Three Characteristics of Christian Charity

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“We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own free will, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints—and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us” (2 Corinthians 8:1-5).

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

There are two subjects that many pastors hesitate to deal with in a sermon—sex and money. Not so with the Apostle Paul. In his first letter, Paul warned the Corinthians: “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9–10).

In our text, St. Paul takes on a monetary matter: The collection from the Gentile churches for the poor of the church back in Jerusalem. He is deeply invested in this undertaking since it originated with him. Of course, there is also the biblical mandate to remember the poor (Galatians 2:10), and such an act would be a tangible expression of love from the Gentiles to the church, primarily composed of Jewish converts.

It should not come as a surprise that Paul never mentions money and does not even use the word for it. Instead, and significantly in terms of how he would have us conceive of such giving, he calls it a grace, a service, a communion or participation in service, an act of generosity, a blessing, and a manifestation of love. In other words, this offering is not just a financial matter but a spiritual matter, an act of doxology and charity, connecting us to the divine through our actions.

Paul addresses the Corinthians as “brothers,” fellow believers. Therefore, he could talk about giving, confident that the Corinthians, as members of the family of God, also desired to do what pleases the Lord in this area of Christian living.

Note the Apostle isn’t anxious about addressing this topic. Instead, his writing is full of joy and satisfaction. Therefore, the subject of offering is not a heavy thing for him but allows him to share with them both the example of the Lord and that of the Macedonians, then conclude with some characteristics of Christian charity for them to emulate.

Macedonia was just to the north of Achaia, where Corinth was located. Paul had done mission work in three cities in Macedonia: Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea. The Philippians, in particular, had demonstrated incredible generosity toward Paul. Writing to the congregation in Philippi, Paul reminds them of the way they had come to his assistance after he left Philippi: “Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again” (Philippians 4:16). Later, when Paul was a prisoner in Rome, the Philippians sent a personal representative, Epaphroditus, all the way to Rome with gifts from the church, gifts that Paul calls “a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God” (Philippians 4:18).

Looking at these believers’ situation, one would probably not have predicted such a response. Paul reports that they gave this offering “in a severe test of affliction.” These churches were encountering stiff opposition, persecution, and extreme poverty. Humanly speaking, persecution and poverty are hardly the raw material for generous offerings.

But that did not deter the Macedonians. Despite their severe trials, they continued to experience an “abundance of joy.” That joy “overflowed in a wealth of generosity” amid their “extreme poverty.” Their poverty no more hampered their generosity than their persecution hindered their joy.

The word translated as “generosity” is worth a closer look. It comes from a word with the root meaning of “single”; its basic idea is “single-mindedness of purpose.” Thus, it points more to the attitude of the giver than it does to the amount given. It is the same word Paul uses in Romans 12:8, in which he talks about the spiritual gift of the one who “contributes.” If one has that gift, says Paul, let him give “generously,” with single-mindedness of purpose, without ulterior, self-serving motives.

So, it was with the believers in Macedonia. Though they were living in abject poverty, their joy in the Lord moved them to give from that poverty when they were apprised of the plight of their sisters and brothers in Jerusalem. They could not help but give. Their “abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity.”

We should also note the ultimate source of this single-minded, generous spirit. In the opening verse of this section, Paul attributes it to “the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia.” Generous givers aren’t born that way; such an attitude results from being reborn. God's grace, or unmerited love, that brings salvation to the sinner also inspires a new life of service that includes unselfish, generous giving.

In the verses that follow, Paul gives three examples of the Macedonian Christians' single-minded, generous giving:

First, the believers in the churches in Macedonia had given not just as much as they could but even more! They had given more than some people might have considered wise and prudent.

Second, no one had pressured them into giving. They had decided “of their own free will” to be overwhelmingly generous in their offering. They had, in fact, “begged earnestly” to be included in the offering. How many churches today, how many individual Christians, fit into the category of those whose longing to give an offering is so great that they won’t take no for an answer? The Macedonians considered it a privilege, a gift of God’s grace, that they should be part of this offering. Paul calls the offering “taking part in the relief of the saints.” The word translated as “taking part” is the same word that elsewhere is translated as “fellowship.” It has the idea of oneness, unity, and having things in common. The Christians in Macedonia expressed their fellowship and unity in Christ with the Christians in Jerusalem through this offering.

A third example of the God-granted, single-minded attitude of the Macedonians is found in verse 5. The Macedonians gave even more than an offering of money; they gave themselves. In the original Greek, the word themselves is placed in an emphatic position. Paul says, “Themselves they gave first to the Lord and then to us.” The Christians in Macedonia had offered back their whole selves to the Lord, who had offered His Son into death for them, and along with this offering of self came the offering of their treasures.

Paul calls this offering an “act of grace.” By doing so, he wants to tie everything connected with giving closely to the grace, the unmerited favor, and the undeserved love God has given and continues to give His people.

God’s grace centers around His gift of Jesus Christ and His redemptive work on our behalf. That grace moves the Christian to be gracious—to give everything, including his material goods, back to the Lord. Then, a Christian's offerings are much more than bills and coins. They are a part of one’s worship. The Christian who is being “graced” by God acknowledges God’s grace with freely given, grace-motivated gifts.

Paul is confident that the Corinthians will be able to follow the example set by their Macedonian brothers and sisters. From what he knows of them personally and from what Titus has just reported to him, Paul can honestly say of the Corinthians that they “excel,” literally “overflow,” “in everything,” in every aspect of their new lives in Christ—“in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness,” as well as in their love for Paul. Certainly, they will also be able to “excel in this grace of giving.”

How positively, how evangelically Paul encourages their giving! He doesn’t yell at them. He doesn’t try to squeeze dead works out of their old Adam. He addresses the new man, who loves to go God’s way and welcomes opportunities to express the gratitude of a reborn heart.

A Christian’s offerings are the fruit of faith, a response of a grateful heart to God's goodness. That is why Paul carefully says, “I say this not as a command.” He does not want this offering to be given reluctantly or grudgingly.

He wants the Corinthians to be sure they understand why he has just held up the Macedonians as a model for them. It was not an underhanded attempt to get more money out of them. He has not pointed them to an amount of money but to an attitude. He has reminded the Corinthians of the earnestness of their Macedonian sisters and brothers. He has spotlighted their zeal to give even though they had little themselves. He has demonstrated that they gave from joyful hearts. In all this, the Macedonians served as a fine example by which the Corinthians could measure the genuineness of their love.

Then Paul turns to the example above all examples: Jesus. “You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,” Paul tells them. This is something they already know. He will not be telling them something they have not heard before but rather something they need to keep on hearing.

To describe the “grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,” Paul uses the same terms, “rich” and “poor,” he had been using in talking about the offering. Here, he applies these words to Jesus. “He was rich,” Paul reminds them. He refers to the eternal riches that were His as the Son of God from all eternity. There was nothing that did not belong to Him.

Yet “for your sakes,” Paul says, “he became poor.” Paul uses here the same word for “poor” that he had used to describe the Macedonians. It pictures abject poverty, being reduced to the condition of a beggar. With these few words, Paul reminds the Corinthians of Christ’s state of humiliation. Paul continued [He] emptied Himself” (2:7). The Macedonian Christians had very little; the very little they had, they gave. Jesus had absolutely everything. He was Lord of the universe. And all of it He had given up. Paul tells the Corinthians that He did this “so that you by His poverty might become rich.”

It is easy to see that Jesus, whom Paul holds up to the Corinthians as a perfect model of sacrificial giving, is much more than a model. He is, first of all, a Savior. Through His humbling Himself to death, the Corinthians were now spiritually rich beyond compare. Their sins were forgiven. They were enjoying brand-new lives as parts of the family of God. An eternity of joy awaited them. They knew all of that, but they needed to remember it daily. If their eyes turned from the Christ who became poor that they might become rich, every area of their Christian lives, including their stewardship practices, would soon degenerate into dead works instead of being good works. To be “grace gifts” their offerings must be gifts driven by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Christ who became poor to make us rich is the foundation on which all Christian stewardship rests. He is Savior, motivator, and example—and in that order. Saved by His grace, we are then motivated to follow His example, also in the area of giving.

Paul shares three characteristics of Christian charity. First, a willingness, or perhaps better, a readiness, an eagerness, always looking for an opportunity to present itself. Second, we should exercise our generosity as God has blessed us. Lastly, there is a principle of reciprocity at play, but not according to karma or transactional economics. There are brothers and sisters in our parish, community, and elsewhere who lack them, and it is in this gap that we can express our love and unity. This is how it works in a family, much more so in God’s family! By sharing the burden of Christians elsewhere, we cooperate with the will and ways of God.

Go in the peace of the Lord and serve your neighbor with joy. You are forgiven for all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.