During the 18th century, John Thornton was converted to Christ through the ministry of George Whitfield.
Widely known as one of the wealthiest men in Europe, Thornton adopted a ‘simple manner of life [which] left a large surplus of his income, the chief part of which constantly flowed into the channel[s] of his beneficence. Thornton utilized his considerable business operations as a means of furthering his philanthropies. He paid for Bibles to be printed and then used his company’s ships to send them to their destinations.
… Thornton’s philanthropies provide a window through which the character of his faith shines. One instance in particular affords a powerful example of this. While going through the day’s correspondence one morning, Thornton opened a letter informing him of the wreck of a valuable ship and her cargo – a disaster that meant a considerable financial loss for him.
The news hit him hard and he became lost in serious reflection. After several moments, however, he resumed going through his correspondence, opening several letters requesting his aid for support. Remarkably, his mood began to lighten. He took out his checkbook and began to write out checks saying, ‘let us try to do a little good while we still have the means to do so.’
The picture of Thornton that emerges is one aptly summarized by his friend Thomas Scott. He was ‘plain, frugal, and self-denying in all matters of private expense; and yet liberal in supplying the want of others…a combination…which will seldom be found, except when true Christian principles possess and govern the heart.’[i]
When we think of someone who is generous, we often think only in terms of what they give financially, but the reality is that true generosity is an attitude that is reflected in how a person treats others. Giving money is only one aspect of true generosity. Generosity is the giving of oneself for the good of others, which includes our time, our concern for others, our expertise, and above all our prayers.
The issue in our lives is the person we become. The goal of the Christian life is to become like Jesus. How many realize that Jesus is the most generous person? So, how do we develop into becoming more generous in our lives and then witness the amazing benefits of living a generous lifestyle?
We know that we can only give, what God has given to us. What God looks at is the condition of our hearts. Many people today living in our affluent society struggle with the two major ingredients of life: money and time. We often abuse both. We spend more than we have and use our time unwisely. How we spend these gifts from God is a great indicator of where we are at in our relationship with Him.
Have we learned to really trust God in our lives? Do we believe that God will provide for us? Is our focus primarily on ourselves, or have we matured to a point where we are deeply interested in the wellbeing of others? The very nature of biblical Christianity is giving. So, how do we become more generous with our lives? How do we develop into being more generous people?
Paul is writing to the Corinthians, having expressed his joy and relief after their positive response to the first letter, which corrected many issues in the church. Paul moves to remind them of the desire they first expressed in sharing financial help with believers who were struggling during a time of famine in Judea, but they became distracted during a time of divisiveness and Paul challenges them by addressing serious sin issues in their midst. To inspire them to become more concerned about others than just themselves, he challenges them to express generosity. Paul uses a few examples to motivate them to become responsible and generous to those in need. Like the Corinthians, we also are easily distracted with many demands, and we become easily distracted from what God desires for us to do as it relates to being generous. Paul gives us two reasons in these first 15 verses of chapter 8, in becoming a generous person.
THE FIRST REASON THAT SHOULD MOTIVATE US TOWARD A GENEROUS LIFE IS THE EXAMPLE OF OTHERS WHO ARE GENEROUS
We can become more generous when we are motivated by the example of others who have just as many demands in their lives yet demonstrate a lifestyle of generosity. Paul now gives such an example to the Corinthians from the lives of those living in the northern province of Greece, in Macedonia.
And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches.[ii]
Linda Belleville makes an interesting observation about Paul’s use of the word grace to describe in essence acts of generosity.
What is newsworthy about these churches is the grace that God has bestowed on them. The noun charis (“grace”) appears ten times in chapters 8–9. Even within this short span of verses, the range of usage is surprising. It is employed of a spiritual endowment (8:7), divine enablement (8:1; 9:8, 14), a monetary gift (8:6, 19), a human privilege (8:4), a word of gratitude (8:16; 9:15) and divine favor or goodwill (8:9). Here it refers to the way that despite adverse conditions, God has enabled the Macedonians to financially assist destitute Christians whom they did not personally know.[iii]
We can easily get motivated to help those we know and love, but to help strangers reveals something of the nature of a generous nature. Remember, generosity reflects something about our character. We act out of who we are.
A. Generosity is about the heart not our financial capacity.
What is striking about generosity is that it is not determined by what people possess, or the circumstances people find themselves in. The first lesson we discover about generosity is that it is an attitude of the heart. We see a need that God is placing in our hearts to do something to alleviate pain and the compassionate and generous person does what they can to help. Paul points out that though they had little, it did not stop them from helping others who had less than they did.
In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.[iv]
Generosity transcends outward circumstances and does not allow the current limitations in our own life to stop us from helping others. Circumstances should not define human behavior. Our response to life’s circumstances around us is an indicator of what is in us. Do we wilt under pressure? When we see need, does our heart prompt us to do something, and do we act upon it? There is joy in giving.
The Macedonian churches are a testimony that it is possible not merely to experience joy but to have it ‘overflow’ in the midst of trials. Even more, just as persecution did not take away from their joyfulness, neither did poverty diminish their ability to be generous.[v]
Poverty overflowing into wealth also may seem paradoxical, but it fits the crazy-quilt logic of the gospel: joy + severe affliction + poverty = wealth. Here, wealth relates to a wealth of generosity and joy multiplied. Material wealth, on the other hand, may cloak spiritual poverty, as Christ’s condemnation of the wealthy but tepid church at Laodicea reveals (Rev 3:14–22).[vi]
The truly rich in this world are not defined by material possessions but by relational connectedness and investment in others. Do we give of our lives for the sake of others? It can be seen in giving of our time in prayer, for example, praying for the needs of people we have never met. Giving money alone can be a poor substitute for the giving of ourselves and our time.
B. The key to generosity is to absolutely surrender to the Lord.
For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.[vii]
We discover that they gave willingly, joyfully, and sacrificially. Their preeminent concern was how best to serve Christ. It is here that they exceeded Paul’s expectations. They gave out of their poverty because of the sincerity of their commitment to the Lord.
I remember as a new believer that my life took on a significant challenge at the restaurant where I was working when it was destroyed by fire, which left me unemployed. In seeking the Lord, I considered entering the military to secure a better education, and a more financially stable career, where I could contribute more financially to the work of God. Yet, what change the direction of my thinking came as a result of reading my bible on the particular morning in which I needed to decide to enlist. I found myself reading the story of the poor widow in Luke’s gospel. It was her example and Christ’s words that challenged me.
As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury.
He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins.
‘Truly I tell you,’ he said, ‘this poor widow has put in more than all the others.
All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.’[viii]
I deeply felt that what God was saying to me in that moment was simply, what I want is all of you, not just a part of you. Once God has all of us, then it is easy for us to give generously because we realize that all that we are and have belong to Him. We also realize that we are investing our lives into something that has eternal and not just temporal value. This was one of the defining moments in my life that led me toward pastoral ministry.
In verse 5, Paul is saying that they had exceeded his expectations because it was an expression of their giving of themselves first to the Lord, and then to the leadership which had communicated the need of the famine ridden Jewish believers in Judea. These were people from a different ethnic background whom these Macedonians had never met, but they shared a common faith. They urged Paul to receive a gift from them on their behalf. What we see is a manifestation of biblical faith. True faith is manifested in loving expressions to others even though we may not know them. I find this true in our giving and praying for many people who we don’t know, but God uses our loving expressions of grace to impact their lives.
C. We need to be reminded to be generous.
So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part.[ix]
We as humans are selfish by nature. Generosity is not something that comes naturally but is the result of God’s grace in our lives. This is why Paul refers to the Corinthian offering as this act of grace. Linda Belleville, 2 Corinthians, 2 Cor. 8:7.[x]
But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.[xi]
When we consider how often it is that those who have less often give the most in proportion to what they have, we are often surprised. Giving reflects a heart filled with God’s overflowing love.
The Macedonians considered it a privilege to contribute. The word translated ‘privilege’ is the same word ‘grace’ (charis) that rings throughout these two chapters. They did not plead poverty to evade any obligation; they pled with Paul instead to allow them to join in this service. By contrast, Paul has to plead with the more affluent Corinthians to follow through on their first pledge.[xii]
I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others.[xiii]
Paul does not command but instead invites, encourages, and lays out divine principles gleaned from Scripture. He hopes that they will respond out of hearts that have been freed by the gospel and fired by God’s grace.
…The life of faith always brings its tests, and Paul equates the collection with a test. He says in 2:9 that he wrote the letter of tears to see if they would stand the test (that he might know their character, dokimē). They passed that test, submitting to Paul’s authority. Now he moves to another test. The Macedonians came through in a severe ‘test’ of affliction and gave generously (8:2). For the Corinthians it is a test to see if their love—something that Paul thought needed more work (1 Cor 12:31–13:13)—is genuine, authentic. Paul leaves them with the implied question: What will they do when faced with their test?
‘Love’ in this sentence does not have an object and can refer to their love for Paul (8:7) or their love for Christ. Paul speaks earlier of the love of Christ constraining him in all that he does (5:14). It is possible that he intends for them to show their love for Christ and Christ’s love for them by showing their love for their fellow Christians. Paul knows that words expressing love come cheaply and can be faked; genuine love will show up in the checkbook.[xiv]
We can say it another way; love is demonstrated by our actions, not just our words. We see that giving is described as an expression of grace. Having said that, Paul then describes the idea of willingness to participate and not be coerced into giving. There are so many voices begging for our participation of time and resources that at times it feels overwhelming. Many of these are legitimate and worthy of support. Where does one begin? When we give to a local church we attend, we are giving to and through a community of believers to others. God designed it that we move beyond just our individualist approach to life. God saves us and places us into communities so that together we may be a powerful witness to our community. What we can do together is far greater than what we do individually. Where do we begin with our giving? In the Old Testament, God’s people were commanded to bring a tithe to the place of worship. Some argue today that this command is obligatory, while others find that there is no specific command in the New Testament that tithing is obligatory. We do read, however that “each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income… (1 Cor. 16:2)”. Other translations interpret “in keeping with your income” as “proportionate to your income.”
Some would argue people who make a significantly larger income are hardly impacted by giving a tenth of their income, whereas many are living on the margins or just subsisting. A careful study between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant is between simple obedience and love. When I read Jesus’ words, I realize that the standard that God calls us to is far higher than what the Old Testament required. The New Testament is greater, but the call is for us to give everything to God. We become managers rather than seeing ourselves as rulers over our own lives. We have a Sovereign King ruling over us. Love becomes the new well spring of our souls, where we give liberally and generously.
I believe tithing is a great starting point in learning to trust God and learning to manage the resources God gives to us but is not the end point. Giving then, is one area where we can express our love to God and others. Kenneth Chaffin explains the importance of growing in the grace of giving.
These words stress the truth that learning to be generous with material things is a matter of spiritual growth and maturity.[xv]
The apostle regarded the liberality of the Macedonians as the result of God’s grace in their lives. God is generous (v. 9; Rom. 5:6–8; 8:31–32; cf. Matt. 5:45; 7:11), and where his grace is experienced in people’s lives, the evidence will be similar love and generosity.[xvi]
When we learn to give the little we may have, God can begin to entrust us with more.
II. THE SECOND REASON THAT SHOULD MOTIVATE US TOWARD A GENEROUS LIFE IS THE EXAMPLE OF JESUS
If the goal of our lives is being shaped into the image of Jesus, we need to examine His life and see how He lived. Paul makes an appeal for the Corinthians and for us to look at Jesus’ example.
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.[xvii]
This is not speaking of Jesus’ life of simplicity as an ordinary Galilean but the reality of Jesus pre-existed as co-equal status with the Father in heaven, but He showed His willingness to lay aside His exalted status and make Himself poor for our sake.
Irrespective of the degree of poverty which Jesus may have experienced (and this can be exaggerated), it is not economic poverty about which Paul writes here. Most likely, he had in mind Jesus’ whole incarnate life. In this case his becoming poor relates to setting aside his pre-existent glory in the presence of the Father.[xviii]
Paul uses the example of Jesus in challenging the Philippians to develop the right attitude about caring for others.
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross![xix]
When we mature we move beyond ourselves and develop concerns for the welfare and wellbeing of others.
A. Giving is determined by what God entrusts to us.
We can only give what God has first given to us. That is true in every aspect of our lives. Like everything in the Christian life, we need to have a healthy understanding of our human limitations. We do not give everything away and then we become a burden to others, but we also should not hoard everything and not learn to be generous.
And here is my judgment about what is best for you in this matter. Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have. Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, as it is written: ‘The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.’[xx]
Here Paul goes back to the biblical story of gathering the manna in the wilderness. God helped them gain exactly what each needed. The Christian life is all about trust. Do I trust God to provide for me? Do I trust that as I give, God will provide what I need when I need it? Giving is an act of faith. What is in our hearts will flow out. Am I becoming more like God in that I live like Him, becoming a generous person? Love enriches others at our expense. That’s what God did and that is what we do when we are like Him.
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[i] Kevin Belmonte, William Wilberforce: A Hero for Humanity, (Grand Rapids, Mi: Zondervan, 2007), 27-28.
[ii] 2 Corinthians 8:1, The New International Version of the Bible, Zondervan, 2011.
[iii] Linda Belleville, 2 Corinthians, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series, Vol. 8, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press Academic, 1996), 2 Cor. 8:1-5.
[iv] 2 Corinthians 8:2.
[v] F. F. Bruce, I & 2 Corinthians, (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans, 1971), 220.
[vi] David Garland, 2 Corinthians, The New American Commentary, Vol. 29, (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 367.
[vii] 2 Corinthians 8:3-5.
[viii] Luke 21:1-4.
[ix] 2 Corinthians 8:6.
[x] Linda Belleville, 2 Corinthians, 2 Cor. 8:7.
[xi] 2 Corinthians 8:7.
[xii] David Garland, 2 Corinthians, 368.
[xiii] 2 Corinthians 8:8.
[xiv] David Garland, 2 Corinthians, 375-76..
[xv] Kenneth Chaffin, 1, 2 Corinthians, The Communicator’s Commentary, Vol. 7, (Waco, TX: Word Books Publishers, 1985), 259.
[xvi] Colin Kruse, 2 Corinthians: An Introduction and a Commentary, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, Vol. 8, second edition (InterVarsity Press, 2015). 198.
[xvii] 2 Corinthians 8:9.
[xviii] Linda Belleville, 2 Corinthians, 2 Cor. 8:8-9.
[xix] Philippians 2:3-8.
[xx] 2 Corinthians 8:10-15.
