Titus 1. So don’t misunderstand me or Paul—don’t be foolish with your resources.
But I think one of the obstacles we face that hamstrings our generosity is the belief that I can only be generous, I can only give of myself and my resources if I have so much abundance already that I don’t actually feel the giving. For example, before I can give to someone in need, I need to have a certain number in my savings account, so that when I give it, I don’t feel the cost. I know I have felt that before.
And yet, that is not the example of the Macedonians. They did not wait to give of themselves and their resources until they were a church of a certain size, or had a budget that was a certain number. No, they are afflicted, they are in extreme poverty, and yet joy overflows to generosity, expressed through faithful giving. Look at v. 3 and 4…
For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints…
—2 Corinthians 8:3–4
Grace is woven through this entire passage—5 times the word for grace (charis) is used, and twice in these opening 4 verses. The Macedonians have received the grace of God, and now they beg Paul without end for the favor (charis/grace) of giving. Again, notice the language—abundance, overflow, wealth are all words used to describe a people who are actually afflicted and in extreme poverty. Despite the cost, they gave. By faith, they gave. And their financial giving was only the outward manifestation of a deeper giving. And in so doing, they received and experienced more grace, more favor, more joy, more generosity.
After commending the Macedonian church, Paul now turns to Corinth, and turns to us and says, “what about you?”
The Charge
There’s a turn in v. 6. Paul’s attention shifts. It would be unfair to compare the Corinthian church to Scrooge—the evidence of the text is not that they were sitting on piles of money and refusing to give at all, but rather they had likely already begun to give or had promised to give. We can see that from Paul charging the church to “complete among you this act of grace.” There it is again—the act of grace is the generosity on display in Macedonia, and now, Lord willing, will be on display in Corinth as well.
The Corinthians were progressing in the faith in their own fruitfulness. They were making progress in the faith and through his letter, Paul is confident of their spiritual health. He is now exhorting them to continue in this way, to grow in this way. V. 7 we see him commend their excellence in everything—their speech, their knowledge, their love—now he urges them to excel in generosity as well. The word “excel” could also be translated as “overflowing”—just like the overflow in Macedonia, Paul urges that the Corinthians would overflow in generosity. What is happening in Macedonia can happen in Corinth, and Paul charges them to see to it, to prove their progress through tangible expressions of faith through generosity in a specific way, by giving to the relief fund.
And this charge is not a command in the sense that it is some cold, hard, sheer, ecclesiastical authority that says, “do this or else!” That’s why Paul starts v. 8 with…
I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love is also genuine.
—2 Corinthians 8:8
Rather than a firm and rigid command, Paul exhorts, encourages, comes alongside, and charges the church to keep going. He pushes them to prove that their love is genuine by acting in real life, and to give.
Generosity and love go hand in hand. To love someone is to give—to give of your time, your preferences, your resources, and really of yourself. Giving is not an option—it’s not a measure of if but how much. Will you withhold every bit for yourself? Or will you prove the genuineness of your love by giving of yourself, all of yourself, for others?
We’ve been saying this from the beginning, but these habits of grace, these shaping virtues, are marks of belonging to Christ. It might feel overwhelming to think through all 7 of these and think, “man, that’s a lot. How do I excel in all of these things?” And that’s understandable. But these are all connected. To grow in generosity is to grow in joy, and gratitude, and humility, and godliness. To overflow in one is to overflow in all—because all of these fruits are really just the one and same fruit that comes from the root of Christ. So Paul’s charge to you is the same to the Corinthians—grow, excel, and overflow in everything, including generosity.
Is that how you see your life? Are you a generous person? Are you on the lookout for how you can overflow in a wealth of generosity to those around you? How can you be generous to your wife or husband this week? Or to your children? Or to your boss and coworkers?
And notice how tangible and tactile this generosity is? It is not just sending thoughts and prayers to those in need—praying is of course a good and godly thing. But it requires a giving that comes at some cost. Giving is by nature a costly thing. It is an inconvenience. It requires loss and forfeiture of the things I have in order to be used for someone else’s good. Giving requires cost.
It is telling and powerful that Paul has charged and encouraged the Gentile churches to participate in the relief fund to the church in Jerusalem—a very Jewish church. By calling them to give, he is giving them an opportunity to show our union to Christ and our belonging to his body outweighs any racial or cultural differences. The result of their generosity, and of the Macedonians' generosity, is greater unity of the body, and encouragement and edification of the body. They gave of their resources to build up and support another local church. That is the effect of generosity—it binds and unites us.
And in this text, those resources are financial. And maybe that is true for you as well. Maybe those are the resources the Lord has blessed you with that you are then able to use to encourage and bless others. But money is not the only resource the Lord has given us.
Remember the parable of the talents that Jesus teaches in Matthew 25. A master goes on a long journey, and he leaves his servants in charge of various talents—a fitting word that is meant to mean a monetary value equal to 20 years’ wages for a laborer, as well the various talents or giftings the Lord has given to each of us. To the various servants he gives various talents—1, 2, 5—and we come to find out at the end that his expectation of the servants was the same, regardless of what they have been given.
Commendation is given to the servants who take what is given, and act with it. They took what was given and turned a profit, while the servant who buried his talent in the ground was stripped of his talent and cast from the presence of the master.
The point is simple and straightforward—don’t be like that slothful, foolish servant. Don’t be like Ebeneezer Scrooge, who wastes his life away in his cold, upstairs room, numb to the life and joy around him. Take inventory of all that the Lord has given you, recognizing that it is not yours to keep, and overflow in the act of grace that is giving, knowing that it will cost you. But that’s what life is. It’s meant to be lived and spent. Why else did God give you breath in your lungs and the various talents and gifts and resources only you possess, empowering you to be and do all that he has for you in this life, and to, as one author puts it, die by living.
But the question remains—how are able to have such freedom, such abundance? From where do all the endless resources before us come from? What is the deepest reason for sacrificial giving to others? The gospel. Paul’s given the commendation of the Macedonians, has issued the charge to each of us to live a generous life, and now he ends where he began—by grace.
The Christ
At the heart of chapter 8, the very heart of the entire letter, Paul anchors his entire argument in the person and work of Jesus Christ. V. 9 begins with an all-important word: for. Compacted in that one simple word is all that he had said previously: the Macedonian grace and their wealth of generosity, the grace to the Corinthians and the call to them to complete the gift of grace given to them…all of it.
For—because all of that is true—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.
—2 Corinthians 8:9
This is glorious. This is the gospel in all its beauty. This is 2 Corinthians 5:21, the Great Exchange, just a few chapters earlier in the letter, retold and reframed…
For our sake he (God the Father) made him (Jesus Christ) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
—2 Corinthians 5:21
If ever you were needing the gospel in a summary, this would be a good passage to earmark. And in our text, chapter 8, Paul doesn’t simply just recount the gospel message (he does), but he translates it into financial terms. He takes the gospel message that Jesus Christ died for your sins in order to save you and make you righteous, and applies it into everyday life.
What does the gospel have to do with my checkbook? What does the gospel have to do with my budget? What does the gospel have to do with how I spend my time, or what I do with my energy, or what I do with my skills—everything!
The grace of our God poured out on you in Christ is the bedrock of all your life. Any riches you have, any abundance you have, any overflow or margin or wealth that you have is not your own, but has been purchased for you. And it was not free. Living generously, as we have said, is meant to cost us something, because our salvation cost Christ everything!
It is easy to miss the impact or power of the analogy here. It is one thing for a billionaire to suffer some financial loss, or to have a rough day on the market that wipes their net worth in half. It’s a completely different thing for that billionaire to willingly impoverish himself for the sake of people who hate him—people who reviled him, despised him, rejected him. Paul says in his first letter to the Corinthians…
And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
—1 Corinthians 6:11
The ultimate grace, the ultimate generous act and gift has already been given. And it has been given to you and to me. We had nothing, nothing of any lasting value. Nothing that would out-live our short lives. Nothing to give, no storehouse from which to draw on. But now, because of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are rich. Look at what Paul says in Romans 8…
He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
—Romans 8:32
You can be generous with others because God has been generous to you. Not only does he give you all things, but he loved you so much that he gave, gave his only son. What astounding generosity and grace. Are you aware of that grace this morning? Do you treasure that grace?
For Paul, and for all of us, there is really only one thing, one truth that can actually motivate us to love and good deeds—it is the saving work of Jesus Christ. The only thing that will motivate us and compel us to grow in the shaping virtue of generosity is what Christ our savior has done for us on the cross.
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
—1 John 3:16–18
Let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. I pray that Emmaus Road Church would be a generous people who have received such unbelievable mercy and grace and love, undeservedly, and to respond by faith in the real world and give, to give of yourself and of your time and your talent and your resources.
I pray that we would be known as a generous people because we serve a generous king who has acted in the real world for our sake, so that we who had nothing might have everything. That we would delight in giving up false security and pleasure of riches for the real security and pleasure of a life of love, that is only possible because of our great and generous God and Savior Jesus Christ.