টীকা বর্তমানে শুধুমাত্র ইংরেজিতে উপলব্ধ। বাংলা অনুবাদ চলছে।
2 Corinthians 8 — Though He Was Rich, Yet for Your Sakes He Became Poor
Paul holds up the churches of Macedonia: in a great trial of affliction, the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality — giving beyond their power, willing of themselves, but first giving their own selves to the Lord. He urges the Corinthians to complete the collection for the Jerusalem saints, abounding in this grace also. The supreme motive: ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. Giving is measured by willingness and proportion — that there may be equality — and handled with scrupulous honesty, providing for honest things in the sight of God and men.
“For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.”
— 2 Corinthians 8:9
- v.1-8 The example of Macedonian liberality
- v.9 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
- v.10-24 Completing the collection with willingness and integrity
The order is everything: themselves first, their money after. Giving that begins with the wallet is philanthropy; giving that begins with the self is worship. God wants the giver before the gift.
Where the self has been given, the rest follows without extraction. Most stewardship problems are lordship problems.
The incarnation stated as economics. Rich — in eternal glory, in the worship of heaven; poor — the manger, the borrowed boat, the borrowed tomb; that we through His poverty might inherit unsearchable riches.
Paul grounds a financial appeal in the deepest doctrine. Christian giving is not fundraising technique but imitation of the descent of Christ. Ye know — those who know this grace cannot clutch.
God grades giving on willingness and proportion, not on totals. The widow's two mites outweighed the rich men's gold because He measures what it cost and what it meant.
Not according to that he hath not. God never demands what He has not given. No believer is too poor to give acceptably; no believer is rich enough for reluctant giving to be accepted.
Paul built financial accountability into the collection — multiple trusted men, open books (vv. 18-23). Integrity before God is not enough for the steward of others' money; it must be visible to men.
The work of God is never served by sloppy or secret handling of funds. Above-reproach administration is itself a witness; scandal in money matters discredits the gospel faster than almost anything.
Before reviewing your giving, review your self-giving: the Macedonians first gave their own selves to the Lord (v. 5). Then let verse 9 set the scale. The question is not "how much must I give?" but "how can the recipient of such descent live clenched?" Give willingly, proportionately, and with accounts you would be glad for anyone to see.
Verse 9 is the gospel told in the vocabulary of wealth: the eternally rich Son became poor — incarnation, humiliation, cross — that paupers might be made heirs. All Christian generosity is a footnote to His.
Affliction plus poverty equals liberality — gospel arithmetic. The Macedonians had every excuse not to give and gave anyway, because joy, not surplus, was the source.
Generosity is not a function of income. The deepest poverty in the chapter produced the richest giving; abundance of joy was the actual treasury.