"Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver."
2 Corinthians 9:7
Yesterday – “Genuine love is the result of a personal relationship with God who is love.”
Today:
The simplest definition of “love” that I know is “love is giving.” This definition comes from the example we see in God Himself. Note in the New Testament these three times reading of God’s love. Please note the relationship between love and giving.
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it” (Ephesians 5:25).
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).
From these scriptures, we can know that –
God loves the lost world, so He gave Jesus Christ to save the lost!
God loves the Church, and He gave Himself to sanctify and cleanse it!
And God loves me, and He gave Himself to save my soul from sin, and He gave me a new life to live for Him!
“His greatest (‘indescribable’) gift is that of sending his only Son to be the Saviour of the world” [1] (TBG).
Truly, God is the most generous Lover that there is. Besides our salvation and spiritual gifts, He gives us His air to breathe, His water to drink, and His food to eat, without which our bodies will die. God is so good and generous to us!
Understanding that “love is giving,” we realize that the opposite of love is not hatred but selfishness! And isn’t it true that if a person is stingy with their love, they are selfish and unloving?
Believers, let’s take a moment to look at our love in our giving.
“Every man according as he purposeth in his heart.”
Every believer should be a “giver.” God doesn’t tell us what to give or how much is enough to share, only that each one decides in their heart what they need to provide. This is settled in their minds before the gift is given. Their giving is purposeful, not unexpected. It is a “deliberate choice” [2] (CB).
“So let him give.”
“Giving is like sowing seed: what you get is linked to what you give. The farmer who sows only a little seed will get only a poor harvest, while the farmer who sows generously will reap a rich harvest” [3] (TBG).
“Not grudgingly or of necessity.”
We are: “Not [to] give as out of sorrow” [4] (Robertson).
The giver’s attitude should never be one “of grief” or “sorrow”— “as being wrung from him, and pained to think of the sacrifice he has to make).” [5] (PNT).
And the giver is never to give out of necessity, “As if it were like pulling eye-teeth” [6] (Robertson).
“Many gifts are thus given sorrowfully, where the giver is induced to give by a regard to public opinion, or by stress of conscience” [7] (Hodge – EWC).
There is no joy in that kind of giving!
“He that giveth, let him do it with simplicity” (Romans 12:8b).
“Another reason for giving generously is that God loves generosity. God prizes not the size of the gift (cf. Acts 11:29; 1 Corinthians 16:2), but the giver’s sincerity (not reluctantly), spontaneity (not under compulsion), and joyful willingness (a cheerful giver)” [8] (BKC).
“For God loveth a cheerful giver.”
“The ancient Greek word for cheerful (hilaros, used only here in the New Testament) is the root for our English word hilarious. God wants us to give happily because that is how God Himself gives” [9] (EWC).
“Generous people will be blessed because they share their food with the poor” (Proverbs 22:9, HSB). Or, as this proverb was translated in the LXX [10], “God blesseth a man who is cheerful and a giver” [11] (Vincent).
Believers, I hope these thoughts challenge your heart as they do mine. Our love and giving always need to meet God’s standards.
“Love is giving!”
Quote: “In Christian giving, both the thought and the attitude count. Paul asks the Corinthians to consider carefully what they will give—and then to give it cheerfully” [12] (TBG).
[1] TBG, Andrew Knowles, The Bible Guide, 1st Augsburg books ed. (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg, 2001), 599.
[2] CB – Cambridge Bible, the electronic Bible notes in eSword.
[3] TBG, ibid.
[4] WPNT – A.T. Robertson. Word Pictures in the New Testament, the electronic version in eSword.
[5] PNT – Popular New Testament, A Popular Commentary on the New Testament, the electronic version in eSword.
[6] WPNT – A.T. Robertson. Word Pictures in the New Testament, the electronic version in eSword.
[7] EWC – David Guzik. Enduring Word Commentary, the electronic version in eSword.
[8] BKC, David K. Lowery, “2 Corinthians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 575.
[9] EWC, ibid.
[10] The LXX is the Septuagint, the Old Testament written in Greek.
[11] Marvin Richardson Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament, vol. 3 (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1887), 334.
[12] TBG, ibid.