Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.
Providing honest things in the sight of God and men means handling money, gifts, offerings and every trust with integrity that is right before God and openly seen as right by people. It was spoken in the appeal for the poor believers at Jerusalem, where the Corinthians were urged to generous action by the Macedonians who gave joyfully and liberally despite affliction and deep poverty. To guard that honesty, trusted brethren chosen by the churches were appointed to hold the collection jointly and carry it together, so that no one person had sole charge and all suspicion and accusation would be avoided. It therefore calls believers to deny self, stop spending on selfish wants, and give willingly and liberally even in poverty for the needs of the work at home and in unworked fields abroad, trusting that as they impart what is entrusted to them they will receive again. It likewise forbids all deception in bookkeeping and reporting, all evasive or underhanded dealing, and all dishonest practice in business and trade, requiring open straightforward work on honorable principles that will stand in the judgment.
Historical Setting and Meaning
The verse belongs to the appeal for contributions for the poor believers in Jerusalem, in which the Corinthians were urged toward generous action by the example of the Macedonian churches. Their joy and liberality continued despite affliction and deep poverty, and were held up as the pattern to follow.
The verse requires acting and handling money, gifts, offerings, and other responsibilities honestly in a way that is right before God and also seen as right by people. It sets a standard of integrity and faithful stewardship to be learned and practiced in dealings and in the stewardship of offerings entrusted to support the work. That standard applies including in aid to institutions in need.
To meet that standard, trusted companions and delegates chosen by the churches were arranged to accompany and jointly hold the collection in trust and transport the money rather than leaving it in personal charge. Its handling was thus made transparent and beyond blame, so as to avoid suspicion and accusation and to demonstrate faithful administration. Faithful stewardship is thereby shown to be honorable both before God and before people.
Call to Liberal Giving
2 Corinthians 8 and 9 give the outline and instruction on how to gain God's blessing, to be studied and taken as counselor and acted upon as Bible principle. When the Spirit stirs hearts to see the necessities of the work, believers are to deny self, cease wasting money on selfish wants, and bring offerings into the treasury for the proclamation of the present message. They come laying their offerings down and praying with much entreaty that the gift be received, and such self-denial brings blessing. As God's people follow these directions God is glorified in them and the glory of the Lord becomes their rereward.
The churches are called to catch the inspiration of liberality and to give willingly both for the work within their own borders and for other parts of the field. God helps His people to see giving in a correct light and to meet the pressing emergencies that arise in aggressive warfare. Liberal offerings and a self-supporting mission are evidence of the working of His Spirit upon hearts and give cause for thankfulness to the heavenly Father. As believers give liberally of the entrusted means they learn that as they impart they receive, for God gives to them so that they may give to others.
The verse means devoting means to God as well as giving self to His service. It means giving liberally for the work of God even in deep poverty, while supporting large families and depending on daily labor. Such givers are willing beyond their power to help build a humble church where believers can assemble to worship God. The same instruction calls believers to give liberally to meet the needs of unworked foreign fields and not to withhold needed funds from selfish motives. They are to follow the liberal spirit of the Macedonians, who gave beyond their power to the cause that called for their help.
The verse also calls all brethren and sisters to the privilege of giving means to erect a substantial yet economical building for the Sydney Sanitarium, to lift people to an elevated plane of action. Being poor does not shut anyone out from giving to this work.
Honest Handling in Practice
Funds gathered for God's work must be managed honestly before God and before men, with no deception in bookkeeping or in reporting to the churches. Taking the entire profits of books appointed to the destitute and difficult Southern field and appropriating them to fields with far better advantages, after the churches were told the means would benefit the South, is a violation of that honesty. Such diversion increases neglect and wrong, must be met in the judgment, and requires restitution of what was diverted and doing far more than merely beginning where work should have begun years before. The reason is that the design for the work and the facilities for it belong to God, who rewards according to neglect of His purposes and His specified methods.
Open, straightforward work in large interests and small interests, conducted on strictly honorable and noble principles both between brethren and in dealing with unbelievers, is good Bible religion, and nothing else will stand the test of the judgment. This requires plainly stating the reason for leaving an institution rather than leaving evasively as cowards. It forbids trying to spare feelings, avoid censure, or conceal facts, and forbids pursuing an underhanded course or even a course that only appears not quite straightforward. Such evasion is not after God's order but only the customs and fashions of this age, is not the fashion of Christ, and does not meet God's standard of righteousness.
Standing on the side of righteousness in all transactions so as to stand without disadvantage before God and before men forbids all dishonest practices in the preparation and sale of health foods. This includes taking up the work for personal profit, taking a liberty to which there is no right, and bringing confusion into the work. It includes manufacturing professed health foods containing ingredients condemned by health reform, and selling foods of inferior quality that harm the cause by leading buyers to suppose all health foods are similar. It includes taking advantage of business arrangements made regarding health foods without first coming to an understanding with those leading the work and learning the best methods of handling them, and giving customers the impression that profits are used to aid benevolent enterprises while in reality they are used for personal interest. Such dishonesty brings the displeasure of God, leads to business failure and tangled affairs, and brings disgrace upon the cause that brethren must then buy out to save.
Providing honest things in the sight of God and men means handling money, gifts, offerings and every trust with integrity that is right before God and openly seen as right by people. It was spoken in the appeal for the poor believers at Jerusalem, where the Corinthians were urged to generous action by the Macedonians who gave joyfully and liberally despite affliction and deep poverty. To guard that honesty, trusted brethren chosen by the churches were appointed to hold the collection jointly and carry it together, so that no one person had sole charge and all suspicion and accusation would be avoided. It therefore calls believers to deny self, stop spending on selfish wants, and give willingly and liberally even in poverty for the needs of the work at home and in unworked fields abroad, trusting that as they impart what is entrusted to them they will receive again. It likewise forbids all deception in bookkeeping and reporting, all evasive or underhanded dealing, and all dishonest practice in business and trade, requiring open straightforward work on honorable principles that will stand in the judgment.
Historical Setting and Meaning
The verse belongs to the appeal for contributions for the poor believers in Jerusalem, in which the Corinthians were urged toward generous action by the example of the Macedonian churches. Their joy and liberality continued despite affliction and deep poverty, and were held up as the pattern to follow.
The verse requires acting and handling money, gifts, offerings, and other responsibilities honestly in a way that is right before God and also seen as right by people. It sets a standard of integrity and faithful stewardship to be learned and practiced in dealings and in the stewardship of offerings entrusted to support the work. That standard applies including in aid to institutions in need.
To meet that standard, trusted companions and delegates chosen by the churches were arranged to accompany and jointly hold the collection in trust and transport the money rather than leaving it in personal charge. Its handling was thus made transparent and beyond blame, so as to avoid suspicion and accusation and to demonstrate faithful administration. Faithful stewardship is thereby shown to be honorable both before God and before people.
Call to Liberal Giving
2 Corinthians 8 and 9 give the outline and instruction on how to gain God's blessing, to be studied and taken as counselor and acted upon as Bible principle. When the Spirit stirs hearts to see the necessities of the work, believers are to deny self, cease wasting money on selfish wants, and bring offerings into the treasury for the proclamation of the present message. They come laying their offerings down and praying with much entreaty that the gift be received, and such self-denial brings blessing. As God's people follow these directions God is glorified in them and the glory of the Lord becomes their rereward.
The churches are called to catch the inspiration of liberality and to give willingly both for the work within their own borders and for other parts of the field. God helps His people to see giving in a correct light and to meet the pressing emergencies that arise in aggressive warfare. Liberal offerings and a self-supporting mission are evidence of the working of His Spirit upon hearts and give cause for thankfulness to the heavenly Father. As believers give liberally of the entrusted means they learn that as they impart they receive, for God gives to them so that they may give to others.
The verse means devoting means to God as well as giving self to His service. It means giving liberally for the work of God even in deep poverty, while supporting large families and depending on daily labor. Such givers are willing beyond their power to help build a humble church where believers can assemble to worship God. The same instruction calls believers to give liberally to meet the needs of unworked foreign fields and not to withhold needed funds from selfish motives. They are to follow the liberal spirit of the Macedonians, who gave beyond their power to the cause that called for their help.
The verse also calls all brethren and sisters to the privilege of giving means to erect a substantial yet economical building for the Sydney Sanitarium, to lift people to an elevated plane of action. Being poor does not shut anyone out from giving to this work.
Honest Handling in Practice
Funds gathered for God's work must be managed honestly before God and before men, with no deception in bookkeeping or in reporting to the churches. Taking the entire profits of books appointed to the destitute and difficult Southern field and appropriating them to fields with far better advantages, after the churches were told the means would benefit the South, is a violation of that honesty. Such diversion increases neglect and wrong, must be met in the judgment, and requires restitution of what was diverted and doing far more than merely beginning where work should have begun years before. The reason is that the design for the work and the facilities for it belong to God, who rewards according to neglect of His purposes and His specified methods.
Open, straightforward work in large interests and small interests, conducted on strictly honorable and noble principles both between brethren and in dealing with unbelievers, is good Bible religion, and nothing else will stand the test of the judgment. This requires plainly stating the reason for leaving an institution rather than leaving evasively as cowards. It forbids trying to spare feelings, avoid censure, or conceal facts, and forbids pursuing an underhanded course or even a course that only appears not quite straightforward. Such evasion is not after God's order but only the customs and fashions of this age, is not the fashion of Christ, and does not meet God's standard of righteousness.
Standing on the side of righteousness in all transactions so as to stand without disadvantage before God and before men forbids all dishonest practices in the preparation and sale of health foods. This includes taking up the work for personal profit, taking a liberty to which there is no right, and bringing confusion into the work. It includes manufacturing professed health foods containing ingredients condemned by health reform, and selling foods of inferior quality that harm the cause by leading buyers to suppose all health foods are similar. It includes taking advantage of business arrangements made regarding health foods without first coming to an understanding with those leading the work and learning the best methods of handling them, and giving customers the impression that profits are used to aid benevolent enterprises while in reality they are used for personal interest. Such dishonesty brings the displeasure of God, leads to business failure and tangled affairs, and brings disgrace upon the cause that brethren must then buy out to save.