2 Corinthians 9:6-15 meaning

In 2 Corinthians 9:6, Paul continues to urge the Corinthians to follow through on their previously promised financial donation toward meeting the needs of the believers in Jerusalem and Judea. Paul has set the foundation for this grace of giving. He now validates his encouragement for the Corinthians’ generosity with a summary or restatement of some supporting proverbs from the Old Testament (Proverbs 11:24, 22:8-9):

Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully (v. 6).

This principle of sowing and reaping runs throughout the whole of Scripture. The basic idea is that God built into His creation relationships of cause and effect. Certain actions generate predictable consequences. An instance is that plants grow from seeds. So, if we want a bountiful harvest (reap bountifully) then we need to plant a lot of seeds (sow bountifully). This applies to a farm (material) as well as to efforts in ministry (spiritual).

Paul expresses much the same principle in his letter to the churches in Galatia:

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.”
(Galatians 6:7-9)

The example of sowing and reaping would have been familiar in the time of Paul, as the economy would have been largely agrarian. Paul is saying that God will grant substantial rewards for those who are generous in supporting His work on earth. Jesus stated this principle many times during His earthly ministry. A few examples follow:

• Jesus told the rich young ruler to sell all he has and give it to the poor so he will have treasure in heaven (Matthew 19:21, Mark 10:21).

• Jesus tells the crowd to give their possessions to charity so they will have lasting treasure in heaven (Luke 12:33).

• In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus urges His disciples to lay up treasure in heaven (Matthew 6:20).

• Jesus tells Peter that anyone who has left houses, money, or family to follow Him will receive a hundredfold both in this life as well as in the age that is to come (Mark 10:28-31).

In the reaping and sowing passage of 2 Corinthians 9:6, the opportunity to “sow” is through meeting the needs of believers in another country. In the Galatians 6:7-9 passage, the context indicates that the opportunity to “sow” is to provide financial support to those who teach the word of God.

The principle appears to broadly apply to any act of benevolence toward another, as indicated by these verses from Proverbs 11:

“He who withholds grain, the people will curse him,
But blessing will be on the head of him who sells it.
He who diligently seeks good seeks favor,
But he who seeks evil, evil will come to him.
He who trusts in his riches will fall,
But the righteous will flourish like the green leaf.”
(Proverbs 11:26-28)

The withholding of grain versus the selling of grain would seem to apply to selling grain at a fair price rather than holding it off the market. So this would apply to doing business fairly and for the benefit of the customer. The doing of good is a broad application that could apply to most anything.

Paul prayed for God to bless Onesiphorus for seeking him out to visit him while in prison, so it was a gift of time and focus rather than money. Colossians 3:23-24 indicates that believers will be rewarded for anything they do as unto the Lord.

Paul now speaks of a proper motivation for giving. God has built into the world a principle of reciprocity. Those who give mercy to others will be given mercy by God (Matthew 5:7). Those who sow bountifully will reap bountifully. But each person is given the choice of how best to steward their resources.

It appears God approves of however we might apply our gifts and talents so long as we are doing it with a good intent. Paul expresses this principle by saying: Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver (v.7). 

While Paul has been speaking of financial giving throughout the letter, primarily expressed in the collection for the church in Jerusalem, he now focuses on the heart and motivation behind the action, saying God loves a cheerful giver. This indicates that this matter of giving is, at its core, a spiritual matter. As Paul said in Galatians, we are to “sow to the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16-17).

We can see that being a cheerful giver might include non-monetary actions as well from the story of Peter and John in Acts 3:1-10. The two encounter a beggar asking for money. Peter responded by saying, “I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—walk!” (Acts 3:6) Those who are “in Christ” have the Spirit within them, and also have the opportunity to minister spiritually in order to benefit others.

The idea of having purposed in his heart acknowledges that each person decides for themselves. And the heart is the place of deciding. God desires that people be transparent and do as they purpose. He does not like hypocrisy.

But what God desires is a cheerful giver. There are two aspects to this: cheerful and giver. A reason to be cheerful is to know that God will reward all sowing of good deeds with a great and bountiful harvest of benefits. If we get the opportunity to make a great financial investment from which we expect a robust return it ought to make us glad. In similar fashion, getting to participate in God’s ministry on earth ought to be met with exuberance.

Another reason to be cheerful is because it is an amazing privilege to get to participate in God’s work. It is incredible that we are allowed this opportunity.

The Greek word translated cheerful is “hilaros” (which English speakers might find hilarious). There ought to be an exceeding gladness that attends the exercise of the great privilege His people have been given to invest the resources God entrusted them in His work on earth. When believers have this cheerful attitude toward giving, God loves that person. It does not say that God loves the gift. It says He loves the giver who does so with gladness.

The Greek word translated loves in the phrase God loves a cheerful giver is “agapao.” “Agape” love is a love of choice. Biblical “agape” is to choose to walk in obedience to God by acting in a manner that seeks the best interest of others.

“Agape” is also the love with which God chose to “agapao” (love) the world by giving His only Son to die for our sins (John 3:16). Given the context of God loving a cheerful giver here in 2 Corinthians 9:7, it would indicate that God chooses to greatly reward the cheerful giver with a bountiful harvest from the seeds they sow.

The key to generosity is to give cheerfully according to an intentional plan with a specific rationale (as he has purposed.) It is clear here that God allows great leeway for people to make choices as to how to be generous. The key is to be intentional, cheerful, and avoid giving under compulsion. 

This would lead us to say “no” to any and all pitches for financial support that appeal to guilt or coercion.

It is interesting to note that in this passage on giving, Paul uses a number of approaches that have been observed and chronicled by students of human persuasion. These techniques can be used to put people under compulsion, and accordingly should be resisted when used for that purpose.

But Paul uses these techniques of persuasion to point people toward their true best interest, which is a good application.

The following is a list of a few of the known applications of persuasion Paul applies:

1. Scarcity: Paul noted that he is coming soon to collect the offering, giving the Corinthians a deadline to complete the collection of their offering. A limit of time or supply is an observable motivator for human action (2 Corinthians 9:5).
2. Social proof: Paul sends ahead some brethren to arrange the offering prior to Paul’s arrival, and notes both that a) he has bragged to the Macedonians about the Corinthians’ generosity, and b) there might be Macedonians who accompany him to come pick up the donation. Thus, Paul writes that the Corinthians do not want to be embarrassed by not having the donation ready (2 Corinthians 9:2, 4).
3. Authority: Paul uses the authority of scripture to note that if the Corinthians want to reap bountifully, they need to sow bountifully (2 Corinthians 9:6, quoting Proverbs).
4. Reciprocity: The sowing and reaping principle is a principle of reciprocity. The bountiful harvest is directly proportional to the bountiful sowing (2 Corinthians 9:6).
5. Commitment consistency: Paul reminded the Corinthians that they had “previously promised” that they would give a sum of money to help the Judean believers in need (2 Corinthians 9:5).

From this, we can make the application that we ought to be wise in the ways of persuasion but only use them to persuade others in ways that truly bless them. We can do this by pointing them to the ways of God, the narrow gate with the difficult path that leads to life (Matthew 7:14).

For Paul, his motivation was expressed earlier in 2 Corinthians:

“Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.”
(2 Corinthians 5:9)

Paul orients everything he does for the purpose of pleasing his Lord. In the next verse, 2 Corinthians 5:10, Paul noted that everyone would stand before Christ on the day of judgment to receive rewards for their deeds, whether good or bad, which should lead to the fear of the Lord. So Paul’s motivation was to choose all actions which please the Lord. He wants to sow seeds of generosity that Jesus will love.

Paul further went on to express that He is compelled by the “love of Christ” because He died for all. Further, because of Jesus’s death for us, Paul concluded that he ought to live for Him (2 Corinthians 5:14-15). So Paul’s motivation stems both from gratitude for the immense gift he was given as well as the practical realities of the cause-effect nature of God’s creation; we reap what we sow.

We can take from this that our path to being a cheerful giver whom God loves can come from any combination of fear or thanksgiving. Our thanks for the cross ought to be sufficient; Jesus become poor so that we, through His poverty, could become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9). But the fear of the Lord is the beginning of both knowledge and wisdom (Proverbs 1:7, 9:10). It is also appropriate to recognize the true consequences of life and act accordingly (2 Corinthians 5:11).

As Paul teaches about the grace of giving, he now points to the sufficiency Christ gives to believers. In 2 Corinthians 12:9, he quotes the words of Christ to him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”

So Paul writes out of personal experience and conviction: And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed (v. 8).

Paul asserts that the sufficiency that God is able to make happen for the Corinthians is not only in material possessions. Rather, the sufficiency is in everything. That would include material goods as well as human resources and all other needs. The specific equipping regarding sufficiency in everything is for the Corinthians to have an abundance for every good deed. 

The Greek word translated good carries the idea of being useful. The Greek word translated deed is “ergon” and can also be translated “work.” (An “erg” is a measure of work in the modern world.) The idea is that whatever useful deeds God puts in our path, He has ample resources to ensure we have sufficiency in everything to address those opportunities to be useful in His kingdom and work.

Paul said earlier in this letter that each believer is made a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul insists that God created each new creation to do good works, which He prepared beforehand (Ephesians 2:10). It follows therefore that God would provide sufficiency for every good deed He leads any believer to pursue.

Perhaps part of the reason Paul makes this assertion about God’s sufficiency is to counter any idea that “If we give all this money to the needs of those in Judea, what if another need arises and we don’t have sufficient funds to meet that need?” Paul asserts that God is able to give them all that is needed for every good deed. 

Therefore, by definition, whatever God has provided is all that is needed. What remains for His people to do is to be faithful to use the provision they have to meet the needs before them. It is not up to God’s people to solve every problem or meet every need—God is still God and is sovereign over all things. It is up to each believer to do the work God prepared for them.

New Testament believers can make the application that it is for us to recognize that God is able, and to receive with gratitude whatever He grants to us to steward. We can then take responsibility to exercise good stewardship over those things. We can make an application that we should focus on meeting the needs before us rather than worrying about needs that are to come. We can trust God to provide an abundance for every good deed. So we can trust that future needs will have future provision.

This abundance is provided by God’s grace. It is God’s grace that will abound to you. The Greek word translated grace is “charis” which means “favor.” We can see this in Luke 2:52 where Jesus grew in “favor” (“charis”) with both God and man. God’s favor is always a matter of His own choosing, as no one can obligate God. But God loves His people, and here Paul gives a promise that God’s provision is that He is able to provide abundance for every good deed. 

In Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus, the Greek word “parisseuo” (translated abundance in verse 8) also appears in the context of the abundance of God’s grace (“charis”) relating to His forgiveness of our sins through the death of Jesus:

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished [‘parrisseuo’] on us. In all wisdom and insight.”
(Ephesians 1:7-8)

God calls us to a life “in Christ” to follow in the works He prepared beforehand. He provides all sufficiency in everything that we might accomplish. And it is He who prepared for us the works He appointed us to complete (Ephesians 2:10). 

Paul now returns to the metaphor that we reap what we sow (2 Corinthians 9:6) by quoting a supporting verse from the Old Testament. Paul introduces the quote when he says as it is written. He then quotes Psalm 112:9, He scattered abroad, He gave to the poor, His righteousness endures forever (v. 9).

Psalm 112 speaks of how God will bless a man who “fears the Lord,” who “delights in His commandments,” who is “gracious and compassionate and righteous,” whose “heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.” Such a man’s righteousness is evidenced in that he sowed good deeds; he scattered abroad, he gave to the poor. 

The pronouns He and His are capitalized because they are the first line in a poetic structure. Psalm 112 describes the righteous, who will be blessed, and the wicked, who will perish, again highlighting the cause-effect nature of God’s creation.

To scatter abroad is to plant in a field that is far away. That would mean that any benefit from the resulting harvest would be long delayed. Similarly, to give to the poor is to provide a benefit to someone who does not have the ability to repay in this life. According to Jesus’s parable of the unrighteous steward, it is actually shrewd to give to the poor because they will provide a great reward in the age that is to come (Luke 16:1-13).

All are made righteous in God’s sight through believing; all are “in Christ” (as 2 Corinthians 5:17 calls those who have believed). But the experience or expression of righteousness occurs through deeds. The righteous will live by faith (Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:16-17). Thus, a man who lives righteously sows bountifully. 

This man whom Paul is describing might be motivated by thanksgiving (as in verse 12). This man might also believe God’s promises, so he sows bountifully in good deeds (such as giving to the poor) and accordingly expects that he will also reap bountifully. Recognizing the grace of God and His bounty toward us, and trusting that His rewards greatly exceed anything we can gain in this life, this man naturally becomes a cheerful giver which God says He loves (2 Corinthians 9:7, Hebrews 11:6).

Paul now continues with the picture of sowing and reaping as he writes, Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness (v. 10). 

Paul appears to again refer to the Old Testament, this time from Isaiah:

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
And do not return there without watering the earth
And making it bear and sprout,
And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater.”
(Isaiah 55:10)

It is God who supplies seed to the sower, through the mechanisms of His creation. And it is God who brings the rain to water the earth so that the seed sprouts and produces grain that can then be made into bread for food. This is the observable cycle of nature, where seeds are planted, rain waters the seed, and the crop is produced and harvested.

Paul then takes this familiar process as an analogy to a spiritual truth about the kingdom of God. He speaks of an increase in the harvest of your righteousness (v. 10b). Just as God sends the rain to water the earth and produce plants, so He grants His grace to cause our deeds that we sow as seeds to sprout and bear fruit for His kingdom.

Sowing and reaping is a principle of the kingdom of God that includes what we say as well as what we do. Jesus applied the concept of reaping and sowing in the “Parable of the Sower” which we find in Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, and Luke 8:4-15. Jesus there speaks of sowing seeds that are the word of God. Whether those seeds sprout into the fruit of good works depends on the fertility of the soil, which is the hearts of the hearers.

The picture we get in Jesus’s parable is that the sower is sowing liberally, even to those who might not be receptive to the word and message of God. The soil that is hard, rocky, or produces thorns reaps sparingly, or not at all. It is the job of the sower to sow and it is God who will produce the increase.

However, this would indicate that our capacity to produce the fruits that are a harvest of righteousness directly relates to the extent to which we hear and do the words of God. Then, when we hear and commit to following God’s word, God will cause the bountiful harvest.

The phrase harvest of your righteousness that God promises to bless might also be taken as affecting the life of the sower. In addition to God multiplying the results of the seeds that are sown, it appears God will also cause righteousness to sprout within the life of the sower. It would make sense that the Lord would honor a faithful heart since He is the discerner of the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).

Jesus relates this principle of having our righteousness grow through doing good to others in Luke 6:38 when He says, “For by your standard of measure [the measure you use] it will be measured to you in return.” This is another way of saying we reap what we sow.

We saw this stated overtly in 2 Corinthians 5:10-11, where Paul asserted that all believers should have the fear of the Lord because we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ and receive the harvest of the deeds we sowed, whether good or bad. If we really believe this, it should lead us to do whatever we can to avoid a harvest for bad deeds, for failing to be useful to God through neglect or disobedience to the seed that is His word.

The context of Luke 6:38 was that Jesus had just defined some of the ways God will measure us by how we measure or value others; how we treat others will define the sowing that will lead to the rewards we will harvest as God says “give and it will be given to you”:

“But love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”
(Luke 6:27-28); and

“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned. Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over.”
(Luke 6:36-38)

This sowing and reaping principle can also be called God’s “mercy principle”: mercy will be granted to those who give mercy (Matthew 5:7). In Luke 6, it could be called the “good measure principle.” The “good measure principle” is how God will increase the harvest of anyone’s righteousness who follows Him. God rewards the good deeds we do for others by multiplying them as a harvest of righteousness within those who are obedient in following His word.

We can recall that the context of this passage of 2 Corinthians is Paul exhorting the Corinthians to be generous in the giving of a gift to Jerusalem believers in need. Jerusalem is a city in a far-away country from Greece. Paul is exhorting the Corinthians to sow seeds of good deeds “abroad” (v. 9) in their giving of this gift. He has been arguing that generosity to others pleases God and therefore is of great benefit to the giver.

God will reward the giver with a bountiful harvest. Also, part of the harvest is the production of righteousness in the life of the giver. So there is a 360 degree benefit to doing good deeds with a cheerful heart.

Paul now appears to broaden the promised blessing for being a cheerful giver, the primary emphasis of this section (2 Corinthians 9:6-10). Paul says that in this ministry of giving you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God (v. 11). 

The harvest of righteousness in the lives of the cheerful givers will be further enriched in everything to the end that the cheerful givers might have the capacity to be even more generous (all liberality). This cycle of generosity is producing in Paul and his ministry companions (us) a great thanksgiving to God. 

This is consistent with a biblical theme that greater responsibility is a primary reward God gives to those who are faithful stewards. The following are a few additional passages that demonstrate this principle:

• In the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25, the Master (representing the Lord) rewards the faithful stewards by saying “You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21).

• In His message to the Laodicean church, Jesus says He will reward those who overcome as He overcame (believers who therefore serve as a faithful witness). Jesus will reward overcomers by sharing the authority of His throne, even as His Father shared His authority with Him (Revelation 3:21).

• Hebrews 2 quotes from Psalm 8, noting that God originally gave to humans the “glory and honor” of having dominion over the earth, even though humanity was created as a lower order compared to the angels. But because Jesus suffered death on the cross, God, through Him, restored the authority and responsibility of humans to have the “glory and honor” of reigning over the earth (Hebrews 2:5-9).

• Jesus began what is often referred to as the “Great Commission” by noting that “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18). As a reward for His faithful service to His Father, He was granted “all authority.”

All these examples demonstrate the principle that God rewards those who are faithful in serving by giving them more responsibility and more opportunity to serve. When we consider you will be enriched in everything for all liberality in this context it seems scripture is telling us that the more we serve the more we will be enriched. But in this case, the enrichment is to serve even more. In the world system, being given more responsibility to serve would be considered a punishment.

In the world’s system, more authority is often associated with a different sort of enrichment; a financial enrichment or an enrichment of prestige, rather than an enrichment of opportunity to serve others. For example, the Chief Executive Officer of a company has the most responsibility and authority and also makes the highest salary. But God’s economy has a different system of reward.

What matters in God’s kingdom is the extent to which any of His servants serve others using their gifts and station. And the more His servants serve, the more opportunities they will be given to serve. The more they serve, the more they will lay up riches in heaven, which neither rust nor moths can destroy (Matthew 6:20). It is the people of Corinth doing the giving, but the increase of supply and harvest of righteousness resulting in liberality toward others is the work of God.

Paul goes on to explain that the Corinthians’ liberality in giving is both supplying ministry needs for Jerusalem believers as well as causing many occasions for giving thanks to God:

For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing through many thanksgivings to God (v. 12).

That the Corinthians’ gifts are fully supplying the needs of the saints would be enough in and of itself as a reason to give to the collection. But Paul also speaks of another reason, to inspire the other churches to express the overflowing of many thanksgivings to God.

Interestingly, Paul uses the phrase the ministry of this service. This is not merely a passive passing of an offering plate; it is a ministry of service. The collection for the church in Jerusalem is important, but Paul has used it to further develop the grace of giving, which is ministry. And to give to the needs of others is a matter of service to God.

Likewise, we in the present church can view giving as ministry. In the Old Testament, when we see the word “offering” it is often connected with an act of worship. God desired the act of giving to be connected with a heart of service, which was pleasing to Him. When the people performed acts of worship without a change of heart, God rejected their offerings (Malachi 2:13-14). It is the heart that matters to Him. In the same way in this passage, Paul makes clear that it is the heart of being a cheerful giver that God loves (2 Corinthians 9:7).

By viewing the grace of giving as a ministry, it ought to lead to a heart of gratitude. It is an immense privilege to be allowed to participate in God’s work. He does not need our contribution, but desires it because He loves us. In participating in the good deeds He sets before us, we are completing His creative work in us (Ephesians 2:10, 2 Corinthians 5:17).

The generous gift will be overflowing through many thanksgivings to God. The Jerusalem believers will give thanksgivings to God for the supply of their needs. They will also give thanksgivings to the Corinthian church. The Corinthians will give thanksgivings to God for His supply of grace to them by allowing them to participate in this endeavor. They will also humbly receive the thanksgivings expressed to them by the church in Jerusalem.

The many thanksgivings to God will also be expressed to the other churches, who will be grateful for the generosity of the Corinthians. Paul referred to this in 2 Corinthians 8:24, when he exhorted the Corinthians to give “openly before the churches” and “show them the proof of your love” and Paul’s confidence in them.

Now Paul speaks of the onlooking churches in other cities who will glorify God for the faithful obedience of the Corinthians, as exemplified through the liberality of their contribution to the needs of the believers in Judea. 

Because of the proof given by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ and for the liberality of your contribution to them and to all, while they also, by prayer on your behalf, yearn for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you (vv. 13-14).

The proof given by this ministry refers to the act of making a pledge, then collecting and delivering the pledge to help the Judean believers in need. It is because of this proof or example that believers in other churches will be inspired. As a result of their inspiration, they will glorify God for the obedience the Corinthians have shown.

This is apparently the reason Paul desires the Corinthians to be public about this gift (2 Corinthians 8:24). Jesus taught that it is better to give in secret, that our Father might reward us rather than getting a reward of adulation from other people. It is better to receive a reward in heaven than to have a reward on earth (Matthew 6:3-4). However, it appears there is also a time to be public about giving when it can be an inspiration to others. Being a good example can also be an important act of service.

As expressed earlier in Chapter 8, Paul is convinced the Corinthians did not participate in this collection out of obligation—as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 8:8, “I am not speaking this as a command, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity of your love also.” Their obedience was to God and from the heart. Paul now ties this together in that they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ (v. 13b). 

The public example given by the Corinthian church will cause others to glorify God. This would indicate the donation is being done in such a manner as to point to God rather than to exalt themselves. The Greek word translated glorify comes from the root for glory (“doxa”) which refers to the essence of something being observed. We can see this in 1 Corinthians 15:40-41, where the sun and moon are said to have different kinds of glory, because they differ in essence.

Paul is saying here that when the Corinthians are generous as a matter of obedience to God, their confession of the gospel of Christ demonstrates God’s essence. God’s character can be observed through their ministry of service. Similarly, Jesus showed God’s essence when He came to earth and served.

Even though Jesus, as God, had the power to rule and judge, He chose first to come to earth as a human and serve. He served and gave His life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28). Then, because He served, He was rewarded by being given all authority (Matthew 28:18). The good news or gospel of Christ includes the glad tidings that the negative effect of the fall can be reversed through faith and service. Through the “suffering of death,” the “glory and honor” of stewarding the earth which humanity lost in the Fall was restored through Christ (Hebrews 2:8-10).

Paul expresses belief that the churches will see this collection as a confession. 1 Timothy 6:13 uses the same word translated confession to refer to Jesus’s confession before Pilate. Jesus courageously stood for the truth before Pilate. Hebrews 3:1 calls Jesus the “Apostle and High Priest of our confession.” Paul connects the ministry of generous giving as an outworking of their commitment to Christ.

God will be glorified because of this obedient gift, the liberality of your contribution to them and to all (v. 13c). The Corinthians gave to the Judean saints in liberality or generosity, thus living out what Paul wrote in verse 7, “for God loves a cheerful giver.” 

The them in the phrase your contribution to them and to all appears to refer to the Judean believers receiving the offering. The addition of and to all likely refers to the other churches whom Paul has been speaking of as joining with the Corinthians both in participating in the gift (2 Corinthians 8:1-4) as well as in thanksgiving for the obedience of the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 9:12-13).

In the phrase for the liberality of your contribution, the word contribution is from the Greek word “koinonia” from which often translates to English as “fellowship” or “sharing.” This would indicate that the Corinthian church was recognized as participating in the greater fellowship and sharing in the churches. Paul refers to this communal connection in prayer between the other churches and the church in Corinth saying: While they also, by prayer on your behalf, yearn for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you (v. 14). 

The they in verse 14 appears to refer to the other churches and the your in the phrase your behalf would refer to the Corinthian church. To Paul, this is not an isolated situation, as important as it is. It is part of a team effort among the churches. We can see this in his letter to the Roman church:

“For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. Yes, they were pleased to do so, and they are indebted to minister to them also in material things.”
(Romans 15:26-27)

This ministry of giving wove a bond of unity between the churches, resulting in a yearning that turned into prayer for one another.

The Greek word “koinonia” (“fellowship”) is translated as contribution in Romans 15:26. The contribution to the poor created a fellowship, a bond with the poor. And it created a fellowship or bond among the givers. The doing of good works brings to life the mutual faith of believers and unites the members of the body under the Head, which is Christ (James 2:14, 26,1 Corinthians 12:12, 27).

In his ministry, Paul continually stressed the unity of the church in fellowship between Jews and Gentiles (Galatians 3:28). In this grace of giving by Gentiles to Jews, there is a reciprocity, in that the Jews gave to the Gentiles the oracles of God (Romans 3:2). The Gentiles are like wild olive branches grafted into the root of the tree that is Israel (Romans 11:17). The Gentiles are now serving the needs of the Jewish believers. This mutual service also binds together Hebrew and Greek; all are one in Christ.

While receiving the generous gift from the Corinthian believers, the saints in Jerusalem as well as the other churches would continually be praying for them. They are said to yearn for you. The Greek word translated yearn can also be rendered as “desire” or “longing.” The inference is that there is a strong desire within and among the recipients of the gift as well as the givers. That desire or yearning is stirred up because of the surpassing grace of God in you. 

It would seem that God is stirring up each believer to yearn/desire blessings and benefit to those who are sharing in ministry with them. There is a team-chemistry of love for the fellow teammates.

Even though they did not see each other physically, there was a spiritual thanksgiving to God for them and a yearning or affection for their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ created by the shared ministry. The proof of their confession shown by their generosity (v. 13) is referred to again as the Jerusalem church recognizes the surpassing grace of God in you. 

Again, the ministry of giving is being done in such a manner as to observably be a service to God rather than a show before men. What higher compliment could a church or believer receive than to know that others could see the surpassing grace of God in us?

Chapter 9 ends with Paul saying: Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift (v. 15). 

The indescribable gift likely refers to the immediate context, the surpassing grace of God in you. 

Again, the Greek word translated grace is “charis” which means “favor.” There are many aspects to God’s favor toward His people that could be included as an indescribable gift. 

• All who believe are given the free gift of eternal life through the death and resurrection of Christ (John 3:14-15, Romans 3:24, 5:15-17, Ephesians 2:8-9). This is certainly an indescribable gift. 

• Being indwelt by the Holy Spirit gives us power to overcome sin and the flesh. This is also an indescribable gift. By walking in the Spirit we can live in love and freedom (Galatians 5:13-16).

• It is also an indescribable gift to be delivered/saved from the effects of the Fall of Man and be restored to the inheritance for which we were designed. This inheritance is given to all who believe and can be possessed by overcoming as Jesus overcame, through the suffering of death (Romans 8:17b, Hebrews 2:5-10, Revelation 3:21).

• It is further an indescribable gift that God has placed each believer into His Body and selected them to be one with Him as His bride (1 Corinthians 12:27, Ephesians 5:30-32).

The Corinthians were experiencing the privilege of functioning as a part of the Body of Christ in expressing generosity to the church in Judea. When Paul here says Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift, it would seem he would be referring to this exercise of giving as well as the thanksgiving flowing from those good deeds. All of which are an expression of the Corinthians’ obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ (v. 13).

The Greek word translated as gospel is “euangelion” which means “good news” or “glad tidings.” We can see this in the Greek translation of the Old Testament in 2 Samuel 4:10, where a messenger mistakenly thinks he is bringing “good news” (“euangelion”) when he reports the death of Saul (and it costs him his life).

The “good news” about Jesus is comprehensive. Jesus delivers or saves each believer from the negative effects of the Fall and provides a path to complete redemption through faith and obedience.

We might think of the “good news” of Jesus’s deliverance or salvation in tenses:

• For each believer, Jesus’s death and resurrection has previously delivered them from the penalty of sin. His free gift assures believers of being accepted by Him as His child. Believers in Jesus will be forever a part of His family because of this free gift, this “indescribable gift” (Romans 5:15-17). This salvation or deliverance is a gift that can neither be earned nor lost.

• In the future, each believer will be delivered from the presence of sin and will live in a world where righteousness reigns (2 Peter 3:13). This is a glory and hope we look forward to. Those who overcome as Jesus overcame will also be given the immense reward of sharing in His administration (Revelation 3:21).

• Each day, because of the power of the Spirit within, each believer has the freedom to choose to walk in the Spirit and be delivered from the adverse consequences of sin (Galatians 5:16-18). This is enormously good news because the consequence of sin is death and destruction (Matthew 7:13, Romans 6:23).

There is immense good news available to all living in this fallen world of sin and death. But (paradoxically to our fallen, self-focused state) our escape from the clutches of sin comes through dying to self and living to God.

Through their generosity in sharing in the ministry of caring for the financial needs of others, the Corinthians are glorifying God by being instruments of His grace and gaining great benefit for themselves. They are sowing the seeds of a bountiful harvest for God, for the church, and for themselves.

We can take from Chapters 8 and 9 that financial giving to the ministry of God’s kingdom is a fantastic investment, bearing the fruits of a bountiful harvest both in this life and age as well as in the age that is to come. Giving to others helps us develop a heart of gratitude, that we, with Paul, might be able to exclaim: Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!