2025 08 24 Generosity

The opening section does a good job introducing generosity using the example of Warren Buffet, who is said to give 99% of his income away. However, it’s pointed out he is an agnostic and generosity is a “heart issue”, I suppose implying he is lacking the right heart. It concludes by identifying the target.

In our study, we’ll see how God’s abundant grace moves us toward a generous lifestyle.

Well, that sounds good. All kinds of things come to mind.

• Sacrificing time to help a neighbor with a home repair.
• Taking a single mom’s kids to school for her when she has a conflict.
• Helping someone pay their overdue light bill.
• Giving someone a few dollars that is stranded while traveling.
• Working your entire career in a low-paying nursing home when you could be working in more pleasant circumstances in a metropolitan hospital somewhere.

To my dismay, the spotlighted passage for generosity in 2 Corinthians 8:1-9 has very little in common with the type of things I had in mind.

Differences:

• The medium of this “generosity” is strictly monetary donation. Not time. Not loaning your mower to the neighbor.
• The recipient of this generosity is Paul’s organization. Not the single mother. Not the homeless guy.
• The anticipated product is different. Habitat for Humanity produces homes for poor people. A “food bank” produces food a hungry family can eat. Paul’s product? The the dissemination of information. This is in spite of the fact that Jesus expressly stated, “freely you have received, freely give” while forbidding fundraising in the “great commission”. (Matthew 10:6-10)

First spotlighted passage 2Cor 8:1-2

• Paul is excited the “grace of God” and “abundant joy” were granted to Macedonia.
• Why was the grace given? Not because God loved them. Because of their “wealth of generosity”. Generosity to whom? Neighbor that had “extreme poverty” beyond their own? No, to Paul’s information distribution effort.
• The passage is devoid of anything resembling, “I am so personally thankful to those people who saved my ministry.”.

Paul considers the reward for this financial gift from Macedonia to be paid in full. The money they gave was instantly rewarded with “abundant joy” and “grace of God”. He didn’t owe them thanks. The Macedonians should have thanked Paul for allowing them to give. He owes them no thanks personally from his point of view.

Spotlight 2. 2Cor 8:3-6

• The Macedonians “begged us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in this ministry”. Paul paints a picture of himself reluctantly obliging them.
• “ministry to the saints”. What? Why do saints need ministering to? I thought this was more of a “rescue the perishing” sort of thing. Who are these saints? Why do saints need better information?
• Wow, Paul left Titus behind. Why? Because God needed him there? No, because he was part of the delivery of “complete among you this act of grace”.
• Everything with Paul is transactional. Give a gift, you get some grace and joy. Maybe even a vessel of grace and joy like Titus for a time.

The quarterly acknowledges that Paul was using the example of the Macedonians to chide the Corinthians “using some relational tactfulness”. It says he “could have scolded them for their delinquency” and faults them they should “complete their initial enthusiasm to give to the collection”. The publishers clearly understand the reason Paul praises the Macedonians is to extract more funding as they aspire to plateau of the “grace of God” and “joy” rewarded consequently to the Macedonians.

Spotlight 3. 2Cor 8:7-9

Here we go. “Excel in everything, faith speech and knowledge.” But that’s not what we just spent 15 minuntes talking about, is it. “Excel in this act of grace.” What act of grace? Oh yeah, financial gifts to Paul’s distribution of “my gospel”. “They were clearly not as generous as Paul knew they needed to be” as the quarterly acknowledges. They were totally correct on that in my opinion.

Then, just as we think there couldn’t be any more arm-twist and emotional blackmail, we find out our love is only genuine if we complete this monetary act of grace.

Oh, but we’re not done. If you want to be like Jesus, the necessary virtue is poverty, and guess how? You exchange your financial assets for spiritual assets. Guess who “Christ” in the spirit realm appointed to be the exchange for such a transactions? Yours truly, Paul. Now, get down on your knees and beg this evangelist to take your money so you can have “grace” like these amazing Macedonians over here!

I find it nauseating. Could Kenneth Copeland do any better than that?

The Spiritual-gift-for-Financial-gift Economy was invented by Paul

I despise the TV evangelists for the same reasons you do. However, I think they understand Paul way better than most Christians do. A sociopath understands another sociopath instantly.

Paul made it clear in Romans 16:25 that his “my gospel” spiritual merchandise was kept secret from everyone else. It is the revelation of a mystery, and you know how we all love mysteries! He had no competitors, not even those in Jerusalem. Galatians 1:15-17. Ephesians 3.

The quarterly acknowledges the merchandise of the economy. They focus like Paul primarily on generosity of monetary wealth while concluding, “The riches we enjoy are spiritual in nature”.

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