Proclamation:
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that
though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His
poverty might become rich.” 2
Corinthians 8:9 (NIV)
Explanation:
These words were written by the apostle Paul, under the
influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers in the church at Corinth . In order to help the generous believers in Macedonia , who are undergoing a severe trial,
Paul is requesting a generous gift from the believers in Corinth . (2 Corinthians 8:1-3) Since the believers in Corinth excelled in everything, including
faith, speech, knowledge, earnestness, and love, Paul is asking them to excel
in the grace of giving. (2 Corinthians 8:7)
He reminded them that The Lord Jesus, The Christ, was rich but became
poor for their sake, so that they through His poverty might become rich. Paul encouraged them to match their willingness
to help with following through and actually helping by giving according to
their means. (2 Corinthians 8:11-12) He
urged them to share so that none of the believers would do without. Then he quoted from the Old Testament scriptures
(Exodus 16:18) to support his request. (2 Corinthians 8:13-15) He ended by saying that he was sending Titus
to them to collect the offering.
Application:
The Bible teaches us that we should help those who are in
need. Those of us who have should share
with those who have not. It is better to
give than to receive. (Amos 20:35) When
we help those who are in need, we are actually lending to The Lord and He will
repay us for helping them. (Proverbs 19:17)
When we are generous and provide a blessing to others, we will also be
blessed. (Proverbs 11:25) Remember what
Christ did for us. He left the splendor of heaven, came to earth and became
poor, and was rejected and crucified for us.
