2 CORINTHIANS 8:8–9
I speak not by commandment, but I am testing the sincerity of your love …
(2 Cor. 8:8).
In urging Christians to give to the poor, Paul makes two significant points. First, we should not be compelled to give because a command has been issued, but we should be motivated by love. True love will respond liberally to a need; whereas false love responds only when ordered. This is why Paul did not issue a command to the Corinthians. He wanted to test the sincerity of their love.
Giving to others is the fruit of our love. If we say we love but do not give, or if we give only under compulsion, then we do not truly love others. The real test of our love is not just our feelings but the actions we take. Hodge commented that “Many persons, if they judged themselves by their feelings, would regard themselves as truly compassionate; but a judgment founded on their acts would lead to the opposite conclusion. So many suppose they really love God because they are conscious of feelings which they dignify with that name; yet they do not obey Him. It is thereby by the fruits we must judge of its genuineness both in ourselves and others.” This principle can be applied to any area of the Christian life. Any act of obedience to Christ or conformity to His character should spring, not from compulsory obedience but from sincere love for Christ and His people.
The second point Paul makes is that we should be motivated to give to others because of what Christ has done for us. It is not merely that Christ has set a proper example for us to follow, but that we should be motivated out of gratitude in our hearts for the infinite blessings we have received from Him.
Jesus Christ became poor so that we might become rich. He was not compelled to lay aside His glory so we would be raised from spiritual poverty to reign as kings. But He gave up His divine prerogatives, the glory He had shared with the Father, in an unmerited act of grace. Christ loved us enough to give up the honor and glory due Him so that we would be brought into His glorious kingdom, to share in His glory. Unless He had submitted to all the humiliation of His incarnation and death, we would have remained poor, empty of all holiness, happiness, and glory. But because He became poor, because He emptied Himself, we can now become rich.
CORAM DEO
Jeremiah 5–6
1 Timothy 1
Meditate on Philippians 2:1–11 today. What did Jesus Christ give up for you? Is it too much to ask that you give to those brethren who are in need? Do you give because you have to or because you love Christ and are grateful for what He has done for you? Look over the verses below so that love might be stirred in your heart for Christ.
For further study: Ps. 22 • Isa. 53 • John 1:14–18; 17:20–26
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