Chap. 8:1-9—One of the greatest ways to arouse divine qualities of love and care in the saints of God is to have them see it in action. The working of grace in others can act as a stimulus. Therefore, Paul begins by setting before the Corinthians two outstanding examples of giving—from two extremes:
The Macedonians—the poorest of givers (vss. 1-8).
The Lord Himself—the richest of givers (vs. 9).
The Macedonians
Vss. 1-2—There had been a remarkable display of grace in “the assemblies of Macedonia,” such as: Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, etc. They displayed an extraordinary degree of Christian generosity. Paul pointed to them as a model of the benevolent spirit that we need to have in giving. These people were in “deep poverty,” yet it didn’t hinder them from giving. They had an “abundance of their joy” in the spiritual things that they possessed and it made them hold temporal things lightly. Hence, they were willing to part with their material things in the care of others. They were a sparkling example for the Corinthians—and for us too.
Vss. 3-5—These people were so “willing” that they gave “beyond their power.” That is, they gave beyond what one would normally do in parting with things. They actually begged the Apostle to “receive the gift” they had gathered so that they could have the privilege of having “fellowship of the service which [was to be rendered] to the saints” in Jerusalem. The fact that they had to beg the Apostle to take their gift shows that he must have hesitated to accept it; he knew how poor they were.
They truly went far beyond what the Apostle had “hoped” for. Paul reveals the key: “They gave themselves first to the Lord.” This is the greatest gift that we can give—ourselves. Their devotion of heart to the Lord was such that they had given everything that they had to the Lord—themselves and their possessions. Knowing that these things all belonged to the Lord, they were happy to see their goods used in His service. This led them to give out of their material substance freely. It shows that when there is committal to Christ, there will be a disposal of our material things in the service of Christ.
Vss. 6-8—Paul then encouraged the Corinthians to imitate the example of the Macedonians. He mentions that he had urged Titus to “complete” the work that he had begun in Corinth when he went to them with Paul’s first letter. When Titus was there the first time, he told the Corinthians that they should think about contributing to the collection. Now, when Titus returned with this second letter from Paul, Paul trusted that he would be able to “complete” “this grace also.” Since the Corinthians excelled in many ways, Paul wanted them to excel in this matter of giving too, so that they would abound in every aspect of Christian experience. Paul was not commanding this but reminding them that it was an opportunity for them to “prove the sincerity” of their “love.”
The Lord Himself
Vs. 9—There was an even greater display of grace in our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul now turns to speak of Him as the supreme example of giving. Nothing could be greater than this display of grace. “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.” Grace means to bestow unmerited favour on someone. In our case, the Lord gave up everything He had, as far as His personal rights of exercising His Godhead prerogatives are concerned. He became a Man to go to the cross so that we might be saved and be made “rich.” He sold all that He had to do this (Matt. 13:4444Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. (Matthew 13:44)). He gave Himself (Matt. 20:2828Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. (Matthew 20:28); Gal 2:2020I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20); Eph. 5:2525Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; (Ephesians 5:25); 1 Tim. 2:66Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. (1 Timothy 2:6); Titus 2:1414Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. (Titus 2:14)).
Note also that, in speaking of the collection, Paul never uses the blunt word, “money.” Instead, he uses words such as: “free-hearted liberality” (vs. 2), “grace” (vs. 4), “fellowship of the ministering” (vs. 4), “bounty [blessing]” (chap. 9:5), “seed” (chap. 9:10), etc.