Pointers for Grace Giving

2 Corinthians 8:7-24

October 31, 2004

 

I grew up regularly hearing sermons on tithing - sometimes weeks on end the pastor at least flirted with the subject. I must admit that I often winced at the mere mention of the subject, joining the congregation in a collective sigh! It's not that I had or even now have objections to the practice of tithing. Tithing is certainly a good starting place for Christian giving but it is not the end. I agree with Randy Alcorn's statement: "Tithing isn't the ceiling of giving; it's the floor. It's not the finish line of giving; it's the starting blocks" [The Treasure Principle, 62]. In this case, the problem appeared when the sermons left the hearers with a feeling they ought to tithe, yet with no serious motivation for grace giving. All relied upon duty. Tithing appeared to be a rigid practice, almost as a "church tax" levied upon the congregation.

 

In a sermon on this passage, John Piper tells about the German practice of "Kirchensteuer" or church tax. He explained that in 1970, as he studied at the University of Munich, he found that most German's paid about 8% of their income to either the Lutheran or Catholic churches, since most German's had been baptized into these respective churches as infants. Freewill offerings to the churches were almost nil - only 60-cents per member each year.

 

Yet with the Kirchensteuer, German churches were able to maintain beautiful buildings, support full ministry staffs, and even offer free organ concerts to the communities. With nearly 8% of the baptized membership's income flowing into the churches, they had ample money for whatever the church needed. But there was one problem. The people had no choice for their church tax. It was their civic duty not their delight in Christ or motivation through grace that landed their money in the church coffers. Mere duty seems to take the wind out of the sails. Piper said that the church he and his wife attended had 10,000 baptized members - at least on the church rolls. Though they had plenty of money, only "about 60 older women, a half a dozen older men and no young people at all [attended] every Sunday - out of 10,000." Piper commented, "There is no correlation between the presence of the Spirit and the presence of the Deutschmark; there is no correlation between spiritual vitality and material solvency." Where grace doesn't move the heart to give, spiritual vitality doesn't exist [www.desiringgod.org 12/7/80, "Christmas Joy Vs the Kirchensteuer].

 

In great contrast to this, the biblical teaching on giving strikes us as never a rigid duty, but instead, a joyful delight. Moses and the children of Israel gave generously for building the Tabernacle in the wilderness. David gave far beyond what was expected for him as Israel's king in building the Temple, offering generously out of his own resources as an act of gratitude to the Lord. Israel followed his example, giving magnanimously with an air of celebration. Jesus singled out the generous, sacrificial gift of a widow who offered her two mites in contrast to the religious leaders that dutifully gave tithes from their wealthy pockets.

 

Grace giving outstrips rigid, legalistic duty every time. That's what we are called to do as those who have known the grace of God in Christ. Grace giving is no add-on for a select few but the practice of all who comprehend the lavish grace of Christ. How do we step up to the regular practice of grace giving? That must be our concern as we seek to follow after Christ as His disciples. Members of His kingdom family demonstrate the principle, where your treasure is - there your heart will be also.

 

I. Demonstration of Christian love in grace giving

 

We must not think of the Corinthian church as inactive. On the contrary, they gave every appearance of plenty of activity and engaging in open practice of the Christian faith. It's just that they went overboard in some areas to the neglect of more important things. In their excessiveness they neglected unity, building relationships with each other, purity in the body, and in the case of our text, failed to develop as grace givers. As Paul labors carefully to correct this area of their spiritual lives, he establishes a framework for churches in every age regarding the matter of giving.

 

Paul had utilized the example of the impoverished Macedonian believers' generosity to inspire a heart for grace giving among the Corinthian believers. Now he carries it farther by detailing what is involved in grace giving.

 

1. As a spiritual discipline

 

As already noted, grace giving must never be thought of as some type of "add-on" in the Christian life, sort of like those who have cases for their Bibles. You don't have to have one to carry your Bible but they are handy from time to time. Some look at grace giving in a similar fashion. What they have failed to see is that grace giving puts the emphasis upon the grace of God at work in the believer rather than in mere duty. Grace motivates, directs, and supplies what is needed for the Christian to generously give for the Lord's work. That's why Paul repeatedly calls the act of giving, "this gracious work." "Work" is supplied in our translation. Literally, the apostle calls for development in every spiritual discipline, including that of grace giving, "in order that also in this the grace you might overflow."

 

Duty may get the job done but it fails to satisfy the heart and overflow in worship. Suppose a husband works hard at speaking kind words to his wife and doing little things to help their relationship. The wife comments approvingly, 'I love the way you are helping me and speaking to me!' When the husband responds, 'Think nothing of it, it's my duty,' something is robbed from the delight in their relationship. She's not interested in duty. She wants to be lavishly loved by her husband.

 

So when we think of spiritual disciplines, we might look at them as duties rather than the delights they are to be for the believer. When something moves you into a closer relationship with the Lord, when it causes you to worship, when it increases your love for the Lord, when it helps you to express the glory of the Lord, it can never be mere duty! It is a delight!

 

The Corinthians knew about some of these spiritual disciplines and the great effects they had upon their delight in the Lord. "But just as you abound in everything, in faith and utterance and knowledge and in all earnestness and in the love we inspired in you, see that you abound in this gracious work also." Their "faith" grew so that they learned to cling to the Lord in daily life. Their ability to speak clearly about Christ and the gospel and the rich truths of Scripture grew as well, causing them to find joy in "utterance." They were not stagnant, either. Paul commended their growth in "knowledge," pointing to the ability to not only understand Scripture but to apply it to their lives. Their zeal for Christ and Christian living increased as well. "Earnestness" is a term that the apostle uses later for Titus, and the zealous, enthusiastic way he served on behalf of the Corinthian believers. Zeal for Christ and His truth is admirable at every level, and certainly something that we all must seek to grow in through the years. The Corinthians gave evidence of this zeal. To top it off, they had caught something of the "love" that Paul and his mission team had demonstrated among them. Now the apostle sees this love abounding in the Corinthians.

 

If we had to assess them so far, we would give this church plenty of accolades for the abundant way they grew and delighted in areas of personal spiritual discipline and practice. But one area appeared lacking - "this gracious work" of grace giving. Such a spiritual discipline is woven into the whole fabric of the Christian life. None of us would deny how essential faith, speaking truth, knowledge, zeal, and love are to faithful Christian living. Yet to this list, Paul insists that grace giving must have an equal share. It must never be thought of as a lesser practice among Christians or some kind of optional area reserved for those with big incomes. Just as we seek to grow in our faith and understanding of God's Word, our text urges us to "abound in this gracious work also." As we give energy, time, research, prayer, and sanctified determination in those areas of spiritual discipline and practice, we must also do the same with grace giving.

 

2. As evidence of love

 

Perhaps the reason for this can be found in the next verse. "I am not speaking this as a command, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity of your love also." While Paul has no hesitation to command the Corinthians in plenty of areas, he pauses at doing so with grace giving. Because grace giving is so central to the Christian life and so obvious in the apostle's thinking, he saw no need to command them to give. Instead, he simply reminds them that grace giving evidences love for Christ. As we take the material things that God has provided for us and return a portion of them out of gratitude unto the Lord, love for Christ is expressed.

 

The churches of Macedonia had done so with "abundance of joy" in the midst of "a great ordeal of affliction." Love conquered whatever reservations or selfishness or tight-fistedness the Macedonians may have naturally had. They gave willingly, "beyond their ability," and so expressed love for Christ and His people that Paul felt compelled to use them as an example for the Corinthians. "The earnestness of others," that is, the zeal shown by the Macedonian believers in the grace of giving 'put the shoe' on the Corinthian's foot. Would "the sincerity of [their] love also" abound through the grace giving exemplified by the Macedonians?

 

We face that same challenge. Mark Loftis and I were vividly reminded of how blessed we are in the United States during our trip to Niteroi, Brazil this past week. We saw poverty beyond anything the American imagination can dream. It was not pockets of poverty as we have in the States but miles of it, and tens of thousands of people deep. Yet, Pastor Kevin Millard told us of how his own little congregation of 30 people were giving so generously that they were able to pay the rent on their building and their utilities. The time of offering in the services caused me to worship as I saw how love for Christ was displayed in generous giving by people with comparatively little financial means. As those who have so much more materially, can we do any less?

 

A simple question helps us to apply what Paul explains. Does your practice in giving offer evidence of your love for Christ? Giving our tithes and offerings each week expresses our love for Christ and worship of Him as Lord of all.

 

II. Christ-centeredness in grace giving

 

Quite typical with the Apostle Paul is to return the focus on Jesus Christ when discussing our practice of the Christian life. Good, healthy doctrine rightly understood and applied leads to a healthy, joyful Christian life. There is a direct correlation between the person of Christ and the practice of giving. We can see this in two particular ways.

 

1. Motivation focuses on Christ

 

How do you motivate someone to do what is right? Often, manipulation takes precedence over motivation. The reason is that the manipulator feels a sense of control over the manipulated. He intends to accomplish his purpose through using whatever mind twisting, will bending techniques he possesses. But the Scripture never falls into such a trap. You can see the pattern in the Epistles. Notice how they begin with doctrine then move into particular commands or practices for the Christian life. Doctrine lays the groundwork for practice.

 

That's why verse 9 stands out. Here the apostle sets the Incarnation and humiliation of Christ before us as the motivation in grace giving. "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich." The "grace of our Lord Jesus Christ" points to the incomparable gift of Christ the Creator becoming part of the human race so that He might redeem us. It was His grace that brought this about since there was nothing in anyone of us that motivated the Father to send His Son as Redeemer. Grace abounded to us as God the Son, resplendent in glory and majesty, full of holiness and righteousness, and infinitely displaying love and mercy came to us. "He was rich" in every way: in His person as God, His action as Creator, His position as the Son, His power as Sovereign, His honor as Lord. Lacking nothing and needing nothing, "He became poor," giving everything on behalf of His enemies. He left the glory of His heavenly throne to become part of the rebellious race that from the fall in the Garden had each spurned God's law and trampled on God's glory.

 

Though infinite in transcendent majesty, our Lord Jesus Christ "became poor" through condescending to us. I marvel each time I read the story of Christ's coming to us. To realize that we could never help Him or improve His lot in the universe or add to His worth or make Him feel better, "yet for your sake He became poor," staggers the imagination! No wonder that so many have difficulty accepting the biblical truth that Deity took on humanity in Christ. Why would Christ do this? What would He gain for becoming one of our race? What good would it do Him? The motivation for "His poverty" in the Incarnation zeroes in on one phrase: "for your sake." For you who not only have a nature of a sinner, and not only practice sin, but even after His saving grace has been shown, you continue to sin - "for your sake" He condescended so that you "might become rich" through such grace. Here, the amazing love and infinite value of Christ's sacrifice produce an eternally rich result for all that will believe.

 

How does this affect you, not only in the area of grace giving but in all of the disciplines of the Christian life? Do we consider Christ's condescension and humiliation before we decide the kind of gift we offer for the Lord's work? Do we think of how eternally rich we are through Christ's provisions for us?

 

2. Practice comes through Christ

 

But there's more! We face the difficult temptation of being absorbed with the material world. We're so accustomed to comfort and convenience that we face the danger of pursuing the desires of the flesh rather than following unconditionally after Christ. So the apostle turns our attention to "the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ." The only thing that can turn us away from the self-satisfying, pleasure-craving, self-absorbing practices of the world is to fill our minds and thoughts with Jesus Christ. Think of what He has done. "For your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich." "He did not become poor by ceasing to be what he was," commented John Murray, "but he became poor by becoming what he was not. He became poor by addition, not by subtraction. He added manhood to his immutable and eternal Godhood" [quoted by Geoff Thomas, "The Riches and Poverty of Jesus Christ,"

http://users.aber.ac.uk/emk/ap/sermons/2cor40.htm]. His poverty ensured our riches. The richness described really has nothing to do with financial wealth but with the richness of relationship to Him, and with that, the eternal inheritance that far outweighs anything that the resources of a hundred billionaires could give you. Certainly, anything that we have materially has come through Him, and for that we must give Him thanks and glory.

 

I looked through a recent issue of Forbes magazine that listed the richest people in the world. To think that a billionaire has at least one thousand million dollars in his worth is staggering! Yet I do not hesitate to insist that the poorest Christian living in a Brazilian slum is richer than any billionaire. How much of their wealth will the billionaires leave behind? All of it! Only what is sent ahead by believers through grace giving for the sake of Christ lasts for eternity. But that one for whom Jesus Christ "became poor" has "through His poverty...become rich."

 

The effect of contemplating the grace of Christ in His humiliation for us turns our priorities toward faithfulness to Him. He has made us eternally rich, so that even now we realize that all we possess belongs to Him. It is His to use for His glory and purpose. When such grace has been shown to us, we cannot cling to the material things in this world as though they produce infinite happiness and joy. That is found in Christ alone. What He has given to us materially must not become the focus of our lives but instruments to use for Christ's kingdom and glory. Only grace giving can loosen our grip on materialism, and liberate us into infinite depths of joy and satisfaction in Christ.

 

III. Principles in grace giving

 

Paul's letter to the Corinthians instructs us in basic principles of grace giving. We find that grace giving does not by-pass the mind or even the circumstances of life in order to do something outlandish! Four principles help us to see this.

 

1. Intentional giving

 

When speaking on giving, I fear lest some get the idea that grace giving equates to impulsiveness. Our text corrects any such thoughts. "I give my opinion in this matter for this is to your advantage, who were the first to begin a year ago not only to do this, but also to desire to do it. But now finish doing it also, so that just as there was the readiness to desire it, so there may be the completion of it by your ability." Paul was not springing a surprise on the Corinthians but reminding them of what they had already made plans to do in the area of giving. As these believers saw a particular need with the Jerusalem Christians, they began to prepare for giving a substantial gift to aid them. The preparation involved focusing the mental faculties on what needed to be done and then physically carrying it out. It seems that they set a goal for this gift, maybe individually, and perhaps even as a congregation. Their desires were focused and minds made up on the kind of gift they were to give. What they lacked was follow-through; so Paul exhorts and instructs them.

 

Grace giving is the same for us. It involves mental and physical preparation. Setting personal goals or even church goals for giving also help us to keep focused. Essentially, we do this as a church each year when we set a budget goal for the year's giving needs. Making personal or family goals for the year can help to channel resources in the right direction in reaching the corporate goal. Follow through completes the cycle, ensuring that we not just have good intentions on giving but actually complete what we planned.

 

2. Realistic giving

 

Grace giving does not ask you to give what you do not have but to give what God provides for the purpose of giving. "For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have." Sometime our best intentions are foiled by changing circumstances, e.g., job loss, pay cut, extended illness, family death, unexpected financial strain, etc. Grace giving does not put the believer under condemnation to give "what he does not have." But it does imply that we are to seek the Lord, pray, ask for His provisions, and then make sure that we utilize what God has provided in a wise way. It may be that God gives us something extra, something quite unexpected. Maybe a significant portion or even the whole He intends to be utilized for His kingdom. That's where we must be wise and realistic, not impulsive.

 

3. Equality in giving

 

Some in Corinth may have thought that giving a special gift for the Jerusalem Christians they had never met would put these strangers on "easy street." The apostle was not establishing a form of Christian communism that artificially leveled what each Christian family possessed. Instead, as some have been entrusted with abundance, they are to make wise use of their resources to aid those without adequate resource. The time may come when those roles are reversed, and the formerly needy become those with abundance helping the very ones that had earlier helped them. "For this is not for the ease of others and for your affliction, but by way of equality-at this present time your abundance being a supply for their need, so that their abundance also may become a supply for your need, that there may be equality." Then he quotes from Exodus 16:18 that establishes the principle of those having abundance sharing with those in need. "As it is written, "He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little had no lack." When the children of Israel gathered manna in the wilderness, some gathered more than they needed and thus had ample to give to those that had gathered too little. Those who failed to give what they had hoarded discovered that their extra manna rotted! "All selfishly hoarded wealth corrupts," wrote Philip Hughes, "and leads to inequalities which ought never to exist, least of all in the Christian community" [NICNT: 2 Corinthians, 308].

 

For nearly two hundred years in our early history, believers from England, Scotland, and the Netherlands helped to support the struggling American Colonial churches. But the last two hundred years the situation has reversed. We've become prosperous, far more so than any other nation. That gives us great responsibilities to extend our resources beyond us. The day may come when the situation reverses once again. Let us be faithful while God has given us so much to use our resources for the glory of God.

 

4. Glory giving

 

Verses 16-24 offer a lengthy discussion of how the gift would be collected and carried to Jerusalem. Titus was involved, showing "earnestness" on behalf of the Corinthians to motivate them and collect this gift. An unnamed "brother whose fame in the things of the gospel," had been "appointed by the churches" to accompany Paul and Titus in the work. Tucked in verse 19 is the striking reason behind grace giving: "in this gracious work, which is being administered by us for the glory of the Lord Himself." There were details involved in preparing and planning to give, but one overriding detail must consume us in grace giving - the glory of our Lord. That's why I insist that a foundational principle in grace giving is the realization that when I plan and follow through on my regular gifts, I am doing so for the glory of the Lord. The act of giving is to express my delight in the glory of the Lord and my deepest satisfaction in honoring Him and acknowledging Him in my giving. The same is true for our leadership seeking to discharge the gifts that we present to the Lord. Is He glorified in the way we disburse our funds and in how we use our resources as a church? Is the Lord glorified by what I am giving and the manner in which I am giving it?

 

Conclusion

 

It is interesting that Paul returns in verse 24 where we began. "Therefore openly before the churches, shown them the proof of your love and of our reason for boasting about you." Giving demonstrates the reality of our love for Christ and our love for our fellow believers. We are motivated to display such love through giving when we contemplate the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ shown to us in His humiliation on our behalf. May we be great lovers of Christ and His church as we give to His glory! 

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