Life is all about stewardship or management. This speaks of both privilege and responsibility. God blesses us but we are then accountable for all that God entrusts to us. How do we manage what God has given us? There are several areas that we are tested in. How do we handle our time? One of the greatest areas of stewardship is the people God calls us to care for. There are people that God places in our lives, siblings, children, parents, co-workers, and neighbors. Depending on your vocation, you can be caring for patients, customers, clients, prisoners, students, or parishioners.
Another area of stewardship which ties into caring for people is the area of finances that God entrusts to us. One of the great concerns in Paul’s life was to bring the gospel to the non-Jewish world, namely, the Gentile world. Paul was also deeply concerned for his own people, the Jewish people. One of the realities that Paul wanted the church to understand was that in Christ, the barrier between Jew and Gentile was abolished and now all were able to experience God’s grace found in the Lord Jesus Christ. Not only was he concerned to bring down the barrier between Jew and Gentile from a theological point of view, but also in a practical and relational manner. One of those ways was to interact between and share practical expressions of love.
Therefore, he wanted those in the churches that were made up of primarily Gentiles to assist their fellow believers in Judea who were experiencing extreme poverty because of a famine. So, Paul challenged the various churches that he planted with providing financial aid to those Jewish believers who were in great financial difficulties. This is still our responsibility to help those who are unable to care for themselves.
How we expend our financial resources reveals much about our values. Money is one of the great dangers and blessings in life. The Bible warns against the love of money.
If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, they are conceited and understand nothing. They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.[i]
So, the goal of life is not to become financially rich, but rather to live to bring glory to God, and put His kingdom above everything else. God does promise that if we put his kingdom first, He will meet our needs. Yet, there are times in our lives when financial pressures can impact us. It can be because of poor financial stewardship on our part, but it can often be things beyond our control such as the loss of work, high cost of living, illness, and other losses. When we struggle financially, it creates deep levels of anxiety as we try and address just living.
In the May/June 2026 issue of Faith Today in speaking to the growing financial pressure that many Canadians are experiencing Adam MacInnis writes:
Based on data from a 2025 survey, the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada reports nearly half of Canadians have lost sleep because of financial stress. A third of Canadians report being short of money at the end of each month. ‘Whenever we look at stresses and pressures that people are facing, finances comes right at the top of that list,’ says Will MacLaughlin, CEO of Cap [Christians Against Poverty] Canada.[ii]
When understood right, money is a tool that needs to be handled properly. There is the sense that money brings a measure of security, but it can also be an idol when we can quickly look to finances for our security rather than trust God.
Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves those who have it. [iii]
Jesus certainly warned against this very subtle temptation in the Sermon on the mount about making money a substitute for God. We need to watch and guard our hearts against this subtle temptation.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.’ ‘No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
So do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.’[iv]
Paul, in challenging the church in Corinth to be generous, addresses the handling of finances and gives careful instruction on how to go about administering church resources. In receiving the offering for the poor in Judea from the Greek-speaking peoples of Corinth and the northern Macedonian churches, he explains the care and precautions needed so that everything is done with integrity and accountability. Paul lays out three key things that we need to be vigilant about when dealing with finances in our lives and ministry.
THE FIRST KEY IN HAVING FINANCIAL INTEGRITY IN OUR LIFE AND THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH IS THE SELECTION OF TRUSTWORTHY PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE FOR FINANCES
The simple question is: Can God trust us with money and people? Even in the first century people were defrauding people financially. Some were even doing it under the guise of faith.
The first thing we should observe is that Paul distanced himself from the actual gathering of the offering from the Corinthians. By doing this, his enemies could not accuse him of extortion through placing undue personal pressure on the Corinthians or by his force of personality. Neither could they accuse him of having his hand in the till. So in this section Paul penned a letter of commendation for three brothers who would collect the offering from the Corinthians—apart from him.[v]
Paul is now commending three Christian leaders who will be responsible for the offerings being collected and distributed to the poor saints in Judea.
A. The first-person Paul mentions is one who has served among them, namely Titus.
Thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you. For Titus not only welcomed our appeal, but he is coming to you with much enthusiasm and on his own initiative.[vi]
In selecting Titus to be the key person responsible for collecting the offerings to give to the poor saints in Jerusalem, we learn a couple of important things. The person responsible for this area in the life of faith must be a person of good character, someone who was known among them, and who was both willing and had the wellbeing of both parties, givers and receivers, in mind. Linda Belleville explains why Titus was such a good selection.
Besides eagerly accepting the idea of a return visit to Corinth, Titus is coming on his own initiative (v. 17). The Greek term authairetos (autos = “self” + haireomai = “to choose”) refers to something done of one’s own accord, by a free choice. The word was used in 8:3 to describe how the Macedonians contributed entirely on their own, without any prompting at all from Paul. The implication here is that Titus had been thinking along these lines even before Paul approached him. Fundraising is not an enjoyable activity, even in the best of circumstances. The fact that Titus had seen the need for a visit to Corinth so soon after the last one says that the significance of the collection and Corinth’s contribution to it goes beyond relief of economic need. A Gentile offering of this sort is a concrete manifestation of the unity in Christ that now exists between two ethnic groups that had been enemies for hundreds of years.[vii]
B. The second person is unnamed but so well known among all the churches for his service to the gospel.
And we are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel. What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honor the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help.[viii]
The second matter Paul stresses in commending this person is his appointment by the churches (he does not tell us which churches). He was their chosen representative for this gracious work. It is clear that, whoever this famous early Christian was, he and the churches who appointed him must have shared Paul’s view concerning the importance of the collection.[ix]
But while the second brother’s fame tells us little, the fact that he was “appointed by the churches” tells us that he was elected by a show of hands, as the Greek indicates. Thus it could not be said that he was Paul’s personal envoy, but only the elected representative of the Macedonian churches. No one could say that the messengers were Paul’s hand-picked lot.[x]
We will come back to the purpose of this offering which is expressed in the latter part of verse 19.
C. The final person they are sending is noted for their spiritual zeal and great confidence in the Corinthians.
In addition, we are sending with them our brother who has often proved to us in many ways that he is zealous, and now even more so because of his great confidence in you.[xi]
However, the thing that Paul wanted us to see was that this unnamed brother was “earnest,” that he had a God-given zeal and energy to get the job done—especially as to completing the collection. And more, he was confident that the Corinthians would do it. He believed in them! Such a positive, energetic spirit could not help but cause the Corinthians to do the right thing.[xii]
Why was this so critical that the Corinthians would respond to this appeal? First of all, they were the ones who shared their concern and desire to help their fellow believers in Judea earlier but then the conflict and division in the church waylaid them from acting upon that. Now, as they had addressed the issues, repented, and responded to Paul’s corrections, the real fruit would be gracious and generous hearts in fulfilling their commitment to help others in need.
THE SECOND KEY IN HAVING FINANCIAL INTEGRITY IS TO HAVE ACCOUNTABLE FINANCIAL STRUCTURES IN PLACE
It is critical not only to have people of integrity and financial competency but also systems in place to protect both the people responsible for this area in Christian organizations and the organization as a whole.
Paul now brings out the care and concern about handling financial offerings in a way that will avoid criticisms and scandals in the area of finances.
We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man.[xiii]
Paul was concerned about what was right—not only before God, but also in the sight of people. Today, the Salvation Army is noted for its good work among the poor but when William Booth, the founder of that great work, started he was charged with dishonesty.
People said that all the property was in his name, and he might at any time have realized on that property, and so forth. That was criticism of the work. He was very careful from the first to publish his accounts, and in the process over the years that criticism ceased entirely. It is never heard now that the Salvation Army officers are making money out of the work.[xiv]
There is a need for accountability, openness, and transparency in the financial aspects of the work of God. Linda Belleville explains the need for good accountability.
The administration of an effort like the Jerusalem collection could easily give rise to allegations of mishandling of funds. Today a charitable organization can employ a group that independently assesses its fiscal accountability and applies objective standards to its handling of donations (such as public disclosure of the percentage going to meet stated goals compared to salaries and administrative costs). In this way donors can be assured that all monies are being appropriately managed. But what about the first century? How could a donor be certain that his charitable contribution would not end up merely lining the pockets of an administrator? And what kind of assurances did a fundraiser give prospective contributors that their donations would be handled in a responsible fashion?[xv]
Paul speaks of the administration of this liberal gift. He anticipated generosity from the churches and knew that proper guidelines needed to be in place so that it was rightly done, both in the eyes of God and people.
We realize that also as a church family. We have created checks and balances, best accounting practices, monthly, and annual reporting of what is transpiring in the area of finances, which occurs in our church family. In our case, we have a full-time financial person making presentations to the official church board on a monthly basis, and to the membership at our annual membership meeting. When cash is handled, we have two people who count and sign off on the amounts. We also contract an accounting firm, which then goes over our accounting practices each year and provides an accounting letter called a ‘Notice to Reader’ annually, which scrutinizes our practices. This is submitted at the annual membership meeting.
You may ask, why all the safeguards? Over the years there have been many terrible accounts of fraud and theft because of a lack of prudence on the part of Christian organizations or churches. It is part of “doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man.”
One of the keynote speakers at our international convention, who was not a part of our organization, shared the tragedy of what happened to him as a younger minister. He was in a fast growing and thriving church in Phoenix where their business administrator stole millions of dollars, but because they didn’t have good structure in place, the church suffered great scandal and the pastor was falsely accused and left the ministry heartbroken for years before the truth finally came out and God graciously restored him, and a new church was born in the same city under his leadership.
THE THIRD KEY IN HAVING FINANCIAL INTEGRITY IS TO BRING GLORY AND HONOR TO GOD IN THE FINANCIAL ASPECTS OF OUR LIVES
What is the purpose of life? To simply please ourselves? Or are we living for a higher and greater purpose, which is to bring glory and honor to God? Paul describes the offering which he spent time speaking of as an administration of this gift “in order to honor the Lord himself…”
What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honor the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help.[xvi]
- The gift we bring should be given to honor God.
Do you believe that your gifts honor God? Is this the motivation of all of our giving? Paul had another reason for receiving this offering from the Gentile believers in helping the poor Jewish believers in Judea during a time of famine.
Colin Kruse explains how this gift was really an expression of the unity between the Gentile believers and their Jewish counterparts.
The collection, taken up among Gentile converts and given to Jewish Christians, was a tangible expression of the reconciliation which God had effected through Christ. By reconciling both Jew and Gentile to himself through the cross, God had at the same time reconciled the two groups to one another. So the collection, as a tangible expression of the new relationship between Gentile converts and Jewish Christians, reflected the grace of God in the lives of those concerned and therefore can be said to be for the glory of the Lord. However, the collection was not only for the glory of the Lord but also to show our good will. Paul had fought long and hard to preserve the freedom of the gospel for his Gentile converts, and had won the approval of the Jewish mother church for the gospel he preached among the Gentiles (Gal. 2:1–10).[xvii]
David Garland explains not only the nature of the emissaries that are sent but the purpose of this offering.
Money is a sensitive issue and frequently sparks controversy, and Paul reminds them that this fund is a “grace” that is “being ministered” by us for the purpose of bringing glory to the Lord and to show our good will (8:19). Then he explains that he is taking every precaution to be above reproach. …More important, these brothers are identified as doxa Christou. The NIV renders this phrase as an objective genitive “an honor to Christ”—they bring glory to Christ by the quality of their lives. They are dedicated to the gospel of the glory of Christ (4:4). …This exhortation intimates that the proof of their love is not shown by simply receiving these emissaries with open arms but by contributing liberally to help the saints.[xviii]
What David Garland is stating is reflective of what James is saying in his letter. To say to people “God bless you” when they are in need, and you have the capacity to do something is both a lack of faith and love.
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.[xix]
B. Paul’s appeal is to honor these workers.
Paul concludes his remarks by challenging the Corinthians to show honor to these representatives who are there to receive their commitment to give to the needs of the Judean believers in crisis. By helping others, we are reflecting God’s love through us.
As for Titus, he is my partner and co-worker among you; as for our brothers, they are representatives of the churches and an honor to Christ. Therefore show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you, so that the churches can see it.[xx]
Paul is asking them to respond to their previous commitment in a positive way which reveals their true nature of love to others.
How many of us can admit that there have been times when we have been asked to do something that we were not excited about, and didn’t really want to do it, but felt that we should do so regardless of how we felt? Afterwards, we realized how blessed we were in the process of doing it and realized how important and critical it really was. This is certainly true in the area of giving. Years ago, working with a very faithful pastor, who constantly received offerings, he explained to me why he gave people so many opportunities to give. He said, they may not understand fully or appreciate it now, but one day when they stand before Jesus, they will be so happy that they invested their resources into that which will have eternal significance.
Do we fully realize that we need to move beyond just thinking of ourselves and consider how we can make eternal investments?
John Wesley, one of the founders of the Methodist church, grew up in a pastor’s home in England.
John had known grinding poverty as a child. His father, an Anglican priest in one of England’s lowest paying parishes with nine children to feed, rarely saw his father out of debt, and once saw him marched off to debtor’s prison. When John followed his father into the ministry, he had no illusions about its financial rewards.
However, though John followed his father’s vocation, he did not share in his poverty. Instead of being a parish priest, he felt God’s direction to teach at Oxford University.
…His position usually paid him at least £30 a year—more than enough money for a single man to live on. …One incident that happened at Oxford changed his perspective on money. He had just finished buying some pictures for his room when one of the chambermaids came to his door. It was a Winter day, and he noticed that she had only a thin linen gown to wear for protection against the cold. He reached into his pocket to give her some money for a coat and found he had little left. It struck him that the Lord was not pleased with how he spent his money.
…Perhaps as a result of this incident, in 1731 Wesley began to limit his expenses so he would have more money to give to the poor. He records that one year income was £30, and his living expenses £28, so he had £2 to give away. The next year his income doubled, but he still lived on £28 and gave £32 away. In the third year his income jumped to £90, again he lived on £28, giving £62 away. The fourth year he made £120, lived again on £28 and gave £92 to the poor.
Wesley preached that Christians should not merely tithe, but give away all extra income once the family and creditors were taken care of. He believed that with increasing income, the Christian’s standard of giving should increase, not his standard of living. He began this practice at Oxford, and he continued it throughout his life. Even though his income rose into the thousands of pounds, he lived simply and quickly gave away his surplus money away.[xxi]
How are we managing what God entrusts to our lives? May we reflect and pray and consider anew what God would have us do, so that we may not allow money to become our god, nor to be ashamed of how we stewarded our lives before Christ.
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[i] 1 Timothy 6:3-10, The New International Version of the Bible, Zondervan, 2011.
[ii] Adam MacInnis, Confronting the Personal Financial Crisis, Faith Today Magazine, May/June 2026, 30.
[iii] Ecclesiastes 7:12.
[iv] Matthew 6:21, 24-27, 31-33.
[v] Kent Hughes, 2 Corinthians: Power in Weakness, (Crossway Books, 2006), 165.
[vi] 2 Corinthians 8:16-17.
[vii] Linda Belleville, 2 Corinthians, The IVP New Testament Commentary, Vol. 8 (InterVarsity Press, 1996), 2 Cor. 8:16-24.
[viii] 2 Corinthians 8:18-19.
[ix] Colin Kruse, 2 Corinthians: An Introduction and Commentary, TNTC, Vol. 8, (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1989), 159.
[x] Kent Hughes, 2 Corinthians: Power in Weakness, 166.
[xi] 2 Corinthians 8:22.
[xii] Kent Hughes, 2 Corinthians: Power in Weakness, 168.
[xiii] 2 Corinthians 8:20-21.
[xiv] G. Campbell Morgan, The Corinthian Letters of Paul, (Old Tappan, N.J.: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1946), 253.
[xv] Linda Belleville, 2 Corinthians, 2 Cor. 8:16-24.
[xvi] 2 Corinthians 8:19.
[xvii] Colin Kruse, 2 Corinthians: An Introduction and Commentary, 159.
[xviii] David Garland, 2 Corinthians, The New American Commentary, Vol. 29, (Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 393-96.
[xix] James 2:14-17.
[xx] 2 Corinthians 8:23-24.
[xxi] Charles Edward White, Four Lessons on Money: From One of the World’s Richest Preachers, Christian History Magazine, Volume VII, Number 3, Issue 19, 1988), 24.
