Bible Commentaries
2 Corinthians 9

Verse 1

2Co 9:1

2 Corinthians 9:1

For as touching the ministering to the saints, it is super­fluous for me to write to you:—[While saying this, he does write further on this very subject, not because they were igno­rant, but because the subject is of such importance that it will bear repetition. He was so full of the importance of the sub­ject, and with a single aim of doing good, that it caused him to make this repetition.]

Verses 1-15

2Co 9:

2 Corinthians 9:9

as it is written, He hath scattered abroad, he hath given to the poor;—This teaches as clearly as any passage in the Old Testament that God bestows temporal blessings as well as spiritual, and that he bestows them in response to a free and hearty consecration to the Lord.

His righteousness abideth for ever.—[Righteousness here means general excellence or virtue, as manifested in benefi­cence. When it is said that his beneficence shall abide forever, the meaning is that he can go on giving from a constantly re­plenished store.]

Verse 2

2Co 9:2

2 Corinthians 9:2

for I know your readiness, of which I glory on your behalf to them of Macedonia, that Achaia hath been prepared for a year past;—[Having urged the example of the generosity of the Macedonians (2 Corinthians 8:1-5), he now very tactfully states that he has been using the readiness of Achaia to stimulate the Mace­donians, glorying that Achaia had been in readiness to take part in the work for the past year.]

and your zeal hath stirred up very many of them.—[He now tells them that the zeal of Achaia, as he had presented it, had been largely instrumental in stimulating the Macedonians to their splendid liberality.]

Verse 3

2Co 9:3

2 Corinthians 9:3

But I have sent the brethren, that our glorying on your behalf may not be made void in this respect;—He sent Titus and his two companions lest they should fail to complete the work of which he had gloried, and his glorying would seem to be without ground.

that, even as I said, ye may be prepared:—So these breth­ren were sent to them to urge them that they might be ready. [It is plain that he could not have told the Macedonians that the collection at Corinth had already been made, because he not only knew that such was not the fact, but in this very pas­sage refers to the work as yet to be accomplished. The fact is that he had said the Corinthians were ready to do their part in the business, now he urges them to complete it.]

Verse 4

2Co 9:4

2 Corinthians 9:4

lest by any means, if there come with me any of Mace­donia and find you unprepared, we (that we say not, ye) should be put to shame in this confidence.—Lest any of those from Macedonia who had heard Paul glorying of the churches of Achaia, especially of the Corinthians, come and find that they had done but little, he would, to say nothing of them, be put to shame for having gloried in their readiness.

Verse 5

2Co 9:5

2 Corinthians 9:5

I thought it necessary therefore to entreat the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your afore-promised bounty,—He wished them to do it deliber­ately and willingly, so he sent beforehand these brethren to teach and encourage them that their hearts might be willing and so have it all ready as a cheerful gift. In this way it would bring a blessing to them, as well be one to the needy.

that the same might be ready as a matter of bounty, and not of extortion.—If Paul and his company reached there on the way to Judea with the gifts, and did not find them ready, and it was raised under pressure, it would seem to be extorted from unwilling hearts. [Here bounty stands in opposition to extortion, the former meaning that which is given generously and the latter that which is extorted or wrested from one un­willing to give. So far as the Christians are concerned, no amount of money obtained from them as a mere extortion would have done any good. The element of cheerfulness and generosity must be in the gift before the giver himself can be blessed. At another time he said: “Not that I seek for the gift; but I seek for the fruit that increaseth to your account.” (Philippians 4:17). Here, as elsewhere, the value and usefulness of money are freely admitted, but the matter of still higher value and more serious consequence, “the fruit that increaseth to your account,” is brought prominently to the front and sol­emnly emphasized.]

Verse 6

2Co 9:6

2 Corinthians 9:6

But this I say, He that soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly;—He lays down the principle of God’s dealings, both in nature and grace. He that sows a scanty measure of seed in his soil will reap a scanty harvest. The giving to the Lord is one way of sowing spiritual seed; and he that sows with a penurious hand will reap blessings sparingly.

and he that soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.—He who gives to the Lord liberally will reap a bountiful harvest of blessings from God. This principle applies only to those in Christ, who, in his name, give help to those in need. When we give to be seen of men to gain honor, or from any selfish motive, we receive our reward in the praise of men. What constitutes bountiful giving in the Lord’s esteem? We cannot determine for ourselves what is liberal. At least we cannot expect God to adopt each man’s standard. God is to be the judge. There is but one way, and that is to go to the Old Testament and see what he expected of the Jews, who were less blessed than we are. He cannot require of us less than he did of them. Indeed the scriptures abound with clear intima­tions that he expects much more than he did of them. He de­mands of us our all, if his honor and the good of man require it.

Verse 7

2Co 9:7

2 Corinthians 9:7

Let each man do according as he hath purposed in his heart:—Every man is required to give, no one is exempt; but what is given must be the purpose of the heart, not having it forced from him so as to cause him pain to think of the sacri­fice made.

not grudgingly,—It is not to proceed out of a reluctant state of mind, grieving after what is given as so much lost. God will not accept a gift grudgingly and unwillingly made.

or of necessity:—Not constrained by circumstances to give, when one prefers not to do it. Oftentimes the giving is done sorrowfully, when the giver is induced to give by regard to public opinion, or the stress of circumstances.

for God loveth a cheerful giver.—A cheerful giver is one to whom giving is a delight, who does it with joy. The messen­gers, then, were to convince them that it was right to make a sacrifice so that their hearts would be willing to give. This is the work that ought to be done. This is the work that should be done in every congregation. They should not be begged to give against their will; but their hearts should be made will­ing by teaching the will of the Lord on the subject.

All gifts to be acceptable to God must be freewill, voluntary gifts. The giver must be pleased with the opportunity and ability to give. It must be the purpose of the heart. Certainly, with these admonitions, it will appear to every thoughtful child of God, that it is as necessary that offerings should be freely given in order to be acceptable to the Lord as that baptism should be freely entered into to be acceptable to him. A forced baptism, one submitted to unwillingly—one in which the subject is entrapped—would be just as acceptable to God as offerings made unwillingly or extracted from men by worldly and fleshly appeals, or secured by indirect means. They all defile and corrupt the spiritual temple of God and make it an unfit “habitation of God in the Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:22).

Verse 8

2Co 9:8

2 Corinthians 9:8

And God is able to make all grace abound unto you;—This was a promise to them if they would faithfully do as God directed in relieving the poor and carrying forward his work, he would make all favors and blessings abound unto them.

that ye, having always all sufficiency in everything, may abound unto every good work:—This as clearly teaches as any passage in the Old Testament that God bestows temporal blessings under the new dispensation as well as spiritual, and that he does it in response to a free and hearty consecration to the Lord on our part. All grace here is favor in temporal good, that the Christian having all sufficiency may abound unto every good work. To the Philippians, Paul says: “I have all things, and abound: I am filled, having received from Epaphroditus the things that came from you, an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God. And my God shall supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:18-19).

In these things it may be asked: “Does God violate his laws to bless his children?” Nay, I do not believe God violates his laws to do anything. But his laws are multiform and far- reaching. One law acting alone might produce one result, another law working in harmony with it would greatly modify that result. A law working without prayer or a life of conse­cration on our part might produce one result, acting in har­mony with the influence growing out of prayer and self-sacri­fice to God and that result is greatly modified. The prayer and consecration so harmonize with all the laws of God that the working of every law bears blessings to him who prays and consecrates himself to God.

Verse 10

2Co 9:10

2 Corinthians 9:10

And he that supplieth seed to the sower and bread for food, shall supply and multiply your seed for sowing,—What­ever is done through the working of God’s laws, God does. Through the laws of God, seed is given to him that sows. [When a man sows seed in his field, God provides him with the means of sowing again. He not only gives him a harvest, but blesses him also in giving him the ability to sow again.]

and increase the fruits of your righteousness:—God gives freely to him who gives freely to others. So God multiplies what is given and increases the means of doing good.

Verse 11

2Co 9:11

2 Corinthians 9:11

ye being enriched in everything unto all liberality,—Con­necting back with verse 8, he means that the blessings of God will be enriched so that the giver may be enabled to abound in liberality.

which worketh through us thanksgiving to God.—Liberal­ity being administered through the Corinthians to the needy will cause them to render much thanksgiving to God. [ So the good effects of the liberality of Christians is not limited to the relief of the temporal necessities of their brethren; it had the higher effect of promoting gratitude and praise to God.]

Verse 12

2Co 9:12

2 Corinthians 9:12

For the ministration of this service not only filleth up the measure of the wants of the saints,—The distribution of this service not only supplied the wants of the needy, but caused the thanksgivings of many to abound to God. [These results were evident, for by thus showing their liberality to the Jew­ish Christians they proved to them that they were indeed true and obedient believers in Christ.]

but aboundeth also through many thanksgivings unto God;—It carried the thought that the gifts ascended to God through the thanksgiving of those helped. [Unfeigned gener­osity is in its very nature a sacrifice of praise to God—the an­swer of our love to his; and it has its best effects when it evokes the thanksgivings to God of those who are the recipi­ents of it. Wherever love is, he must be first and last.]

Verse 13

2Co 9:13

2 Corinthians 9:13

seeing that through the proving of you by this ministra­tion they glorify God for the obedience of your confession unto the gospel of Christ, and for the liberality of your contribution unto them and unto all;—Seeing their obedience and fidelity to the gospel of Christ, and their liberality to the poor saints in Jerusalem in the offerings they made, prompted them to glorify God for their professed subjection to the gospel of Christ, and their beneficence to all men, for their liberality showed that they excluded no Christian from their fellowship.

Verse 14

2Co 9:14

2 Corinthians 9:14

while they themselves also, with supplication on your be­half, long after you by reason of the exceeding grace of God in you.—[Since such a time had passed (2 Corinthians 8:6; 2 Corinthians 9:2) since the col­lection was first mooted, it is most likely that the news of it had reached the saints in Judea, and was already working this thanksgiving and affection. They made the contribution the object of their earnest prayer, with a genuine affection and longing for them which added effectiveness to their petitions. This was one of the blessings accruing to the liberal givers.]

Verse 15

2Co 9:15

2 Corinthians 9:15

Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift.—The un­speakable gift of God is Jesus Christ, which inspires love for man in those that believe in Jesus. Jesus is the manifestation of God’s love to man, and his love for man inspires those who trust him to love and serve others. [The wisdom and love of God as displayed in man’s redemption are unspeakable, and unsearchable, passing knowledge. It is to this Paul’s mind goes back instinctively, as he contemplates what has flowed from it in the particular case before him; but it is the great divine gift, and not its fruits in the lives of men, however rich and various, that passes the power of words to characterize.]