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Rightly Dividing
the Word of Truth (2 Timothy 2:15)
Established
November 2008 Published Weekly on Friday
This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our
Savior, who desires all men (and women) to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1Timothy 2:3-4)
2 Corinthians (8:1-24)
(Lesson 19)
Welcome to HBS.
Introduction to
Chapter 8
In chapters 8 and 9
Paul addresses the Corinthian’s part in the Gentile churches contribution for
the poor Jews living in Jerusalem (1 Corinthians 16:1-4). Although this church was the first to begin a year ago not only to do this but also had
expressed the desire to do it, they had not fulfilled
their promise (8:10-11). In contrast, the other Gentile Churches in Macedonia and
Achaia not only gave liberally and
of their own accord, but some gave beyond their means despite being afflicted
and persecuted (8:1-5).
********
Please
open your Bible to 2 Corinthians 8:1-2.
Great
Generosity
2 Corinthians 8
Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of
God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, that in a great ordeal
of affliction their abundance of joy and their (what) deep poverty overflowed in the
wealth of the liberality.
The churches of
Macedonia – the
northern portion of Greece was called Macedonia. The southern part was called Achaia. The
churches of Macedonia included Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea (See Acts
16-17; Romans 15:26).
That in a great
ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their (what) deep poverty overflowed in the
wealth of their liberality – here Paul gives the Corinthian Church
the example of Macedonian Believers, who although in a great ordeal of affliction, meaning they were facing opposition
from the Jewish legalizers, suffering persecution, and deep poverty (Acts
16:20, 17:5), and from the look of things it would appear they were in need of
assistance themselves, yet they gave generously.
The
Greek word for liberality is Haplotes (pronounced: hap-lot’-ace),
Noun, Feminine, Strong’s Greek #572, meaning:
simplicity, sincerity, purity,
graciousness. The sense of this word
is, their liberality was much
greater than could be expected from people so poor; from Believers enduring affliction and Paul encourages
the Corinthian Church to follow their example.
Verses
3-5:
For I testify that
according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord,
begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of
the saints (in
Judea), and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the
Lord and to us by the will of God.
Paul’s
talking about the Gentile churches in Macedonia giving according to the ability, and beyond their ability and
begging us with much urging for the
favor of participation in the support of the (Judean) saints. Let it be said, Paul and Titus did not expect such an overwhelming, positive
response from these poor churches.
But they first gave
themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God - here Paul means to
say these folks gave voluntarily, of their own accord. They didn’t need to be prodded, provoked, or shamed to give. Having first trusted in the Lord, accepting
His free offer of grace by responding to the gospel, for this truly is the will of God, now they rejoiced,
i.e. experienced great happiness in actually
doing it (2 Corinthians 9:7).
It’s
one thing to talk about wanting to do the
will of God but when the rubber meets
the road, as they say, there aren’t that many people following the Lord
nowadays.
I
try not to preach while I explain these
lessons to y’all because that’s not my role in the Body of Christ. But I’m also quick to point out there’s a
fine line that separates a Bible teacher from a preacher and sometimes I cross
that line willingly, if I think it will help the group. It probably hasn’t escaped your notice that
no two churches are alike. This is the
running theme in the first five verses of chapter 8. There are some similarities, to be sure, but
there are marked differences that stand out. That’s why there are more than 5,000 churches
in the USA alone calling themselves Christians
but I ask you, are they all the same?
Not so much.
Paul’s
sorrowful/stern letter had a positive
impact on many of the Believers in Corinth for they repented or had a change of heart (2 Corinthians
7:5-13). But there was a lot of room for
spiritual growth in the Corinthian Church.
They were an arrogant, self-centered group stubbornly holding fast to
their worldly ways. So in verse 5b Paul is urging them to fulfill
their pledge, now one-year old (1 Corinthians 16:1-2). He doesn’t do this by comparing them to the
other gentile churches in the region; that’s not Paul’s style, and to be honest
I don’t think that tactic would have motivated the Corinthians to surrender one
denarius or drachma to the cause. Instead,
he said: but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God. He wasn’t referring to the Believer’s in
Corinth; he was speaking of the saints in Macedonia. Why were the Macedonians such good examples
of giving? The answer is in the verse.
They
gave themselves first to God. These Believers realized all they possessed
belonged to God, including themselves.
They understood something else equally as important: little is much, if God is it (Matthew 14:13-21; John 6:1-14). Consequently, if a Believer’s heart belongs to God, the right kind of giving naturally follows.
But
they also gave themselves to us. Paul’s saying they were willing to take
direction from us regarding this
collection of funds by the will of God. Paul
means to say God led them to do this: For all who are being led by the
Spirit of God, these are sons (and daughters) of God (Romans 8:14).
Let’s
move on to verses 6-9.
2 Corinthians 8
So we urged Titus
that as he had previously made a beginning, so he would also complete in you
this gracious work as well. But just as
you abound in everything, in faith and utterance and knowledge
and in all earnestness and in the love we inspired in you,
see that you abound in this
gracious work also. I am not
speaking this as a command, but as
proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity of your love also. 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.
Most
people fail to notice Paul introduced a list in verse 7 which includes: faith,
utterance, knowledge, all earnestness, and love and none of these things have anything to do with material
possessions? The world’s standard of giving is driven on getting something in return. The best example I can think of is the Christmas
holiday season. People, and I’m
including myself in this illustration, feel terrible if they show up at a
holiday party, receive a gift but have no gift to give in exchange. Everyone walks away from that experience
feeling like a social misfit. We’ve all
been trained/brain-washed by “Big Business” not to let that happen; we’re to
give as good as we receive. Please name
a “Hallmark” holiday where gifts aren’t purchased, gifts exchanged, or money
isn’t spent? However, the Believer in the
Dispensation of Grace should be in tune with God’s view of unconditional,
charitable giving (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9). We aren’t to give to get something in return
because we already abound in
everything, in Christ. Paul’s asking
that these Corinthians abound in
this gracious work also.
The
word abound is used twice by
Paul. Since they abounded in the blessings of the
gospel, and the benefits of the New Covenant; they should abound in the everyday tasks as well;
one of these presently is the great need of the poor, unfortunate saints in
Jerusalem. These people sold all their
possessions and laid the proceeds at the
feet of the twelve, for the all things common program (Acts 4:32-35). This had been in preparation for the arrival
of the King and the promised kingdom, but that didn’t happen, so eventually the
common funds dwindled to nothing and the Jews were left without financial
means. The situation grew worse because
of the severe crop failure in Egypt in 45-46 AD that caused a mass people
migration up and out of Egypt too. The
Judean famine of 46-47 AD predicted by Agabus added to their misery (Acts
11:28).
I am not speaking this as a command – this doesn’t mean
Paul doesn’t have the God-given authority to command (1 Corinthians 14:37)
because he does. What it does mean is in
respect to voluntary giving, commands are inappropriate and often ineffective. Paul didn’t want to tell people what they
should give. Instead, Paul’s looking to
inspire the proper motivation in regard
to stewardship, not by commands, but by encouraging them. He does this by showing the Corinthians what the
other churches gave, even though they had less to give and they and fewer
advantages than they had. How do we know
this, look at the comment that follows - but
as proving through the earnestness of others -
Paul’s using the Macedonia churches as an example to encourage these
Believers to give liberally.
The sincerity of
your love also – this
book does not explain what Paul meant by this comment, so it’s open to
discussion as long as you keep that discussion within the confines of the
text. Let’s dig deeper. Was Paul talking about the churches love toward God, Jesus Christ, himself,
the other churches, or the Jews in Jerusalem?
Was he using the word love in
a general sense as you and I would to denote any good thing?
I
will, of course, add my two-cents to this discussion and you can do with it as
you may, but in my opinion, the key to Paul’s meaning is the word sincerity.
Now we’re looking at the motivation driving the activity love.
Another term for sincere love is
“genuine love” (7:6). Now we’re talking
about agape love. The spirit of agape love is compassion, goodwill; it’s a delight in the act of loving.
This is one of the reasons Paul urges Believers to be imitators of God, as beloved children; and
walk in (what) love, just as
Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us… Ephesians 5:1-2a. (See 1 Corinthians 13; Ephesians 2:4-5;
Romans 5:8; 1 John 3:1)
Here’s
another truth to consider: 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.
When
Paul said the Lord Jesus Christ was rich
he means to say by Him all things
were created both in the heavens and
on earth, visible and invisible… all things have been created through Him and for
Him. He is before all things and in Him
all things (do what) hold together (John
1:3, Colossians 1:16-17).
King
David wrote: The earth is the LORD’s and
all it contains, The world, and those who dwell in it (Psalm 24:1). Paul is showing the churches in Macedonia the
LORD gives liberally. He became
poor in order to become a blessing to all: Have
this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He
existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be
grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of
men. Being found in appearance as a man,
He humbled Himself becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a
cross.
God’s
love is sincere towards all,
especially those who express a desire to do His will, and our love for others is to be genuine. You can’t mouth the
words, “I care” and then stand by and
watch people suffer and die from lack of potable water, food and shelter.
Verses
10-11:
I give my opinion in this matter,
for this is to your advantage, who were the first (among the
churches) to begin (this
fundraising) a year ago not only to do this, but also to desire to do it.
But now finish doing it also, so that just as there was the readiness to desire it, so
there may be also the completion
of it by your ability.
Even
though Paul says, I give my opinion in this matter (of taking up a collection for the Judean
saints before I arrive there, so there’s no last minute hustle and bustle, and
no one feels obligated to give just because I’m there and feeling pressured to
give), he’s God’s apostle folks. When
he speaks, it is as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy (1 Corinthians 7:25, 40); this
is to your advantage.
The first to begin
a year ago – this
comment harkens back to Paul’s statement in 8:6. They were one of the first churches to
express the desire to help the poor
Jews in Jerusalem. This project began
with the idea of success (most of them do) but the collection process had been
interrupted, i.e. hindered, and it’s
not too difficult to ascertain why based on what we already know about the
Corinthian church. Some of the road-blocks hindering its progress probably were: arrogance, general worldliness, and self-centeredness, or all the above.
But now finish
doing it – the
word it here refers to finishing
what they started one year ago. I find
it remarkable human nature hasn’t changed over the centuries. Some people are quick to express the willingness
to give but when it comes to writing the check or opening their purse or
wallet, their reaction time slows down to a crawl. Paul has been talking about getting this
collection ready for a year (1 Corinthians 16:1-2). Some of the churches have fulfilled their
responsibility and did more than was
asked of them. But the Corinthian’s
response has been sluggish. Paul’s saying;
finish doing it so there may be also the completion of it by your ability; to
manage this not by compulsion or a sense of being pressured.
I
pray it hasn’t escaped your notice Paul has not used the word “tithe” here once
and you won’t find the word in any of his letters. The other thing, while we’re on this
subject, is Paul never brings up taking up collections and/or giving except in
relation to this gift to the church in Jerusalem. He does say that workers laboring for the
Lord are worthy of his hire and that churches should help traveling
missionaries but try as you might you’ll not find any further guidelines on giving. What you will
encounter is proof-texting O.T. teachings into the New Covenant Believer’s
setting such as Malachi 3:10a:
“Bring the whole tithe
into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me
now in this,” says the LORD of hosts…
When
was the last time you put a loaf of bread or a quart of milk in the collection
basket? That’s what this verse is
saying? Under the Mosaic Law Israelites
who owned land were commanded to give a tenth of their crops, flocks, herds,
and the fruit of their orchards to support the Levites, who had no inheritance
of their own. God was their inheritance
(Leviticus 27:30-32; Numbers 18:21-24).
The Levites, in turn, gave a tenth of their receipts to the priests
working in the LORD’s temple (Numbers 18: 25-29).
The
first thing every Bible student needs to do is to check and see who is writing
the letter or book in the Bible they are reading/studying, and then look to see
who the writer is writing to. That being
the case, let’s go to Malachi 1:1: The oracle of the word of the LORD to (who)
Israel through Malachi. The book of Malachi was written to the nation
of Israel and not to the gentile nations (Ephesians 2:11-13). To proof-text this verse, or any other O.T.
verse on the subject of tithing, putting it into the Grace Age, gives it a
meaning that is entirely different than what the original writer intended. This leads to wrong conclusions regarding what
the truth of God actually is.
But
before y’all get the idea you have extra money to put into your vacation fund,
even though Paul does not mention giving a specific amount (the tithe), he does
offer Believers guidelines on giving. Let’s begin by reviewing verses 12-15
first:
For if the
readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he
does not have. For this is not for the ease of others and for your affliction, but by way
of equality – at this present time your abundance being a supply for their need, so that their abundance also may
become a supply for your need, that
there may be equality; as it is written, “HE WHO gathered MUCH DID NOT HAVE TOO MUCH, AND HE WHO gathered LITTLE HAD
NO LACK.” (Exodus 16:18)
Your abundance being a supply for their need, so that
their abundance also may become a supply for your need, that there may be
equality.
Paul’s
not planting the seed of socialism with this statement, he’s saying at this present time your abundance,
i.e. the Corinthian church had more than they needed, whereas the other
churches did not. The idea is simple, on
paper anyway. The Corinthians could give
liberally, but the other churches in the region were struggling financially,
and they were afflicted and suffering persecution. But one day, the situation might be
reversed. Corinth could find itself it
great need and dependent on the benevolence of others; stranger things have
happened in this world.
Paul
never mentions fund raising in
support of the apostles or those who labor for the Lord. He doesn’t say churches should put aside
money for missionary work, or for church building. However, here it can be said he is making a
statement for contributing liberally when
churches have the means to support those in need because you never know when
you or your neighbor will have a great need.
As
Paul said, that there may be equality
that’s the key word and the key concept we draw from this is reciprocity, i.e.
relationships involving mutual exchange.
God’s family should pitch-in and help one another when there’s a need
for we are one, church; one body in Christ Jesus (Romans 12:5;
1 Corinthians 12:27).
Owe nothing to
anyone except to love one another, for he (or she) who loves his (or her) neighbor
has fulfilled the law (Romans 13:8).
He who steals must
steal no longer; but rather he (or she) must labor, performing with his (or her) own hands what is good, so that he (or she) will have something to share
with one who has a need (Ephesians 4:28).
Bear one another’s
burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2).
The
Guidelines for Giving in the Grace Age
According
to the rule of first mention, the guidelines for giving in the Age of Grace
were established at Antioch. If you turn
in your Bible to Acts 11:29-30, we’ll take a look at that now: And in
the proportion that any of the disciples had means, each of them determined to
send a contribution for the relief of
the brethren living in Judea. And this
they did, sending it in charge of Barnabas and Saul to the elders. (See also 1 Corinthians 16:2; 2
Corinthians 8:1-5, 12-14).
Paul
instructs Believers to give everyone as
God has prospered them, according to their ability.
God
doesn’t expect us to take out a bank loan in order to give, in other
words. It’s according to what we have;
it’s proportionate giving. So, if a wealthy individual is making
thousands of dollars per week and drops a twenty dollar bill in the basket when
it circles around, is that proportionate
giving? That’s not for me or you to say,
but God knows the answer to that question and will deal with the individual at
the Bema Seat Judgment. All I’m saying is
God knows all about our finances and He accepts our “gifts” in light of what
they really cost us (Luke 21:1-4).
Remember, God gave the world
His best, when He gave His one and only Son as a sacrifice for the sins of all.
Suddenly, that $20 gift looks small, considering the amount of money they’re
pulling in weekly.
As
I said last week, the people with less money have a better understanding of
this teaching, like the Macedonians, not only do they see the need more quickly
than the wealthier people, they respond to that need much faster despite their
own circumstances.
2 Corinthians 8
But thanks be to
God who puts the same earnestness (sincerely zealous) on your behalf in the heart of
Titus. For he not only accepted our
appeal, but being himself very earnest, he has gone to you of his own
accord. We have sent along with him the
brother whose fame in the
things of the gospel has spread through
all the churches; and not only this, but he has also been appointed by
the churches to travel with in this gracious work, which is being administered
by us for the glory of the Lord Himself, and to show our readiness -
Where
to begin? I may as well start with the brother whose fame in the things of the gospel has spread
through all the churches because that’s a thrilling introduction. But the Bible does not say who this individual is.
Commentators have a few opinions.
Some say it’s Apollos or Luke.
Others believe its Barnabas, Silas, or Timothy and there are other
candidates as well, but no one can name this brother for certain and that is the thing. What we can say is it doesn’t really matter, if
God wanted us to know the identity of this individual his name would have
appeared in the text.
What
we do know is this brother (whoever
he was) accepted our appeal, but went to
them of his own accord (v17). This
consecrated brother, along with Titus, had been appointed by all the churches
to travel in this gracious work with all the other chosen church delegates to watch over and deliver this
substantial gift to Jerusalem.
That
wasn’t the only reason for all these delegates.
Paul was aware of the rumors and accusations from both the Corinthian
Believers and Jewish legalizers who were saying he mishandled money (2
Corinthians 8:20, 11:9, 12). Therefore
these delegates from the different
gentile churches added credibility to this fund
raising service while protecting Paul’s integrity simultaneously. We
pick up on this truth in the next verse.
Verses
20-24:
Taking precaution so that no one will discredit us in our
administration of this generous gift; for we have regard for what is honorable
not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men. We have sent with them our brother,
whom we have often tested and found diligent in many things, but now even more
diligent because of his great
confidence in you. As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among
you; as for our brethren, they are messengers
of the churches, a glory to Christ.
Therefore openly before the churches, show them the proof of your love
and of our reason for boasting about you.
Paul
wasn’t only a masterful teacher and preacher of God’s truths he proved to be a
judicious accountant too. He couldn’t
stop the false accusations and rumors that were being leveled against him and
his ministry, but he certainly did all he could to prevent blame from being cast upon him regarding the management of these
funds. He insisted on having someone
associated with him on this project who had the confidence of all the gentile
churches, and who would be appointed by them, almost certainly guaranteeing him
to be free from any blame.
For we have regard
for what is honorable – this may be a quote taken from Proverbs
3:4: So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man. But if would, please turn to 1 Thessalonians
5:22 where Paul writes: abstain from every form of evil. Paul’s talking about doing the right
thing always and not just when people are watching. The word honorable
in the Greek is Kalos (pronounced: kal-os’), Adjective, Strong’s Greek# 2570,
meaning: beautiful, good, useful,
excellent, just, honorable, distinguished, moral excellence, worthy, virtuous,
propriety. Paul’s goal was to live
his life in this manner, in the sight of
God, but also in the sight of men (Romans 14:18; Philippians 2:15, 4:8; 1
Timothy 3:7).
We have sent with
them our brother – the Bible does not identify this person either. He appears to be a second unknown companion of Paul’s, which means
this text is referring to three people: Titus, the brother (2 Corinthians 8:18), and our brother (2 Corinthians 8:22).
We have often
tested and found diligent in many things – this comment speaks of their
faithfulness in many things which
probably means whoever it was they worked with Paul. But
now even more diligent because of his great
confidence in you – meaning, in the doing of this gracious work he will undoubtedly prove even more diligent because of his
great confidence in the Corinthians desire to give liberally,
fulfilling their original pledge and desire to help the needy in
Jerusalem.
Verse
23:
As for Titus, he is
my partner and fellow worker among you – If you’re using the KJV Bible,
please note the words any do inquire are in italics which
means they are not in the original manuscript, which means these may not be the
proper words to introduce here. Considering
the Greek language, it may mean either, “if any do inquire about Titus,” or it
may mean, “if anything is said about Titus.”
The sense of the passage is some of the Corinthian factions might stand
in opposition to the authority of Titus engaging in this charitable work. This is why Paul found it necessary to say
something favorable about Titus, i.e. he is my partner and fellow worker among you - he shares
with me in preaching the gospel and
in establishing and organizing churches.
Please
turn to Titus 1:5 and I’ll show you that Titus was more than a “go-for” as Paul’s
co-worker in the ministry of righteousness (2 Corinthians 3:7-10). For this
cause I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and
appoint elders in every city as I directed you…
As for our
brethren, they are messengers
of the churches, a glory to Christ – should any inquiry be made of the church
delegates, by the suspicious, Paul said they are a glory to God. The word messengers is derived from the Greek
word apostolos which means agent or official church
representative. These men have the
complete confidence of the churches that sent them, having been selected and
appointed by them.
Verse
24:
Therefore openly
before the churches, show them the proof of your love and of our reason
for boasting about you – the proper way for the Corinthians to show them the proof of their love was through a liberal
contribution to the cause at hand. Love is a verb. A generous contribution would demonstrate the sincerity of their love also towards God, the apostles, and the gentile
churches (2 Corinthians 8:8).
(To
be continued)
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Copyright 2011
GJ
Heitzman’s Ministry
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