An Unforeseen Act of Grace
8/5/25 Bible Thought (2 Corinthians 8)
One of the most controversial and unpopular areas of ministry has to do with finances.
I am sure some church visitors are nervous when collection plates are passed. They have probably heard somewhere how money-hungry the church is. In fact, these rumors are so strong that some people do not even go to church for this very reason! I saw evidence of this yesterday in the comments section on a YouTube video.
Now certainly, some churches probably don’t handle the topic of finances well, and some ministers might be truly wretched with how they abuse the people of God for the sake of money. However, that doesn’t mean that suddenly all financial generosity is a bad thing, or that it should be a taboo topic in the church.
Financial matters show up in many texts of the New Testament and in fact it is the topic to which Paul now turns for two chapters (2 Cor. 8-9).
In 2 Corinthians 8, Paul encouraged the Corinthians to take part in the “relief of the saints” in Jerusalem (2 Cor. 8:5). He did this based on the example of believers in the region of Macedonia (Philippi, Berea, Thessalonica) who had given generously, even beyond what was reasonable:
“For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord” (2 Cor. 8:3).
The Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary points out that there was really no middle class in the first-century Roman world in the regions of Macedonia or Achaia (where Corinth was):
“Roughly 70 percent of the populace survived at or below the subsistence level. They lived hand to mouth and spent their day hoping to earn enough to feed themselves and their dependents.”[1]
Yet, these believers, who were poor naturally speaking, were rich spiritually (2 Cor. 8:9).
They had received grace beyond measure and the transformation of their hearts resulted in their desire, even their begging to be a part of the contribution to the relief of the saints (2 Cor. 8:4).
Giving for them was not seen as a frustrating obligation, but a God-given blessed opportunity!
Paul even pointed out that their act was a result of grace! I like how the New Living Translation has rendered the first verse of this chapter:
“Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia” (2 Cor. 8:1, emphasis added).
Paul recognized that the material generosity of the Macedonian churches was actually God’s work—it just took place via human vessels.
With this, Paul was now sending Titus and another man left unnamed (2 Cor. 8:22) to the Corinthians. They were to encourage the believers there to follow in the Macedonian example, participating in this “act of grace” (2 Cor. 8:7).
Yet, Paul didn’t issue a command regarding giving.
Indeed, he explicitly stated that he was not commanding them to give (2 Cor. 8:8). No, rather, his aim was to test their hearts and see what they conclude of their own accord.
What about us and our hearts? Whether it be contributing to our local church or the needs of others when given the opportunity, how do we view giving?
Do we see it as a frustrating obligation, or a God-given blessed opportunity?
Giving breaks the idolatrous grip of money on our hearts. Jesus once pointed out, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:21).
Certainly, we’re all doing better than the first-century believers that Paul was writing to. In many cases, it simply comes down to a matter of the heart more often than it comes down to a matter of means.
We can lay up treasures on earth, or in sacrificing our treasure on earth we can lay up treasure in heaven.
[1] Clinton E. Arnold, Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary: Romans to Philemon. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002), 233-234.