8:1 Paul’s expression of great confidence in the Corinthians (7:16) flows naturally into his appeal to them to be generous with their money for the sake of the believers in Jerusalem. His first step, however, is one of relational diplomacy. He makes known to the Corinthians the generosity of the impoverished believers in Macedonia. Paul is gently offering the Corinthians an opportunity to enter into the healthiest competition of all with the Macedonians—the competition to “outdo one another in showing honor” as they “contribute to the needs of the saints” (Rom. 12:10, 13).

Strikingly, Paul calls the Macedonians’ generosity a gift of God’s grace. This is in keeping with the flexible ways in which Paul speaks of “grace” (Gk. charis) throughout this letter. But what does it mean? There can be a tendency in some Christian circles to restrict “grace” to only one of the ways it is spoken of in the Bible—the unearned, gratuitous favor of God. But in the fullness of biblical teaching, divine grace is not only a gift to be received by us but also an energizing reality through which love flows out to others. Divine grace is comprehensive: both forgiving and transforming. Indeed, without the latter, one has cause to question the reality of the former. And because we cannot generate such acts of love out of our own innate spiritual resources, such acts are appropriately brought under the label of “the grace of God.”

8:2 Verse 1 tells us that the Macedonian churches experienced divine grace. Verse 2 tells us how. Paul had spoken of his own dire straits in Macedonia (7:5; cf. 2:13–14). Apparently he was not the only one. The Macedonian believers more broadly were experiencing a “severe test [dokimē; also 2:9; 9:13] of affliction [thlipsis; also 1:4, 8; 2:4; 4:17; 6:4; 7:4].” Paul does not identify the precise nature of this affliction, and both commentators and preachers should accordingly be restrained from speculation. The most Paul says is that it was “extreme poverty,” though material lack alone could hardly exhaust what Paul calls a “severe test of affliction.” What should be noted is that it was in this adversity, not after it, that the Macedonians gave generously. Here as throughout 2 Corinthians, weakness and strength, death and life, are not mutually exclusive but overlaid realities in the lives of those united to a crucified and resurrected Christ.

The way Paul describes their generosity is arresting. The image is of an “abundance of joy” combined with “extreme poverty” creating a potent cocktail of hypergenerosity. This was a generosity that “overflowed” or “abounded” (see the double use of this verb in 1:5; also 3:9; 4:15) in a “wealth [ploutos, related to “plutocracy,” rule by the wealthy] of generosity.” The word translated “generosity” (Gk. haplotēs) means sincerity or simplicity and is used by Paul to speak of the “sincerity [haplotēs] of heart” servants are to render masters (Eph. 6:5; Col. 3:22). The point is that the Macedonians’ giving was not calculated or manipulative or driven by any deeper purpose than simply the guilelessness of Christian love and joy (cf. Matt. 6:1–4).

8:3 The proof of the Macedonians’ overflowing and noncalculating generosity is reflected not only in the spirit in which they gave (v. 2) but also in the extent (v. 3). Paul speaks of two levels of giving by the Macedonians. First, “they gave according to their means” (the word for “means” here, dynamis, is the same word translated “power” in 4:7; 6:7; 12:9). They gave in accord with what would be a reasonable expectation, doing, we might say, what was “in their power” to do.

But the real point of this verse is the second level. Not only did they give to a measured, reasonable extent. They gave “beyond their means” (using dynamis again). They gave beyond what was reasonable to expect. They gave in a way that actually put the other first rather than holding back enough to maintain what they desired for themselves. This was a “my life for yours” mindset as opposed to a “your life for mine” mindset—precisely the mindset of Jesus himself in his sacrificial self-giving (8:9).

The final phrase, “of their own accord” translates a single Greek word, authairetos, that occurs in the NT only here and in verse 17. It is the opposite of being driven to an action by external forced compulsion. Paul did not coerce them. Their giving reflected the new-age life of the Spirit, which is inside out rather than outside in (cf. 3:3, 6, 18; 4:6, 16–18).

8:4 That the Macedonians’ giving was internally motivated (“of their own accord”; v. 3) is reflected in their external actions: they were “begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints.” “Earnestly” is literally “with much comfort,” plugging into the letter’s broader theme of comfort amid affliction. As the ESV footnote highlights, the Greek word underlying “favor” is charis, just used in verse 1 to speak of “the grace of God” given to the Macedonians. They were not simply asking a favor; they were on the edge of their seats with eagerness to pass on to others what had been passed on to them: grace. They had been truly summoned up into new life, the life of the dawning eschaton, and the Spirit was alive and well among them. Heaven had taken root within them. God had come to their “relief”; they longed to share in (the Greek for “taking part” is koinōnia, “fellowship,” “sharing”) the “relief” of their brothers and sisters in the Lord. Graced, they longed to grace others.

8:5 The word for “expected” is normally rendered “hoped” (Gk. elpizō), but the sense of the verb here is that the Macedonians gave even beyond what Paul believed they would, so “expected” is the best translation. But what did the Macedonians give? In the preceding verses Paul has spoken of the spirit in which they gave and the extent to which they gave, but now he speaks of something they gave beyond money: “They gave themselves.”

But of course. If the Macedonians had given beyond their means, and had done so cheerfully, in the midst of affliction, what else could this be but a giving of their very selves? Their financial giving was only the outward manifestation of a deeper giving. The money was the tip of the iceberg. Had the Macedonians not handed themselves over to the Jerusalem Christians, they never would have given their money. The Macedonians were living out what Paul teaches elsewhere, that those in union with Christ are thereby in union with one another. One part of the body’s suffering is shared by the rest (1 Cor. 12:12–27).

But this giving of their very selves to other believers signals an even deeper reality. They had given themselves “first to the Lord.” Yielding oneself to God is the fundamental prerequisite to sacrificial self-giving to others. Without the vertical handing over of oneself, all horizontal handing over of oneself is empty pharisaism done out of insincerity or hypocrisy or for show.

8:6 Paul turns now from the Macedonians’ giving to the Corinthians’. In his visit the previous year (see v. 10), Titus had begun the work of inviting the Corinthians into financial support for the Jerusalem church. Perhaps the Corinthians had already begun to give, or perhaps they had simply promised to give (the latter is more likely, given vv. 11–12). Whatever the case, Paul and Titus have reason to believe that a critical momentum has begun from the standpoint of the Corinthians. Paul urges them to complete it (as he will again in v. 11). The Christian life is a matter not merely of beginning but of sustaining and completing. This was the great dilemma Paul faced with the Galatians (Gal. 1:6; 3:3; cf. Phil. 1:6). We note that Paul considers Titus’s role in the collection so vital that he speaks of Titus himself as being the one to complete the Corinthians’ giving, even though it is the Corinthians’ money and not his.

Paul has called the Macedonians’ generosity a matter of “grace” (2 Cor. 8:1, 4). Now he gives the Corinthians’ generosity (via Titus) the same label: “this act of grace [charis]” (more lit., “this grace” or “this very grace”; also v. 7). To give one’s resources to another believer is sacred. It is heavenly. It is to step out of the mindset of the old age and into that of the new. It is to exhale the air of eternity, air too rarified for those who have not themselves tasted God’s own grace toward them.

8:7 Paul has already assured the Corinthians of his confidence in their spiritual health (1:13–14; 7:4, 7, 11, 14). He now exhorts them to leverage this into a tangible act of love—indeed, to “excel” in this act of love (“excel,” used twice in this verse, is the same verb translated “overflowed” in 8:2; Paul is calling on the Corinthians to abound in generosity just as the Macedonians did, and just as the Corinthians are already abounding in so many other graces).

Note the logic of the text: as these sundry manifestations of God’s grace clearly show themselves in the Corinthians, they are to see that this other manifestation of grace (financial generosity) is activated too. Again we remember that in NT Christianity, partial obedience is no obedience at all. If one has really given oneself to the Lord (cf. v. 5), then a holistic manifestation of outward-facing love naturally follows. Paul elsewhere speaks of the “fruit,” not “fruits,” of the Spirit, despite listing nine marks (Gal. 5:22–23). Put differently, one does not belong partially to the old age and partially to the new; one belongs fundamentally to one age or the other, while those who have been transferred into the new are still plagued by the now-out-of-character remnants of the old. So Paul is not so much exhorting the Corinthians to add one more virtue to others already in place. He is exhorting them to simply demonstrate that they do indeed belong to the new age, that they are indeed in Christ.68

8:8 Paul’s appeal has been so impassioned that he pauses to make sure the Corinthians are not misunderstanding him. He has not been urging financial generosity “as a command”—cold, hard, sheer authority—though certainly, given his apostolic role, Paul could have exerted such authority. Instead, as with his appeal to Philemon regarding Onesimus (Philem. 8–9), Paul appeals to love. He comes in the back door gently rather than engaging in a full-fledged assault. He has been reciting the giving of the Macedonians to elicit softly the same from the Corinthians. Such giving by the church at Corinth would not create but confirm their love. Their generosity would simply bring to the surface the love that Paul has identified in 7:11 and 8:7 (“prove,” from dokimazō, is the same word translated “tested” in 8:22 and “test” in 13:5).

8:9 Paul has been speaking of the Macedonians’ giving as a “grace” (v. 1) and of the Corinthians’ giving as a “grace” (v. 6); now he speaks of the Lord Jesus’ giving as a “grace.” In doing so Paul plunges into the deepest reason for sacrificial giving to other believers: the gospel itself. Paul has just said that he is not giving a “command” (v. 8). Bare command would simply insist on obedient giving. It would act on the will. Recounting the gospel penetrates the heart. A command would crowbar the will; the gospel woos the affections.

But note what Paul does. He does not simply recount the gospel. He recounts the gospel in terms of money. He does not say, “You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that he gave his life for you to forgive your sins.” He maps the gospel onto the issue at hand, that of finances. Christ was “rich” in his preincarnate state, endlessly happy in the uninterrupted bliss of fellowship with his Father in the presence of the angels. But he “became poor.” In an unspeakable act of compassionate condescension, Christ came to earth as a mortal man, “made like his brothers in every respect” (Heb. 2:17) with the exception of sin (Heb. 4:15). “If you want to get the hang of it,” wrote C. S. Lewis, “think how you would like to become a slug or a crab.”69 It is one thing for a billionaire to suffer impoverishment at the hands of bad fortune. It is another for a billionaire to willingly embrace impoverishment for the sake of others (“for your sake” is fronted for emphasis in the Greek). And it is another thing yet again for a billionaire to embrace impoverishment for his enemies (cf. Rom. 5:6–11). And Jesus’ embrace of poverty was not merely flamboyant ostentation. It was not just for show. It was “so that you by his poverty might become rich”—rich in grace, rich in the Father’s love, rich in the security of an eternal inheritance (cf. 1 Pet. 1:4). This is a wealth next to which every financial fortune pales in comparison.

Flooded undeservedly with such plenitude, immersed in such love, what could one do but delight to give up the false security and pleasure of riches for the real security and pleasure of a life of love? The sheer wonder of such grace startles and relaxes us into largeheartedness.

8:10–11 The Greek word translated “judgment” here is not the word normally used to speak of divine assessment (that would be krima [e.g., Rom. 2:2] or krisis [e.g., 2 Thess. 1:5]). The word used here (gnōmē) is related to the word group for “knowledge” and denotes a reasoned conclusion about a matter (translated “consent” in Philem. 14; “mind” in Rev. 17:13; “purpose” in Rev. 17:17). This is the opposite of laying down a “command” (2 Cor. 8:8). And what is Paul’s opinion? That the Corinthians ultimately gain in giving. “This benefits you.” Their sacrifice is their satisfaction. Their emptying is their filling. Once again we see the way the gospel capsizes our intuitive thoughts about how to flourish in this fallen world.

The end of verse 10 then flows into verse 11 to make the point that as they had begun, therefore, let them so fulfill their heart to give (cf. v. 6). Aborted fidelity is no fidelity at all. The same word underlies both “finish” and “completing” (Gk. epiteleō) and was also used in verse 6 (“complete”); it refers to the consummation or bringing to fulfillment of what had begun. The point of the second half of verse 11 is that it is only right for their initial enthusiasm to give to be matched by its consummation. If their initial verve ebbed, the only conclusion to be drawn is that even that initial excitement was facile and empty, expressed out of a flash of fleshly zeal but not reflecting authentic godly intention. In the same way that works necessarily demonstrate the authenticity of faith (James 2:14–26), completion of financial generosity demonstrates the authenticity of initial intentions. And the Corinthians should of course only give as they are able—“out of what you have.” Gospel-fueled giving does not mean impossible giving.

8:12 “Readiness” here means eager willingness, a spring-loaded posture, the kind of attitude Paul has already attributed to the Macedonians (vv. 1–5). The idea is a heart that is looking for ways to give and is disappointed when unable to find a channel to give, not a heart that shrinks from opportunities to give and is disappointed when such an opportunity presents itself.

When a heart is calibrated to the gospel in this way, giving is, like a pleasing OT sacrifice, “acceptable” (the same word underlies the second “favorable” in 6:2). The English word “acceptable” might connote to some ears the notion that such a gift barely squeaks by, but this is not Paul’s meaning. He means that such a gift is fully satisfying. To whom? To God. The Corinthians were to give to other believers, but God was the chief party involved.

With the idea of giving only according to what one has, Paul does not mean to curb sacrificial giving. The gospel (8:9) summons us into liberal, not tepid, generosity. Paul simply means that one cannot give what one does not have.

8:13–14 Verse 13 is twenty words in English but ten in Greek. In terse, crisp prose, Paul heads off another objection. In verse 8 he headed off the misunderstanding that he is commanding the Corinthians out of sheer apostolic authority. Now he heads off the misunderstanding that he is suggesting the difficult straits of the Jerusalem church and the wealth of the Corinthians should simply be flip-flopped. The word for “eased” is elsewhere translated “rest” (Gk. anesis; e.g., 2:13; 7:5), and the word for “burdened” is by now a familiar one to readers of the text of 2 Corinthians: thlipsis, “affliction,” “tribulation” (1:4, 8; 2:4; 4:17; 6:4; 7:4; 8:2). Paul is not suggesting that the Corinthians give so that they enter into affliction while the Jerusalem believers enter into rest. Rather, Paul’s goal is captured in what is the last word of both verse 13 and verse 14 (in both English and Greek): fairness.

Some commentators understand Paul to be speaking purely in financial terms all the way through verses 13–14. It is certainly true that should the Jerusalem believers find themselves with a surplus and the Corinthians destitute at some future time, the Jerusalem church could likewise help Corinth just as Corinth is being urged now to help Jerusalem. But Paul has a deeper “abundance” and “need” in mind when speaking of Jerusalem as meeting what is lacking in the Corinthians. Remembering the pervasive theme coursing through 2 Corinthians that it is in giving that we receive, in weakness that we are strong, through death that we find life, Paul most likely means in verse 14 that the Jerusalem saints’ relief at the hands of the Corinthians would be for the Corinthians’ spiritual benefit. As he put it in verse 10: “This benefits you.” All through chapter 8 Paul has been speaking of monetary generosity as a “grace.” Giving to others loosens our heart’s false sense of security and floats us further up and further in to an experience of the giving heart of God.

8:15 In a passing yet suggestive citation of the OT, Paul drives home his point that it is of personal benefit to be openhanded with one’s resources. The quote is of Exodus 16:18, drawn from the account of manna from heaven right after the Israelites have been freed from Egyptian bondage. Though told to gather one omer each (about two liters), some of the Israelites gather more, others less (Ex. 16:16–17). The curious thing about the account, to which Paul draws attention in 2 Corinthians 8, is that those who gather more do not in fact have more, while those who gather less have plenty. This is an OT illustration of the principle throughout 2 Corinthians that the way up is down and the way down is up. God’s scale is not ours. Hoarded manna goes bad (Ex. 16:20). But those who trustingly gather only what is needed for that day (or twice as much before the Sabbath) have no lack. Drawing the Corinthians’ mind back to Exodus, Paul nudges them to act accordingly, mindful that largeheartedness with one’s resources does not threaten one’s flourishing but, on the contrary, secures it.

8:16 Paul has been reflecting broadly on the nature of Christian generosity. Now he drills in more practically to how this will be executed in the Corinthians’ case. He will mention three colleagues of his in verses 16–24 who are going ahead of Paul to begin the work of collecting the funds.

Of the three, only Titus is named. Paul wants the Corinthians to know that Titus is not coming to them begrudgingly at the behest of Paul, dutifully acquiescing in mere formality of behavior. No, God has “put into the heart of Titus the same earnest care I have for you.” In 6:11 Paul had said, “Our heart is wide open.” Paul now makes explicit that Titus is part of the plural “our” of that text. Titus is traveling to Corinth fueled by the same caring heart that Paul has for the Corinthians. And this earnest heartiness is something neither Titus nor Paul has manufactured himself. It was “put” there by God. Therefore it is God to whom Paul gives “thanks.” Every Christian grace is the responsibility of the Christian but also, at the same time and more deeply, the work of God.

8:17 The Greek word for “appeal” is paraklēsis, used throughout 2 Corinthians to speak of comfort or consolation. Here the meaning is indeed something more akin to “appeal” or “exhortation” or “urging,” picking up on the verb form of the same word (parakaleō) in verse 6 (“We urged Titus . . .”). But the association with this letter’s broader motif of comfort should not be missed by the English reader.

Paul reiterates that he himself did not need to compel Titus to go—Titus wished to go of his own accord. Notice that Paul casts Titus’s visit to the Corinthians in the same way that he is urging the Corinthians to give throughout chapters 8–9: freely, of their own accord, giving liberally as the happy overflow of wonder at God’s own grace to them in the gospel. The only other NT use of the word here for “of his own accord” is back in verse 3 of this very passage, where it is said that the Macedonians gave “of their own accord.” The Macedonians gave freely. Titus is coming to them freely. Will the Corinthians join in and give freely?

8:18 Paul now mentions the second member of the emissary triad. He is unnamed. Instead of speculating who this might be, however, the most sensible handling of the text is to assume Paul has his own good reasons for mentioning Titus by name but not mentioning the second and third colleagues described in this passage. Given that Paul identifies the second member as famed for his preaching, perhaps there is a hint of quietly restraining any perceived sense of “name-dropping.” Given his fame, his name need not be mentioned; but that is just as well, for more fundamental to his identity than his homiletical eloquence is that he is simply another faithful “brother.”

The phrase “for his preaching of the gospel” in Greek is simply “in the gospel.” While preaching is likely the primary manifestation of this brother’s steady fidelity, the point is not mainly that he is uniquely gifted as an orator of the pulpit but that he is uniquely faithful as a servant of Christ. He is widely respected for his honorable work in the gospel of grace.

8:19 Here we learn that this brother who is faithful in the gospel is not only widely known by the churches but formally commissioned by the churches. In a dual reality instructive for the modern church, we see not only that this brother is famous for his work in the gospel but also that the church herself has sanctioned his work. Notoriety in the church is not something to be pursued out ahead of solidarity with the church.

Indeed, not only has this preacher gone forth with the blessing of the churches more widely, he is also functioning as part of a team. Note Paul’s language: the preacher is traveling “with us as we carry out this act of grace that is being ministered by us, for the glory of the Lord himself and to show our good will.” Gifted preachers may be tempted to surge ahead on their own into a spotlight they alone enjoy, but to act on such impulses would be a kind of ministry foreign to the categories of ministry given to us in the NT. The drumbeat of faithful gospel ministry is that it is “for the glory of the Lord.” Authentic ministers self-consciously put Christ under the spotlight rather than slipping into it themselves. If ministers are famous for preaching, this should be a fame for their fidelity in spotlighting Christ, not a fame generated by grabbing the spotlight for themselves.

8:20–21 Paul’s financial integrity recurs throughout his correspondence with the church at Corinth (1 Cor. 9:1–23; 2 Cor. 11:7–12). Apparently he is aware of some level of suspicion from the Corinthians toward the way he handles the funds he is raising (cf. 6:3, which includes the only other NT use of mōmaomai, “to find fault, blame”). He explains now that the reason he is sending this brother famed for his preaching is as a healthy affirmation of the care and integrity with which Paul is conducting himself in the collection of funds. “Generous gift” translates a single Greek word, hadrotēs, meaning “abundance.” Paul is not seeking to draw attention to how virtuous he is but is simply being realistic in the scrutiny that traveling with such significant funds will invite. Can the apostle Paul himself really have been the object of such suspicion? Calvin explains why the answer is yes: “It is when a man is completely upright that Satan launches all his devices against him in an attempt to find some means or other of injuring his reputation, for his fall could be a much greater cause of offence.”70

The opening “for” in 8:21 signals that Paul is giving us the reason he has taken such conscientious care to remain blameless in his conduct as expressed in verse 20. Paul now drops one level deeper into the motives of his heart in helping the Corinthians understand his actions in handling the fundraising enterprise: “We aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord’s sight but also in the sight of man.” “Honorable” here translates the Greek word kalos, generally meaning “good” or “beautiful” or “right” (cf. 13:7; 1 Cor. 7:8, 26; 1 Thess. 5:21; 1 Tim. 2:3). The idea is that which accords with the true purpose of something at its deepest level (BDAG). “In the sight of” translates a single Greek preposition (enōpion) indicating audience. Paul is saying that he does not have a falsely spiritual conviction about doing what is right before God while flaunting and disregarding what people think.

On the one hand, Paul is not controlled by human opinion; he does not even judge himself (1 Cor. 4:3)! But so far as he is able, he aims to do what is right and fitting before others. As regards the ultimate level of true and final standing, God’s approval alone counts (cf. Gal. 1:10). As regards the nonultimate level of his efforts to work with the churches, human approval is sought. When the two clash, however, God’s assessment alone matters (Acts 4:19–20; 5:29). Stated differently, when the choice is between pleasing myself and pleasing others, I please others. When the choice is between pleasing others and pleasing God, I please God.

8:22 This verse introduces the third member of the emissary triad, also unnamed. “With them” means “with Titus and the well-known preacher.” This third brother has frequently been “tested” (Gk. dokimazō) and in a variety of occasions has demonstrated that he is “earnest” (spoudaios), using two of the same word roots used in verse 8 to call the Corinthians to “prove [dokimazō] by the earnestness [spoudē] of others that your love also is genuine.” In Pauline thought “earnestness” is a matter not simply of accelerated faithfulness but of proven faithfulness. Throughout chapter 8 Paul has been urging the Corinthians to prove by their actions what they have pledged from their heart. In Paul’s theology heart and deed, confession and action, belief and obedience, can never be divorced. This brother has proven his sincerity, and Paul is likely quietly signaling to the Corinthians that they are to do likewise. This earnestness is particularly strong in this man because of his “confidence” in the Corinthians, a confidence Paul shares (1:13–14).

8:23 Paul returns to Titus, the one member of the trio familiar to the Corinthians. The clause “he is my partner and fellow worker for your benefit” is meant to communicate the dual blessing Titus is, both to Paul and to the Corinthians—he is my partner, but he is also your fellow worker. Paul dignifies the Corinthians: “This is your work, too!” he implies.

And this is “for your benefit.” A consistent theme throughout 2 Corinthians has been Paul’s insistence that he and his colleagues have been acting on behalf of the Corinthians. Their ministry is not self-referential, calculated to redound honor or other benefit back to them. It is self-giving.

Paul has given two descriptions of Titus in this verse (my partner, your coworker). Now Paul gives two descriptions of the two unnamed brothers: “they are messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ.” The first description uses the Greek word apostolos, “apostle,” “sent one.” “Messengers” is an apt translation, signaling that Paul is not using this term in the formal sense of those who have been specially commissioned by God to guard and transmit the gospel they received directly from Jesus. This formal use of apostolos is normally filled out as apostles “of Christ” (cf. 1:1; 11:13); here these two brothers are apostles “of the churches.” But what does it mean that they are the “glory of Christ”? Remembering Paul’s use of “glory” language in 3:7–4:6, we see “glory of Christ” as a label for these two brothers here in chapter 8 as likely referring to the wonder of new covenant ministry, in which unimpressive men proclaim a crucified Savior as those who are themselves swept up into the glory of the new age, vitally sharing in and radiating out the glory of Christ himself.

8:24 Paul returns from talking about the three-member commission he is sending to addressing the Corinthians directly. All that he has been saying about Titus and his two companions funnels down into this appeal from Paul, that they welcome these three men, vindicating his boasting about their love for fellow believers. The church at Corinth, despite manifold dysfunctions, is a mightily gifted group of believers, as is evident from the two letters to this church in our NT (1 Cor. 1:5–7; 4:8, 10; 8:1; 12:4–11, 28; 2 Cor. 1:14–15; 7:4, 7, 11, 14; 9:2). But Paul’s central concern throughout both letters is not their gifts but their character, not their external flashiness but their internal reality, not their knowledge but their love.