We want you to know, brothers, about the
grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a
severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty
have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave
according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their
own accord, begging us earnestly for the favour of taking part in the relief of
the saints — and this, not as we
expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of
God to us… But as you excel in everything — in faith, in speech, in knowledge,
in all earnestness, and in our love for you — see that you excel in this act of
grace also. I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others
that your love also is genuine…
For if the readiness is there, it is
acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not
have. For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that
as a matter of fairness your abundance at the present time should supply their
need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness.
As it is written, ‘Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever
gathered little had no lack’. …
Now it is superfluous for me to write to
you about the ministry for the saints, for I know your readiness, of which I
boast about you to the people of Macedonia, saying that Achaia has been ready
since last year. And your zeal has stirred up most of them. But I am sending
the brothers so that our boasting about you may not prove empty in this matter,
so that you may be ready, as I said you would be. Otherwise, if some
Macedonians come with me and find that you are not ready, we would be
humiliated — to say nothing of you — for being so confident. So I thought it
necessary to urge the brothers to go on ahead to you and arrange in advance for
the gift you have promised, so that it may be ready as a willing gift, not as
an exaction.
2 Corinthians 8-9
St
Paul’s willingness to support himself became the model of generosity for the
church at Corinth and they decided to give for the benefit of Christians in
need elsewhere. More than this, their example inspired the churches in
Macedonia and Achaia to do the same.
But a
year later, as Paul writes his second letter to them, they have forgotten their
commitment and need reminding, in case they are ‘humiliated’. As this is nearest thing to
manipulative fundraising that we find in the Bible, I think it important to
point out that it was the Corinthians’ own idea that Paul was reminding them of
and encouraging them to fulfil. Furthermore, if he was putting a burden on
them, he was putting it on the church, collectively,
not on individuals.
They
were to give from what they had, not from what they did not have. This is why I
think that a strict application of tithing is indiscriminate and can be unfair.
It was, as Paul wrote, a matter of fairness, so that there should be fairness.
Do you
see this fairness in churches today? Or is the ‘20/80 rule’ more usual: 20% of
the Christians give 80% of the funding! Do you think this is because they are best able
to afford it?
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Copyright © All Souls Clubhouse Community Centre & Church and Philip Evans
2013.
Scripture
quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright
© 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by
permission. All rights reserved.
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