CHARACTER COUNTS: Generosity

Everyone loves the stories of philanthropists—those who give away large sums of money through donations, trusts, and foundations. Elon Musk recently offered to pay over a full month of salaries of 54,000 people and Warren Buffet gives away 99 percent of his wealth.

Considering that in 2023, Buffet made over $37 million every day, his pledge to give away 99 percent certainly gets our attention, for he would give away $36.63 million a day. That sounds noble and sacrificial, but if you had $135 Billion (Warren Buffet’s net worth) and chose to live on a mere one percent, you would still have $1.3 billion to scrape by on!  That's 3.6 Million dollars EVERY day of the year.

Sure, that’s a lot of money to give, but is that same as being generous? Generosity has nothing to do with the amount. Generosity is a heart issue.

Many faiths make a call to live a life of generosity. This look at 2 Corinthians 8:1-9 explains more about generosity.

2 Corinthians 8:1-2

1 We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God that was given to the churches of Macedonia: 2 During a severe trial brought about by affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.

Corinth was one of the most prominent cities in the world in the era of the Apostle Paul. Paul founded the church at Corinth around the years 50–52 during his second missionary journey. The book of Second Corinthians is one of Paul’s four letters to the church at Corinth, only two of which remain. 

Paul wrote First Corinthians (his second letter) due to issues the church was having with such things as disunity, immorality, food offered to idols, communion practices, and spiritual gifts. Second Corinthians (his fourth letter) was written in part to address individuals who were hostile toward Paul and questioning his apostolic authority. 

First Century Corinth

In the first century AD, modern Greece was divided into two regions. The northern region was Macedonia, while the coastal southern region was Achaia. In Achaia, Paul visited Athens and established a church at Corinth. Paul wrote to the Corinthians to inform them of the grace that God extended to the churches in Macedonia.  

Grace is the demonstration of unmerited favor toward someone, Paul was referring to how God’s grace had motivated the Macedonian churches to extend charity to others even during their own difficult times. 

Affliction (persecution, oppression, tribulation) led to severe trial, which translates a Greek term literally meaning “testing.” The word’s focus is on the positive response to such affliction.  The tests of the Macedonian believers’ character had revealed the strength of their faith and in whom they placed their trust.

Rural Macedonia

The Macedonian believers had experienced extreme, “rock bottom” poverty. But even in their poverty they experienced abundant joy. We can experience joy even in the most difficult circumstances because our joy is not focused on our external circumstances; our joy is in our relationship with the Divine. The Macedonians, who were not wealthy in material possessions, were wealthy in their generosity, and they displayed that through their sacrificial giving.

2 Corinthians 8:3-6

3 I can testify that, according to their ability and even beyond their ability, of their own accord, 4 they begged us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in the ministry to the saints, 5 and not just as we had hoped. Instead, they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us by God’s will. 6 So we urged Titus that just as he had begun, so he should also complete among you this act of grace.

If we only remember one thing about generosity, it needs to be this: It’s an act of grace that leaves no room for self-congratulations. When our focus is on something other than the Divine, giving can become a platform for empty pride. But when it flows from a deep sense of gratitude for all that the Divine has done then it reflects His wonderful grace. 

The Macedonian believers had given all that could have been expected of them, and then they had given more. This giving came not out of their surplus but out of their limited resources. Their giving was of their own accord – voluntarily and without coercion. It was from the heart. The Macedonian believers begged to have the privilege of giving to Paul’s collection for the Judean Church. The Greek term for sharing refers to an association, a partnership and fellowship in the ministry.  They greatly desired to partner with the Paul’s ministry by helping the Judeans.

Paul and his coworkers were shocked by how much these believers contributed to the Judean relief fund. The Macedonian believers gave themselves first to Divinity. First refers to both first in sequence and first in priority. Paul’s words recognize that the matter of giving to any ministry or cause is a heart matter between the believer and the Divine. Our relationship with Divinity is to always be our first priority; all our motivations and actions should flow out of this relationship.

Because the Macedonians were fully committed to Divinity they also committed themselves to the work of His apostle Paul in the collection of financial resources for famine relief for the Judean believers. While today, giving financial resources can sometimes be easier than giving ourselves and our time to the work of ministry. In our society, which is one of the wealthiest in the world, our time and presence are sometimes greater gifts than money. But all are needed. 

The Macedonians’ involvement in the collection for the Judean Church was due to their faith in the teachings of the Divine that they had learned and experienced. It was their will to give themselves over to giving and supporting the Judeans and to the Divine motivation offering to do more so that Divinity could provide for both peoples, the Judeans and the Macedonian Greeks.

Evidently, unlike the Macedonian believers, the Corinthian Church had failed to complete the process of collecting funds for the Judeans.  They had failed to bring the project to a successful conclusion. The Corinthians apparently had lost their initial zeal for the project. Paul had sent Titus back to the church to help complete the process of gathering funds. The Corinthians needed to follow through on their commitment to give and Titus would facilitate the completion of the project.

Giving is not just a duty or obligation. It is an act of grace. Just as Divine grace had been the motivation behind the Macedonian believers’ giving, so too the Corinthians’ giving was to be motivated by Divine grace.

2 Corinthians 8:7-9

7 Now as you excel in everything—in faith, speech, knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love for us—excel also in this act of grace. 8 I am not saying this as a command. Rather, by means of the diligence of others, I am testing the genuineness of your love. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: Though he was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.

Paul noted that the Corinthian believers excelled in five areas, and he would suggest a sixth—giving. 

First, the Corinthians Christians excelled in faith. The Corinthians had apparently grown in their faith (their trust in God), so much so that Paul mentioned this at the beginning of the letter.  He also mentioned the spiritual gift of faith (which believes and expects Divine activity) in his previous letter to the Corinthians, along with other miraculous gifts such as healing, miracles, prophecy, distinguishing between spirits, and tongues. Such gifts were present in the Corinthian church to the degree that in 1 Corinthians Paul had to deal with issues related to how the congregation had elevated particular gifts over others. He may have been using a bit of sarcasm in saying these believers expected the miraculous, but left the mundane (such as giving) to others like the impoverished Macedonian believers. 

Next, the Corinthian church excelled in speech – messages of wisdom, knowledge, prophecy, tongues, and the interpretation of tongues. Paul was encouraging them to give with the same zeal for giving as they had for these other spiritual gifts.

The spiritual gift of giving is a special ability given by the Divine Spirit to individuals within the church. Those with this gift have a unique desire and capacity to generously contribute their resources, time, and talents for the support of God’s work, both within the church and to aid those in need.

Individuals with the gift of giving possess a deep understanding of stewardship and a compassionate heart for helping others. They joyfully give with a spirit of generosity, seeking to advance God’s kingdom. When the gift of giving is present it fosters a spirit of generosity. Those with this gift inspire others to give and create a supportive environment for funding Divine ministry.

In the absence of the gift of giving, the the struggle with financial limitations and limited resources to support ministries may continue. By exercising this gift with a heart of generosity and compassion, individuals participate in transformative acts of love and support.

Thirdly, the Corinthians emphasized knowledge, which involves spiritual insight received from the Divine as a gift. It is included in the list of spiritual gifts the apostle addressed with the Corinthians.

Fourth Paul also commended the Corinthians for their diligence or zeal. The Greek term refers to a person who has an eagerness to do something and is highly motivated to get it done. 

Lastly, Paul commended the church in Corinth for their love for him. Though Paul did not question their love for him, he had a measure of disappointment that they did not keep pace in their giving.

We tend to view this in our modern minds as "come on Corinth, keep up with the small towns."  But Paul KNEW that the Corinthians were on board with supporting the Judean famine relief, he was just a bit let down that this "big town church" with its "big town resources" was unable to keep pace with the rural community churches who were accustomed to supporting their neighbors.  I believe the point the Paul may have been making was "look, you may need to reprioritize your budget.  The need for this project is great and YOUR support is NEEDED. I understand your "big city needs", but I need you to learn to get in touch with a rural "help your neighbors" mentality.

Paul also made sure that they did not think that this was a command that came only from his apostolic authority. It was not an order, but a desire that all giving come from the heart of a willing servant and as an act of grace.

Here is a check list to help you gauge YOUR generosity. 

 

[ ] Is giving a “get to” or a “got to” opportunity for you? Is your giving willingly provided or merely a manipulated moment of monetary movement? 

 

[ ] Is your generosity given only according to your ability? Is our giving limited only to our balance sheet and work schedule, or do we seek to give beyond our balance and income sheets and listen to Divine inspiration?

[ ] Does your giving go "even beyond your ability" and into the realm of trusting God's ability? Are we willing to trust that we are being led by the Lord who will provide, or do we limit our giving only to what WE know what WE can provide?

[ ] Are our opportunities to be generous seen as a “privilege" or merely a duty, or for social standing? Are we truly giving out of filling a need, or are we just seeking self-glorification?

[ ] Is OUR generosity a response to Divine generosity? Am I emulating the Divine or am I seeking to blow my own horn, or enhance my own standing?

Tough questions worth considering.