The Cheerful Avalanche of Grace Text: 2 Corinthians 9:6-15
Introduction: God's Anti-Scarcity Economy
We live in a world that is governed by the iron law of scarcity. There is only so much to go around. If I have more, you necessarily have less. This is the fundamental assumption of all pagan economics, from the most brutal forms of Marxism to the most grasping forms of crony capitalism. The operating principle is fear. Fear of not having enough. This fear leads men to clench their fists, to hoard their resources, to build bigger barns, and to view their neighbor as a competitor. And sadly, this pagan mindset has crept into the church like a fog. Christians often view giving as a grim duty, a divine tax that must be paid to keep the lights on. Or, on the other end of the spectrum, they treat it like a cosmic slot machine, a transactional trick to get God to give them more stuff. Both are rooted in the same lie of scarcity.
But the Kingdom of God operates on a completely different economy. It is an economy of glorious, unending, overflowing abundance. It is an agricultural economy, not a financial one. In God's economy, the way to increase is not to hoard, but to scatter. The way to get more is to give more away. This is not a paradox to be puzzled over; it is a fundamental law of the created order, as real as gravity. When God calls us to give, He is not calling us to deplete ourselves. He is inviting us to step into the river of His grace, to become conduits of His blessing. He wants to channel an avalanche of grace through us, and our generosity is what opens the sluice gates.
In this passage, Paul is not giving the Corinthians a fundraising lecture. He is not guilting them or twisting their arms. He is unfolding for them the glorious spiritual physics of gospel-patronage. He is showing them how their material gifts are caught up in a grand, supernatural cycle of grace, righteousness, and thanksgiving that ultimately brings all glory back to God. This is not about balancing the church budget. This is about participating in the very life of our generous, giving God.
The Text
Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows with blessing will also reap with blessing. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 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; as it is written, “HE SCATTERED ABROAD, HE GAVE TO THE NEEDY, HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS STANDS FOREVER.” 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; you will be enriched in everything for all generosity, which through us is bringing about thanksgiving to God. 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. 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, while they also, by prayer on your behalf, long for you because of the surpassing grace of God on you. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!
(2 Corinthians 9:6-15 LSB)
The Law of the Harvest (v. 6)
Paul begins with a foundational principle of reality.
"Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows with blessing will also reap with blessing." (2 Corinthians 9:6)
This is the law of the harvest. It is simple, direct, and inescapable. What you put in the ground determines what you get out of the ground. A farmer who is stingy with his seed will have a pathetic crop. He can't sit in his farmhouse all spring, clutching his seed bags, and then expect a bumper crop in the fall. That's insanity. But a farmer who sows generously, who sows "with blessing," will reap a corresponding harvest. The phrase "with blessing" indicates an attitude of joyful consecration. He's not just tossing seed; he is investing it with hope and purpose, blessing it as it goes.
This is God's design for the world. It applies to everything, not just money. If you sow sparingly in your relationships, you will reap a sparse harvest of friendship. If you sow sparingly in your studies, you will reap a sparse harvest of knowledge. And if you sow sparingly with the resources God has entrusted to you, you will reap a sparse harvest. This is not a threat from God. It is a promise. It is how His world works. He is inviting us to align ourselves with reality.
The Heart of the Giver (v. 7)
The law of the harvest is objective, but the application of it is deeply personal. It flows from the heart.
"Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." (2 Corinthians 9:7)
Notice the sequence. The decision to give is to be "purposed in his heart." This is not a reaction to a slick, emotional appeal from the pulpit. It is a premeditated, deliberate, and joyful decision made before the Lord. This kind of giving is thoughtful, not impulsive. It is a settled conviction.
And because it is a settled conviction, it is free from two corrupting influences: grudging reluctance and external compulsion. God is not interested in money given with a pained expression, as though He were the divine tax collector. Nor is He interested in gifts given because of pressure from others. God is not a bully. He desires worship, and giving is a central act of worship. A gift given from a resentful heart is not worship; it is an insult.
For God loves a "cheerful" giver. The Greek word here is hilaron, from which we get our word "hilarious." God loves a hilarious giver. He loves the kind of giving that is so full of joy, so free from anxiety, so confident in God's provision, that it looks almost reckless to the world. This is the laughter of faith. It is the natural, joyful expression of a heart that has been truly set free by the gospel. You cannot work up this cheerfulness. It is a fruit of grace.
The Divine Source of All Grace (v. 8-11)
So where does this hilarious cheerfulness come from? It comes from a rock-solid confidence in the God who supplies everything.
"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..." (2 Corinthians 9:8)
This verse is the engine that drives the entire enterprise. Paul piles up universal terms to describe the overwhelming nature of God's provision. Every grace, in everything, at every time, having every sufficiency, for every good deed. This is an avalanche of divine enablement. Our giving does not originate with us. It originates with the God who is able to make all grace abound to us.
And what is the purpose of this abundance? It is not so we can accumulate luxuries and live a life of ease. The purpose is explicitly stated: "that you may have an abundance for every good deed." God does not fill our barns so we can admire them. He fills them so we have seed to sow. We are not meant to be reservoirs of grace; we are meant to be channels. God's grace flows to us so that it might flow through us. Stinginess clogs the channel. Generosity opens it wider.
Paul then quotes Psalm 112, which describes the righteous man as one who "scattered abroad, he gave to the needy." This is what righteousness looks like in shoe leather. It is open-handed. It scatters. Then Paul makes a crucial distinction. God supplies "seed to the sower and bread for food." He gives us enough to live on (bread) and enough to give away (seed). The fool panics and eats his seed. The wise man eats his bread, trusts God, and sows his seed, knowing that God is the one who will "supply and multiply" it and "increase the harvest of your righteousness." The act of giving is itself a means of grace that makes us more righteous.
The end goal of all this is doxology. God enriches us "for all generosity, which through us is bringing about thanksgiving to God." Our giving is a catalyst for worship. It completes a glorious circuit: God gives to us, we give to others, and they give thanks back to God.
The Glorious Ripple Effect (v. 12-14)
This act of giving sets off a chain reaction of blessing that extends far beyond the initial transaction.
"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." (2 Corinthians 9:12)
First, the practical need is met. The poor saints in Jerusalem are fed. This is the tangible, earthly result. But it doesn't stop there. Second, it results in an overflow of thanksgiving to God. The recipients praise God for His provision. Third, the gift serves as proof of the Corinthians' faith. It demonstrates the reality of their "obedience to your confession of the gospel." Talk is cheap. Generosity is proof that the gospel has actually taken root in a person's heart.
Fourth, it causes the recipients to glorify God for the Corinthians' generosity. It becomes a powerful testimony. And fifth, it forges a deep, spiritual bond between the two churches. The Jerusalem saints, in response, begin to long for the Corinthians and pray for them, recognizing the "surpassing grace of God on you." Giving weaves the fabric of the church together in a tapestry of mutual love, prayer, and fellowship.
The Indescribable Gift (v. 15)
Paul concludes by bringing everything back to the ultimate source and motivation for all Christian giving.
"Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" (2 Corinthians 9:15)
After describing this whole economy of grace, Paul's heart erupts in praise. But what is this "indescribable gift?" It is not the Corinthians' offering. It is not the fellowship of the saints. It is the gift of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. This is the foundation upon which everything else is built.
We are not generous in order to get God to be generous to us. We are generous because He has already been indescribably generous to us in Christ. He did not sow His only Son sparingly. He gave Him up for us all. At the cross, God the Father was the ultimate hilarious giver. He joyfully and freely gave His most precious treasure for the salvation of His enemies. All our giving, no matter how sacrificial it may seem to us, is just a small, grateful echo of that ultimate gift.
Therefore, our giving is a response. It is the joyful reply of a heart that has been overwhelmed by grace. We do not give out of guilt or compulsion. We give because we can't help it. Having received a gift that is beyond all description, how can we do anything but let that grace flow through us to others? We are cheerful givers because we serve a cheerful God who has given us everything in His Son. Thanks be to God.