2 Corinthians 9:8-9 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 “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.”
This is God’s response to those who give with the attitude of joy and generosity. God’s grace will be in abundance for those who give. First, “God is able” to do this. He is the source of grace and blessing. We must recognize that all we have comes from God. We are only stewards of these blessings. How will we use these blessings? We can hoard them, ending up feeding our selfishness. Or, we can use them to God’s glory. God is glorified when people act in faith and trust in what God is convicting us to do. Second, “all grace” shows the extent of God’s giving. There is no limit to God’s grace since it all comes through the gift of the Son, the incarnate Word and sustainer of the universe. Third, this will be abounded to us. It will be more than efficient to meet our needs and help us fulfill God’s will for us. Sometimes we may not see this at the moment we are called to give. In a situation like this, it will take faith to step up to this call. But our faith has a sure focus in God’s grace in Jesus Christ.
The results of God’s grace working in us is that we will have all of our needs met. Paul uses the word “all” (Greek pan) five times in v. 8, which stresses the awesomeness of God can do in our lives when we trust him through the act of giving.
All sufficiency refers to having everything we need. We are content because all of our needs are met. God’s grace will help us develop this attitude, even when it may seem like things are not sufficient and we do not know how we will pay the bills. We realize that there is more to life than what we eat or what we wear. Even in our poverty, we see that God has given us his love and provide to us eternal life.
All things shows the inclusiveness of God’s grace. There is nothing in our lives that will not be touched by the work of God’s grace. Our giving is not one small compartment of our lives but affects everything about us. In the same way, a stingy spirit of giving will affect us in a negative way.
All times shows there is no limit to when God’s grace will work. We may think that our giving is only a quick act on Sunday morning in the worship service. But it actually shows our lifestyle. God’s grace does not just work in our lives during Sunday morning worship. This is a lifestyle issue that impacts every moment. A generous spirit infiltrates our whole existence and will move us to become more loving, Christlike people.
The purpose and outcome of God’s grace working in our lives is to enable us to abound in every good work. We will not just get by but we will thrive in what God has created us to do. When we let God’s grace in Christ work in our lives, we will be equipped for every good work he has purposed for us (Ephesians 2:8-10). The key to this whole sequence is living in trust of God’s promises. We can return to some of Paul’s opening thought sin this letter, that Jesus is the “yes” of God. All of God’s promises are found in Jesus (2 Corinthians 1:20).
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