Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded

What does 2nd Corinthians Chapter 9 mean?

This chapter continues to urge Christians in the Corinthian church to follow through on their commitment. They had agreed to participate in a collection for suffering Christians in Jerusalem. Paul says he should not even need to write to them about the collection, which he calls the “ministry for the saints” (2 Corinthians 9:1).

After all, the Corinthians were one of the early churches to embrace the idea of raising funds for this ministry. Paul’s boasting about the enthusiasm of the churches in the region of Achaia—which included Corinth—motivated the churches in Macedonia to participate, as well. As the previous chapter revealed, those churches had already given to the collection well beyond what Paul expected (2 Corinthians 8:3–5).

The Corinthians, though, seem to have lost their eagerness for the collection, perhaps as a result of the tension between themselves and Paul. It would be an embarrassment for everyone involved if fellow believers were to arrive from Macedonia only to find the Corinthians unprepared to contribute. To avoid that, Paul is sending Titus ahead of him to help them be ready when the time comes (2 Corinthians 9:2–5).

Next, Paul describes why Christian giving matters both for believers and for the work of God. It’s not just about money. Nor is it about fixing problems caused by a lack of funds. Christian giving is about the heart of the giver and brings spiritual gains that go far beyond the physical needs that might be met.

Paul uses the metaphor of planting and harvesting. Those who plant little will harvest little. Those who plant a lot will harvest much more. In other words, the more generously one gives, the more abundant will be the results of that giving. It’s important to remember that the “harvest” Paul refers to is the benefit given to others—not to the giver. Modern false teachers claim these verses as a promise of wealth to those who give. On the contrary—the point of giving more is not to gain more in return, but to be a greater blessing to others. Giving generously also attunes us to the will of God, spiritually enabling us to be even more generous in the future (2 Corinthians 9:6).

Scripture never mandates a specific amount each Christian or church must give. Paul even refuses to name a percentage of income or belongings. Instead, God’s Word sets a standard according to what each person has decided to give. God does not want giving to be done under obligation, but willingly and even “cheerfully.” Nobody should fail to give out of fear that they won’t have enough. God, in His grace, is able to provide abundantly so that every believer has all they need at all times and in all ways to abound in whatever good work God has assigned for them (2 Corinthians 9:7–9).

In other words, God wants Christians to do good works, and He will provide all that is needed to do so. God is the provider. He is the one who distributes freely to the poor. He provides both the seed and the bread. He uses generous believers to meet the needs of others, increasing the resources of those who give so that they can give more (2 Corinthians 9:10).

Giving as a Christlike act of grace is about more than meeting physical needs for those who lack. It also causes thankfulness to God to overflow. It builds connections between believers who give and those who receive the gift. Specifically, in this case, the generosity of Christians in Corinth can cause Jewish Christians in Jerusalem to glorify God. It can encourage them to long for and pray for their spiritual siblings around the world (2 Corinthians 9:11–15).

Chapter Context
Second Corinthians chapter 9 continues an appeal begun earlier in the letter. Paul urges the Corinthians to participate in the gift to the Jerusalem Christians. Paul is concerned their earlier enthusiasm might have waned. Everyone should give what he or she previously decided to give and do so willingly and cheerfully. God makes those who give generously abound so that they will be able to give even more. The result goes beyond meeting physical needs to increasing God’s righteousness on earth, causing thankfulness to Him to overflow, and bringing glory to Him as connections are forged between the givers and those whose needs are met. After this, Paul will return to a defense of his spiritual legitimacy.

Verse by Verse

Verse 1. Now it is superfluous for me to write to you about the ministry for the saints,

The previous chapter urged the Corinthians to follow through on their year-old commitment: contributing to a collection meant to help Christians in Jerusalem. Paul begins this chapter claiming he should not need to say anything more about the importance of this ministry. After all, as the following verses will show, it was the initial enthusiasm of the Corinthians to donate that helped get the project off the ground. Their commitment motivated other churches to join in.

Though it should not be necessary to write about this ministry, Paul has done so and will continue to do so. He is eager to see them complete what they started.

Context Summary
Second Corinthians 9:1–5 describes Paul’s concern: that he and the Corinthians will be embarrassed if he shows up in Corinth to collect their contribution to the Jerusalem Christians and they are not ready. He is sending Titus ahead of himself to help them prepare. They were once enthusiastic about participating in the project. Paul hopes his boasting about the Corinthians—which inspired the Macedonians to give sacrificially—will not prove to have been meaningless.

Verse 2. for I know your readiness, of which I boast about you to the people of Macedonia, saying that Achaia has been ready since last year. And your zeal has stirred up most of them.

In the previous verse, Paul noted that he should not need to write anything to the Corinthians about the ministry of a collection for the suffering Jerusalem Christians. Now he says why: He knows—he has confidence—that the Corinthians are ready to give. Paul knows this because he wrote to them in 1 Corinthians about exactly how to prepare for the collection (1 Corinthians 16:1–4). The Corinthians were initially very enthusiastic about participating in the collection.

That’s why Paul has been boasting about them to the churches in Macedonia. That includes those in the towns of Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea. He told those churches that the Corinthians were eager to participate in this gift, and most of those other churches were “stirred up” by the Corinthians’ example.

The difference now, though, is that those other churches have already followed through. They have made their contributions while the Corinthians have not yet done so. Paul is ready to see them complete what they were so ready to do a year earlier.

Verse 3. But I am sending the brothers so that our boasting about you may not prove empty in this matter, so that you may be ready, as I said you would be.

It was Paul’s boasting about the Corinthians’ early enthusiasm for a collection to help believers in Jerusalem that motivated other churches to get involved, as well (2 Corinthians 9:2). Now, a year has passed. Those other churches have made their contributions, and the Corinthians have not. This may be because of tensions that have arisen between some of them and Paul. It might simply be a matter of distance and difficulty.

Whatever the cause, Paul is now, in a sense, forcing their hand. He is sending “the brothers” to make sure their contribution is ready when he arrives to receive it. The brothers include Titus, Paul’s partner in ministry, and two representatives from those other churches that have already made their contributions.

Paul hopes that the Corinthians will really, truly prove to be ready to make their contribution as he has boasted they would be. Otherwise, his compliments on their behalf will prove to have been empty.

Verse 4. Otherwise, if some Macedonians come with me and find that you are not ready, we would be humiliated — to say nothing of you — for being so confident.

Paul has boasted to other churches about the eagerness of the Corinthians to give to meet the needs of the Jerusalem Christians. He has sent instructions in a previous letter (1 Corinthians 16:1–4) about exactly how to be ready to make a generous donation. Now Paul and his associates are sending Titus and delegates from other churches ahead of the official delegation to make sure the Corinthians are ready.

Paul is open with them. This is a moment of testing for their own reputations, as well as Paul’s. If the church in Corinth has nothing ready to give, it would send a poor message to the Macedonian churches who have given generously in spite of their own poverty. If that happens, Paul will feel embarrassed for being so confident in the Corinthians. He assumes they, too, will be humiliated. He does not want that for himself or for them.

Verse 5. So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to go on ahead to you and arrange in advance for the gift you have promised, so that it may be ready as a willing gift, not as an exaction.

Paul is coming to Corinth to officially receive their contribution to a collection for suffering believers in Jerusalem. He is concerned, though. His worry is that after all his confidence and compliments—assuring others of their promises to make a generous donation—which he describes as boasting about them to other churches, they may have nothing to give. That would be embarrassing for everyone involved. It would especially degrading to the Macedonians who have contributed so sacrificially.

To avoid this, Paul is sending an advance delegation to make sure the Corinthians have at least a little time to get ready. Titus and the other two men will arrive ahead of the official group and help to arrange a willing gift from the Corinthians. Paul does not want there to be any sense that the Corinthians are being compelled or obligated to give anything, as if their donation was being forced from them instead of given generously out of Christlike love.

Verse 6. The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

The Corinthians are being urged to follow through on their previous commitment. They had promised to give generously to meet the needs of Jerusalem Christians. Paul now begins to talk about why giving in this way matters so much, both for the givers and those who receive the gift.

He begins by referencing Proverbs 11:24–26 to cite a general principle. This holds true both in the natural and spiritual worlds: larger harvests typically require larger planting. The one who sows less seed can expect to have less grain. The one who plants more seed will have a more bountiful harvest.

Paul wants the Corinthians to catch the vision that their financial contributions to the needs of other believers can bring spiritual results. The more they can “plant” out of a heart of true, Christlike love for their spiritual siblings, the more that love will bear crops. Those results are not in money coming back to the Corinthians, but in the spiritual lives of the givers and those who receive their gifts. In that sense, money becomes more than just money. It becomes evidence of love given in the name of Christ.

Context Summary
Second Corinthians 9:6–15 contains Paul’s explanation of benefits and opportunities tied to generous giving. The key point is that godly giving is a Christlike act of grace. God does not intend giving to be done as an obligation, or under a cloud of legalism. Rather, it should be inspired and driven by a willing and cheerful heart. Giving is an opportunity for believers to participate with God in meeting the needs of the poor. God increases the ability of believers who give generously to give even more. This results in increasing His righteousness on earth, as well as in causing thankfulness to Him to overflow. He will be glorified by those who receive the gift and pray for those who give.

Verse 7. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Paul is providing the Corinthians with universal, biblical principles about giving to meet the needs of other believers. Two more are found in this verse.

First, God calls on every believer to decide in his or her heart and mind how much to give. They should then to follow through on that conviction. That number could be a set amount in a specific instance. It might be a percentage of one’s income on a regular basis. It should never be more than one has, Paul wrote in the previous chapter (2 Corinthians 8:12). It should be in proportion to what has been received. The important point is that it is an individual choice based on conscience and a person’s own relationship with God.

Why is this so important? It matters to God that Christian giving always be voluntary. It is not a tax or an obligation. A gift of money or anything else is only called a gift when the giver is not obligated to hand it over.

The second truth about giving in this verse is this: God loves cheerful givers. The opportunity to give to meet the needs of others should delight God’s children. When it does, He is delighted in them.

Verse 8. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.

Why would someone be hesitant to give to meet the needs of others? One reasonable concern might be fear that we won’t have enough left over to meet our own needs. In this way, giving for Christians becomes an act of faith, trusting God to meet our needs while becoming the method by which He meets the needs of others.

Christians can afford to trust the God who loves us. He has already proven Himself faithful by giving us His grace through our faith in Jesus. He has given us all things forever in Christ. That knowledge should help Christians to be convinced He can be counted on to continue to make all grace abound to us. He will make it so we have “enough” of all things at all times so we can accomplish the good works He wants to see from us.

Christians who give generously are convinced that the source of their provision will not run out—because that source is God Himself!

Verse 9. As it is written, “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor;his righteousness endures forever.”

Within the context of Christians giving freely to meet the needs of others, Paul wrote that God is able to make grace abound (2 Corinthians 9:8). He wants to reassure the Corinthians they can count on God to provide whatever is needed, so they can excel in the good works God has planned for them.

As this passage continues, Paul will make the connection between generous giving to others and God’s abundant provision. The purpose of this is not to make the giver more prosperous—God is not promising to offer a material “return on investment.” Rather, the point is that God will enable the giver to continue in the good works He has prepared for them to do.

Here, Paul quotes from Psalm 112:9 to make the point that God has always been in the business of meeting the needs of the poor. The writer of the psalm declares that God has distributed freely, including his gifts to the poor. One indication of God’s eternal righteousness is His generosity. His people should follow His example in giving to those in need, as well.

Verse 10. 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.

Paul is urging the Corinthians to be generous in their giving to suffering Christians in Jerusalem. He has said they should give willingly and cheerfully a portion of what God has given to them. Scripture presents Christian giving as something done out of love, not legalism, obligation, or command. That theme continues here in Paul’s comments to the church in Corinth.

This makes an additional point, though: God is ultimately the one who gives. He is the one who provides both the seed for the bread and the bread itself. In other words, God makes the giver capable of giving. Paul adds that God will multiply the seed of those who give in order to increase the harvest of the righteousness that comes as a result. It’s important to note that the increase is to the benefit of the one who receives—this is not a promise to financially prosper the giver.

Paul insists there is more to giving as a Christlike act of grace than just putting food in hungry bellies. The gift itself is a seed that will produce more and more righteousness. The one who gives shares the privilege of being used by God in this process.

Verse 11. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.

Here in these verses, Paul is answering an unspoken question: Why should Christians willingly and cheerfully give money, or time, or energy, or effort to meet the needs of others? If giving is not mandated, and percentages are not required of a believer, then what’s the primary motivation for our gifts?

This chapter has established that God is ultimately the one who provides for those in need (2 Corinthians 9:10). The Creator provides both the seed and the bread. He distributes freely what is needed to the poor.

A Christian’s willingness to give allows the believer to participate in what God is doing. It is about more than simply getting people fed. It is also about increasing God’s righteousness on earth—bringing more thankfulness to Him. Charitable Christians have the privileged opportunity to participate in God’s work simply by generous giving.

Paul adds here that God will enrich those believers who give generously. This is so they may continue to give, to meet the needs of others even more generously. From this perspective, wealth is not a reward from God for generous giving. We are not meant to give so that we will become rich. Any increase in resources comes with the expectation from God that it will be given away again and again to meet the needs of others.

Verse 12. For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.

Paul is urging the Corinthians to give generously to meet the needs of suffering Jewish Christians in Jerusalem. Because of the persecution they are enduring, they are in great need. This verse indicates that supplying the needs of these people is only one reason for giving as a “ministry of service.” The other thing that is being accomplished is that this service is overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.

A believer’s choice to give generously provokes gratitude to God, from those who receive the gift. Paul’s emphasis on this tells us at least two things. First, receiving thankfulness from His people matters deeply to God. He cares about that. Christian giving is one way to bring to God something that He desires.

Second, giving is about far more than just fixing a problem of not enough money. When Christians give in a Christlike act of grace, the spiritual results matter as much or more than meeting physical needs for food, shelter, and safety.

Verse 13. By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others,

Scripture makes a case for why Christian charity matters on several different levels. In this particular passage, Paul is writing to the Christians in Corinth about giving generously to meet the needs of suffering Jewish believers in Jerusalem. Despite that specific audience, Paul’s teaching here has a broad application to Christians of any time and place who give to meet the needs of others.

Christian giving allows believers to participate in God’s work of freely distributing goods to the poor and increasing thankfulness to God in the world. In addition, giving can also create a powerful connection between those who give and those who receive.

At the time Paul wrote these words, connection between Jewish Christians in Jerusalem and the growing population of non-Jewish Christians—referred to as either “Gentiles” or “Greeks”—was frayed. In some cases, Jewish believers who had grown up under the law, as God’s chosen and set apart people, struggled with the transition to welcoming Gentiles recently converted from paganism. Paul saw the need of these Jewish Christians as an opportunity for Gentile Christians to build connection.

If the Jewish Christians “approve of this service,” meaning that they accept the gift from the Greek Christians in good faith, they will glorify God. Specifically, the Jewish Christians will see that their Gentile siblings in Christ believe in the same gospel of Jesus, and that they care for believers besides themselves. In other words, the generous gift of the Corinthian believers will be evidence that Christ and the love of Christ are real in them, something the Jewish Christians needed to understand and accept.

Verse 14. while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you.

Paul is writing about what can be accomplished when Christians give generously to meet the needs of others. The benefits of this charity go far beyond simply providing food, shelter, and safety. It allows Christians to participate in God’s work of providing for the poor, as well as to “harvest” thanksgiving to God from those who receive what is so badly needed.

The previous verse noted that generous giving by believers speaks loudly to those who receive the gift. It declares the givers’ faith in Christ. It shows that Christ’s love is real in them. In doing so, it builds a connection with Christians with whom they would otherwise have little in common.

In this passage, Paul is specifically talking about the connection between Gentile Christians and the suffering Jewish believers in Jerusalem. These Israelite Christians may have wondered about the validity of the relationship between God and the non-Jewish believers in other parts of the world. Generous support for the Jerusalem Christians will show Christ’s love is real in the Gentile churches. It will build a connection between them. Paul says that those who receive the gift will long for the Corinthians and pray for them, because the evidence of God’s grace will be obvious in their lives.

Verse 15. Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!

This wraps up Paul’s appeal to the Corinthians to participate willingly and cheerfully in giving generously to meet the needs of the suffering Jerusalem Christians. His concluding declaration is, “Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!” In the end, Paul’s focus is not on the gift of money he wants the Corinthians to collect for the Jerusalem believers, it is on God’s gift to all who are in Christ.

Paul describes God’s gift as “inexpressible,” but he may be referring to several different things. Perhaps he has in mind what he wrote about Christ’s sacrificial gift to humanity in the previous chapter, “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 by his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).

Or, Paul may be calling attention to an idea about the opportunity to participate in increasing righteousness and thankfulness to God on earth. These “harvests” are a gift to those who give generously. The opportunity to give and the cascade of good things that come from giving generously, in the end, provide great meaning and satisfaction to those who give in submission to Christ.

End of Chapter 9.

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