2 Corinthians 8:10, commentary and pictures

Paul gives advice rather than a command, urging the believers to finish the collection for the poor saints at Jerusalem that had been stirred by the example of Macedonia and by Christ who became poor to make them rich. Completing what was started is fitting and good, and it is for the givers' own benefit and blessing. They had begun a year before and were first not only in acting but in being willing, eager and forward to give. That earlier readiness of intention must now be carried through into actual performance, each giving from what is possessed with a willing mind. The eighth and ninth chapters together set the pattern of liberality to be studied and practiced, which means first giving self to the Lord and then giving willingly, promptly and self-sacrificingly so that as gifts are imparted blessing is received in return.

Advice to Finish Giving

Paul gives advice and appeal in urging completion of the collection, laying no command and imposing no unfair burden. The counsel is to finish what was begun and carry through what was purposed a year earlier. It is addressed to all who receive the appeal for means to advance the cause of God, calling consecrated, unselfish givers to give gladly as a privilege. Such giving helps the helpless and sustains God's work, while it is distinguished from allowing those able to earn a living to live on the support of others.

To finish is expedient, fitting and good, and it is for the givers' own benefit and blessing. Readiness and eagerness to give should be carried through into performance, marking offerings with the spirit of benevolence. Blessings redound to those who manifest liberality in this way. When God's Spirit leads people to see the needs of His work, they deny themselves and give to support the proclamation of the truth.

The setting is the collection for the poor saints and the needy church at Jerusalem, with its necessity set before the givers. The record and example of the liberality of the churches in Macedonia is presented first, to kindle zeal and stir benevolent action. Those churches, in affliction and deep poverty, first gave themselves to the Lord and gave beyond their power with entreaty and joy. Titus was sent to help finish the same grace among the Corinthians. The grace of Christ, who was rich yet became poor that they through His poverty might be rich, is held up as the most telling motive to stir self-denial and activity.

To have begun a year before means to have been first to begin, not only in doing and acting but also in being forward, willing, eager, and desiring to give. Willingness to act was joined with readiness to give and with desire to act. Others are presented who gave with fewer advantages and less ability, to induce giving.

Earlier readiness to will and intention must now become actual performance and completion. Each is to give from what is possessed and with a willing mind. Self-denial and self-sacrifice in such giving bring blessing to God's people, so a congregation should give willingly rather than let the donations of others deprive it of the blessing of giving.

Principles of Liberal Giving

The eighth and ninth chapters of Second Corinthians together give the outline, directions, instruction and examples of liberality in giving. They are to be studied, kept ever before the church, read in the churches, understood, practiced and acted upon as Bible principles and counsellor. When they are followed God is glorified in the givers and His glory becomes their reward. To act on this counsel is expedient for gaining God's blessing.

True giving means first giving self to the Lord and devoting means to God together with self to His service. It follows the believers who laid their offerings at the apostles' feet and who prayed with much entreaty to be allowed to give. It is seen when believers newly come to the faith, though poor and supporting large families by daily labor, give liberally even beyond their power to build a humble house where they can assemble to worship God. Consecrated, unselfish givers give gladly as a privilege, following the Macedonian churches who in affliction and deep poverty first gave themselves to the Lord and gave beyond their power with entreaty and joy.

The appeal to give should be acted on willingly, promptly, gladly as a privilege and joyfully. It calls for self-denial and self-sacrifice rather than spending God's means on what can be done without, directing those resources to God's work. It calls for willingly uniting to give liberally of entrusted means, generously meeting pressing needs and emergencies that arise in aggressive warfare, even when many calls are made to sustain the work in their own borders and for other parts of the field. In this way willingness already begun is carried into action and generosity already begun is continued, so that a congregation is not deprived by others' donations of the blessing of giving.

When God by His Spirit stirs hearts to see the necessities of the work and of unworked fields, there is denying of self and gifts flow into the treasury for the proclamation of the message and truth for this time. Selfish motives must not withhold the funds needed in unworked fields, emulating the liberal spirit of the Macedonians who gave beyond their power. So financial help is supplied when the field is ready for advance moves.

Those who give in this spirit learn that as they impart they receive, for God gives to them so that they may give to others. Self-denial and self-sacrifice in giving bring blessing in return, thankfulness to the heavenly Father, the glory of God in the givers, and the gaining of God's blessing, marking the spirit of benevolence that should characterize offerings and the blessings that redound to those who manifest liberality.

True conversion leads those who have more than they need to share freely to relieve the needs of poorer believers. Everyone who has received the great gift of God is required to reveal the power of the truth in counterworking selfishness and self-indulgence, which is the true nature of fruit-bearing and making returns to God of the fruit from His vineyard. Appreciation of the rich endowment of God's gifts leads to great benevolence, and character cannot be complete unless benevolence is expressed in returning to God His due by sustaining every good work. Liberality in lines that advance the kingdom of God, with love expressed in deeds, something tangible, is the very best evidence of the sincerity of faith.

Completing the collection supports giving to help the helpless and sustain God's work. Such help is distinguished from allowing those able to earn a living to live on others' support.

Calls to Support Work

The verse calls for carrying forward into faithful action a work already begun a year earlier, continuing generosity already begun rather than barely doing anything. It is acted on willingly and promptly, with earlier willingness to help leading on to completion. Applied to providing a building for a sanitarium, it means carrying forward a work the people had begun a year earlier after about three years in a rented dwelling, when the hope had been to have a building of their own but meetinghouses had also needed to be built. It appeals to brethren and sisters in the faith scattered abroad to supply the necessary means for a substantial, economical building for the Sydney Sanitarium to uplift people to an elevated plane of action, teaching that giving is expedient and a privilege from which being poor does not shut anyone out.

Applied to the Southern field, it means more than merely beginning where duty long required, for though a hard field its work ought to have been begun years ago and now requires faithful action, and the Lord is not pleased with neglect of that destitute field. Diverting the entire profits of books appointed to better its condition to fields that have had much better advantages in every way is deception and increased wrong after warning. The design and the facilities for the work originated with God and belong to His treasury, neglect of His purposes and specified methods will be met in the judgment and rewarded according to its measure, and restitution must be made of the means diverted from the field.

The verse warns when tempted to withhold what is needed in foreign fields, teaching that selfish motives must not withhold funds needed in unworked fields but that believers must emulate the liberal spirit of the Macedonians who gave beyond their power, supplying financial help when the field is ready for advance moves. It commends teaching churches to give generously and liberally from the means entrusted to them by the Lord, willingly uniting to give for other parts of the field even when many calls sustain the work in their own borders, so they can support God's work and help meet pressing needs and emergencies that arise in aggressive warfare. This includes giving for efforts such as the work in Washington, with self-denial to support the proclamation of the truth when God's Spirit leads people to see the needs of His work, and those who give in this spirit learn that as they impart they receive, for God gives to them so that they may give to others, bringing thankfulness to the heavenly Father. It embraces believers newly come to the faith who are poor, support large families by daily labor, and yet give liberally even beyond their power to build a humble house where they can assemble to worship God, devoting means to God together with giving self to His service.

It calls congregations to give willingly and to carry willingness into action rather than have others' donations deprive them of the blessing of giving, since self-denial and self-sacrifice in giving bring blessings to God's people. Believers should practice self-denial rather than spend God's means on things they can do without, directing those resources to God's work where they bring blessing in return. That practice includes teaching children to bring offerings to God and to give with self-denial for His work, as part of instruction on giving whose lessons are to be understood and practiced.