2 Corinthians 8:1-24

Contents: Collection for the poor. Exhortation concerning the grace of giving.

Characters: God, Christ, Paul, Titus.

Conclusion: Those who truly love the Lord Jesus Who became poor for our sakes, making us rich in eternal things, cannot but dedicate their temporal riches to His disposal for the relief of brethren in Christ Who are in need. His rewards for Christian liberality will be based on the will to do, rather than the ability to do, and He takes notice, not of what we give, but what we have left.

Key Word: Liberality, 2 Corinthians 8:2.

Strong Verses: 2 Corinthians 8:7; 2 Corinthians 8:9; 2 Corinthians 8:12; 2 Corinthians 8:21.

Striking Facts: 2 Corinthians 8:9. Our Lord Jesus, equal in power and glory with the Father, rich in all the glory and blessedness of the upper world, yet for our sakes became, literally, «a beggar.» We are thereby made rich in the blessings and promises of the new covenant and the hopes of eternal life. Shall we hold on to our dollars when they are needed for His cause? The best arguments for Christian duties are those taken from the love Christ has manifested to us.