2 Corinthians 9

When Paul writes to the church in Corinth about the ministry for the saints, He uses two words that people have come to use in very different ways than he did. The first is the word “ministry,” and it is used here to refer to their giving as an act of their worship and as an expression of their love for God and His people. The second is the word “saints,” which refers to all the members of the Lord’s church, those set apart from the world at large, with particular reference here to those who are part of the largely Jewish Christian church in Jerusalem. Therefore the ministry for the saints that Paul is speaking of here is the act of worship where the lovers of Christ in Corinth are gathering their resources for the purpose of giving a needed gift to the lovers of Christ in Jerusalem.

This specific ministry for the saints fits within the larger ministry for the saints in all times and places where God expresses His love for His people through the worship, teaching, and service of His church. This broadly defined ministry for the saints, and all the specific examples of the ministry for the saints that the Lord’s people are engaged in, are closely connected to the apostolic message of the love of God for His people. Our belief about what Christ has done for His own on the cross has everything to do with the way that we live out that faith together as the church in true Christ-directed cross-based love.

The way we get stirred up to do acts of service ministry is through the hearing and feeling of the word-based ministry of the love of God for sinners. We should not think that Christian acts of service have nothing to do with the teaching of the cross. It is from the love of God expressed to us through the cross that loving service for the church (and ultimately for the world) must flow. If the people in Corinth are ready to give sacrificially for the good of the church in Jerusalem, it is because their hearts have been changed by the love of God to us in Jesus Christ.

Paul has bragged about the church in Corinth when he spoke in churches in Macedonia. He has said that the Corinthians are so moved by what Christ has done for them that they want to give generously. This example had an impact on the Macedonian churches. They did not want to be left behind in this grace of giving. Paul does not want the Corinthian church to be embarrassed when he comes with messengers from Macedonia. They need to have taken action so that the collection is ready, or they will look like hypocrites who do not really love God or His church.

He uses this occasion to succinctly note some very important principals of Christian giving. The first of these is that what you give, you somehow get. This is not a get-rich quick scheme. The getting might not be material entirely. As he says in another place, godliness with contentment is great gain. If you want great blessings of contentment and of anything else that God should choose to give by way of encouragement, you should not be stingy with the love of Christ that flows through you to others.

Here’s another important thought: Giving is a privilege. It is not an occasion to think of ourselves too highly, but to remember that God is being so kind to us to show us this opportunity to serve Him. That should make you happy. If it makes you mad, something went wrong in your mind somewhere, and you need to find out what it is and change. That means going back to the cross and resurrection as starting points and remembering the gift that you have been given.

One more thing to consider: God can do lots of good things for your heart. Having lots of money or possessions does not guarantee anyone’s well-being. In fact, more often than not, having too much causes problems that are often too big to handle. But having God in fullest measure and letting His presence in you be expressed in mercy to others is a very good way to gain all kinds of graces in abounding portions, and with it the contentment that can not be bought with gold.

Here’s a final lesson of giving in the form of a question: Do you want to see people all over the church and the world give heartfelt thanks to God? You can help bring that about by letting the love of Christ flow through you in generous Christian giving. He is not only the supplier of both seed and also bread when it comes to food; He is also the beginning and end of every expression of righteousness and every other spiritual and material prosperity. When God works through you to bless others, people start thanking Him. Don’t you want to see God’s name honored as more and more people thank Him on account of something He let you do for someone else?

What is your life about anyway, if it is not in some way about the privilege of serving God and His people through honest love? Your ticket into this tremendous opportunity is hearing and responding to the gospel of Jesus Christ. You have heard of God’s inexpressible gift for you in Jesus Christ. You have believed that you have a future and a hope on account of His suffering. You have confessed this with your lips and have lived it out in your life. Now people you do not even know, when they come to God with real thanksgiving are thanking Him because of something that He let you have a part in, something that you were allowed to quietly do in His Name. This is just another blessing from on high. You cannot outgive God! He will give all kinds of things to people who receive the love of the Lord and give out that love freely in the Name of Jesus. This kind of giving of our lives is the privilege of the work God calls the ministry for the saints.