Seven Rhythms: Generosity (2 Corinthians 9:6-15)
Is giving a loss? When we are generous with our time or finances, it is hard not to focus on what we have lost. When we give someone money, we see our account balance go down. When we give someone time on our schedule, we often grieve over the experiences we missed out on because we no longer had time for them. It is hard to ignore the loss that generosity causes. With that said, we can all see the positive impact of giving. It is wonderful to see someone delight in a gift that we have given them. It warms our hearts to see someone enjoy the time we have given to them. We must have an accurate and honest view of the sacrifice and satisfaction of living a generous life.
When we focus more on the loss we experience when we give, we will be more reluctant to give. When we focus more on the gains we experience when we give, we will be more likely to seize the opportunities for generosity that come our way. When the apostle Paul was trying to encourage the Corinthians to meet the financial needs of their Jerusalem brothers, he focused on the gains they would receive from giving sacrificially. Paul was trying to open their eyes to the gains they failed to see. If they could adjust their perspective and bring into view these wonderful gains, they would be glad to participate in the offering that Paul was collecting to meet the needs of the Jerusalem church.
Big Idea: Giving has great gains. I hope to show you the great gains that come from giving. I am adopting the same approach that Paul had with the Corinthians when he wanted to encourage them to give to the needs of another church. I pray that you will reflect on these gains and open your heart to being generous by sponsoring a child in the city where we just raised funds to plant a church. We are attempting to reshape the city of Nyagatare, Rwanda, through church planting and child sponsorship. I hope we will sponsor 50 children next Sunday through Africa New Life. I want you to be excited about participating in this act of generosity. I don’t want you to be motivated by guilt. I think our motivations can be reshaped when we see the great gains that come from our giving.
2 Corinthians 9:7, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
I want to start by looking at verse 7. We will get back to verse 6 later. Verse 7 speaks to the heart attitude that Paul aimed at for the Corinthian believers. He wanted their generosity to be motivated by joy and excitement. He wanted them to be cheerful and not reluctant givers. The reluctance that Paul referred to is most likely connected to the idea of “compulsion.” If the Corinthians felt that they were forced to give, they would reluctantly participate, and the whole purpose of the offering, which was to show Christian charity and affection, would be negated. Forcing charity is about as effective as forcing an apology. We have seen, as parents, or remember, as kids, the disingenuous hugs between siblings after a fight. Forced apologies are cold, as is forced generosity. Paul wanted the Corinthians to show genuine care for the Jerusalem church, which was suffering from a great famine in the area. God has always placed high importance on one’s heart attitude in generosity. We see evidence of this in both the Old and New Testaments.
We see an example of this in our passage today, in the New Testament, and in the book Deuteronomy, which is in the Old Testament. Deuteronomy 15:10, “You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake.” This relief offering was mentioned to the Corinthian church a year ago, and Paul didn’t want them to lose their persistence in fulfilling their commitment to their needy brothers and sisters. Paul appealed to each individual; we see this in his usage of singular nouns in verse 7. Paul’s strategy to warm their hearts to this opportunity was to show them the “gains” that would result from their giving.
2 Corinthians 9:6, 8-10, “6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully... 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 9 As itiswritten, He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” 10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.”
This may strike us as odd, but the first “gain” that Paul mentioned was to the giver. Giving is not a complete loss for the giver. Paul illustrated this point with an agricultural example in verse 6. A farmer doesn’t lose seed by sowing it but gains the ability to make more. A farmer’s future seed for sowing is in the harvest. One seed can produce a plant that will yield hundreds of more seeds, which he can then sow again. Our acts of generosity should not only be seen as occasions when resources go out from us but also as opportunities for resources to come to us. This idea does not make sense from a naturalistic perspective. This principle works naturally in reference to farming but not finances. Giving money to the poor doesn’t naturally yield a return on investment like a 401(k). This principle can be applied to generosity because God is backing this cycle of generosity and reward. Verses 8 through 10 make this point clear.
In verses 8, 9, and 10, God is described as a giver, specifically one who gives to those who give. Paul quoted Psalm 112 in verse 9, which, in its original context, speaks about a righteous man who is generous. God is clearly the subject of the verbs in verse 9 because he is the subject of the verbs in verses 8 and 10. Paul makes his point about God's giving nature abundantly clear by the repetition in these three verses concerning God’s benevolence. God is said to “make grace abound,” “distribute freely,” “give,” “supply,” “multiply,” and “increase.” All this giving from God results in the recipients “having all sufficiency in all things at all times.” Wow. That is a lot of “all’s.” Now, we need to note that this abundance of provision refers to God’s mission and not to us becoming millionaires. God’s provision is so we “may abound in every good work.” God will supply everything we need to accomplish his mission. We keep ourselves in this missional supply chain by acting generously. Simply put, God gives to givers so they can give more.
These verses clearly show that we gain when we give, but what do these gains look like? Zooming out from this passage to consider all of the other biblical texts that speak about generosity, I don’t believe we can make a strong case that we will always receive back more financially than we give. With that said, we can’t rule out a financial return from our generosity. The “seed” that God is said to “multiply” must include financial blessing since the “seed” Paul is asking the Corinthians to give is a monetary offering to the Jerusalem Christians. Reading two definitions into the same word used twice within the same sentence would be out of place. Paul was not giving the Corinthians a foolproof model for financial investment, but instead encouraging them to trust that God would provide for their generosity and honor their sacrifice by supplying for their needs. The “gain” we get from giving is not meant to satisfy our greed but to remove the fear that we will jeopardize ourselves by being generous. The giver is not the only one who gains from giving. Both God and others experience gains.
2 Corinthians 9:11-14, “You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. 12 For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. 13 By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, 14 while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. 15 Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!”
Paul noted two ways the Jerusalem church would gain from the Corinthians’ financial gift. First, he mentioned that their “needs” would be met in verse 12. This is the most obvious effect of the Corinthians’ generosity. Second, Paul mentioned the unity that would result from this gift. He believed the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem would “long for” and “pray for” the predominantly gentile Christians in Corinth because of their generosity. Compassion across cultural and racial lines was particularly important to Paul. The first-century church struggled to create and foster harmony between Jews and Gentiles. This relief offering was a practical way to promote unity. It is easier to care for others when they show care for us. Paul saw the needs of the Jerusalem believers as an opportunity to highlight the love and compassion that all followers of Christ have for each other. Not only would the mostly Jewish believers in Jerusalem have their current needs met, but they would form a bond of mutual affection for their Gentile brothers and sisters, which would surpass the time of the famine.
God is also mentioned as gaining from the giving of the Corinthian believers. In verses 11 and 12, Paul wrote that their gift would “produce” or “overflow” in “thanksgiving” to God. Verse 13 says that God will be “glorified” by those who witness this generous act of “service.” The recipients of this relief offering would know that the believers in Corinth were motivated to be generous because of their love for God. The root of their generosity was the generosity of God, which means that God was to be thanked and not just the Corinthians. The Corinthian believers showed their “submission” to “the confession of the gospel of Christ.” The “gospel” is the good news of Christ's death and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins. We become generous people once we receive the “inexpressible gift” of Christ, as Paul called it in verse 15. Every gift we give points back to the gift of God that changed us. We gain, others gain, and God gains when we give. Giving has great gains.
Thankfully, Paul's strategy worked. The Corinthians did give generously to the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem, according to Romans 15. Romans 15:25-27, “25 At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints. 26 For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem. 27 For they were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings.” Corinth was the capital of Achaia, so it is fair to assume that Paul was speaking about the generosity of the Corinthian believers when he mentioned the contribution that came from the people of Achaia. They became cheerful givers because they saw the “gains” that came from giving. They saw that God would be glorified, the needs of others would be met, the church's unity would be expressed, and they would keep themselves under the provision of God when they gave.
Giving has great gains. It is clear to me, Sonrise Church, that you know this. You are a giving church. You gave way beyond our expectations on Easter to help build a church in a city you may never visit and for people you may never meet. Many of you joined us last year in the 90-day giving challenge, where we ask you to give 2% more of your income to the mission of the church and see how God would bless you. We offered to give you all your money back if you felt that experience wasn’t worth it. Nobody asked for their money back. God gives to those who give. I want to invite you to consider another opportunity to give.
Next Sunday, we will have an opportunity to sponsor children in the city where we helped build a church. Please pray specifically in two ways this week about this opportunity. First, I would like you to ask God to remove any fear that you may have of God not providing for you because you have provided for others. Ask Him to plant in your heart a deep assurance that he will supply your needs while you are on his mission. Second, ask him to give you validation for stepping into this opportunity. This may not be where God wants you to focus your generosity. That is okay. Ask him to validate your participation in this opportunity. Next Sunday is going to be exciting!
Life Level Application
Head: Read Luke 12:13-21. What dangers come with prosperity?
Heart: Read Philippians 4:18-19. How does Paul respond to the financial gift he received from the Philippians? How does Paul believe God will respond to their gift?
Hand: Read 2 Corinthians 8:1-5. What about the generosity of the Macedonians surprised Paul? Have you ever “begged” (verse 4) to help meet a need? What was the first thing the Macedonians did before they were generous?
Habit: Read 2 Corinthians 8:16. What did God do in the heart of Titus? Ask the Lord in prayer to do this same work in your heart for those in need around you.