The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV, page 593
7:8, 9 I do not regret it…I did regret it…. Now I rejoice. Paul did not regret sending the letter, even though it caused them sorrow, because he knew that sorrow over their sin would affect in them repentance leading to obedience. Yet Paul did regret having sent it for a brief time while awaiting Titus’ return, fearing that his letter was too harsh, and that he might have driven them further away from him. In the end, however, he rejoiced because the letter accomplished what he had hoped.
7:9 your sorrow led to repentance. The letter produced a sorrow in the Corinthian believers that led them to repent of their sins. “Repentance” refers to the desire to turn from sin and restore one’s relationship to God (see notes on Matt. 3:2, 8).
7:10 godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation. “Godly sorrow” refers to sorrow that is according to the will of God and produced by the Holy Spirit (see note on 2 Tim. 2:25). True repentance cannot occur apart from such a genuine sorrow over one’s sin. The word “leading” is supplied by the translators; Paul was saying that repentance belongs to the realm or sphere of salvation. Repentance is at the very heart of and proves one’s salvation: unbelievers repent of their sin initially when they are saved, and then as believers, repent of their sins continually to keep the joy and blessing of their relationship to God (see notes on 1 John 1:7–9). sorrow of the world produces death. Human sorrow is unsanctified remorse and has no redemptive capability. It is nothing more than the wounded pride of getting caught in a sin and having one’s lusts go unfulfilled. That kind of sorrow leads only to guilt, shame, despair, depression, self-pity, and hopelessness. People can die from such sorrow (cf. Matt. 27:3).
7:11 This verse provides a look at how genuine repentance will manifest itself in one’s attitudes. diligence. Better translated, “earnestness” or “eagerness.” It is the initial reaction of true repentance to eagerly and aggressively pursue righteousness. This is an attitude that ends indifference to sin and complacency about evil and deception. what clearing of yourselves. A desire to clear one’s name of the stigma that accompanies sin. The repentant sinner restores the trust and confidence of others by making his genuine repentance known. indignation. Often associated with righteous indignation and holy anger. Repentance leads to anger over one’s sin and displeasure at the shame it has brought on the Lord’s name and His people. fear. This is reverence toward God, who is the One most offended by sin. Repentance leads to a healthy fear of the One who chastens and judges sin. vehement desire. This could be translated “yearning,” or “a longing for,” and refers to the desire of the repentant sinner to restore the relationship with the one who was sinned against. zeal. This refers to loving someone or something so much that one hates anyone or anything that harms the object of this love (see note on v. 7). vindication. This could be translated “avenging of wrong,” and refers to the desire to see justice done. The repentant sinner no longer tries to protect himself; he wants to see the sin avenged no matter what it might cost him. to be clear in this matter. The essence of repentance is an aggressive pursuit of holiness, which was characteristic of the Corinthians. The Gr. word for “clear” means “pure” or “holy.” They demonstrated the integrity of their repentance by their purity.
7:12 him who had done the wrong. The leader of the mutiny in the Corinthian church (see note on 12:7).
7:15 fear and trembling. Reverence toward God and a healthy fear of judgment (see note on 1 Cor. 2:3).
2 Corinthians 8
8:1—9:15 While this section specifically deals with Paul’s instruction to the Corinthians about a particular collection for the saints in Jerusalem, it also provides the richest, most detailed model of Christian giving in the NT.
8:1 grace of God. The generosity of the churches of Macedonia was motivated by God’s grace. Paul did not merely commend those churches for a noble human work, but instead gave the credit to God for what He did through them. churches of Macedonia. Macedonia was the northern Roman province of Greece. Paul’s reference was to the churches at Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea (cf. Acts 17:11). This was basically an impoverished province that had been ravaged by many wars and even then was being plundered by Roman authority and commerce.
8:2 abundance of their joy. “Abundance” means “surplus.” In spite of their difficult circumstances, the churches’ joy rose above their pain because of their devotion to the Lord and the causes of His kingdom. deep poverty. “Deep” means “according to the depth,” or “extremely deep.” “Poverty” refers to the most severe type of economic deprivation, the kind that caused a person to become a beggar. riches of their liberality. The Gr. word for “liberality” can be translated “generosity” or “sincerity.” It is the opposite of duplicity or being double-minded. The Macedonian believers were rich in their single-minded, selfless generosity to God and to others.
8:3 Paul highlighted 3 elements of the Macedonians’ giving which summed up the concept of freewill giving: 1) “according to their ability.” Giving is proportionate—God sets no fixed amount or percentage and expects His people to give based on what they have (Luke 6:38; 1 Cor. 16:2); 2) “beyond their ability.” Giving is sacrificial. God’s people are to give according to what they have, yet it must be in proportions that are sacrificial (cf. Matt. 6:25–34; Mark 12:41–44; Phil. 4:19); and 3) “freely willing”—lit. “one who chooses his own course of action.” Giving is voluntary—God’s people are not to give out of compulsion, manipulation, or intimidation. Freewill giving has always been God’s plan (cf. 9:6; Gen. 4:2–4; 8:20; Ex. 25:1, 2; 35:4, 5, 21, 22; 36:5–7; Num. 18:12; Deut. 16:10, 17; 1 Chr. 29:9; Prov. 3:9, 10; 11:24; Luke 19:1–8). Freewill giving is not to be confused with tithing, which related to the national taxation system of Israel (see note on Lev. 27:30–32) and is paralleled in the NT and the present by paying taxes (see notes on Matt. 22:21; Rom. 13:6, 7).
8:4 the gift and the fellowship. “Gift” means “grace.” The Macedonian Christians implored Paul for the special grace of being able to have fellowship and be partners in supporting the poor saints in Jerusalem. They viewed giving as a privilege, not an obligation (cf. 9:7).
8:5 not only as we had hoped. The response of the Macedonian churches was far more than Paul had expected. first. Refers not to time but priority. Of first priority to the Macedonians was to present themselves as sacrifices to God (cf. Rom. 12:1, 2; 1 Pet. 2:5). Generous giving follows personal dedication.
8:6 we urged Titus. Titus initially encouraged the Corinthians to begin the collection at least one year earlier. When he returned to Corinth with the severe letter (see Introduction: Background and Setting), Paul encouraged him to help the believers finish the collection of the money for the support of the poor saints in Jerusalem.
8:7 you abound in everything. The giving of the Corinthians was to be in harmony with other Christian virtues that Paul already recognized in them: “faith”—sanctifying trust in the Lord; “speech”—sound doctrine; “knowledge”—the application of doctrine; “diligence”—eagerness and spiritual passion; and “love”—the love of choice, inspired by their leaders.
8:8 not by commandment. Freewill giving is never according to obligation or command (see note on v. 3).
8:9 though He was rich. A reference to the eternality and pre-existence of Christ. As the second person of the Trinity, Christ is as rich as God is rich. He owns everything, and possesses all power, authority, sovereignty, glory, honor, and majesty (cf. Is. 9:6; Mic. 5:2; John 1:1; 8:58; 10:30; 17:5; Col. 1:15–18; 2:9; Heb. 1:3). He became poor. A reference to Christ’s incarnation (cf. John 1:14; Rom. 1:3; 8:3; Gal. 4:4; Col. 1:20; 1 Tim. 3:16; Heb. 2:7). He laid aside the independent exercise of all His divine prerogatives, left His place with God, took on human form, and died on a cross like a common criminal (Phil. 2:5–8). that you…might become rich. Believers become spiritually rich through the sacrifice and impoverishment of Christ (Phil. 2:5–8). They become rich in salvation, forgiveness, joy, peace, glory, honor, and majesty (cf. 1 Cor. 1:4, 5; 3:22; Eph. 1:3; 1 Pet. 1:3, 4). They become joint heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:17).
8:10 advice. Paul was not commanding the Corinthians to give any specific amount. It was his opinion, however, that it was to their advantage to give generously so they might receive abundantly more from God in either material blessings, spiritual blessings, or eternal reward (cf. 9:6; Luke 6:38).
8:11 complete the doing of it. The Corinthians needed to finish what they had started by completing the collection (cf. Luke 9:62; 1 Cor. 16:2). They needed this reminder since they likely stopped the process due to the influence of the false teachers, who probably accused Paul of being a huckster who would keep the money for himself (cf. 2:17).
8:12 willing mind. Paul spoke of a readiness and eagerness to give. God is most concerned with the heart attitude of the giver, not the amount he gives (cf. 9:7; Mark 12:41–44). according to what one has. Whatever one has is the resource out of which he should give (see note on v. 3). That is why there are no set amounts or percentages for giving anywhere stated in the NT. The implication is that if one has much, he can give much; if he has little, he can give only little (cf. 9:6). not according to what he does not have. Believers do not need to go into debt to give, nor lower themselves to a poverty level. God never asks believers to impoverish themselves. The Macedonians received a special blessing of grace from God to give the way they did.
8:14 equality. This Gr. word gives us the Eng. word “isostasy,” which refers to a condition of equilibrium. Thus the term could also be translated “balance” or “equilibrium.” The idea is that in the body of Christ some believers who have more than they need should help those who have far less than they need (cf. 1 Tim. 6:17, 18). This is not, however, a scheme of Paul’s to redistribute wealth within the church, but rather to meet basic needs.
8:15 As it is written. Quoted from Ex. 16:18. The collecting of the manna by the Israelites in the wilderness was an appropriate illustration of sharing of resources. Some were able to gather more than others, and apparently shared it so that no one lacked what they needed.
8:16 Titus. See note on v. 6.
8:18 the brother. This man is unnamed because he was so well known, prominent and unimpeachable. He was a distinguished preacher, and he was able to add credibility to the enterprise of taking the collection to Jerusalem.
8:19 chosen by the churches. To protect Paul and Titus from false accusations regarding the mishandling of the money, the churches picked the unbiased brother (v. 18) as their representative to lend accountability to the enterprise. to the glory of the Lord Himself. Paul wanted careful scrutiny as protection against bringing dishonor to Christ for any misappropriation of the money. He wanted to avoid any offenses worthy of justifiable criticisms or accusations.
8:21 providing honorable things. A better rendering is “have regard for what is honorable,” or “take into consideration what is honorable.” Paul cared greatly about what people thought of his actions, especially considering how large the gift was.
8:22 our brother. A third member of the delegation sent to deliver the gift, also unnamed.
8:23 partner and fellow worker. Titus was Paul’s “partner”—his close companion—and fellow laborer among the Corinthians. They already knew of his outstanding character. messengers of the churches. The two men who went with Titus were apostles in the sense of being commissioned and sent by the churches. They were not apostles of Christ (11:13; 1 Thess. 2:6), because they were not eyewitnesses of the resurrected Lord or commissioned directly by Him (see note on Rom. 1:1). glory of Christ. The greatest of all commendations is to be characterized as bringing glory to Christ. Such was the case of the two messengers.
2 Corinthians 9
9:1 ministering to the saints. The offering they were collecting for the believers in Jerusalem (see note on 8:4).
9:2 Paul was simply calling the Corinthians back to their original eagerness and readiness to participate in the offering project. The confusion and lies spread by the false teachers (i.e., Paul was a deceiver ministering only for the money) had sidetracked the believers on this issue. the Macedonians. Believers in the churches in the province of Macedonia, which was the northern part of Greece (see notes on 8:1–5; Acts 16:9; see Introduction to 1 Thessalonians: Background and Setting). Achaia. A province in southern Greece, where Corinth was located (see Introduction to 1 Corinthians: Background and Setting).
9:5 your generous gift. On first hearing of the need, the Corinthians had undoubtedly promised Paul that they would raise a large amount. grudging obligation. More clearly translated “covetousness,” or “greed,” it denotes a grasping to get more and keep it at the expense of others. This attitude emphasizes selfishness and pride, which can have a very detrimental effect on giving, and is natural for unbelievers but should not be for professed believers (cf. Ps. 10:3; Eccl. 5:10; Mic. 2:2; Mark 7:22; Rom. 1:29; 1 Cor. 5:11; 6:9, 10; Eph. 5:3–5; 1 Tim. 6:10; 2 Pet. 2:14).
9:6 The simple, self-evident agrarian principle—which Paul applied to Christian giving—that the harvest is directly proportionate to the amount of seed sown (cf. Prov. 11:24, 25; 19:17; Luke 6:38; Gal. 6:7). bountifully. This is derived from the Gr. word which gives us the word “eulogy” (“blessing”). When a generous believer gives by faith and trust in God, with a desire to produce the greatest possible blessing, that person will receive that kind of a harvest of blessing (cf. Prov. 3:9, 10; 28:27; Mal. 3:10). God gives a return on the amount one invests with Him. Invest a little, receive a little, and vice versa (cf. Luke 6:38).
9:7 as he purposes. The term translated “purposes” occurs only here in the NT and indicates a premeditated, predetermined plan of action that is done from the heart voluntarily, but not impulsively. This is an age-old biblical principle of giving (see note on 8:3; cf. Ex. 25:2). grudgingly. Lit. “with grief,” “sorrow,” or “sadness,” which indicates an attitude of depression, regret, and reluctance that accompanies something done strictly out of a sense of duty and obligation, but not joy. of necessity. Or “compulsion.” This refers to external pressure and coercion, quite possibly accompanied by legalism. Believers are not to give based on the demands of others, or according to any arbitrary standards or set amounts. God loves a cheerful giver. God has a unique, special love for those who are happily committed to generous giving. The Gr. word for “cheerful” is the word from which we get “hilarious,” which suggests that God loves a heart that is enthusiastically thrilled with the pleasure of giving.
9:8 all grace abound toward you. God possesses an infinite amount of grace, and He gives it lavishly, without holding back (cf. 1 Chr. 29:14). Here “grace” does not refer to spiritual graces, but to money and material needs. When the believer generously—and wisely—gives of his material resources, God graciously replenishes them so he always has plenty and will not be in need (cf. 2 Chr. 31:10). all sufficiency. In secular Greek philosophy, this was the proud contentment of self-sufficiency that supposedly led to true happiness. Paul sanctifies the secular term and says that God, not man, will supply everything needed for real happiness and contentment (cf. Phil. 4:19). abundance for every good work. God gives back lavishly to generous, cheerful givers, not so they may satisfy selfish, nonessential desires, but so they may meet the variety of needs others have (cf. Deut. 15:10, 11).
9:9 Paul marshals OT support (Ps. 112:9) for what he has been saying about the divine principles of giving. God replenishes and rewards the righteous giver both in time and eternity.
9:10 Paul drew on Is. 55:10 for additional OT support. The same God who is faithful to supply all His creatures’ physical needs and is kind to all men, is uniquely gracious to His children. He always fulfills His promise to replenish their generosity. fruits of your righteousness. God’s temporal and eternal blessings to the cheerful giver (cf. Hos. 10:12).
9:12 administration of this service. “Administration,” which may also be translated “service,” is a priestly word from which we get “liturgy.” Paul viewed the entire collection project as a spiritual, worshipful enterprise that was primarily being offered to God to glorify Him. supplies the needs of the saints. The Gr. word for “supplies” is a doubly intense term that could be rendered “really, fully supplying.” This indicates the Jerusalem church had an extremely great need. Many of its members had gone to Jerusalem as pilgrims to celebrate the feast of Pentecost (see notes on Acts 2:1, 5–11), had been converted through Peter’s message, and had then remained in the city without adequate financial support. Many residents of Jerusalem had undoubtedly lost their jobs in the waves of persecution that came after the martyrdom of Stephen (Acts 8:1). However, the Corinthians were wealthy enough (they had not yet suffered persecution and deprivation like the Macedonians; 8:1–4) to help meet the huge need with a generous monetary gift (see note on 9:5).
9:13 proof of this ministry. The collection also provided an important opportunity for the Corinthians to test the genuineness of their faith (cf. James 1:22; 1 John 2:3, 4). The Jewish believers, who already doubted the validity of Gentile salvation, were especially skeptical of the Corinthians since their church had so many problems. The Corinthians’ involvement in the collection would help to put those doubts to rest. obedience of your confession. Obedient submission to God’s Word is always evidence of a true confession of Christ as Lord and Savior (Eph. 2:10; James 2:14–20; cf. Rom. 10:9, 10). If the Corinthians had a proper response to and participation in Paul’s collection ministry, the Jewish believers would know the Gentile conversions had been real.
9:14 This verse illustrates the truth that mutual prayer is at the heart of authentic Christian unity. When the Jerusalem believers recognized God was at work in the Corinthian church as a result of its outreach through the collection (see notes on v. 13), they would have become friends in Christ and prayed for the Corinthians, thanking God for their loving generosity. the exceeding grace of God. The Spirit of God was at work in the Corinthians in a special way (see note on v. 13).
