Putting grace into Action

Read 2 Corinthians 8.

The effects of the grace of God are many.  For example: There is saving grace; that one time act of God when we place our eternal faith in Jesus.  Then, there is sustaining grace as the Lord strengthens us through trials.  Here, in this chapter the Holy Spirit reveals to Paul giving grace.

Contextually, during this time believers in Jerusalem were in great need.  The Apostle Paul let the need be known and was in the process of collecting funds for this project.  Note that the instructions and the principles in chapters 8 and 9 are not referring to tithing but to giving over and above regular offerings to the church. Four times in chapter 8,  Paul attaches the word grace to this type of giving.

Too often grace is left as a theological concept.  The Greek word is Charis and is defined in Strong's Greek Dictionary of the New Testament as "the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life."  In other words, when God does a work of grace in a believer, there will be noticeable evidence.  Grace is active!  Twice (vv.7 and 19) such generosity giving is called "this act of grace."

1. It was the grace of God that moved the Macedonians to contribute to this project when they had great needs of their own.  "in a severe test of affliction,"  "their extreme poverty," "beyond their means."  (vv.1-3)

2. It is the grace of God that motivates believers to respond to the needs of others.
Twice (vv.7 and 19) such generosity giving is called "this act of grace."

3. It is the grace of God that is inseparably links true love to giving.  It was love that caused God, the Father to give His one and only Son to die on the cross for us (John 3:16).  In the case of the Macedonians, "they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us" (v.5).  In verses 8 and 24, Paul urged the Corinthians "to prove...your love is genuine" by financially fulfilling their promise to give.

The quote is attributed to several and Biblically holds true.  "You can give without loving, but you can never love without giving."