2 Corinthians 8:8-9 I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. 9 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.
Paul does not want to force the Corinthians to give to this special offering for the saints in Jerusalem. They need to do this out of love, compassion, and generosity. Paul builds on the Corinthians’ enthusiasm and zeal for the Lord and how they want to grow in grace. This is seen in the repetition of the word spoude from v. 7. The reference to this zeal and earnestness is to what the Macedonians have done. Their giving serves as a model to the Corinthians. How they respond to this example of zeal will show how genuine and sincere their own love is. They could give out of selfishness, perhaps in a form of boasting in their own efforts. Or they could give out of love that is the response to God’s grace working in them and moving them to respond in the same way God responds to us.
The prime example of this giving is the Lord Jesus Christ in verse 9. Again, Paul comes back to the idea of grace. It is God’s grace seen and experienced in Christ that any of this giving can take place. This is something the Corinthians should know. This message of grace was at the heart of Paul’s preaching. This verse echoes the idea behind Philippians 2:5-11: Jesus as the Son of God humbled himself and took the form of a human. He gave up his power as divine and became a poor human who learned obedience and trust of the Father, thereby giving us an example of humility and self-giving love. He did this “for your sake.” He did this so that we might be saved and come to know the depth of God’s love. He came to walk the earth in total trust to suffer and die so that we might have eternal life. The type of “richness” we receive is not measured in earthly terms but in heavenly and eternal wealth. This is resurrection hope that outlasts any suffering we may experience. This is good news for us because of the struggles and challenges we all face. It is from this deep experience of new life that we give to others. Our giving should be the sign of the overflow of God’s love shed abroad in our hearts through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.
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