2 Corinthians 8:2, commentary and pictures

In great trial of affliction and deep poverty the churches of Macedonia kept abundance of joy in God and the gospel that overflowed in rich, generous giving of pecuniary relief for the poor saints in Jerusalem and Judea. They gave willingly of themselves without being urged, to their power and beyond their power, praying with much entreaty for the privilege of sharing and importuning the apostles to receive the gift. Their liberality was the grace of God bestowed upon them and the work of the Holy Spirit on the heart, for they first gave their own selves to the Lord by the will of God and then their means to His workers and to the service of others. They were moved by love for Christ and gratitude to the Redeemer, by love of the truth and trust in the Lord, and by tender compassion and sympathy for the needy taught by their own suffering. Paul told their giving openly to the Corinthians to kindle zeal and move them to self-denial without command, showing that deep poverty excuses no one from giving and that as they impart in self-sacrifice they receive more abundantly.

Historical Setting and Context

The givers were the churches of Macedonia, including Philippi. They were very poor Gentile churches raised up when men went everywhere preaching the word in the days of the apostles. Their love and zeal led them to peril their lives and suffer the loss of all things for the truth's sake.

Their gift was pecuniary assistance for their brethren, the poor saints in Jerusalem and in Judea. It was given to help needy fellow Christians in their suffering. Their freely given offerings were tangible evidence of love and sympathy for the Jewish believers and of desire for harmony between Gentile and Jewish believers.

The need arose when famine struck Jerusalem, in the great dearth throughout the world signified by Agabus. After Stephen's death Christians had been driven from Jerusalem and scattered abroad, and some had come to Macedonia. Those who remained were likely to be deprived of human sympathy and exposed to religious enmity and hostility. Paul exhorted the churches to send help for the afflicted saints. The work of collecting had been begun more than a year before and was to be finished without further delay until the amount pledged was gathered in and sent. Taking courage from Macedonia's example, he presented it to the brethren at Corinth to kindle their zeal, and he had Titus stir up and finish the collection they had promised and begun.

Joy in Affliction and Poverty

The believers passed through great trial of affliction and much proof of affliction, with severe suffering, persecution and hardship. Amid that affliction they kept abundance of joy and gladness in God, in His truth and in the gospel. Their joy was also joy in helping others, for joy in aiding fellow Christians toward relief for the believers in Jerusalem flourished even under affliction. That joy in affliction could produce rich, willing generosity is the lesson to be studied in their benevolence.

They were in deep poverty and extreme poverty, under the oppressive hand of poverty. They had scarcely enough food and only small possessions. Yet that poverty did not prevent generosity or shut them out from bringing tithes and offerings and enduring hardship for the success of the work.

Their abundance of joy and their deep poverty together abounded unto the riches of liberality, overflowing in rich, willing and generous giving. Liberality was therefore not measured by resources or material means, but by willing generosity amid hardship. When the need of the work is revealed, severe affliction and deep poverty still do not prevent believers from denying themselves and giving to support the proclamation of truth.

Character of Their Giving

The Macedonians gave willingly of themselves, freely and of their own accord without being urged or compelled, coming forward themselves and laying their offerings before the apostles. Their liberality was not measured by resources but by willing generosity amid hardship, for they gave to their power and beyond their power, beyond what their means seemed to allow and beyond what could readily be afforded. Though in extreme poverty they were willing to give beyond their means, giving up to ability and beyond ability thankfully toward helping others.

They prayed with much entreaty for the privilege of sharing in ministering to the saints, pleading earnestly for the fellowship of that service and for their gift to be received. They came laying their offerings before the apostles and asking that the gift be accepted for the proclamation of the need, and they importuned the apostles to receive the contribution and carry it to the afflicted saints even when the apostles would have restrained them. To them aid to needy fellow believers was a privilege to be sought, not a duty to be imposed.

Their giving was self-denial and self-sacrifice at personal cost, the fruit of love and zeal that led to acts of great denial. Where they had no money they denied themselves food and clothing, and with entire consecration they gave all that they had with joy and cheerfulness as an expression of trust. Their small possessions were treated as resources for doing good, willingly used to help churches poorer than themselves, even while periling their lives and suffering loss for the truth.

That self-denial far exceeded Paul's expectations and hopes, raising more than the apostles expected and filling him with thanksgiving. The collection for the brethren in Jerusalem in the time of famine abounded to riches of liberality beyond expectation, and this remains the true basis of charity. The same privilege belongs to believers now, who by doing their best with entrusted means may surprise the Lord's servants by their generosity.

Spiritual Root and Motive

The riches of liberality in deep poverty were the grace of God bestowed on Macedonia, and the liberality of all who believe the truth is because of the work of the Holy Spirit upon the heart. The Spirit wrought great changes in those who sought truth as hidden treasure, enlightening them by the word, giving them to taste the heavenly manna and to partake of the Holy Spirit, and transforming character into the likeness of Christ. The same grace is able to do the same transforming work for human character today, so that the church has not lost this benevolent spirit but is workers together with God. It is not essential to have great wealth to bestow or to be most highly educated in order to act a part in this blessed service, for a Christian is Christlike and works with the graces of Christ. First grace is received, then grace is bestowed, and as it is imparted grace is received more abundantly, and if the church would bring firstfruits to God as in Old Testament history they would meet with rich blessings.

They first gave their own selves to the Lord by the will of God, with entire consecration keeping nothing back, and then gave their means and themselves to His workers and to the service of others in harmony with God's will. Because they had first given themselves to the Lord, their joy in God and His truth remained abundant amid severe affliction and deep poverty and overflowed in willing generosity even beyond what their means seemed to allow. They gave willingly of themselves with wholehearted eagerness, freely and without being urged, treating aid to needy fellow believers as a privilege. All that is possessed is the Lord's entrusted capital given to test loyalty, which God, though not dependent on human money, time, or labor, accepts as tokens of loyalty and self-surrender by which faithfulness, eternal destiny, fitness for His pure heavenly kingdom, and a crown of glory are decided. Being poor does not shut anyone out from the privilege of giving, and God moved on them in their deep poverty to bestow liberally so that their example would be recorded to awaken in others by the Spirit's working the same desire for deeds of charity, the same spirit of self-denial and self-sacrifice, and a heart to give gladly as a privilege where help is needed in advancing God's cause, as in providing means for the Sydney Sanitarium.

They were moved by love for Christ and gratitude to the Redeemer, with abundant joy grounded in that love overflowing in generous giving, and their gift expressed love for fellow believers as the true basis of Christian charity. Their own persecution and hardship taught them sympathy for suffering believers, and their love of the truth and trust in the Lord moved them to give freely even at personal cost. The Spirit drew their hearts into tender compassion for people in need and suffering, and they recognized their duty and acted in harmony with God's will, glorifying the Father. Their liberality springs from gratitude for the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and from a lively sense of obligation and accountability to God for the gospel, and to give to advance His glory is felt as their highest privilege. Their fervent gratitude for being called from darkness into God's light is expressed in tithes and offerings brought though they have scarcely enough food, and their prayers and alms are a memorial before God like fragrant incense. Their freely given offerings were tangible evidence of love and sympathy for the Jewish believers and of desire for harmony with them.

Their generosity was the fruit of Christ's grace and not a way to earn God's favor, and where Christ's Spirit abides love and self-sacrifice are manifest. It reveals symmetry of Christian character and bears fruit to the honor of God, giving evidence of love and proving the sincerity of faith. Such liberality is the very best evidence of the sincerity of faith, expressing love in tangible deeds, and a converted soul that appreciates God's rich gifts will show great benevolence, without which character cannot be complete. Everyone who has received the great gift of God is required to reveal the power of the truth by counterworking selfishness and self-indulgence, to bear fruit and make returns to God from His vineyard, and to sustain every good work that advances the kingdom of God. Their example was set before others to stir them to generosity without laying command upon them, not to win praise for themselves.

Example and Present Call

Paul set the generosity of Macedonia openly before Corinth to kindle zeal and stir benevolent action for the poor saints at Jerusalem. He told of it to awaken in them, through the Holy Spirit working on their minds, a desire for similar deeds of charity in the same spirit of self-denial and self-sacrifice. He laid no command upon them but set before them the need at Jerusalem and what others with fewer advantages and less ability had given, to induce them to give and lest they be outstripped in liberality. Example goes much further than theory or commands, and taking courage from Macedonia he sent Titus to stir up and finish the collection Corinth had promised and begun more than a year before. God moved on the Macedonians in deep poverty to give liberally so their example would be recorded to awaken the same glad, privileged giving wherever help is needed in advancing the cause.

Sharing such giving to stir others is not seeking praise for self, for their self-sacrifice came from Christ's grace working in them. Paul did not conceal it but told it openly so others would be imbued with the same spirit. Christ's command to give alms in secret does not mean acts of kindness must always be kept secret, but that charity must not aim to secure praise and honor from men.

Deep poverty does not shut anyone out from the privilege of giving, and poverty is no excuse for doing nothing for the truth. Rich or poor alike are to use entrusted abilities and exert influence in Christ's service, doing their best with means the Lord has entrusted to them. All that is possessed is the Lord's entrusted capital given to test loyalty, accepted as tokens of loyalty and self-surrender, by which faithfulness, eternal destiny, and fitness for His pure heavenly kingdom and crown of glory are decided. Even brethren who are poor may share in it, as in contributing toward erecting the sanitarium in Sydney as a memorial for the Lord, laying up treasure in heaven and rejoicing to help establish an institution that restores the sick, gives character to the work, brings truth before higher classes, and trains workers to extend the blessing elsewhere.

Denying self in giving brings rich blessings flowing in upon the givers, for as they impart they receive more abundantly. To take away their opportunity to give deprives them of blessing. When God by His Spirit stirs the hearts of His people to see the necessities of the work, there is denying of self and gifts flow into the treasury for proclamation of the message for this time and the truth. This inspiration of liberality is caught from reading the eighth chapter of Second Corinthians, learning to see things in a correct light and giving liberally of entrusted means to meet pressing emergencies in aggressive warfare. It is fulfilled when a church sustaining its own self-supporting work under many calls does not complain but willingly unites to give hundreds of dollars for other parts of the field. Believers are urged to stop spending on things that can be done without and to place in God's treasury means now wasted in selfish gratification, where giving brings blessing.

The chapter gives Bible principles for offerings that bring glory to God and are to be studied, heeded, and kept ever before workers. Parents are urged to study its instruction repeatedly, understand it, put it into practice, and teach their children to serve the Lord and give through self-denial, restraining wants to help the needy and giving tithes and offerings as a memorial like fragrant incense. Christians are to copy the Macedonian spirit by providing financial help to advance the work in unworked foreign fields when the field is ready for advance moves, and not withhold needed funds from selfish motives. The verse is offered as example for the hard, destitute Southern field, so entire profits of books appointed to that field should be used there and not diverted to fields with much better advantages, with restitution where diverted because neglect will meet judgment. The same call sustained lifting debt on institutions in Scandinavia, closing the Washington fund during the General Conference, and erecting a meetinghouse for worship even by a poor worker's gift of one pound from daily labor while supporting a large family, which is true liberality blessed by the Lord in hard times. It called for uniting without complaint to give hundreds of dollars for other fields, and for contributing necessary means for a substantial, economical Sydney Sanitarium building to uplift people, as a memorial that restores the sick and trains workers.