Bird's-eye view
In this section, Paul is concluding his instructions concerning the collection for the saints in Jerusalem. But as is always the case with Paul, this is about far more than just fundraising. He is laying out the basic principles of the gospel economy. This is not a chapter on how to guilt-trip a congregation into meeting a budget. Rather, it is a glorious explanation of how God's own character as a giver shapes and defines our response to Him. The logic flows from a fundamental principle of the created order (sowing and reaping), to the disposition of the giver's heart (cheerfulness), to the overwhelming power of God's grace to supply all needs, and finally to the ultimate purpose of it all, which is an eruption of thanksgiving that brings glory to God. The entire enterprise is grounded in the reality of God's one "indescribable gift," Jesus Christ.
What we have here is a portrait of a closed loop of grace. God gives to us, we give to others, they give thanks to God, which in turn moves God to give more grace. This is a virtuous cycle, a spiritual ecosystem of generosity. It is not a zero-sum game where my gain is your loss. In the kingdom of God, wealth is generated through giving it away, and the currency of this realm is grace, generosity, and thanksgiving.
Outline
- 1. The Gospel Economy of Giving (2 Cor 9:6-15)
- a. The Principle: Sowing and Reaping (2 Cor 9:6)
- b. The Posture: Cheerful Generosity (2 Cor 9:7)
- c. The Power: God's Abundant Grace (2 Cor 9:8-11)
- i. God's All-Sufficient Supply (2 Cor 9:8)
- ii. The Righteousness of Generosity (2 Cor 9:9)
- iii. God the Multiplier (2 Cor 9:10-11)
- d. The Purpose: Thanksgiving and Glory to God (2 Cor 9:12-14)
- e. The Foundation: The Indescribable Gift (2 Cor 9:15)
Clause-by-Clause Commentary
Verse 6
Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows with blessing will also reap with blessing.
Paul begins with a principle that is woven into the fabric of creation. This is agricultural logic, and it is unassailable. If a farmer is tight-fisted with his seed, he will have a meager harvest. This is not karma; it is cause and effect in God's world. The application to giving is direct. Stinginess toward God and His people results in a stingy return. But notice the parallel. The one who sows "with blessing" will reap "with blessing." The Greek is eulogiais, which means blessings or good words. This is not just about quantity. It is about the spirit of the gift. The generous giver is sowing benedictions, and he will reap a harvest of the same. This is a world away from the world's zero-sum thinking, which assumes the pie is a fixed size. God's economy is one of glorious, generative abundance.
Verse 7
Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
This verse gets to the heart of the matter. Christian giving is, first, to be deliberate. Each one has "purposed in his heart." This is not a response to a slick, emotional appeal. This is a considered, thoughtful, planned act of worship. Second, it must be free. "Not grudgingly or under compulsion." This cuts the legs out from under every form of ministerial manipulation, every guilt-inducing fundraising tactic. God is not interested in money that has been pried out of a clenched fist. He is not trying to fill His coffers by force. The world is His and the fullness thereof. He wants to cultivate a certain kind of character in His people. And this brings us to the third point. "For God loves a cheerful giver." The Greek word for cheerful is hilaron, from which we get our word hilarious. God loves a hilarious giver, one whose generosity is so uncalculating and joyful that it is almost startling. This kind of cheerfulness is not something we can work up; it is a fruit of the Spirit, a direct result of understanding the gospel.
Verse 8
And God is able to make every grace abound to you, so that in everything at every time having every sufficiency, you may have an abundance for every good deed;
The cheerful heart of the giver is met by the open hand of God. Paul piles up the "alls" here to make the point inescapable: every grace, in everything, at every time, having every sufficiency. This is maximalist language. God is not a stingy supplier. He is able to make grace abound. And what is the purpose of this overflowing abundance? It is not so that we might accumulate creature comforts. It is so that we "may have an abundance for every good deed." God's grace flows to us so that it might flow through us. We are intended to be conduits of His generosity, not reservoirs for hoarding it.
Verse 9
as it is written, "HE SCATTERED ABROAD, HE GAVE TO THE NEEDY, HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS STANDS FOREVER."
Paul anchors this principle in the Old Testament, quoting from Psalm 112:9. This demonstrates that the gospel economy is not a new invention. The man who fears the Lord has always been characterized by this kind of open-handed generosity. He "scattered abroad," like a sower flinging seed with abandon. And notice the result: "His righteousness stands forever." In the Bible's way of thinking, this kind of radical generosity is not in tension with righteousness; it is an expression of it. Justice and mercy are not opposites; true righteousness is merciful and generous.
Verse 10
Now He who supplies SEED TO THE SOWER AND BREAD FOR FOOD will supply and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness;
Here Paul makes it plain that God is the ultimate source of everything in this transaction. He is the one who provides both the "seed to the sower" (our resources to give away) and the "bread for food" (our own provision). We are never giving out of our own independent stock. But God does more than just supply; He multiplies. He will "multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness." Our act of giving is a seed, which God takes and causes to grow into a harvest. And that harvest is one of "righteousness." Our generosity is an act of faith that God honors by producing more righteousness in and through us.
Verse 11
you will be enriched in everything for all generosity, which through us is bringing about thanksgiving to God.
The cycle continues. God enriches His people, and the designated purpose of that enrichment is "for all generosity." The end goal is not our wealth, but our ability to be even more generous. And this generosity has an ultimate destination. It is "bringing about thanksgiving to God." The material gift passes from the Corinthians, through Paul, to the saints in Jerusalem. But the transaction does not end there. It rises vertically as the Jerusalem saints give thanks to God. The true aim of Christian charity is not simply to alleviate need, but to provoke worship.
Verse 12
For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, but is also abounding through many thanksgivings to God.
Paul spells out the dual effect of this collection, this diakonia or service. Yes, it meets a real, practical, material need. It is "supplying the needs of the saints." That is good and right. But that is the lesser effect. The greater effect is that it is "abounding through many thanksgivings to God." The spiritual fruit is more significant than the material fruit. The true profit in this exchange is measured in the currency of doxology.
Verse 13
Because of the proven character given by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ and for the generosity of your fellowship toward them and toward all,
The giving of the Corinthians serves as a proof (dokimes), a test that reveals their true character. And what does it prove? It proves the reality of their profession. The recipients will "glorify God" not for the Corinthians' kindness, but for their "obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ." Their open wallets are the tangible evidence of their open hearts. If you confess the gospel, which is about God's lavish generosity to sinners, then a corresponding generosity should mark your life. Their giving authenticates their confession, and God gets the glory for it.
Verse 14
while they also, by prayer on your behalf, long for you because of the surpassing grace of God on you.
The cycle of grace comes full circle. The recipients, filled with gratitude, now respond toward the givers. They pray for them and long for fellowship with them. But notice the reason. They long for them "because of the surpassing grace of God on you." They see the generosity of the Corinthians not as a human achievement but as evidence of God's extraordinary grace at work in them. They don't praise the Corinthians; they see God's grace on the Corinthians and are drawn to them as a result. This generosity bridges divides and knits the body of Christ together in mutual affection and prayer.
Verse 15
Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!
After laying out this entire glorious economy of giving and receiving and thanksgiving, Paul cannot contain himself. He erupts in a doxology. All of this is possible because of one foundational gift. What is this "indescribable gift"? It is Christ Himself. God so loved the world that He gave. He gave His only Son. Every other gift, every act of grace, every cheerful giver, every harvest of righteousness, is downstream from this one, ultimate, unspeakable gift. Our giving is never the initiation of a transaction; it is always and only a grateful, creaturely response to the God who has already given us everything in His Son. He is the true cheerful giver, who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross. All our hilarious generosity is but a faint echo of His.
Application
The principles here are profoundly practical. First, our giving must be rooted in the logic of God's world, not the world's scarcity mindset. We are farmers of grace, and we should sow accordingly. Second, the condition of our heart is paramount. We must reject all giving that comes from guilt, pressure, or a desire for recognition. We are to be cheerful, hilarious givers, reflecting the joyful heart of our giving God. Third, we must recognize that we are simply stewards. God provides the seed and the bread, and He is the one who brings the harvest. Our role is to be faithful conduits. Finally, we must always keep the ultimate goal in view. Our giving is intended to produce a harvest of thanksgiving that brings glory to God. It is a tool for worship. And all of it is a response to the great gift of Christ, which we can never describe, but for which we can give thanks with our lives and our possessions.