2 CORINTHIANS Chapter 8
Verses 1-9
“Giving Yourselves To Others!”
[10-8-17]
Review: “Godly Sorrow or Worldly Sorrow?”
2 Corinthians 7:8-16) [KJV] For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season.
9) Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.
QUESTION: How did Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian Church make them feel?
ANSWER: It “gave” them “pain” [BBE]; it “hurt” their “feelings” [CEV]; it “made” them “sad” [ERV & GNB]; it “made” them “uncomfortable” [GW]; it “grieved” them [Murdock].
NOTE: They reacted that way because First Corinthians was a letter Paul wrote to them to correct many of the things they were doing in their Christian walk, and in their church services.
10) For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
“Repentance must never be thought of as something we must do before we can come back to God. Repentance describes what coming to God is. You can’t turn towards God without turning from the things He is against” [Guzik].
Regarding “godly sorrow” versus “the sorrow of the world,” – Godly sorrow causes us to repent; “the kind of sorrow that the world has, grief ‘for failure, not for sin’” (Bernard) [Robertson].
QUESTION: What important truth do we learn from vs. 10?
ANSWER: If our telling God we’re sorry for something we did doesn’t lead to a change in our conduct then we’re probably not experiencing Godly sorrow; but rather, we’re just sorry that we continue to do the same thing over and over. In other words, in lieu of the comment above by Robertson, we’re just sick of failing.
This Week: “Giving Yourselves To Others! ”
2 Corinthians 8:1-9) [KJV] Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia;
(ERV) And now, brothers and sisters, we want to tell you what God’s grace has done in the churches in Macedonia.
2) How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.
(ERV) These believers have been tested by great troubles, and they are very poor. But their great joy caused them to be very generous in their giving.
QUESTION: What is Paul doing here?
ANSWER: He’s changing the subject from godly sorrow to his encouraging his readers in Corinth to follow through on the giving of their financial pledges they had made to Titus.
QUESTION: What was Paul receiving this offering for?
ANSWER: He was raising money for the poor saints in Jerusalem.
QUESTION: What motivating example did Paul share with the Corinthian church to encourage their participation?
ANSWER: He mentioned to them that the extremely poor churches in Macedonia had given a very generous offering to help the poor saints in Jerusalem who had suffered poverty from lingering famine and persecution.
3) For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves;
(ERV) I can tell you that they gave as much as they were able and even more than they could afford. No one told them to do this. It was their idea.
4) Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.
(ERV) But they asked us again and again–they begged us to let them share in this service for God’s people.
*QUESTION: What should we do about the poor around us?
Galatians 6:10) [KJV] As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
*ANSWER: According to the ability that we have we should do good “unto all men,” but “especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” They are a part of our spiritual family.
5) And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.
(ERV) And they gave in a way that we did not expect: They gave themselves to the Lord and to us before they gave their money. This is what God wants.
“Their liberality began in self-surrender to God and to the apostles as His agents” [Vincent].
QUESTION: What is a motivating factor in our desire to give our money to God?
*ANSWER: When we genuinely surrender our lives to God we understand that our money is part of our lives. If we aren’t willing to give our money to God then we haven’t surrendered ourselves to Him.
Mark 12:42-44) [ERV] Then a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth less than a penny.
43) Jesus called his followers to him and said, “This poor widow put in only two small coins. But the truth is, she gave more than all those rich people.
44) They have plenty, and they gave only what they did not need. This woman is very poor, but she gave all she had. It was money she needed to live on.”
QUESTION: What do vs. 1-5, along with the passage from Mark, teach us?
- The widow lady gave all the money she had to God [Mark 12:42-44].
- The poverty stricken saints of Macedonia gave a liberal gift in spite of their own poverty [2 Cor. 7:1-5].
QUESTION: What can we learn here about giving?
ANSWER: God doesn’t look at the amount you give; He looks at the generosity and attitude of your heart.
NOTE: A preacher said, “God doesn’t look at how much you give; He looks at how much you have left over.” Remember, the poor widow gave all that she had.
QUESTION: Should we give God all the money we have?
ANSWER: Of course not! We have to pay the mortgage/rent, car payment, buy food; etc. However, God does want us to give of our resources to help those who are less fortunate than we are. God wants us to be generous, not stingy.
NOTE: I am not talking about empowering the takers. I am not talking about giving to every beggar with a sign. I am talking about having a desire to help others.
*ONE MORE THING ABOUT THIS: When you hear this kind of teaching it’s important that you understand that it’s teaching you to give of yourselves to help others, not to seize this teaching as an opportunity to get others to help you.
6) Insomuch that we desired Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also finish in you the same grace also.
(ERV) So we asked Titus to help you finish this special work of giving. He is the one who started this work.
NOTE: Titus was the one who initiated the desire in the Corinthian believers to give to the poor saints in Jerusalem. Now Paul is telling his readers that Titus would be the one who would return to them to collect the offering.
7) Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also.
QUESTION: What is Paul doing here?
ANSWER: He is reminding his readers that they have some really great gifts/abilities to be proud of. Now they should add another one to that list; they should give generously to this need.
8) I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love.
(ERV) I am not ordering you to give, but I want to see how real your love is by comparing you with others who have been so ready and willing to help.
NOTE: The Scriptures teach us to be givers; and they encourage us to do so. Ultimately you must decide.
9) For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
QUESTION: What is Paul’s point here?
Matthew 19:21) [GW] Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, sell what you own. Give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then follow me!”
ANSWER: Jesus made Bill Gates and Warren Buffet look poor. He had infinite wealth! It was impossible to expend that wealth! He willingly walked away from all that “wealth” and became poor so that you and I might become rich in spirit! Like the poor widow did, and the rich young ruler should have done, the infinitely rich Jesus gave all! Maybe we should give something!
2 CORINTHIANS Chapter 8
Verses 10-24
“Do the Good Thing You Wanted To Do!”
[10-15-17]
Review: “Giving Yourselves To Others! ”
2 Corinthians 8:1-9) [ERV] And now, brothers and sisters, we want to tell you what God’s grace has done in the churches in Macedonia.
2) These believers have been tested by great troubles, and they are very poor. But their great joy caused them to be very generous in their giving.
NOTE: Paul was raising money for the poor saints in Jerusalem.
NOTE: He mentioned to them that the extremely poor churches in Macedonia had given a very generous offering to help the poor saints in Jerusalem who had suffered poverty from lingering famine and persecution.
3) I can tell you that they gave as much as they were able and even more than they could afford. No one told them to do this. It was their idea.
4) But they asked us again and again–they begged us to let them share in this service for God’s people.
Galatians 6:10) [KJV] As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
*NOTE: According to the ability that we have we should do good “unto all men,” but “especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” They are a part of our spiritual family.
5) And they gave in a way that we did not expect: They gave themselves to the Lord and to us before they gave their money. This is what God wants.
“Their liberality began in self-surrender to God and to the apostles as His agents” [Vincent].
*NOTE: If we aren’t willing to give our money to God then we haven’t surrendered ourselves to Him.
6) So we asked Titus to help you finish this special work of giving. He is the one who started this work.
7) You are rich in everything–in faith, in speaking ability, in knowledge, in the willingness to help, and in the love you learned from us. So now we want you to be rich in this work of giving too.
8) I am not ordering you to give, but I want to see how real your love is by comparing you with others who have been so ready and willing to help.
NOTE: The Scriptures teach us to be givers; and they encourage us to do so. Ultimately you must decide.
9) You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. You know that he gave up his heavenly riches for you. He gave up everything so that you could be richly blessed.
ANSWER: Jesus made Bill Gates and Warren Buffet look poor. He had infinite wealth! It was impossible to expend that wealth! He willingly walked away from all that “wealth” and became poor so that you and I might become rich in spirit! Like the poor widow did [Mark 12:42-44], and the rich young ruler should have done [Mt. 19:21], the infinitely rich Jesus gave all! Maybe we should give something!
This Week: “Do the Good Thing You Wanted To Do! ”
2 Corinthians 8:10-24) [ERV] This is what I think you should do: Last year you were the first to want to give, and you were the first who gave.
1 Corinthians 16:1-4) [ERV] Now, about the collection of money for God’s people: Do the same as I told the Galatian churches to do.
2) On the first day of every week, each of you should take some of your money and put it in a special place. Save up as much as you can from what you are blessed with. Then you will not have to gather it all after I come.
3) When I arrive, I will send some men to take your gift to Jerusalem. These will be the ones you all agree should go. I will send them with letters of introduction.
4) If it seems good for me to go too, we can all travel together.
11) So now finish the work you started. Then your “doing” will be equal to your “wanting to do.” Give from what you have.
QUESTION: What is Paul’s point here?
ANSWER: It’s wonderful to want to do something that will benefit others; it’s far better to actually do it!
QUESTION: What else does the apostle affirm in this verse?
ANSWER: If you don’t have much then you can’t give much. However, you can give generously out of your poverty.
12) If you want to give, your gift will be accepted. Your gift will be judged by what you have, not by what you don’t have.
Concerning the poor widow’s 2 mites – “The Gospel of Mark specifies that two mites (Greek lepta) are together worth a quadrans, the smallest Roman coin. A lepton [Greek for “mite”] was the smallest and least valuable coin in circulation in Judea, worth about six minutes of an average daily wage” [Wikipedia].
My mathematical computation – In an 8 work day there are 480 minutes. 6 minutes would represent 1/80th of the time in our work day. Let’s be generous: you get paid $25/hour. 8X25=$200/day. 1/80th of that would be $2.50. If you multiply that by “2” because she had 2 mites her total amount of money that she had to her name was $5 [Hannah].
NOTE: Many of us have never earned $25/hour. My current $13/hour is the most I’ve ever earned. If we used my hourly wage as a gauge, then she only owned $2.60.
“It was much less than any coin we have, as the ‘farthing’ was less than an English farthing. It was in value about three mills and a half, or one-third of a cent” [Barnes].
*NOTE: If we take Barnes’s notes to our computation then the widow only had $1.34 to her name if we use $25/hour, or 75 cents to her name if we use $13/hour.
QUESTION: What’s my point here?
ANSWER: Monetarily speaking, the widow put an extremely small offering in the coffers of the Temple, but her “gift” was” judged by what” she had, “not by what” she didn’t “have.”
NOTE: Using that judgment Jesus declared, “she gave more than all those rich people” [Mark 12:43].
13) For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened:
14) At this time you have plenty and can provide what they need. Then later, when they have plenty, they can provide what you need. Then everyone will have an equal share.
QUESTION: What lesson is Paul giving us here?
ANSWER: He wasn’t collecting an offering from the poor Gentile believers to give to the poorer Jewish believers so that the recipients could then have more than the givers; he was encouraging an attitude of sharing with one another during times of need. The poor Gentile believers might be the ones in need the next time and then Paul would expect the poor Jewish believers to collect an offering for the needs of their Gentile brothers and sisters.
15) As the Scriptures say, “Those who gathered much did not have too much, and those who gathered little did not have too little.”
NOTE: Paul is using the example of how God provided manna for the children of Israel while they were in the wilderness. 5 mornings each week they gathered enough for that day. The day before the Sabbath they gathered enough for 2 days. Those who were physically unable to gather for themselves had their supply gathered by others and given to them. Everyone ended up with the exact amount they needed.
NOTE: He’s using this story to remind them that God has a way of providing when we work together.
IMPORTANT NOTE: God requires that we are all givers in this scenario. God never wants someone to seize this teaching for the purpose of extortion, for the purpose of harming others.
16) I thank God because he gave Titus the same love for you that I have.
17) Titus agreed to do what we asked. In fact, he himself wanted very much to come see you.
18) We are sending with Titus the brother who is praised by all the churches. He is praised because of his service to the Good News.
19) Also, he was chosen by the churches to go with us when we carry this gift. We are doing this service to bring honor to the Lord and to show that we really want to help.
20) We are being careful so that no one will criticize us about the way we are caring for this large gift.
21) We are trying to do what is right. We want to do what the Lord accepts as right and also what people think is right.
22) Also, we are sending with them our brother who is always ready to help. He has proved this to us in many ways. And he wants to help even more now because he has much faith in you.
23) Now about Titus–he is my partner. He is working together with me to help you. And about the other brothers–they are sent from the churches, and they bring honor to Christ.
24) So show these men that you really have love. Show them why we are proud of you. Then all the churches can see it.
NOTE: Paul ends this chapter by explaining how he will send Titus, and another unknown brother, to Corinth to collect their offering. He explains how careful he is to make certain that no one will wonder if he is skimming off the top.