2 Corinthians 8:1-9 is one of the most stirring passages in Scripture about generosity. Paul writes to the Corinthian church, drawing their attention to the churches of Macedonia, who, despite great trial and deep poverty, overflowed in generosity. How could such giving come from people who had so little? Paul gives the reason: they were motivated by grace.
Paul begins by pointing to “the grace of God” given to the Macedonians (v. 1). Grace is the unearned favor and power of God at work in our lives. It is grace that transforms hearts and changes priorities. These believers were not giving out of guilt or obligation, nor because they had excess to spare. They were giving because the grace of God had captured their hearts. Their circumstances—affliction, hardship, poverty—were not barriers to generosity; in fact, those circumstances became a platform for joy. Paul says, “their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity” (v. 2). Grace turned scarcity into abundance, pain into joy, and need into opportunity.
What’s striking is that they first “gave themselves to the Lord and then by the will of God to us” (v. 5). Before they ever opened their hands to give, they opened their hearts to God. This is the true starting point of generosity. Giving is not about money first; it’s about surrender. When we belong to Christ, all that we have—time, talents, treasure—is already His. The Macedonians’ giving was simply the natural overflow of lives fully yielded to the Lord.
Paul urges the Corinthians to follow this example, but he doesn’t leave it at that. He points them to the ultimate motivation: Christ Himself. Verse 9 is the heartbeat of this passage: “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 by his poverty might become rich.” Here is the greatest act of generosity the world has ever known. The eternal Son of God, rich in glory, humbled Himself, taking on flesh, living among us, dying on the cross for our sins, and rising again to give us life. He became poor—not just financially, but in every sense—so that we could share in His riches of grace, forgiveness, and eternal life. That is our motivation. We give because He first gave. We love because He first loved.
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For the church today, this message is critical. The mission of Christ is vast and urgent. Churches often find themselves with great vision but limited resources. Needs are everywhere—locally and globally. To reach the lost, serve the hurting, and build the kingdom requires generosity that stretches beyond comfort. But this generosity is not a burden; it’s a privilege. When we grasp the grace of Jesus, we see giving not as loss but as gain. It becomes an act of worship, an expression of trust, and a way to participate in God’s redemptive work.
Consider, for example, a small rural congregation I once read about. They had an aging building, minimal income, and many members living on fixed incomes. Yet when they heard of a missionary family struggling to stay on the field, they took up a special offering. The result stunned even them: more than a month’s operating budget was collected in one Sunday. That gift not only kept the missionary family where God had placed them, but it also ignited joy and unity in the church. Their poverty became the soil for generosity, and their generosity became a testimony to God’s grace.
And this giving is transformative. For the receiver, it meets real needs, opens doors, and often brings the hope of the gospel. For the giver, it deepens faith, loosens the grip of materialism, and brings joy that transcends circumstances. And because Christ has ascended and now reigns at the right hand of the Father, our giving is never in vain. His ascension assures us that He is preparing a place for us and that our investments in His kingdom are secure. We give toward an eternal future that cannot be lost.
So, let us give—ourselves first to the Lord and then to His work. Let our giving be generous, joyful, and sacrificial, not because we have much, but because we have Christ. His grace is enough. His love compels us. And His promise assures us: every act of grace-filled generosity echoes into eternity.
Pastor Mark