2 Corinthians 9:8-10
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. As it is written,
“He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever.”
He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.
Tag: Giving Is a Reflection of Righteous Living
In 2 Corinthians Paul is engaged with the church at Corinth, via letter, about his authority of Apostleship and about maturing their acts of righteousness. He has corrected them in his first letter. The reaction to that letter was mixed. Some responded and others challenged his authority. In the proceeding chapters of the book, Paul has defended his authority. In chapter nine he moves to challenge their authenticity as believers by reminding them of a promise they made to give to the poor in Jerusalem. He tells them he is sending “men” to “arrange in advance for the gift you have promised, so that it may be ready as a willing gift, not as an exaction.” (2 Corinthians 9:5)
He goes on to say, “the point is this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly.” The context here is the act of giving financially to the needs of the saints in another church. As evidence of the importance of this act of giving we have the above passage. Paul promises that God will enable them to give and will “make all grace abound” to them as a result of their giving. Some of the prosperity preachers would claim this means if we give money God will give money to us, in abundance. However, the text is really explaining that “any” gift they give is because God supplies those gifts. He quotes Psalm 112, which is about the conduct of a righteous man. The point of that Psalm is that God supplies the gifts we give and we give them as an act of righteousness. The giving does not make us righteous for we know that righteousness is received by grace through faith. Rather, we give because God has given us grace to be righteous and has supplied our gift to give. Note verse ten of the above passage:
2 Corinthians 9:10
He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.
God supplies the seed and will multiply your seed “FOR SOWING.” God increases or ability to give in order for us to give - we are not give in order to receive more. This passage teaches that God gives the seed and the grace to give and will continue to give seed and the grace to give as righteousness grows in our hearts. This is NOT about getting as a result of giving - this is about getting for the purpose of giving. The more we give the more God supplies righteousness to give more - He will supply both: The gift and the grace to give.
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