The More You Give (9:1-15)

• Do you sow sparingly or generously (2 Cor 9:6)?
• Do you give reluctantly out of guilt or cheerfully (2 Cor 9:7)?
• Are you confident that God will bless you abundantly (2 Cor 9:8)? That your righteousness endures forever (2 Cor 9:9)?
• Do you know where your resources come from (2 Cor 9:10)?
• Do you know why God is generous to you (2 Cor 9:11a)?
• Does your generosity cause others to thank God (2 Cor 9:11b-12)?
• Is your generosity your confession of the gospel of Christ (2 Cor 9:13) and your experience of the surpassing grace God has given you (2 Cor 9:14)?
• How consciously aware are you of God's indescribable gift (2 Cor 9:15)?

Are you ready with your offering? Save face, be prepared and avoid humiliation (9:1-5). "There is no need for me to write to you about this service to the Lord's people" (2 Cor 9:1), as he did in ch 8 for they'd raised the matter with him in the first place (1 Cor 16:1-4). "For I know your eagerness to help, and I have been boasting about it to the Macedonians, telling them that since last year you in Achaia were ready to give" (2 Cor 9:2a). The effect of Paul's boasting about their readiness: "and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action" [i.e. most of the Macedonians] (2 Cor 9:24b). There's no need to write about the collection to those who had already taken the initiative in the matter, and whose zeal he'd spoken of to stir the Macedonians to action. Yet, the fact that he'd boasted about their readiness prompted him to bring the matter up again to make sure they were in fact ready when he arrived with representatives of the Macedonian churches.

"But I am sending the brothers in order that our boasting about you in this matter should not prove hollow, but that you may be ready, as I said you would be" (2 Cor 9:3). Paul says this because readiness to give (2 Cor 8:11), or having begun (2 Cor 8:10), is not the same as finishing and having everything ready when Paul and the others [Titus + 2 others (2 Cor 8:18, 22)] arrive in Corinth. In boasting about their readiness, Paul stressed not only their willingness, but also his confidence that they'd have their contribution ready when he arrived with he brothers to receive it.

"For if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we - not to say anything about you - would be ashamed of having been so confident" (2 Cor 9:4). Several Macedonians did come to Corinth, and were among those who accompanied Paul on his journey to Jerusalem [Sopater, Aristarchus and Secundus (Acts 20:4)]. If these people arrived in Corinth and found them unprepared, Paul would be embarrassed, exceeded only by their humiliation.

"So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift [lit. 'blessing'] you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given" (2 Cor 9:5). Paul sent Titus + 2 brothers (8:18, 22) ahead to avoid a hasty collection when he arrived with the Macedonian delegation, and the embarrassment and humiliation that would cause. It's crucial that the gift is made willingly and cheerfully, not grudgingly given. If it were grudgingly given, an important purpose of the collection would be negated. It would not be an expression of the loving unity between Gentile and Jewish believers.

An exhortation to be generous (9:6-15). Paul uses agricultural imagery to underscore "generous gift" (2 Cor 9:5); God who enriches his people in every way for generous giving; and so to encourage them/us to be generous (9:6-10); the results from their generosity: meeting the needs of the Jewish Christians in Judea, and they offering thanksgiving to God, recognizing the Gentile Christians' obedience to the gospel and the surpassing grace of God at work in them, and so will long for them and pray for them--in short, the outcome will be the enhancement of the unity of the church (9:11- 14); closing with 'Thanks to God for his indescribable gift' (2 Cor 9:15), which strikes the same note as in 2 Cor 8:9.

How you sow. 9:1-5 concludes with their contribution 'as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given.' Next, Paul quotes a well-known agricultural proverb: "Remember this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously" (2 Cor 9:6). An agricultural truism is that, all things being equal, the harvest will be directly proportional to how much seed is sown (also Prov 11:24-25). Sowing and reaping here refers to their contribution and the results of that contribution (9:9-14).

Voluntary generosity (Dt 15:10-11; Mt 5:43-48; Rom 12:8). "Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion" (2 Cor 9:7a). Thus, it must be a voluntary gift "for God loves [blesses] a cheerful giver" (2 Cor 9:7b; Prov 22:8-lxx not mt), not because he's applying pressure, and based on what they decided individually. If they give under compulsion (from Paul/his envoys), then their gift is reluctant and the whole offering (to express the concern of the Gentile churches for the needy Jewish churches in Judea) will be negated. Why does God delight in the cheerful giver? He himself is such a giver and desires to see this in those were created in his image. Christ stressed the same thing (Mt 5:43-48).

God is able to bless his people to abound in good works. "And God is able to bless you abundantly [lit. 'And God is able to make all grace abound to you'] (2 Cor 9:8a). The grace of God enabled the Macedonians to contribute generously out of their poverty (8:1-5). The Corinthians, whom Paul considered better-off at the time (2 Cor 8:14), the grace of God shown to them is the blessing of relative affluence. "...so that having all that you need, you will abound in every good work (2 Cor 9:8b). From the time of Socrates, in Stoic philosophy "all that you need" was used of the self- sufficient. To Seneca, a Stoic contemporary of Paul, it's a proud independence of outward circumstances and of other people which constituted true happiness. Paul uses the word differently. It denotes not self-sufficiency, but the sufficiency provided by God's grace, and as such it made possible not independence of others, but the ability to abound in good works towards them.

"As it is written: 'They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their [his] righteousness endures for ever'" (2 Cor 9:9; Ps 111:9-lxx). The Psalm celebrates the blessedness of the one who fears the Lord and delights in his commandments. Such a person is blessed by God with material prosperity also, and is accordingly generous to the poor. This God-fearing person is an eg. of those who abound in good works (they have freely scattered their gifts to the poor).

"Their [his] righteousness endures for ever" (lit. 'his righteousness endures for ever') has been variously interpreted. It's God's generous giving, and then 'his righteousness' is God's righteousness which endures forever. But in the psalm the subject of the generous giving is the man, and the quotation reinforces the point that, because of God's blessing, they'll be able to 'abound in every good work' (contribute generously to the collection). If so, it is the righteousness of the Corinthian giver that will endure forever. How is this to be understood? Clearly not that generous giving establishes a person's righteousness in God's sight. Righteousness could be benevolence, enabled by God who provides the means (2 Cor 9:10) so that it continues for ever (throughout life). The righteousness of such people is not based on their generosity to the poor, but expressed in it. It is 'faith expressing itself through love' (Gal 5:6). Chrysostom says, 'We should not be mean and calculating with what we have but give with a generous hand. Look at how much people give to players and dancers - why not give just half as much to Christ?'

Cf. Isa 55:10; Hos 10:12: "Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness" (2 Cor 9:10). God will multiply their material resources, and as they 'scatter' them to meet the needs of the Judean Christians, he will increase the effect of that righteous deed. They, by making a monetary gift, will sow the seed, and God will increase the effect of that righteous deed so that it produces a rich harvest of unity, love and thanksgiving (10:12-14).

"You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion" (2 Cor 9:11a). The Macedonians great generosity was the result of the grace of God (2 Cor 8:1-2). God would also enrich the Corinthians for great generosity. Those with resources aren't always generous. Paul adds, "and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God" (2 Cor 9:11b). Paul includes with himself the others appointed to convey the collection to Jerusalem. It is through Paul and others that thanksgiving to God will be produced, because they'd bring the contributions to those in need.

Gratitude. "This service that you perform [lit. 'the service of this ministry'] is not only supplying the needs of the Lord's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God" (2 Cor 9:12). "Service" denotes civil service rendered to the state by its citizens, and of slaves to their masters in non-biblical Greek. It's service to God (Heb 8:6; 9:21; 10:11). It's monetary gifts by Christians (Rom 15:27; Phil 2:30) and of their faith (Phil 2:17). Monetary gifts are described as 'a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God' (Phil 4:18). Christian giving is not only a service to the needy, but also a service to God. The ultimate purpose of the collection--all Christian 'service,'--is that thanksgiving overflows from grateful hearts to God. Thanksgiving to God is a recurring theme (2 Cor 1:11; 4:15).

"Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them [Judean believers] and with everyone else" (2 Cor 9:13). Paul urged them to show 'proof' of their love and the validity of his boasting about them by having their contributions ready when the delegation from Macedonia arrived (2 Cor 8:24). Then they pass the test and prove themselves by contributing generously. It'll result in praise being given to God by the Judean believers for the genuineness of their faith expressed in their generosity.

"And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you" (2 Cor 9:14). Paul foresees a bond between Jewish and Gentile believers. When the former see the surpassing grace of God in the latter, their hearts will go out to them. Then 1 of the major purposes of the collection (i.e. to promote unity) will have been fulfilled.

Gratitude. "Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!" (2 Cor 9:15). The grace of Christ is him becoming poor for our sakes so that we might become rich (2 Cor 8:9). That was God's indescribable gift. Indescribable [not found in classical Greek nor in the papyri] appears first in the NT only in this verse--a word Paul coined to describe the ineffable character of God's gift. It was then used by Clement of Rome in his letter to the Corinthians (ad 95) when writing of God's 'indescribable' judgments, love and power (1 Clem 20:5; 49:4; 61:1). All Christian giving is in light of God's indescribable gift, and thus done with a cheerful heart as an expression of gratitude to God, as well as in demonstration of concern for, and partnership with, those in need.

Paul's confidence in their contribution to the collection was rewarded. When wring Romans during his three-month stay in Greece (after the problems in 2 Cor had been settled for the time being), he says, 'Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem in the service of the Lord's people there. For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the Lord's people in Jerusalem'
(Rom 15:25-26; Ac 24:17).

Christian generosity in giving from Paul's exhortations about the collection in ch. 8-9. Generosity is the result of the grace of God in one's life. The grace of God in the Macedonians was evident in their being joyful in the midst of trials, generous in the midst of poverty, begging for the privilege of participating in the collection, and dedicating themselves to the Lord himself and to Paul in support of the collection. Thus, they were held up as an eg. for the Corinthians, so that they too might excel in the grace of generosity. Christian generosity cannot be demanded. Christ who became 'poor' so that we might become 'rich' is the supreme example and provides fundamental motivation for Christians to be generous.

Ultimately only God's generosity enables us to be generous. God who provides 'seed to the sower' enriches us in every way and increases our capacity to give to those in need, for there'll always be those who are in need [Jesus said, 'The poor you will always have with you' (Mk 14:7)], and they mustn't be expected to be generous in the same way as those who are rich.

Financial matters must be done in a way that is pleasing to God and right in the eyes of our fellow human beings. This will mean making conscious efforts, as Paul did, to avoid criticism by acting transparently and by involving people of good repute in the enterprise.

Christian giving is done in the light of God's 'indescribable gift' (2 Cor 9:15). Paul's purpose wasn't to relieve some at the expense of others; he wanted some equality where those who were well-off contributed to those suffering want. Those who contribute have 

• the joy of seeing people's needs met, 
• thanks being given to God, and 
• the hearts of the recipients responding in love to their benefactors. 

[The significance of the collection for Paul is the subject of debate. The collection was to be a compassionate response to the needy Judean Christians, and to express unity of Jewish and Gentile sections of the church (2 Cor 8:14-15; Rom 15:25-27). Some similarities (and differences) is noted between Paul speaking of the collection and the Jewish temple tax. It's suggested that the bearing of the collection to Jerusalem by representatives of the Gentile churches is in terms of OT prophecies of the latter days when the nations and their wealth would flow into Zion (Isa 2:2-3; 60:5-7; Mic 4:1-2). It's also proposed that Paul hoped this would convince Jewish Christians that God was fulfilling his ancient prophecies, and as this realization dawned on unbelieving Jews, they'd become jealous when they saw Gentiles enjoying the blessings of God first promised to them, and would trigger Israel's repentance which Paul longed (Rom 11:11-14, 25-32). But it didn't work out as Paul hoped. Though he was warmly received by the Jerusalem church when he arrived with those bearing the collection (Acts 24:17-26), it didn't trigger repentance from unbelieving Jews. His presence in the temple with those undergoing purification rites resulted in a tumult, his arrest and a further hardening of the Jews against the gospel. This suggestion that Paul thought of the collection in terms of those OT prophecies was unconvincing by the majority of recent commentators, for it constitutes a large superstructure built upon the foundation of inferences from a rather limited evidential base.]

Reference:

1. Charles Hodge. 1 & 2 Corinthians. A Geneva Series Commentary. The Banner of Truth Trust. 1857, 1859.
2. Colin Kruse. 2 Corinthians. Tyndale NT Commentaries. 1987, 2005.
3. Geoffrey Grogan. 2 Corinthians. The Glories & Responsibilities of Christian Service. 2007.
4. David Garland. 2 Corinthians. The New American Commentary. 1999.
5. Paul Barnett. The Message of 2 Corinthians. 1988.