Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20100613.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
2 Corinthians: God's Pattern For Victory Over Severe Ministry Opposition
Part XI: Responding Well To Severely Curtailed Giving Due To Godless Opposition, 2 Corinthians 8:1-9:15
3. Detailing The Godly Promises Of Giving
(2 Corinthians 9:6-15)
  1. Introduction
    1. Due to the mishandling of contributions in the history of Christendom, many people find giving to the Lord's ministries a challenge, so there is a great need for believers to be motivated to give Biblically.
    2. 2 Corinthians 9:6-15 offers insight on the promises of God relative to our giving, and it motivates us to get involved in this ministry opposite challenges to the contrary (as follows):
  2. Detailing The Godly Promises Of Giving, 2 Corinthians 9:6-15.
    1. Giving had become a problem with the Corinthian Christians: though initially intending to give to the needs of the Jerusalem saints (2 Cor. 8:6), false teachers had likely led them to divert their offerings away from the needy to the false teachers themselves, cf. 2:17; 11:20, Bible Know. Com., N. T., p. 572.
    2. So, having addressed the issue of the false teachers (2 Corinthians 1:12-7:16), Paul redirected his readers to the sensitive issue of giving to their initial objective of the Jerusalem saints: he laid the groundwork for godly giving (2 Cor. 8:1-15) and gave its proper procedures (2 Cor. 8:16-9:5) before motivating his readers to give in view of God's promises on giving (as follows), 2 Corinthians 9:6-15:
      1. Paul taught God will reimburse a giving believer in accord with how much he gives, 2 Corinthians 9:6.
      2. However, this claim was not intended to be used to pressure donors to make themselves or other believers give more, but to motivate one to give based on his relationship to God, 2 Corinthians 9:7:
        1. First, the amount a believer is to donate is to be set by himself, not some other party, 2 Cor. 9:7a.
        2. This means that the "tithing" practice taught under the Mosaic Law (Malachi 3:8-10 with Leviticus 27:30) is not authoritative for how much Christians must donate today.
        3. [Some claim that since Abraham before the Mosaic Law paid tithes to Melchizedek in Genesis 14:18-20, we today must tithe though we are also not under the Law. However, the text there claims Abraham gave " a tenth part" (ma'aser), not "the tenth part" as if it were required, meaning he chose to give the amount he gave, H. C. Leupold, Exposition of Genesis, 1974, vol. I, p. 466.]
        4. To enforce the fact that the amount was to be set by the believer free from pressure, be it from false guilt within or by pressure from other people, Paul added that one was to give "not reluctantly or under compulsion", for God loves a "cheerful" giver. (NIV)
      3. When the donor makes his initial contribution, Paul taught that God sets in motion a reimbursement program so that he will be recompensed enough to continue to abound in giving, 2 Corinthians 9:8.
      4. This program is described in its practical stages in 2 Corinthians 9:9-15 as follows:
        1. Citing Psalm 112:9 that describes one who reveres God (Ps. 112:1), Paul taught one who gives to God's interests will see his righteous deeds last, 2 Cor. 9:9; Ibid., Bible Know. Com., N. T. , p. 575.
        2. Specifically, Paul explained that (1) God will reimburse "seed" back to the "sower", the giver, that (2) he might have enough resources to meet his own livelihood needs, and (3) then even more than he had before to give more again, (4) that his righteous deeds of giving might increase, 2 Cor. 9:10. (5) With increased giving, and with its continued increase in divine reimbursement, the giver can eventually be generous for every occasion, resulting in more recipients giving greater thanksgiving to God, 2 Cor. 9:11-13. (6) The growing blessings of such a giving program produce a heightened response of growing trust and love in the Christian community between the donors and those who receive the donations, 2 Cor. 9:14. (7) This ministry all grows out of Christ's initial indescribable gift of salvation to the believer [2 Cor. 8:9], so Paul ended his word on giving, expressing thanks for God's "indescribable" (NIV) gift in the Person and work of Jesus Christ, 2 Corinthians 9:15.
Lesson: God promises liberally to reimburse a believer who chooses to give an amount he decides of his own cheerful, free will, and to make that reimbursement apply to the amount the donor gives, so he will be motivated to increase his giving to increased praise of the grace of God involved.

Application: May we be encouraged to be involved in this Biblical ministry of giving to God's glory.