Giving is a Witness
Study Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:1-15
Lesson 12

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Key Verse

And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

2 Corinthians 9:8

INTRODUCTION

The Corinthians not unlike ourselves, had many serious spiritual obstacles to over come.  They lived in a pagan, idolatrous society and a social background rife with spiritual pride and arrogance.  A false belief system, demonically inspired, permeated their everyday life, and empowered them.  

For the most part the Corinthian society was prosperous, affluent, materialistic and thought much of their intellectual achievements. Its members, even the deprived ones thought they were intellectually superior to the average person.  They would most likely see themselves better than the Christians in Macedonia , who came from an economically depressed part of the country and who generally were poor, unsophisticated and relatively uneducated in comparison.  

Formerly immoral sexual activity was a part of their religious ritual and unfortunately when they became believers they brought much of the old sinful ways also.  Sadly, when mixed with their new found freedom certain aspects of their behaviour worsened; the noted case being of a man sexually involved with his father’s wife, an activity which even the pagan Corinthians found repugnant, for they viewed this activity as crossing the boundaries.  

Yet despite the woeful short comings of this fledgling church, God had gifted them with all the spiritual gifts. Paul had his work cut out for him – he essentially had to teach them the very basics, such as who they were in Christ and how they should behave.  He had to deal with their assumed intellectual prowess and love for debate and eliminate their potential to side track his mission.  Paul adopted a particular approach with the Corinthians that was quite different from what he had used with many of the other churches.  

To drive certain truths home, He used examples from their every day life and experiences, to demonstrate how one should run the ‘Christian race’, noting the divine spiritual truth that God has reserved an individual gift for each of them. He used Israel as an example of what happens to those who are freed from bondage, yet struggle with and pine for some of the hurtful things they left behind.  He emphasized that certain vices can lead to disqualification, and not obtaining the desired prize.  

When Paul established the church in Corinth , many of the new converts heard about the need of the poor in Jerusalem and had promised to help, but they had so far failed to keep their commitment.  Paul had boasted that this Corinthian church would give generously but he now faced the situation where their unfulfilled pledge would embarrass them and make his boast empty.    

Paul then had to challenge the Corinthians and test their faith, to see if they had grown spiritually at all.  Paul’s letter, aimed at motivating them to give, is felt by some commentators to actually employ some form of sarcasm, while other commentators are content with the view that this was a strong rebuke, the forcefulness of which is lost in the English translation of the Greek.  However be that as it may, Paul laid out some very important principles for giving, and demonstrated how our giving is a powerful tool in witnessing. In addition, there are many benefits or blessings derived from faithful giving.  

In this instance Paul did not give them an apostolic directive or command them to show charity, for since he had heard of their repentance with respect to other bad behavior, he did not feel it necessary to use any sort of guilt trip or coercion to get them to give.  Yet he was able to stress the importance of giving.  

In Paul's discussion we are able to use his principles to assess the current unbalanced theology of giving which pervades many of the Western and other “Christian denominations”.  Many unscrupulous people promote a twisted gospel of prosperity that attracts the weak, gullible and carnal believers and many unbelievers then see the gospel as a means to get rich.  

It is very easy for anyone of us to slip into an attitude of giving primarily to receive, without understanding that our giving comes from our new nature as children of God.  Unfortunately, given the unpleasant circumstances in which people often find themselves, and the cunningly crafted words that subtly appeal to our flesh, many good Christians have fallen into this snare.  

Paul having recently received a good report of the Corinthians, that they were making steps in the right direction was confident that they would fulfill their pledge to help the brethren in Jerusalem .  He tells them how he has boasted and praised them for their generosity, which was yet to come.  

Paul’s treatment of the situation is a model for us when we try to encourage each other in the area of giving.  This is really a very detailed discussion on Christian living, and it is very important for believers to understand that benevolence is a part of the Christian nature.  Christian leaders must set an example in giving generously, and every saint must be generous, paying special attention to those in the ‘household of faith’.  

We must pay special attention to our motives, for the murmurings of the flesh can often dominate us.  Paul is very careful to give us many reasons for being exceptionally generous to the saints who are in need.  We must examine ourselves carefully in this regard to make sure we are living up to apostolic instruction.  

Everything is based on our love.  This love is the love shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.  God has a great opinion of us, and so does the apostle.  God wants to reward us, and the Apostle wants to share in our rewards.  So he encourages us to give generously to the poor, reminding us that Jesus gave to us most generously, in unspeakable fashion.  

Note that this lesson concerns not giving per se but the manner of giving, how God wants us to give.  

This fact is important for it is aimed at the relationship between believers.  It is not a matter of evangelism in the sense of giving to the lost or to the non-believer.  

This ‘giving’ is a witness, a testimony to who the giver is and the type of relationship that the giver has to the one to whom he gives. 

This of course has tremendous lessons for us.  We should need little reminding regarding our giving in this type of situation, but unfortunately the Corinthian church had to be reminded, and we too have to be reminded about who we are, what we should be doing and how.  

Before we go into the text we should be reminded about several principles that we discussed in the previous lesson.  

First, God is interested mainly in our motive, why we give, rather than how much we give.  See Jesus is very pointed comment in this regard in Mark 12:42-44 and Luke 21:2-4 when commenting on the widow who could only throw two mites into the temple treasury.  

Second, God arranges opportunities for us to give, and in doing that he gives a lot to some and less to others, so that those that have a lot would give to those that have less.  The idea is that those that are so blessed do not spend it to indulge themselves and show the world that they are better than others.  God is really testing us to see who we really are.  

Third, we are responsible to give, and the control of this giving is to be in the hands of several people not just one. Money is a trust from God, and we are stewards. So Paul appoints a delegation of trusted and tested men to take the collection for the poor saints.  This avoids all kinds of difficulties and recriminations.

This then forms the background for today's lesson.

THE TEXT

Verses 1-3.    In these verses Paul points out that he's not trying to sell the idea of giving to the Corinthians, for they had already committed to making the contribution, and he had spoken to other churches over a year ago. The   Macedonian brethren were coming with Paul to collect the ‘generous’ Corinthian contribution, and Paul wanted to make sure that since they had repented of other wrongdoings, they would not fall down in this area.  

He appealed to their previous zeal on which he had based his boasting about them. So in these verses, Paul reminds the Corinthian church of their promised contribution to help the brethren in Jerusalem and Judea . Although a year had passed, Paul tells the Macedonian church how eager the Corinthians were to send aid.  This in turn had greatly inspired the Macedonian brethren, to give what they had generously.  

In so boasting about the Corinthians in this way, Paul in a sense put his apostolic reputation on the line alongside their reputation.

Verse 3. The grace of God in the lives of the Macedonians led to their gracious gifts and; it was reasonable to encourage this response in the Corinthian church who had also received the gift of God’s grace.

(2 Cor 8:1-2)  

Note that Paul is not using emotional stories of crying children and people dying of hunger, or instilling competitiveness and rivalry to get funds from the Corinthians.

This was not an emotional appeal.

Those kinds of appeal damage the spirit of grace.  So Paul did not go himself first and use apostolic authority to squeeze money from the people. 

Verse 4.   Paul would be traveling form Macedonia .  His testimony of the Corinthian church had inspired the Macedonians to minister through their giving, despite their own impoverished state.  

Paul sent this message to the Corinthians, letting them know that he would be coming and that it is possible that some from Macedonia might be accompanying him. He hoped that they would be as prepared with their gift as he had boasted, so that he and they would not be put to shame and his and their character damaged.

Bloomfield comments:-

“Paul had boasted confidently that the Corinthians would be ready with their collection. He had excited and stimulated the Macedonians by this consideration. He had induced them in this way to give liberally, 2Co_8:1-4. If now it should turn out after all that the Corinthians had given nothing, or had given stingily, the character of Paul would suffer. His veracity and his judgment would be called in question, and he would be accused of trick, and artifice, and fraud in inducing them to give. Or if he should not be charged with dishonesty, yet he would be humbled and mortified himself that he had made representations which had proved to be so unfounded. But this was not all. The character of the Corinthians was also at stake. They had purposed to make the collection. They had left the impression in the mind of Paul that it would be done.”

Verse 5.   Paul did not want to put the brethren on the spot; if they had not prepared the gift they had promised, when he arrived this may lead to embarrassment and hurt feelings on both sides. Sending some brethren ahead was really a  prudent act; the gift for those in need would probably not be merely a monetary gift, but rather various types of produce, grain, livestock, clothing and whatever else they had that the brethren were in need of.  

Such a collection would require some organization and a considerable amount of labour to put together.  Thus he exhorted some of the brethren to go before hand.  This would encourage the Corinthians to have their gift ready when he arrived.  This would avoid any sense that the gift was given under pressure due to his presence or the presence of any who may come from Macedonia .  This was important, for any gift must be given freely and willingly, not of grudging obligation.  

Note that God does not give us things grudgingly, behaving as if he was obliged and forced to do it.  We should not behave different from God.  

Our attitude must be the same as the attitude of God.  This is why we are now into this matter of grace, God pours out his grace on us, and we must pour out grace on others.  

In this verse Paul tells us of one of the principal problem's in Corinth and in our churches, that negatively affects giving on the principle of grace.  This is the problem of covetousness which is in the heart of many believers.  

We define covetousness as the illicit desire to have what belongs to someone else.  In contrast, generosity is the godly desire that others in need have what I have.  

Let us never fool ourselves that both can coexist at the same time, for a person cannot be covetous and generous at the same time.  Covetousness is simply bad and not be found among us.  

The Apostle now turns to describe the principles of generosity which remove covetousness.  These are the principles to which we should pay attention.

Verse 6.   The first principle is very simple.  The way sow is the way we reap. 

Paul now can go on to show that God requires a certain state of heart and mind in giving, and that there is a correlation between ones giving and ones blessing.

"He who sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully."  

It seems clear that our very generous and gracious God is telling us that when we give our excess material things to the poor, expecting nothing in return from them, God will reward us.  

This phrase has all the making of a proverb.  Paul uses the life of a farmer to demonstrate the nature of almsgiving which is seen throughout scripture and in Jewish literature.  We can quickly look at some of these texts.   

"There is one who scatters and yet increases; but one who withholds just due comes only to poverty.  The soul who gives freely shall be made fat; and he who waters shall also be watered himself." Pro 11:24-25  

"He who has pity upon the poor lends to Jehovah, and He will reward his dealing to him”. Pro 19:17  

"He who sows iniquity shall reap vanity; and the rod of his anger shall fail. He who has a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he gives of his bread to the poor. "Pro 22:8-9  

When we think about it we realize that if a farmer plants half of his seed and keep the other half stored away he would never have as big a crop as was possible.

The principle seems to be that when the farmer scatters his seed and it looks like it's lost, gone and out of his control, it really is not, for the process that God has appointed is that the farmer will have his seed that he threw away gathered back to him, and as well he gets on top of this much more.  What he gets back is proportionate to the sowing.  

Some people do not like to be generous, it hurts and is painful. But a principle seems to be that giving generously is something that should be joyful.  

Giving generously is also an act of faith, for the principle is that when we are generous, showing grace to others, God gives us more.  More on this is in verse eight.  

Remember now that the word “sparingly” literally here means “miserly”.  This is a bad word.  This person is really ‘tight’.  We should not be like that, but lavish, generous, giving abundantly.  

The manner in which one gives is thus vitally important; good seed bring good fruit, bad seed bad fruit.  

No man can expect to reap but in proportion as he has sowed, how can one sow little and expect a large harvest.  

Sow to yourselves almsgiving, and ye shall reap in mercy - if we show mercy to the poor, God will show mercy to us.  Alms are really gifts of mercy that lead to continued thanksgiving and praise to God.  

The idea is, that God will bestow rewards in proportion to what is given. These rewards may refer to results in this life, or to the rewards in heaven, or both.  

These seed that are sown will bring forth fruit in due season, they may return to us in various ways.

(1) In the comfort and peace which results from giving.  

(2) In reflection on it hereafter. It will produce more happiness in remembering that he has done good with it, and promoted the happiness of others, than it will to reflect that he has hoarded up useless wealth, or that he has squandered it in sensual gratification.  

(3) In subsequent life, God will repay to him far more than he has bestowed in deeds of charity. By augmented prosperity, by health and future comfort, and by raising up for us and our families, when in distress and want, friends to aid us. God can and often does abundantly repay the liberal for all their acts of kindness and deeds of beneficence.  

(4) God can and will reward his people in heaven abundantly for all their kindness to the poor, and all their self-denials in endeavouring to diffuse the influence of truth and the knowledge of salvation. Indeed the rewards of heaven will be in no small degree apportioned in this manner, and determined by the amount of benevolence which we have shown on earth; see Mat25:34-40.

Verse 7.   This verse does not give support to the typical fund-raising strategies we have today.  He does not seem to advocate buying bricks, having a latch thermometer showing how far we are away from the goal, or writing the name of the brethren on the walls and so on.  

He says that giving is an individual matter.  Every person must figure out for themselves how much to give and not to look at other people.   

The next step is to make a deliberate choice, “to purpose in the heart”.  This is not at impulse or response to an emotional appeal.  It is to be thoughtful.  

The other teaching is that giving is to be private, for the decision is to be made ‘in the heart’.  We give because our hearts are moved to give.  

This of course is not what we are generally told.  Nowadays we are encouraged to public ceremony giving, so that there is public recognition.  

The scripture is adamant however that the quality of ones gift, that is the state of the heart in giving, be that of a cheerful giver.  Without the right state of heart and mind, the believer looses or rather will not receive the blessings that come with giving. Both the Old and New Testament declare that no mater the size of ones gift, it is of no benefit to the giver if it is given grudgingly.  Malachi says don't even bother to bring your tithes and offering; you pollute the temple because your heart is not right.  

Here in our text, the correlation between mercy shown in giving is reflected in the mercy God will show to us.  This is not salvation, for believers irrevocably possess that; but in relation to our times of need we can expect that ‘what goes around comes around’, so to speak.  If ones sows ‘seeds of mercy’ sparingly, then we will also reap sparingly.  

Note that there are many who may not even be believers that give very generously. They may have a sincere heart to help in certain situations and their compassion may even put believers to shame.  Some religions even espouse this to be a legitimate way to heaven.  

However the Scripture makes it clear that a compassionate heart is not enough, for our giving must be based on love for God, not only our fellow man; and therefore if one does not have a right relationship with Christ then all ones gift brings no eternal benefit.

"...first they gave themselves to the Lord, and to us through the will of God..." 2 Cor 8:5  

Concerning the amount that one gives, the scripture stresses that God knows the willingness of the heart - thus in the parable of the ‘widow's mite’ we note that the gift of the widow though it was a fraction of what the other gave, was more acceptable, she gave all that she could and gave it from the heart.  Most often we give like the other, who gave much simply because he had much to give. Mark 12:42-43.  

How then should one give?  It should not be out of grief or with the mind that parting with the gift will cause us any trial or discomfort or regret; it shouldn't be out of pressure or coercion; yes we must encourage each other to give, but we should never use our authority or influence to manipulate people to give out of guilt.

“Not grudgingly - Greek, “Not of grief” not as if be were sorry to part with his money. Not as if he were constrained to do a thing that was extremely painful to him. “Or of necessity.” As if he were compelled to do it.”  

We should not primarily think of our giving as some sort of heavenly investment fund with great returns, though this may be true in part; but that our giving is truly a ministry through which we strengthen the hands of those in need and in doing so bring glory to God in their thanksgiving. Jesus warned in Matthew 6:3-5 about that kind of materialistic ‘investment’ attitude.  

If we need any other reason, it is this – God loves those who give cheerfully. The word ‘cheerful’ comes from a Greek word from which we get the word ‘hilarity’.  The idea is that God loves givers who give spontaneously and with energy and enthusiasm, because they know that they have been given much by God.

Verse 8.   The result of giving cheerfully and liberally is that God will give you the ability to give more and that you should never be in lack because of your giving, for God is able; this is in direct correlation with sowing sparingly as previously discussed.  

This is the divine blessing on the cheerful giver that makes them rich.  Those of selfish disposition really show their lack of faith and distrust God; selfishness rather than charity is more likely to lead to ones poverty.  

The principle here is that when one is truly giving, one understands that we are dealing with God and is able to get back.  The Scriptures teach that a person will benefit from their giving and so there is really nothing wrong with understanding that one benefits by their giving.  God is able to give back and everything ultimately comes from him.  So we are told by Jesus in Luke 6:38 to give “pressed down and running over”.  God wants us to give in line with his program.  

But that is different from giving in order to be given to, for that is selfishness.  God's idea is that we are not to use our material possessions on ourselves and if we give in order to have more, so that we can enjoy more personally, then our giving is for the wrong reasons.  

Even if God does not give us back immediately or for a long time, that will not bother us, but true giving is expectant giving; understanding that God can if it is in his program give us back.  

The warning is that if we do not give, we will become narrow, rigid, stingy and our experiences will not be as nice as they might otherwise have been.  The more we learn to give and give for the right reasons, the more gracious, godly minded and beautiful we will become.  Our boundaries will be widened.  

One writer says –

“… there are multitudes who are made poor by the lack of liberality. They are skimpy in giving but they are extravagant in dress, and luxury, and in expenses for amusement or vice, and the consequence is poverty and want. “There is that withholdeth more than is meet, and it tendeth to poverty;” Pro_11:24. The divine blessing rests upon the liberal: and while every person should make a proper provision for his family, every one should give liberally, confiding in God that he will furnish the supplies for our future needs.”  

“And God [is] able to make all grace abound toward you…” – God will giving us all kinds of favour to ensure we have all that we need; though we may give money, the favoured return is not limited to money.  

Our giving brings immediate benefits to us.  The massive “all grace” is promised to us, so we would share in God's abundant grace and resources.  This means we will always have something to give, no matter whether or not we think we are poor.  We might not have money, but we will have time, energy available to give.  

Since God has been generous with what he has given us, he promises in this verse to give us what is necessary to fill our needs as they relate to other people's needs.  When we grow morally and spiritually we will never be short of something to give.  

Let us realize that God is sufficient, that is, in him there are adequate resources.  We can be confident since we share God's gracious resources.  The word sufficiency can also be translated contentment, which is something with great gain.  So when we follow apostolic instruction we benefit a lot, for we are blessed with contentment.  We are independent of outward things, and have secret happiness and security.  We might seem to be poor but we are really rich, for we are content in God.  

This of course brings to mind Elijah and the widow of Zarephath recorded in 2 Kings 17.  She did  not have much food to feed herself but when she took the food literally out of the mouth of herself and her child and gave the prophet to eat first, trusting God to provide for herself and her son, she never ran out of food.   

Note that this woman was a Gentile. In this case she was dealing with a true prophet, and not a charlatan like those which abound today.  We have no excuse not to follow apostolic instruction.

 When we give in the right way, God will give us more and more, that we may continue to do more good work which is pleasing to Him. “…may abound to every good work:..”

Verse 9.   “As the Scripture says…”

Paul quotes a portion of Psalm 112:9, a description of a righteous man.  The allusion here is to the sower who scatters his seed that reaches all corners of the field.  So he that sows seeds of righteousness does so not only at home among those who are acquainted, but his seeds will reach far and wide – dispersed aboard reaching strangers in other nations.  

Thus it is said that his righteousness remains forever.  Righteousness here is understood in the Jewish sense as almsgiving (Matthew 6:1). Thus the result of ones alms, scattering seed far and wide, effects others and himself is a continuous source of blessing.  

Some believe that this reference to the righteous man's generosity is really a reference to Jesus Christ, for only the Lord Jesus Christ is righteous.  

He is a perfect example of generosity to the poor and shows us the picture of a righteous man.

Verse 10.   God is here pictured as the one who supplies the seed for the sower and provides food for his table, just as he waters the earth and causes it to bring forth more fruit.  God blesses the man in giving him the seed that when sown bears fruit in which there are more seeds than he had first sown; and so the cycle continues.  The brethren were dependent on God, and God had all power to provide every kind of enrichment, spiritual or otherwise, meeting the needs of our hearts, giving us peace and joy despite our sorrows.  

“and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness…” though some consider these as a wish or prayer of the apostle's, that God would do all this for them. Some copies, and the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Ethiopic versions, read all in the future tense, "he will minister" to you, or "supply" you, "and will multiply your seed sown"  

To increase the fruits of one righteousness is a promise of divine blessing and thus encourages us to give liberally with cheerfulness.  Note especially what seed it is that is multiplied – not seed lavished on ones family or self, but that seed which is considered alms to strengthen the poor.  It is this seed scattered abroad which result in the multiplied fruit of righteousness.  

"fruits of righteousness", such as a good name among men, blessing, praise, thanksgiving, and prosperity in things temporal and spiritual. God will abundantly increase these; some of which are mentioned in the following verses.  

There truly is no lack to them that seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.  

Let us be careful here, noting that the principles of God are not quite the same as ours with respect to generosity.  We feel we should satisfy all our needs first and then when we think we have enough we give to others.  We postpone giving to any great extent until we are okay.  But this is not quite how God approaches things.

So Paul goes on to tell us what our generosity does.  It not only witnesses to others, but it witnesses to our faith, and has a fixed way beyond our immediate zone .

First, it could make others grateful and awaken something special in them.

Second, it will make the recipient pray for the giver.

Third, when people pray for us, God will bless us in special ways.

Fourth, our generosity glorifies God, because many give thanks to God for our behavior.

So let us now look at the details.

Verse 11.   The real reason that God gives wealth and riches, is not for one to indulge in luxury, self-gratification and sensual pleasure; the purpose is that it be distributed in such a manner as to bring thanks-giving to God.  Our increase then enables one to sow more and subsequently bring even more glory to God by way of thanks-giving.  

Paul was glad to be the instrument through which encouragement led to the free will offering for the poorest brethren and caused them to give thanks to God and bless his name.  

This then is a call for sensitivity on what is happening around us, for people desperately need our generosity.  The Jewish saints would, because of the generosity from Greece , note that God was the source, and that the brethren there were truly brethren.  They would praise God for his wonderful work among the Gentiles, and there would be much praising God and thanksgiving at the spiritual sacrifice rendered.  The increase in righteousness demonstrated would call forth increased righteousness from the poor.

One writer then notes:

“which causeth through us thanksgiving to God; not their riches and fullness, but their liberal distribution of them to the poor saints, to which they were stirred up by the apostles; who were thankful to God who had so well succeeded their exhortations and advice, and which was the cause of thanksgivings in others: and since therefore such beneficence tended to the glory of God, as giving of thanks makes for his glory, this then ought to be attended to, and diligently performed;”

Verse 12.   In the eyes of God this activity is so much more than a relief fund ; it is a ministry with both temporal and spiritual objectives.  The apostle and his companions encouraged the brethren to give liberally and organized the collection and distribution of the gift to those in greatest need.  The gift of the Corinthian church in this instance was cause for much rejoicing and thanksgiving.  

Not only was the gift able to relieve their distress, make up their deficiencies and provide some of the necessities in their trying and very difficult circumstances, but the joy that resulted, caused many to seek God more and pour out their gratitude in praise.  This worked to the glory of God, which of course is to be our chief aim.  We want thanksgiving to be directed to God.

Verse 13.   The brethren at Jerusalem who had ministered the gospel to the Gentiles were now recipients of this same living gospel in the Gentile churches.  They would recognize that God was working, they would glorify God because those that had confessed the gospel were showing God’s love by their sharing.  

This word for “liberal sharing” is the same word for fellowship and communion, so this is really fellowship demonstrated by generosity.  It is a great witness.

In this, and in the preceding and following verses, the apostle enumerates the good effects that would be produced by their liberal almsgiving to the poor saints at Jerusalem .

1.         The wants of the saints would be met.

2.         Many thanksgivings would thereby be rendered to God.

3.         The Corinthians would thereby give proof of their subjection      to the Gospel.

4.         The prayers of those relieved will ascend to God on      behalf of           their benefactors.

The gospel of Christ is the doctrine of grace, life and salvation in and through Christ as author and finisher of our faith, as God, as mediator and the object of our praise.  The professed subjection of the gospel is then the willing embrace and acceptance of these doctrines.  

Thus the demands of the gospel will be made manifest in the love that is declared to the saints; these are the works of love to both Christ and his people.  As James says, faith without works is dead.  

This activity and response to the gospel is not really an option, every believer must yield to the requirements of the gospel – it is all part of the plan and wisdom of God, who will in all circumstances bring glory to himself.  

Praise was rendered to God not only for what they had received, but that others would receive the same love and care through their giving.  Prayers were also offered for those who had contributed in any way to the administration of the gift.  In fact there was an abundant overflow of thanksgiving.  

So we see that the effects of the gospel are both temporal and spiritual, we can not have one without the other.  If we want to render spiritual service to God, we can give to our brother in need; it is a witness of your faith. (Matthew 25:34-40)

“Then the King shall say to those on His right hand, Come, blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  For I was hungry, and you gave me food; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you took Me in;   I was naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.”

Verse 14.   Our act of giving not only excites thanksgiving to God in the recipients, but prayers for those who have ministered in this way.  Their love for us is multiplied and they even long to meet us.  

The exceeding grace of God in you - By the super-abounding or transcending grace of God, which was in them, the apostle most evidently means the merciful and charitable disposition which they had towards the suffering saints. The whole connection, indeed the whole chapter, proves this; and the apostle attributes this to its right source, the grace or goodness of God. They had the means of charity, but God had given these means; they had a feeling, and charitable heart, but God was the author of it. Their charity was superabundant, and God had furnished both the disposition, the occasion, and the means by which that disposition was to be made manifest.

Verse 15.   There are a number of thoughts as to what is meant by this unspeakable gift; in each case there is some merit.  Some believe this gift is referring to the apostle whose work was certainly important. Others feel it refers to the work of the Spirit in the hearts of the Corinthians that moved them to such benevolence; while others and perhaps the majority believe that it is without doubt that Christ is meant here, and that he only fits the description of that unspeakable gift.  

What is certain is that the source and benefits all flow from the love of God.  In his remarks on this verse one commentator say:-

“His unspeakable gift - The word used here means, what cannot be related, unutterable. It occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. The idea is, that no words can properly express the greatness of the gift thus bestowed on man. It is higher than the mind can conceive; higher than language can express. On this verse we may observe:

(1) That the Saviour is a gift to mankind. So he is uniformly represented; see Joh_3:16; Gal_1:4; Gal_2:20; Eph_1:22; 1Ti_2:6; Tit_2:14. Man had no claim on God. He could not compel him to provide a plan of salvation; and the whole arrangement - the selection of the Saviour, the sending him into the world, and all the benefits resulting from his work, are all an undeserved gift to man.

(2) this is a gift unspeakably great, whose value no language can express, no heart fully conceive. It is so because:

(a)    Of his own greatness and glory;

(b)    Because of the inexpressible love which he evinced;

(c)    Because of the unutterable sufferings which he endured;

(d)    Because of the inexpressibly great benefits which result from his work. No language can do justice to this work in either of these respects; no heart in this world fully conceives the obligation which rests upon man in virtue of his work.

(3) thanks should be rendered to God for this. We owe him our highest praises for this. This appears:

(a) Because it was mere benevolence in God. We had no claim; we could not compel him to grant us a Saviour. The gift might have been withheld, and his throne would have been spotless, We owe no thanks where we have a claim; where we deserve nothing, then he who benefits us has a claim on our thanks.

(b) Because of the benefits which we have received from him. Who can express this? All our peace and hope; all our comfort and joy in this life; all our prospect of pardon and salvation; all the offers of eternal glory are to be traced to him. Man has no prospect of being happy when he dies but in virtue of the “unspeakable gift” of God. And when he thinks of his sins, which may now be freely pardoned; when he thinks of an agitated and troubled conscience, which may now be at peace; when he thinks of his soul, which may now be unspeakably and eternally happy; when he thinks of the hell from which he is delivered, and of the heaven to whose eternal glories he may now be raised up by the gift of a Saviour, his heart should overflow with gratitude, and the language should be continually on his lips and in his heart, “thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift.” Every other mercy should seem small compared with this; and every manifestation of right feeling in the heart should lead us to contemplate the source of it, and to feel, as Paul did, that all is to be traced to the unspeakable gift of God.”

CONCLUSION

So brethren, giving is godlike and we give because we have the life of God, because God has given to us.

We cannot simply look at our needs first before we give to those that have less.  Jesus has told us simply in Matthew 10:8

“Freely you have received, freely give.”  

We must always aim at bringing glory to God, and this we will do if we are true to our faith, following the example of our Lord Jesus Christ who keeps on giving us all things, transforming us into gracious, generous, joyful people, who are more and more like him every day.  

Paul went to great lengths to promote godliness in the Corinthian church instead of writing them off. Paul made them understand that giving to the poor not only helps the poor but was good for them.  

This lesson really teaches us a few things.

First, we should not feel guilty or embarrassed when we receive from others. Giving certainly blesses those that receive it, but also blesses the giver.

So be grateful when you receive something. 

Praise God for it. 

Be grateful for it. 

Pray for those who gave to you. 

You should never feel guilty for being a source of blessing to those who gave to you.  That does not make sense.  

Next, we learn how we should raise funds in the church We should do things right and not follow the ways of the world.  

We also learn something about those who feel they do not have enough to give to others.  We are called on to realize that if we have more than others, we have enough to give to others. Remember the story of the widow and Elijah.  Give to those in need and depend on God to supply our needs.  

Let us especially thank God for his unspeakable gift, Jesus Christ. Let us remember that to him we owe every opportunity to do good: that it was because he came that there is any possibility of benefiting a dying world; and that all who profess to love him are bound to imitate his example and to show their sense of their obligation to God for giving a Saviour.

How poor and worthless are all our gifts compared with the great gift of God; how slight our expressions of compassion, even at the best, for our fellow-men, compared with the compassion which he has shown for us! When God has given his Son to die for us, what should we not be willing to give that we may show our gratitude, and that we may benefit a dying world.