2 Corinthians 9:2, commentary and pictures

Achaia, that is the Corinthian believers, had been ready a year earlier to help the poor saints at Jerusalem with a contribution, and Paul boasted of their forwardness and willingness to the believers in Macedonia, whose zeal stirred and encouraged very many others to give. Paul also set the liberality of the Macedonians, which arose from God's grace, before the Corinthians to kindle their zeal, so believers can learn from one another's generous spirit. Giving for the needs of the work follows when God's Spirit and grace move people to recognize the need, deny themselves, and give willingly and generously from what they have according to their means, so that even a small gift given in poverty can be liberal and bring rich blessing. Such generosity and self-sacrifice do not always have to be kept secret but may be spoken of openly as an example to imbue others with the same spirit when the aim is to spread generosity and bring glory to Christ rather than to secure praise from men, for the zeal of those who take the lead kindles many while reluctant leaders discourage others. That readiness urges directing resources toward needy fields and following through on commitments, lifting debts so institutions can stand in freedom, and learning and practicing this instruction in giving, including teaching children to give offerings to God.

Setting and Plain Meaning

Achaia is the Corinthian believers, who had been ready a year earlier to help the needy believers, eager to help the saints with a willing readiness to give. That readiness was readiness to make a contribution for the poor saints at Jerusalem. Paul boasted of their forwardness of mind and praised their willingness to the believers in Macedonia, holding up and using their readiness as an example.

He also wrote to the brethren at Corinth to kindle their zeal and stir them up to that benevolent action, setting before them and presenting the example of the church in Macedonia to inspire them. The liberality of the Macedonian believers arose from God's grace, and their generous giving encouraged others to share their means willingly in service to God. Believers can thus learn from the generous spirit of the Macedonians, with that readiness and zeal serving as an example that encourages giving to advance work in fields that need help.

Their zeal provoked very many, stirring many others to act and encouraging many others to give for the work. It was a readiness to take hold and deny themselves in giving whose zeal provokes very many.

Principles of Generous Giving

Giving for the proclamation of present truth follows when God's Spirit and grace move people to recognize the needs of the work, deny themselves, and give generously from what they have. The same moving of the Holy Spirit is seen in a timely gift for building a house of worship, given from what one has as an answer to prayer and a reason for gratitude to God. The Macedonians' liberality arose from God's grace, and their example encouraged others to give, calling Christians to share their means willingly in service to God.
Readiness to deny self and sacrifice in giving causes rich blessings to flow in upon God's people. To be helped in a way that bypasses that self-denial deprives believers of that blessing. The chapters around the verse therefore call for self-denial and for giving God's means rather than spending them on selfish wants. Believers should give willingly and generously according to their means, and even a small gift can be liberal when given in poverty. That call was obeyed in behalf of a school heavily in debt and greatly crowded with students needing still other buildings erected, when even poor believers gave amounting to fifty pounds.

Generosity and acts of kindness and generous self-sacrifice do not always have to be kept secret. They may be spoken of openly as an example to imbue others with the same spirit, because such testimony points to God's work in people rather than seeking praise for themselves. Such open mention is right when its aim is to spread generosity and bring glory to Christ, through whose grace and power every good work is done, and not to secure praise and honor from men by display. The zeal of those who take the lead in God's work can stir many others to action. Their ready cooperation at the outset helps the work succeed, and when their light burns brightly many are kindled by it, while reluctant leaders discourage others.

The teaching calls for sowing beside all waters, which means a continual imparting of the gifts received from God. It calls for heaven's light to shine into the heart and for God's grace to be constantly imparted so as to abound in every good work. It calls for ministering the truths of the gospel in word and deed and in the simplicity of Christ, talking the truth and praying the truth, with the promise that the Lord enriches in every good work those who give cheerfully and not grudgingly. The chapter guides giving to advance the work of saving souls on the principle that giving generously brings a proportionate harvest. Christian work includes helping people in need with food, clothing, and money, so that generous service supplies their needs and leads to thanksgiving and glory to God.
The verse is a practical lesson to be lived in the use of money, showing that God's entrusted gifts are to be made what He designed them to be, a blessing to the needy. That is done by acknowledging God as the Giver to whom an account must be given. That acknowledgment brings watchfulness in spending, wise investment of means with an eye single to the glory of God, and a will brought into conformity to the will of God. It brings refusal to make the world with its habits, practices, and customs the standard, refusal to follow personal inclination into extravagance, and conformity to Christian principles so that spending is of greatest benefit and usefulness to fellow men.

Practical Calls to Give

The readiness and zeal shown in Achaia call for care and active help for the Southern field, with willingness to give that stirs many others to act. Resources are to be directed toward needy fields and commitments made for their benefit are to be followed through, taking the generous support of Achaia as the pattern. Giving to advance work in fields that need help also learns from the generous spirit of the Macedonians.

The same readiness calls everyone to do what can be done to lift debts so institutions can stand in freedom. This includes a school heavily in debt and greatly crowded with students, needing still other buildings erected to accommodate them, where donations were called for and even poor believers gave amounting to fifty pounds. It includes lifting the debt from the institutions in Scandinavia, with everyone to do something, handling means in the fear of God as His money coming from His people, and by willing giving filling up the gap and coming up to the help of the Lord against the mighty. A sacrificial gift for relieving school debts is to encourage others to self-denial and generosity, since readiness and zeal in giving provoke others to join the effort.

The instruction on giving in this verse is to be learned, studied, and practiced, presenting the Corinthians' readiness and zeal as an example that encouraged others and calling for self-denial and giving God's means rather than spending them on selfish wants. That instruction applies to teaching children to give offerings to God. It is also connected with a timely gift for building a house of worship, generosity moved by the Holy Spirit and giving from what one has, received as an answer to prayer and as a reason for gratitude to God.