Bible Study for Life for the Week of March 30, 2014 Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:6-15. “Work Your Plan” The Point: Generous giving should glorify God and reflect Christ’s giving. 1. The Cheerful Giver: 2 Corinthians 9:6-9. (6) The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. (7) Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (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. (9) As it is written, (see Psalm 112:9) He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever. (ESV) The stress in verse 6 falls on a proverbial saying, of which the first part may have been an agricultural proverb in that day: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. In the agricultural society of the first century, the activities of sowing and reaping lay close to the hearts of the people. The sower in Jesus’ parable (Matt. 13:3-9) did not close his hand when he saw that some kernels would fall on the beaten path, the rocky soil, and the briar patch. He sowed generously as he strode across the field. He trusts that God will grant him the satisfaction of reaping a harvest. This is also true spiritually. Reluctance implies a clinging to possessions that one hardly wants to give; and when they have been given, the giver grieves. Giving must be voluntary and individually motivated. In the service of the Lord grace begets grace, although the believer’s grace in joyful giving can hardly be compared with God’s abounding grace to the believer. In conclusion, all the spiritual and physical gifts are included in the word grace. Paul then states the result of God’s abounding grace: so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 2. God Supplies all Things: 2 Corinthians 9:10-11. (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. (11) You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. (ESV) God is the source of the seed, which is likened to righteousness, and God produces the crop. Paul’s interpretation of the Psalm (112) is drawn from his observation of the farming process. The seed planted provides a harvest and enough seed to plant next year’s harvest. But this statement also reflects the basic confession of Judaism that God graciously provides all of the bounty of nature. The one who is generous acts on the assured faith that God bountifully supplies bread for the sower and multiplies the seed for future harvests. The more we sow, the greater the harvest. What we do with our money becomes a litmus test for our relationship to God. If we try to hoard it or to spend it all on ourselves, that should set off alarm bells that our relationship with God is out of balance. The second half of the verse introduces the theme of thanksgiving by those who receive their gifts. Giving to others becomes a kind of thank-offering to God that multiplies itself. We thank God for what we have received; others thank God for what they have received from us. 3. Giving Results in Thanksgiving to God: 2 Corinthians 9:12-15. (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. (13) By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission flowing from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, (14) while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. (15) Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift! (ESV) In this epistle, Paul makes use of the word ministry more than in any other letter. Here ministry is a word that describes the religious service of Gentile Christians to the Jewish Christians in the capital of Israel. It refers to the harvest of righteousness that the Gentile churches reap. This interpretation describes the people who obey God, give thanks to Him for Christian fellowship, and help one another by participating in the collection. In the second part of this verse, Paul stresses two verbs that are written in the progressive tense: ‘is supplying’ and ‘is overflowing’. In view of the protracted time during which the giving and the receiving occurred, Paul appropriately writes the progressive tense. The characteristics of genuine love toward the needy are revealed in words of praise to God. The service of the ministry is performed by the donors; in this text, the Corinthians. The recipients of their gifts are the saints in Jerusalem, who will approve the genuine love of the Gentile churches. As a result of this testing, the people in Jerusalem will magnify God’s name. Paul knew the mind and heart of the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. He had positive proof of the genuine love demonstrated by the Macedonian churches: their collection. He also was confident that the Corinthians would not disappoint him in showing their tangible love. Paul expresses his gratitude to God for his inexpressible gift of Jesus Christ. This gift of God to the world is the birth, ministry, suffering, death, resurrection, ascension, and eventual return of His Son. Questions for Discussion: 1. What further principles of giving does Paul give us in these verses? 2. What does it mean to be a cheerful giver? 3. What role does the surpassing grace of God play in Christian giving? Biblical Truths from these Verses: 1. If you desire to reap a great spiritual harvest, plant a big crop (verse 6). 2. God loves givers who give cheerfully not because they feel they must (verse 7). 3. God blesses those who give by His grace with sufficiency in all things and at all times so that they may continue to be a blessing to others (verse 8). 4. God gives freely and graciously even to the poor (verse 9). 5. God will multiply the seed and harvest of the faithful sower (verse 10). 6. God enriches His children to the purpose of generosity (verse 11). 7. We have a ministry to supply the needs of God’s people (verse 12). 8. The ministry of caring for God’s people produces great thanksgiving to God (verse 12). 9. Giving is a form of confessing the gospel of Christ (verse 13).
Posted on: Fri, 28 Mar 2014 02:44:02 +0000
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