2 Corinthians 8:7, commentary and pictures

The grace also in which to abound is the grace of giving, called Christian liberality and benevolence, to be excelled in just as in faith, speech, knowledge, diligence, and love.
Paul wrote to stir up and finish the collection begun and promised for the poor saints in Jerusalem in distress, setting before them the Macedonian churches who in deep poverty and affliction gave willingly beyond their power.
He lays no command but calls for willing, uncompelled giving as the proof of sincere love, so that Christian character will have symmetry and not be incomplete.
Such giving springs from first giving self wholly to the Lord because all belongs to God, and its motive and measure is Christ who though rich became poor that believers through His poverty might become rich.
Benevolence belongs to faith and love itself, so that profession without generous works is a dead and incomplete faith, yet even deep poverty and hard times shut no one out, for grace first received from Christ's fullness is then bestowed and increased in the imparting.

Words and Historical Setting

The “this grace also” in which to abound is the grace of giving, called Christian liberality, beneficence, and benevolence, to be excelled in just as in faith, utterance or speech, knowledge, diligence, and love to the apostle. It stands alongside those other attainments as an active expression of Christian character, by giving to support God’s work and help people in need. It is honoring the Lord with substance and with the firstfruits of increase, giving back to God of His own, because all that a person has and is belongs to Him.

Paul wrote to the Corinthians to stir up and finish among them the collection they had begun and promised for the poor and needy saints in Jerusalem who were in distress. The giving was to relieve needy fellow believers, when poor believers in Jerusalem were in distress and Gentile Christians were urged to give. Titus was sent to help complete that same grace among them, lest they be outstripped by others.

He set before them the example of the Macedonian churches, who in great affliction, deep poverty, and abundant joy gave willingly to their power and beyond their power. They prayed with much entreaty for the privilege of ministering to the afflicted saints in Judea, having first given themselves wholly to the Lord and kept nothing back. Their self-denial and self-sacrifice far exceeded expectations, and the call became a movement of inspiration to arouse in Corinth the same willing, joyful spirit, so that their means would add to what had been collected in Macedonia.

The appeal lays no command but calls for willing, uncompelled participation in carrying out the contribution they had begun. Such giving is evidence and proof of sincere love and of the sincerity of faith, with love expressed in tangible deeds. In this way Christian character gains symmetry and is not incomplete or wanting, but bears fruit to the honor of God.

Spiritual Meaning of Generosity

Generosity begins with giving the self wholly to the Lord in entire consecration, keeping nothing back, because all that a person has and is belongs to God. It is honoring Him with substance and with the firstfruits of increase, giving back to Him of His own and devoting means to Him as well as giving self to His service. This consecration is first, and then willing, liberal giving for His work follows as a Christian grace in which to excel just as in faith, utterance or speech, knowledge, diligence, and love. The Macedonians illustrate it, for in deep poverty they gave to their power and beyond their power willingly because they first gave themselves wholly to the Lord.

This liberality is worked by God upon the heart, by the Holy Spirit and divine inspiration stirring people as they see the needs of the work. That stirring produces willing self-denial and self-sacrifice, with gifts flowing into the treasury for proclaiming the message and the truth. It awakens gratitude for the precious gift of the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, so that complying with God's requirements by liberality to advance His glory feels the highest privilege. It also gives a lively sense of obligation and accountability to God for the gospel, with the gospel working as the power of God and fruit yielded to His honor by those under His control diligently discharging every duty.

Its motive and measure is the Lord Jesus Christ, who though rich became poor that through His poverty believers might become rich, and Christian liberality reflects Him. Benevolence therefore belongs to faith, love, and Christian life itself, as an active expression of grace and a necessary part of living faith and character and gospel service. Profession of truth and love without works of generosity toward its advancement and the salvation of others is deception, a dead and incomplete faith, for faith without works is dead.

Grace is first received from Christ's fullness and then bestowed, and in imparting more grace is received. Believers bring their offerings praying with much entreaty to be allowed to give, deny self, and find gifts flowing into the treasury with blessing and joy in proportion to giving, while withholding leaves the Christian incomplete and wanting. God helps His people see giving in a correct light and gives to them so that they may give to others, meeting pressing emergencies that arise in aggressive warfare to advance the work even when local calls are many. The recorded example of the Macedonian churches is to be studied to teach this spirit of benevolence that should mark offerings and the blessings that will come to those who show it, including freely helping those in need such as newly converted believers and poorer sister churches.

Even deep poverty, hard and trying times, large families, dependence on daily labor, and lack of wealth or education do not shut anyone out from the privilege of giving. Giving beyond apparent power is accepted and blessed by the Lord when nothing is held back as selfish or wasted, because all belongs to Him. Such liberality is expressed practically in helping brethren, as in building a humble church where they can assemble to worship and let their light shine, and in providing a substantial, economical building to uplift people.

Practical Calls to Give

The whole eighth chapter of Second Corinthians gives God's directions on giving to be taken as counselor and followed on Bible principles as the Lord's work. It is to be studied, understood and practiced, and read in the churches to catch the inspiration of liberality. Following those directions glorifies God in His people, and the glory of the Lord is their reward. Giving liberally of entrusted means meets pressing emergencies that arise in aggressive warfare to advance the work in other parts of the field, even when calls for local support are many.

Believers are to abound in the grace of giving as they abound in faith, speech, knowledge, diligence and love, making generosity an active expression of Christian character. This means bringing voluntary, systematic, willing offerings into the treasury to support God's work, help people in need, and proclaim the message for this time. When hearts are stirred by seeing the needs of the work, self is denied and gifts flow in, with believers praying to be allowed to give, and as they impart they receive, for God gives to them so they may give to others. It means sharing freely given material blessings with those in need through loving words and deeds that can open hearts to the gospel, as a sacrifice pleasing to God.

Such liberality is shown by freely giving to help newly converted believers and poorer sister churches, with joy in proportion to its measure. It supports God's work and helps those who are helpless, dependent, destitute, infirm or aged. Even in deep poverty and hard, trying times, when supporters have large families and depend on daily labor, willing giving beyond power is accepted and blessed, holding nothing back as selfish or wasted because all belongs to the Lord. It is expressed practically in helping brethren by building a humble church where they can assemble to worship and let their light shine.

The same standard requires earnest work for the hard, destitute Southern field instead of doing little or scarcely anything in it. It requires giving the entire profits of books designated for that field to better its condition, refusing to divert that means to fields having much better advantages in every way, doing more than merely beginning where work should have begun years ago, and making restitution for means diverted, because neglect and deception in this duty will be met in the judgment and reward will be according to neglect of His purposes and specified methods. It calls all, even the poor, to give gladly and liberally where help is needed in advancing the cause, following the Macedonians who in deep poverty and affliction gave beyond their power with abundant joy, as in providing a substantial, economical building for the Sydney Sanitarium to uplift people to an elevated plane of action. It points to helping lift debt from the institutions in Scandinavia through willing support, and to supplying funds needed for advance moves in foreign and unworked fields instead of withholding means through selfish motives.

Practicing this grace fulfills obligation to God and honors Him as fruit of His work in the heart and proof of sincere faith and love. It requires directing resources away from needless self-indulgence and self-indulgence counterworked into God's work, with self-denial bringing blessing and every converted soul returning to God His due and making returns from His vineyard. It means showing unselfishness in word and deed as representatives of Christ who are pure, kind, just, merciful and full of compassion, putting away avarice and covetousness that spoil every work touched, and putting away roughness and coarseness of character that dishonor God. Its lesson is to be understood and practiced by teaching even children to give to God's work and to offer willingly though they have little.