When someone starts talking to you about money, you likely have a knee-jerk reaction to wonder about their motives. This is a wise response; false advertising, scams, and predatory business practices are all too common, and it is painful when we or others we know fall prey to them.
In light of these realities, we might have the impulse to simply never part with our hard-earned cash. But we know that as followers of Christ, we are called to transformational generosity. As wise stewards of the resources the Lord has given us, we seek to be givers. Often, giving can be our last priority on the list. Yet the scriptural understanding of generosity might surprise us.
In 2 Corinthians 8, the apostle Paul taught the churches in southern Greece about generosity.
What does the Bible tell us?
“And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us” (2 Corinthians 8:1–5 NIV).
In order to teach the Corinthians what generosity looks like, Paul used a startling example: he told them to act like the Macedonians. This would have been surprising because the two were rivals, and the Corinthians were on top. While the nearby Macedonians were the descendants of Alexander the Great, leader of the powerful Greek empire, in Paul’s day they were feeble and poor. Corinth, on the other hand, was rebuilt by the Romans and had become one of the wealthiest cities in the world.
Act like the Macedonians
Giving with Grace
Yet even though the Macedonians lived in poverty, Paul states that the Lord provided them with grace. The Greek word for grace that Paul used here is charis. This word has a robust meaning. In its basic form, grace is unearned; it’s a pure gift. When reading about this grace to the Macedonians, we might think that God rescued them from their poverty. But this isn’t the case. In fact, in verse 2 we read that they were experiencing severe trials.
In spite of their dire situation, God’s grace led the Macedonians to give. Even though they were poor, they were wildly generous. This kind of generosity is an acknowledgment that “our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18 NIV).
The Macedonians were an example to the Corinthians of generosity. And as we read this passage today, we understand that we as Christians, regardless of our present situation, are called to generosity. It is an elemental attribute for every follower of Jesus.
We choose to be generous because we are recipients of a most valuable gift. The charis of Christ dwells within us. This gift changes our view of eternity, so it should be evident in how we manage our resources. As Jesus says in Matthew 10:8, “freely you have received, freely give” (NIV).
