Stewardship with Integrity
8:10 to 9:5
Stewardship with integrity DIG: Why is this collection for the Jerusalem congregation so important? What dangers or suspicions accompany Paul? How does Paul attempt to diminish those criticisms? What commends Titus for his role of ensuring stewardship with integrity in the relief work? What qualifications should a person have to handle money for God’s work? What benefits do believers receive when they practice grace giving?
REFLECT: How might the equality principle help you decide which needs your immediate attention? How do the ministries or people you contribute to practice Paul’s principle in 8:20-21? Why is it especially critical for Messianic congregations and churches? Are you generous with money? To become more generous, what would need to change? What discourages you about giving? What have you learned that encourages you to give?
Giving is not something we do, but something we are.
There are few topics in the congregations of God more sensitive than that of money. Any mention of giving, tithing, or fund-raising campaigns is sure to be perceived by some as inappropriate, intrusive, and even offensive. Critics accuse spiritual leaders of constantly appealing for money and often of mishandling what they receive. Unfortunately, there is some truth in those accusations. Nevertheless, every believer must understand the divine will with regard to money, its use by believers and in the congregations of ADONAI. Giving in particular is a significant element in God’s design for the life of a believer. Giving advances His Kingdom, glorifies His name, meets the needs of others, and lays up treasure in heaven, bringing God’s blessing in this life and the next.
Dear Heavenly Father, Praise Your great love that cost You so much. Thank You that no cost was too high for You to pay. You ransom Your children from the kingdom of darkness (Colossians 1:13) and then bless us with Your righteousness (Second Corinthians 5:21) so we may live forever with You in heaven! This causes me to want to give back to you all I can. Sometimes problems and suffering on earth seem very big, but they can never match the shame and pain (Hebrews 12:2) that You endured. For I consider the sufferings of this present time not worthy to be compared with the coming glory to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18). Thank You for such great love and for the joy of giving back to You! In Your holy Son’s name and power of His resurrection. Amen
Believers are to be careful stewards of the resources that the Lord has entrusted to us. We must be wise about earning, saving, investing, and spending money. And just as we are careful in those areas, so we must also be in how we give our money. This passage is a rich contribution to Scripture’s teaching about the privilege of giving. On the surface, this passage appears to be nothing more than some passing notes about an event that took place over two thousand years ago. Yet, it contains timeless and practical principles that define stewardship for all believers.189
Paul gives nine examples of stewardship with integrity.
1. Stewardship with integrity calls for giving that is voluntary (8:10a): As I say, in regard to this matter of the collection for the poor believers in Jerusalem, I am only giving an opinion. Paul did not pressure the Macedonians to give a specific percent, but rather commended them because they gave of their own free will (8:3). Giving does not involve a fixed amount or percentage, but is entirely voluntary (to see link click Bn – A Biblical Model for Giving: Giving is voluntary). Any kind of compulsory giving to the Lord is not the biblical way. Stewardship with integrity involves people giving not from outward coercion, but from inward devotion. A year ago, you were not only the first to take action but the first to want to do so, which again reveals that they gave freely, not under compulsion.
2. Stewardship with integrity calls for faithfulness to complete the commitment (8:10b-11a): It is not easy to carry things through to completion; it takes discipline, devotion, and faithfulness. All the Corinthians’ good intentions would have meant little had they failed to complete the collection. Therefore, Paul urged them, “Now it would be to your advantage to finish what you started, so that your eagerness in wanting to commence the project may be matched by your eagerness to complete it. The project had been halted because lies of the false apostles (see Af – The Problem of the False Apostles) against Paul had raised doubts about his integrity. Nothing cripples people’s willingness to give as much as a loss of confidence in their leaders. But since the relationship between the apostle and the Corinthians had been restored, it was time for them to complete what they had started.
3. Stewardship with integrity calls for amounts that are proportionate to what one has (8:11:b-12): Although Paul expected the Corinthians to give generously, he did not expect them to give beyond their means. As you contribute from what you have. For if the eagerness to give is there, the acceptability of the gift will be measured by what you have, not by what you don’t have. Some of the Corinthians may have been using their lack of resources as an excuse not to give. It is true that those who, like the poor widow (Mark 12:43-44), have minimal resources can only give a little, while those with substantial resources can give larger amounts. But with ADONAI, the amount is not the issue. The issue is an attitude of the heart. He expects believers to give in proportion to their resources, not more, but certainly not less.
4. Stewardship with integrity calls for giving that balances resources in the body of Messiah (8:13-15): Some of the Corinthians may also have been reluctant to give because of a charge of favoritism leveled against Paul by the false apostles. They accused him of being prejudiced in favor of the predominantly Jewish believers in Jerusalem, since he was also Jewish. Anticipating that charge, Paul assured the Corinthians that the collection was not for the relief of others. He was not out to make the rich poor and the poor rich. This does not mean, of course, that the church should support those who refuse to work (Second Thessalonians 3:10). His goal was to bring about a balancing of resources, a kind of mutual benefit: at present your abundance can help the Jewish believers, but that might not always be the case. The fortunes of life might change, and a time may come when persecution or disaster could impoverish the Corinthians. Should that happen, the Jerusalem believers’ abundance would then help the Corinthians’ need.
Paul illustrated his point with a quote from Isra’el’s wilderness wanderings from the TaNaKh. In response to the people’s grumbling (Exodus 16:2-3), ADONAI promised to send them bread from heaven (Exodus 16:4). When they gathered manna, some gathered much and some gathered little. Yet, he who gathered much had nothing extra, and he who gathered little had nothing lacking (Second Corinthians 8:15; Exodus 16:18). Apparently, they shared what they had gathered, so each person and family had enough to eat. So it is with the body of Messiah; those who have an abundance share with those who are in need.
5. Stewardship with integrity calls for submission to godly leadership (8:16-17): Paul anticipated and answered another potential objection to the offering; namely, that the project was his alone. Now I thank God for making Titus as devoted to you as we are. But it was not just Paul’s passion. ADONAI had put the same devotion for the collection in the heart of Titus. That God had so united the hearts of Paul and Titus further confirmed that the collection was His will. Nor could the false apostles accuse Titus of having a Jewish bias since he was a Gentile. Lest anyone think that Paul coerced Titus into being involved with the collection, the apostle noted that he not only responded to our urging, but, being so devoted, he is coming to you on his own initiative. Forceful, strong-willed leaders can often ram through their projects. But biblically sound stewardship should be led by a plurality of godly leadership. Believers are to be overseen by wise, theologically sound, spiritually mature, godly leadership, who agree to seek the mind of ADONAI.
6. Stewardship with integrity calls for accountability (8:18-23): Not only was Titus, whom the Corinthians knew well and highly respected, involved in the collection, but also was an unnamed brother whose work for the Good News was praised in all the congregations (8:18). Paul had sent him along with Titus to Corinth to help with the collection. The inclusion of this man signaled Paul’s intention to handle matters with absolute honesty and accountability. It further deflected any possible criticism that he might misuse the money.
Not only had Paul and Titus chosen the unnamed brother to help oversee the collection, but he had also been appointed by other churches to travel with us. He was not merely one of Paul’s proteges who would be under his thumb. His appointment by other churches protected from any false accusation that they were in collusion to mishandle the money. The reason for the apostle’s concern was not that he and Titus could not be trusted, but rather that Paul’s enemies could not be trusted. They could not be allowed to make an accusation that would further confuse the already unsettled Corinthians. So that the way we administer this charitable work will bring honor to the Lord and show our eagerness to help the poor (8:19).
So, anticipating his enemies’ attacks on his credibility, Paul took the precaution of involving the unnamed brother who would accompany them to show that their conduct in dealing with these substantial sums of money was above reproach (8:20). It was a wise safeguard, since his enemies at Corinth had accused him of being in ministry for the money. Though Paul had every right to receive support from the Corinthians, he did not take it (see the commentary on First Corinthians Bo – Laying Aside Rights). He wanted to avoid lending credence to the false accusations that he was in the ministry for the money.
For we take pains to do what is right not only in the sight of God but also in the sight of other people (Second Corinthians 8:21; Proverbs 3:4 from the Septuagint). Some might wonder why Paul would care what other people thought, as long as he did right in the sight of the Lord. He didn’t set out to please others, but neither was he unconcerned about what they thought. After all, they were the ones he was trying to reach with the Good News. He could not allow his enemies to make false accusations that might discredit and bring suspicion on him before the watching world and hinder his preaching of the Gospel.
Paul summarized the members of what amounted to his financial committee, reemphasizing their noble, unimpeachable character. Further underscoring his concern to handle the collection with integrity, Paul sent a second unknown brother, one whose diligence we have tested many times in many ways, but who is now all the more diligent because of his great confidence in you. As for Titus, he is my partner who works with me on your behalf; and the two unknown brothers with him are emissaries of the congregations and bring honor to the Messiah (8:22-33). Those two faithful brothers were sent by the Macedonians to help with the collection. This showed the high quality of men the early Church entrusted money to.
7. Stewardship with integrity calls for giving that is an expression of love (8:24): Paul had instructed the Corinthians about the importance and procedure of making their contribution. He had taken every reasonable precaution to avoid any appearance of impropriety. Now it was time for the Corinthians to openly give so that all would clearly see their generosity. So the love you show these men will justify our pride in you to them, and through them to the congregations that sent them (8:24). A loving church is a generous church, and the Corinthians’ generous love would justify Paul’s pride about the work of Messiah in them.
8. Stewardship with integrity calls for giving that sets an example (9:1-4): So confident was Paul in the Corinthians that he felt it was really no need for me to write you about this offering for God’s people in Jerusalem – I know how eager you are, and I boast about you to the Macedonians. I tell them, “Corinth has been ready since last year,” and it was your zeal that stirred up most of them. But the rebellion against Paul incited by the false apostles had apparently halted their giving. So he sent Titus and the two unnamed brothers so that his boast about them in this regard would not prove hollow, so that they would be ready and have the offering prepared, as Paul said they would be. Paul was concerned that if some Macedonians were to come with me and find you unprepared, we would be humiliated at having been so confident – to say nothing of how you would feel. To avoid such embarrassment, Paul called upon the Corinthians to finish what they had started, so the completion of their giving would be a positive example to others.
9. Stewardship with integrity calls for giving that has overcome the sin of covetousness (9:5): For the reasons listed above, Paul thought it necessary to urge Titus and the two unnamed brothers to go on ahead to Corinth and prepare their promised gift in plenty of time. Evidently, the Corinthians had promised a specific, large amount, and Paul wanted to make sure it would be ready when he came so it would be a genuine gift, not something extracted by pressure (9:5).190
Our greatest encouragement for giving is that it pleases the Lord, but there is nothing wrong with practicing that kind of giving that provokes others to give. This does not mean that we should advertise what we do as individuals, because that kind of practice would violate one of the basic principles of giving: to give discreetly to the Lord (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Do – When You Give to the Needy, Do Not Do It to be Honored by Others). However, Paul was writing to churches, and it is not wrong for congregations to announce what they have given collectively. If our motive is to boast, then we are not practicing grace giving. But if our desire is to provoke others to give, then God’s grace can work through us to help others.191
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