2 Corinthians 8

V. 7-9, Godly Grace

Paul continues to speak of an offering for the church in Jerusalem and says to the people of Corinth that he is not commanding them to give an offering but instead is just letting them know how sincere the gifts of other congregations was. He goes on to say that they should look to Jesus as the ultimate example of someone who selflessly gives. Jesus was seated on a throne in heaven and gave it all up to come to this earth and serve His creation. He didn’t come down to set on an earthly throne, instead he came to be born in a manger and die for the sins of all mankind.

He literally gave up everything for us. This is the kind of love we should have for our fellow man, when we see those around us that are suffering or doing without, we shouldn’t hesitate to inconvenience ourselves to help them out. The church of Jerusalem had fallen under heavy persecution and was in desperate need of financial support from outside their network. The church of Macedonia understood this and gave beyond their means and Paul expected the church of Corinth to show the same kind of love. This brings into question our hearts, are we willing to sacrifice our comfort to help those around us in need; Jesus was willing too, the Macedonians was willing too, Paul told the Corinthians they should be willing too, but are we of the modern church willing to?