Lesson for September 6, 2023
The Book of II Corinthians
Chapter 9:1-15
Verses 1-9
“For it is superfluous for me to write to you about this ministry to the saints; for I know your readiness, of which I boast about you to the Macedonians, namely, that Achaia has been prepared since last year, and your zeal has stirred up most of them. But I have sent the brethren, in order that our boasting about you may not be made empty in this case, so that, as I was saying, you may be prepared;otherwise if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we—not to speak of you—will be put to shame by this confidence. So, I thought it necessary to urge the brethren that they would go on ahead to you and arrange beforehand your previously promised bountiful gift, so that the same would be ready as a bountiful gift and not affected by covetousness.Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed;as it is written, “He scattered abroad, he gave to the poor, His righteousness endures forever.”
Paul continued his plea to the Corinthians to finish the collection they had started. He had been bragging about how these believers had stepped up and gathered funds for the believers in Jerusalem, but they had not completed the task. He didn’t want his bragging to be made empty or the believers in Corinth to be ashamed for not completing the task. When Titus had been in Corinth and started this offering, they gave on the basis of the proper mental attitude.
A principle of giving is: don’t give your money unless you are in fellowship with God and filled with the Holy Spirit. Our spiritual life can’t be lived apart from the filling of the Spirit and the knowledge of Bible doctrine, which requires us to stay in fellowship with God a maximum amount of time.
A principle of giving is: to give as God has prospered you. This principle is illustrated by the agricultural times in Paul’s day. It shows that giving is a blessing. The word bountiful in verse 5 means grace blessing. When people give their money, they should regard it as a blessing to them and the recipient.
A principle of giving is: that it should be given with the proper mental attitude. As he has purposed in his heart not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Since giving is from “as you purpose in your heart,” it must be based on the doctrine in your soul. Therefore, the same capacity for life from accurate Bible doctrine is capacity for love and capacity for giving.
A principle of giving is: that God provides in grace both spiritual and material blessings which are combined in giving. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed;as it is written, “He scattered abroad, he gave to the poor, His righteousness endures forever. Believers who give with the attitude of grace-based Bible doctrine and the blessings that God has given them, have increased capacity to receive greater blessings from God.
We have an analogy between sowing seed in an agricultural economy and giving. This means that in an agricultural economy of the ancient world, no sower ever earned the harvest. God supplied the seed, the sunshine, the rain, the chemistry of the soil, the protection from anything that would devastate the harvest. God provided everything that caused production. Therefore, the harvest was the grace blessing from God. However, the one who sowed the seed could plant a lot of seed and get a large harvest or plant a small amount of seed and receive a small harvest. When a believer of his own free will gives to God’s work he reaps what he sows. Since the blessing is in the giving, the greater the gift the greater the blessing. And sometimes a smaller monetary gift is actually a greater gift based on how God has prospered a believer.
Verses 10-15
“Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing through many thanksgivings to God.Because of the proof given by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ and for the liberality of your contribution to them and to all, while they also, by prayer on your behalf, yearn for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”
A principle of giving is: that it is a manifestation of God’s righteousness in our
soul. With the proper grace attitude, virtue-love, and divine righteousness in our
soul, we will be motivated to give to God’s work. God intends for us to be able to
live, therefore He provides the money for us to eat, pay bills, etc. It is not His
intention for you to go without the necessities of life. But through increased
capacity, He multiplies our grace giving into greater blessings. So, a believer who
gives is provided the money (enriched) by God so that they will be able to give
generously. This generosity will cause those who receive the money and those
who give the money to give thanks to God, if they have doctrine stored in their
souls.
A principle of giving is: giving is a service to the Lord. When the Corinthians gave, they gave as unto the Lord. The ministry of service was the act of giving. The overflow of thanksgiving came for the believers in Jerusalem who were going to be helped by the generosity of the Corinthians.
The proof given by this ministry is that the believers in Corinth would complete the offering they had begun a year prior. They will glorify God for your obedience once again refers to the believers who were helped. The obedience was to the Gospel, which entails much much more than salvation. In this case, the Gospel included grace giving, a responsibility of all believers. The result was that the believers in Jerusalem prayed for the givers from Corinth and desired to see them because of their gift.
The doctrine was in the Corinthians’ souls. Paul was encouraging them to allow the doctrine to motivate them to do the right thing and finish what they had started. This was Paul’s advice: “apply what you have learned;” give as God has prospered you. Christian giving comes from the stability that has been developed in our soul.
The principle of Christian giving is based on grace and is a matter of the correct mental attitude of the giver. God loves “a cheerful giver.” Giving cheerfully means giving graciously because we understand that everything that we have is a result of divine grace. None of us deserves the rich blessings of God. Therefore, when we give, we must first make sure that our family has been provided for and then give as we determine in our own soul before the Lord. If you cannot give cheerfully, then don’t give. If you have no money to give, then find another means to support the ministry. The important thing to God is to have the right attitude with regard to giving: an attitude of grace.
With an attitude of grace, believers can determine the amount they can give based on their circumstances. For example, the Macedonians gave “sacrificially,” which meant they were struggling themselves financially. However, they wanted to be part of blessing their fellow believers in Jerusalem. So, they unselfishly sacrificed something in their own lives, such as certain pleasures or material things (that they could do without) in order to be a blessing to someone else. The act of giving is itself a blessing. If a believer chooses not to give for the support of others or a ministry, like their local church or missionaries, they lose the blessing they could have had. However, just like sharing the Gospel, if we don’t do it, God will still supply what is needed, whether it is the Gospel message or monetary support.