2 CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 9
Paul’s Final instructions concerning the Collection. 2 Cor. 9, 1-15.
The gifts of Christians should be measured by the greatness of their love toward God: V.5. Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren that they would go before unto you and make up beforehand your bounty, whereof ye had notice before, that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty, and not as of covetousness. V.6. But this I say, he which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. V.7. Every man according as he purposeth in his he art, so let him give; not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loveth a cheerful giver.
The apostle here states the exact business of the deputies whom he was sending: Therefore, namely, to obviate the danger spoken of in v.4, he had believed it necessary to entreat the brethren, the companions of Titus, that they should precede him to Corinth, should get there some time before he himself could make the journey. By this arrangement it would be possible for the three men to prepare in advance the gift previously promised by the Corinthians. It was a gift, literally, a blessing, which they had promised, because they themselves had received it as a blessing out of the hand of God, and because by the mercy of God active through them it would become a blessing to the needy brethren. By complying with the request of Paul, the Corinthians would thus have their contribution ready as a true gift, or bounty, a matter of free love on their part, and not as a matter of extortion, drawn from unwilling hearts and hands by the apostle’s covetous grasping.
That only the gifts of free love have any value in the sight of God, Paul now emphasizes in the form of a proverbial saying: But this I say, He that sows sparingly, sparingly also shall reap, and he that sows bountifully, bountifully also shall reap. Compare Proverbs 11, 24. 25.
It is a common experience that the return, the reward, is commensurate with the amount and work invested. If a farmer saves on seed and sows too thin, his harvest will be meager in proportion, but if he sows in accordance with the fertility of the soil, he will have a rich return for his labors. The application to the spiritual field is not difficult. If a person is chary of works of love, if he can be persuaded only with difficulty to participate in charitable enterprises, his reward will be proportionately small, his will be an inferior reward of grace. On the other hand, he that sows abundantly, with a blessing, as a gift of bountiful love, will have a reward of mercy that will mean more than a full compensation. Compare Luke 6, 38. “For the blessed will have reward, one higher than the other” (Concordia Triglotta, 221).
Let every Christian remember that, especially when he is called upon to give a practical proof of that fellowship of faith and love which unites all believers. In all our earthly possessions we are only stewards of God, under obligation to administer the money entrusted to us according to His will.
That such giving must be done without the slightest shade of annoyance follows from the fact that it flows from love: Every man as he has intended in his heart, not with a grudge or of necessity; for a cheerful giver God loves.
Practically everything depends upon the state of mind with which a person participates in the works of mercy which have been given us by the Lord to perform. If a person is in a morose, gloomy frame of mind, if he is filled with sadness at the idea of parting with what he does give, or if he considers himself under compulsion, because he cannot very well avoid it, then his gift will not meet with the approval of the Lord. Every Christian should make up his mind to attend to his share of the Lord’s business without permitting such thoughts to enter or rule his heart.
“For such specious [hypocritical] works God does not want [does not approve], but the people of the New Testament are to be a willing people, Ps. 110, 3, and sacrifice freely, Ps. 54, 6” (Concordia Triglotta, 943 ).
The proper state of mind is that which measures its willingness by its love toward God, and is cheerful, prompt, and eager in accordance with the saying which the Greek translators of the Old Testament added as an explanation of Prov. 22, 9. Compare Deuteronomy 15, 10.
On the one hand, there will be no undue compulsion in the matter of charitable collections, but, on the other hand, there will be sincere pleasure in doing for the Lord what each giver can possibly afford to give
Note: It is most interesting to see in these two chapters how many different terms the apostle uses to denote the collection. With reference to its source, it is grace; in its relations to the Church’s life, it is fellowship, communication: in its relation to public servants, it is ministry: in its beneficial purposes, it is blessing; as a public act of piety, it is service or worship.