2 Corinthians 9:6-11
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written:
“He has scattered abroad his gives to the poor, his righteousness endures forever.”
Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
I could never be mistaken for a farmer. I find farms both fascinating and beautiful in their own way, but I know very little about farming. In fact, I’m somewhat horticulturally challenged. While in college I through it would be fun to have a plant in my dorm room, so I bought a small cactus plant figuring it would be easy to take care of and fun to show my friends. I actually managed to kill that little cactus through neglect – and that’s hard to do!
But you don’t have to be a farmer to understand what might be called the “principle of the harvest.” That is, if you want to reap a large harvest, you have to plant a lot of seeds! It makes no sense to throw a small handful of seeds on the ground in the early spring and then expect to take up a bumper crop come late summer!
I think we can understand Paul’s teaching here both as individuals and as a church.
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
I believe that Paul is teaching us several extremely important things about generosity. First, he is telling us that generosity both originates from and produces joy. When he says we are not to give under compulsion or reluctantly but that God loves a “cheerful giver” he is saying that generosity cannot be forced. In fact, another name for “forced generosity” is taxation! Rather, genuine generosity bubbles up from a joyful and grateful heart. And when Paul says that “whoever sows sparingly will reap sparingly” I believe he is talking about joy. So generosity both comes from joy and produces joy in our hearts!
Second, Paul is teaching us that generosity is a response to the gospel. When he says, “God is able to make all grace abound to you…” I believe he is referring to the gospel. For in the gospel, in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God has made his grace about to us. The gospel is the ultimate expression of God’s own generosity! Remember the words of John 3:16:
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
“For God so loved that he…gave…”
Jesus is the ultimate expression of the generosity of God. And our generosity is simply a response to his great generosity!
But then Paul says:
Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
While this portion of the text can be applied to individual believers, I think it is particularly aimed at the church as a body of believers.
He is saying that God blesses us as individuals with abundant resources with a purpose in mind. His purpose is that we would grow in our generosity so that God can enlarge the harvest of our righteousness.
By “harvest of your righteousness” I think Paul is referring to the impact the church is to make in the community and in the world. So he is drawing a kind of straight line from the generosity of God in the gospel to our personal generosity in response to the gospel to the impact our collective generosity can have in the world through the gospel!
Most of us have some kind of investment strategy. That is, we have some kind of strategy to save or invest money for college funds, for retirement, or simply to grow our personal resources.
Not long ago a friend of mine sought my pastoral advice on an investment opportunity that had come his way. It was a very unique opportunity and carried the potential of an enormous return on the investment. But something just didn’t feel right to my friend and so we talked about that. He eventually decided not to pursue the investment.
Paul is presenting us, in essence, with the investment opportunity of a lifetime. Only we aren’t being asked to invest in that which will enlarge our personal portfolios or our retirement accounts. He’s calling us to invest in that which will enlarge the harvest of righteousness; that which will enlarge the impact the gospel makes in the world. He’s offering us the chance to invest in the only endeavor that promises an eternal return.
May we sow generously so that we might reap generously!
Pastor Brian Coffey
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