2 Corinthians 8:13-15 For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness 14 your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness. 15 As it is written, “Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.”
These verses are a call to full cooperation among the early believers. Paul’s principle is one of fairness. When one person or group has plenty and another person or group is lacking, the one with more should give to the one lacking. We give to others out of our abundance, realizing that at some point, we may be the ones in need. When we see someone in need and we have what can meet that need, we should give out of our abundance.
There are several excuses people come up with for not giving to others. The word “abundance” may be misunderstood or scare people. They may think, “I don’t have much money myself. How can I give to others?” “Abundance” here can simply mean something beyond the minimum we need to survive and function in our situation. Most people have extra in their lives beyond the basic necessities. The “need” in these verses indicates deficiency and not having the basic requirements for survival or to maintain a basic standard of living (food, clothing, shelter). Paul is challenging the Corinthians to see that they have so much more than what they need. They can sacrifice from this abundance in order to meet the needs of others.
Paul confronts here another excuse that some people have for giving to others or to the mission of the church. This excuse can be paraphrased as follows: “I don’t want to give to those people because they need to get a job and earn their own way.” Or, “I don’t want to encourage laziness.” This excuse comes from the position of privilege. It is far too easy in our day to lose a job, lose a house, and soon end up homeless. Most people do not have a safety net upon which to fall back in case of an emergency. Even if a person could get a job, we still give out of love. Jesus had strong words about this in his Sermon on the Mount, for example, “Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you” (Matthew 5:42).
Paul quotes Exodus 16:18 as support for the idea that no Christian should be in need when others can meet that need. The early church had all things in common (Acts 4:32). This type of giving takes a great love for others and faith in the providence of God. This will show the type of spiritual maturity that Paul is urging the Corinthians to have.
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