2 Corinthians 9:1-2 Now it is unnecessary for me to write to you about the ministry for the saints, 2 for I know your readiness, of which I boast about you to the people of Macedonia, saying that Achaia has been ready since last year. And your zeal has stirred up most of them.
The topic of the offering to Jerusalem continues in this chapter. It almost looks like there was a pause between chs. 8 and 9, as if Paul came back to the topic after some interruption. That would certainly be possible with such a long letter like this. The first verse bridges ch. 8 to ch. 9. It is almost ironic in that Paul has done exactly what he considers not to be necessary to do. This could be a rhetorical ploy to emphasize any key ideas from the previous chapter or to introduce any new ideas to the situation. The significant phrase in this first verse is “the ministry for the holy ones.” This offering would do great service and provide needed aid to the believers in Jerusalem. The word “saints” should not be interpreted in the sense of any elite group of Christians. Paul even called the fleshly Corinthians “saints” in 1 Corinthians 1:2. All Christians are made holy by the blood of Christ. But there is also the necessary response of obedience through total commitment and consecration. Spiritual holiness must lead to ethical holiness.
In v. 2, Paul builds up the Corinthians by boasting in their “readiness” or “willingness” to participate in this offering. Just as the Corinthians have heard about the Macedonians, the Macedonians have heard about them. This verse creates a bit of “sanctified competition” in order to inspire the Corinthians to step up to he situation and make a difference by their own giving. They have been thinking about this for a year and now need to act to complete it. If they have been excited about this, why is Paul putting so much effort in this letter (two whole chapters) on this topic? It would appear that they have not followed through with their faith promise. They have been excited about this ministry but not done anything about it. There are people and churches like that. They get excited about a ministry, especially after hearing about it. But then the enthusiasm dies away and nothing is done about the situation. Zeal must lead to action.
For older posts, click here.