How did the saints in Macedonia demonstrate the grace of God?

Back to Study the Book of Second Corinthians

In spite of their afflictions and their poverty they possessed joy in Christ, and from their poverty they gave liberally of their material goods.

We see, therefore, that the current definition of grace as "God’s riches at Christ’s expense" is so woefully incomplete as to be grossly misleading.

In the following passages we find some of the principles of giving in the Kingdom of God. They still apply today.

Let us keep in mind, however, that Paul was speaking of their sharing their material goods with the poor saints in Jerusalem. It appears that the Jewish saints were having economic problems. He was not speaking of giving for the support of physical structures or "Gospel programs."

No doubt the same principles of giving apply today to the building of physical structures, the support of the ministry, and the publication of literature. We Christians are not to grasp the riches of the world but are to share our material blessings as God directs. God is generous with the generous.

It is our point of view, however, that the pleas for money that abound on every hand in the Lord’s churches, have nothing to do with Christ or with the Kingdom of God. The pleas are little more than the devices of people who are building their own kingdoms.

Such pleaders for money promise the believers that if they will give to the program under consideration, God will send back to them more than they gave. They appeal to the love of gain rather than the love of God.

God is not in it. The endless money raising is bringing reproach on the Gospel of Christ.

What God orders he pays for. When God ceases supporting a program we need to go to God for the reason. Perhaps our efforts should be abandoned.

We think these passages concerning giving would lose much of their power if Paul were referring to the constructing of a building or to the needs of himself and his traveling companions.

But the feeding of the hungry, the clothing of the naked, and Christian love demonstrated in sharing are blessed of God.