An Exhortation to Generous and Cheerful Giving (2 Cor. 9:6–11)

At the end of the preceding section he only hinted that alms should be given “as a willing gift, not as an exaction,” that is, willingly, generously, and cordially, not with stinginess and reluctance. Now he explains this thought more fully, showing: a) that according to the measure of our willingness and generosity, God’s blessing from on high is measured, verses 6–11, and b) that this willing generosity sets in motion the whole religious life in the midst of Christian communities, so it is the glory of the Church, or of believers in Christ, the glory of Christian confession, verses 12–15.

o) The Measure of Willing Generosity—the Measure of God’s Blessing (2 Cor. 9:6–11)

2 Cor. 9:6. Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.

“I say this,” that is, this is what I mean, so that giving is “as a willing gift, not as an exaction.” He explains why almsgiving should be as a willing gift, for it brings blessing. St. Chrysostom said above: “Do you see how even in the very exhortation he immediately shows forth the fruit brought by giving, namely that those who give are filled with blessing.” The Apostle explains more fully now by comparing giving to sowing. The universal truth is known: what you sow, so you will reap. The sower knows this; therefore he sows both willingly and without stinting his seeds. The assurance that he will certainly reap what is sown with abundance—thirty, sixty, a hundredfold—emboldens him. The Apostle applies this to almsgiving. A sower seems to waste and scatter seeds, one knows not for what. So anyone who doesn’t know the purpose of sowing and what it will yield might think. One giving alms seems to scatter his goods one knows not for what; yet the deed certainly bears fruit, and bears it more surely than sowing. From sowing there is not always a harvest, although always expected, but from almsgiving there is never a failure of harvest—it always bears fruit. One need only put willingness into it, so it pours forth from the heart with the desire to exhaust oneself for others. This disposition is like timely rain upon sowing. The lack of such disposition in almsgiving is like drought for sowing. The Apostle’s expressions hint precisely at this. “Whoever sows sparingly,” φειδομενως with sparing and reluctance over seeds, or in other words, stingily, “will also reap sparingly”—and will reap φειδομενως; the earth will contract its depths as he his hand, and will produce for him what is sown sparingly. “Whoever sows generously,” with desire to scatter as much as possible, with overflowing from his heart unwillingness to spare himself and his own, “will also reap generously’:” the earth also will open freely its depths to him, as he opens his sowing hands. What the earth gives to the sower, God gives to the giver of alms, proportioning the generosity of recompense to the willingness of giving. Theodoret writes: “The Apostle very aptly employed the metaphor and called generosity sowing, pointing to the abundant fruit of benevolence; he set forth and those led by avarice, saying that the harvest is proportioned to the amount of seed.” St. Chrysostom says: “Whoever sows sparingly,’ φειδομενως. He did not say: stingily, but used the more noble name of the thrifty one (φειδολου); and he called the very action sowing, so you immediately remember recompense, imagine the harvest and understand that in giving to others, you gain more yourself than you give. Therefore he did not say: the giver, but ‘sows.’ Nor did he say either: if you sow, but he used a general expression. Neither did he say again—generously, but, which is far more important: ‘generously.”

2 Cor. 9:7. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

“Each one as the will of the heart has,”—let him give. Give as much as your heart is disposed to. What is not by this measure will be barren. This would be the same as sowing seed, crushing or damaging it to the point of spoiling the sprout. Like such seed is dead seed, and therefore barren, so alms given with sorrow and reluctantly are dead alms and deserve no reward. The tightness of heart and absence of cheerfulness in giving kills it. What he says: “not from sorrow, nor from necessity,” by “sorrow” is meant regret about what is being given, when one gives but in heart regrets and grieves that they are giving: this is a sign of stinginess; and by “necessity” is meant compulsion; not from the heart and not willingly do they give, but being compelled, either by necessity of obedience, or by the commonality of the deed, or by other external considerations. If not for these compulsions, there would be no alms. The Apostle wants alms to come from the heart, as juicy grass comes from rich earth. In confirmation of this “he also brings testimony from Scripture, saying: ‘for the cheerful giver’ God ‘loves’ (Prov. 22:9). The Apostle used this word (‘cheerfully’) to move the Corinthians to generous giving. For as the example of the Macedonians and all else was sufficient to move them to generous giving, he does not speak much about this anymore, but directs the discourse to the point that they give not under compulsion. For if almsgiving is a virtue, and every deed done under compulsion loses its reward, then the Apostle rightly reminded them of this” (Saint Chrysostom). “He said the same thing also in the letter to the Romans: ‘let the one who shows mercy do so’ with a willing heart (Rom. 12:8), for monetary almsgiving must be preceded by a willing heart” (Theodoret).

2 Cor. 9:8. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

“Every grace” every good in abundance send to you in place of what you expend, “God is able”, if He wills, not so that you are immersed in pleasures, but so that you abound in the doing of good deeds. Saint Chrysostom sees in these words not assurance in confidence of hope, but a prayer for the same purpose. He says: “The Apostle not only advises, but also prays to God for them, saying: ‘God is able to make all grace abound in you.’ By this prayer he removes from them the thought that militates against generosity, which even now serves as an obstacle for many. For many fear to give alms under the pretext of not themselves becoming poor and having to beg from others. Therefore, to dispel this fear, he adds a prayer, saying: ‘all grace abound in you,’ not only fulfill, but ‘abound.’ What does it mean: ‘grace is able to abound’?’ – He is able to enrich you so much that you can abound even with such generosity, ‘so that you may always have enough in all things and may abound in every good work.’ See, and what wisdom in his prayer itself. He does not ask God for riches and excess for them, but for all sufficiency. And this is not the only thing admirable in him, but especially that as he does not ask God for excess, so he equally does not cause them distress, but, condescending to their weakness, does not compel them to give from want, but asks sufficiency and at the same time shows that God’s gifts ought not to be misused: ‘so that you may abound in every good work.’ For this reason, he says, I ask sufficiency for you, so that you may give to others too. And he did not say: give, but: ‘may abound.’ For in bodily goods he asks for them sufficiency, but in spiritual goods, not only in mercy, but in all else besides, he asks them abundance. For this is what the words mean: ‘in every good work.’”

2 Cor. 9:9. As it is written: He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.

“The Apostle brings in the prophet as counselor (Ps. 111:9), having found a testimony that urges to generosity. For the word ‘scattered abroad’ means nothing other than generosity in giving. And although what is given is no more, the fruits of giving remain forever. This is remarkable: what is kept perishes while what is scattered remains and remains forever. By ‘righteousness’ here is meant benevolence, for it makes people righteous and, like fire, destroys human sins when it pours forth abundantly.” (Ps. 111:9) (St. Chrysostom).

By this testimony the Apostle teaches that although the Lord, according to his wise plans of providence over us, does not always reward here those who scatter their possessions on the poor, the power of benevolence is not thereby diminished—it remains forever. Time will end but the fruits of benevolence will remain and in their time will be reaped by the benefactor. But also in this age, the same prophet assures, “I have not seen a righteous man—a benefactor—abandoned, nor his seed begging bread. All day long he is gracious and lends, and his offspring will be blessed” (Ps. 36:25, 26).

“So let us not be stingy; on the contrary, let us scatter generously. Don’t you see how much others give to comedians and depraved women? You give to Christ, at least half of what they give to dancers. Give at least as much to the hungry as they give from vanity to performers at spectacles. They adorn the body of the depraved with a multitude of gold; you don’t even want to clothe in simple dress the flesh of Christ, even seeing that it is naked. Scattering your wealth on satisfying your belly, on drunkenness and debauchery, you don’t want to remember poverty. You scatter freely on what is empty, but when there is need to ease someone’s poverty, you count yourself poorer than all. When you pamper jesters and flatterers, you rejoice as if scattering on them from inexhaustible sources, but when you see a poor man, at once fear of poverty seizes you” (St. Chrysostom). Such instruction from the holy father is never superfluous at any time, which is why it is inserted here.

2 Cor. 9:10. 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.

He expresses a prayer of goodwill to the Corinthians, that God increase their material blessings so they might become rich in spiritual blessings. “God—he says—‘gives seed to the sower and bread for food; he will provide and multiply the seed you have sown.’” This seed—material blessings, sufficiency in all things, for they sow them into almsgiving. May God increase in you what can be sown. But having received what one can sow, one can turn it to one’s own benefit rather than to alms. Therefore the Apostle asks God that the Corinthians apply them to almsgiving—he asks God to increase in them “the harvest of your righteousness.” Harvest, γεννηματα, offspring, fruits. May God grant that you, having received sufficiency, direct all to the multiplication of benevolence and become rich in the fruits of righteousness. The Apostle desires that in them material sufficiency go hand in hand with spiritual advancement. St. Chrysostom: “‘He will provide and multiply the seed you have sown, and may he increase the harvest of your righteousness.’ And by this he again imperceptibly suggests generosity. For as seed thrown into the earth produces a rich harvest, so generous almsgiving brings full sheaves of righteousness and produces countless fruits.”

2 Cor. 9:11. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

“Let” – not all our interpreters read it, and others do not have it. It is read only: “abounding in everything” and further, – εν παντι πλουτιζομενοι. The thought they see here is as if it stood: πλουτιζομενων. In connection with what precedes it will be: “let God increase” God“the harvest of your righteousness,” υμων, you, πλουτιζομενων, abounding in everything, – which can be restated thus: so that you abound in everything, that is, receive every sufficiency from God, but not for your own pleasure, but “in all generosity,” that is, for all liberality or increase of charitable works. Theophylact writes: “The Apostle shows how one should use wealth. One should not bury it in the ground, he says, but have it in all generosity, that is, spend it with all liberality.” – “Which produces thanksgiving to God through us.” Receiving from your generosity aid, the needy will send up thanksgiving to God, both for giving you sufficiency and for inspiring you to make good use of it. By the word: “through us” the Apostle means his mediation in arranging the giving of alms. Saint Chrysostom says: “Spend your wealth not on what ought not to be spent, but on that by which thanksgiving is brought to God. God has entrusted much to our power; and, reserving to Himself the lesser, has yielded to us the more important. Thus, He has entrusted to Himself the care of our bodily food, but has committed to us the care of spiritual food, and in our power is it to make flourishing the fields of our mind. For they require neither rain nor temperate air – only willingness, and they will grow to heaven itself. ‘By generosity’ he calls here that liberality from which alms proceed, which gives occasion for great thanksgiving.”