Chapter 8

The seven characteristics of the Church Age include

a) Unity. All believers are unified by positional sanctification. This is the only basis of unity on this earth during the Church Age, there is no other. There is no such thing as experiential unity among too many believers. The command to love the brethren is a command to mental tolerance but it does not include accepting or associating with believers who are negative toward doctrine and apostate. The only unity we have is a unity provided by God the Holy Spirit at the point of salvation. There will be no other unity until we arrive in eternity. Believers will be divided and separated in many ways, the primary one being Bible doctrine.

b) Every believer is indwelt by the person of Jesus Christ. This is the basis for fellowship but this fellowship only exists when the believer is filled with the Spirit — Revelation 3:20.

c) For the first time in history every believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit. A few people were empowered by the Spirit in the Old Testament but the indwelling of the Spirit to all believers is unique to this age.

d) The universal priesthood of the believer. For the first time in history every believer is a priest. This was never true before and will never be true again in a dispensation.

e) Every believer is an ambassador for Jesus Christ. This means that every believer is in full time Christian service.

f) We have our instructions in writing — the Word of God, the completed canon of scripture.

g) A supernatural way of life with a supernatural means of execution.

Out of these characteristics comes the experience of giving. Out of the experience of giving there are 25 principles of doctrine.

There are four basic principles of giving

1. The Old Testament principle of giving. It was grace giving just as it is in the New Testament, it was not tithing. Proverbs 11:24,25.

2. The principle of giving in the New Testament — 2 Corinthians 9:7. Neither of these passages mention tithing.

3. The two concepts of tithing. What is tithing? It is taken from the word ‘tithe’ which means ten per cent. Tithing in the Old Testament was a system of income tax accomplished by believer and unbeliever alike.

There were three types of ten per cent income tax in the Jewish nation. The unbeliever paid these taxes and so did the believer. There was an income tax for the maintenance of the Levites — Numbers 18:21,24. There was an incomes tax for the feasts and sacrifices — Deuteronomy 14:22-24. Thirdly, every third year there was a ten per cent income tax for the poor of the land — Deuteronomy 14:28,29. The system of taxation is described in more detail in Malachi 3:8-10. It says in that passage, “Bring all of the tithes into the storehouse.” The word ‘storehouse’ in the Hebrew is the treasury, not the church. Storehouse tithing is taxation. There is no such thing as storehouse tithing for Church.

4. The time for giving and the norm for giving is found in 1 Corinthians 16:2. The time for giving in that passage is on the ‘first day of the week’ at assembly worship. The norm or standard for giving, ‘as God has prospered.’

The outline of chapters 8 & 9:

1. The example of Macedonia — 8:1-6.

2. The exhortation to the Corinthians — 8:7-15.

3. A personal commendation — 8:16-24.

4. The delegation from Paul — 9:1-5.

5. The benefits of giving — 9:6-15.

Verse 1 — “Moreover” is a particle de used for a conjunction to change the subject; “brethren” — a reference to believers, only believers have the right to give. Such giving is one of the sacrifices of the priesthood of Hebrews 13:16. The unbeliever has no right to give as an expression of worship. No local church should knowingly collect money from the unbeliever. The unbeliever should be warned not to give. The unbeliever cannot give as an expression of worship and every activity in the local church is for worship.

“we do you to wit” — present active indicative of gnwrizw. This means to make know by communicating. Hence, “we keep on communicating.”

“the grace of God” — God so provided for the impoverished and persecuted Macedonians that they had an abundance to give to the impoverished and persecuted saints at Jerusalem. The Romans had persecuted the Macedonians. They were impoverished but God so provided for them because they had the first floor, grace orientation, of the ECS. They were grace oriented. They wanted to give to the impoverished saints of Jerusalem who were legalists. “Brethren, we keep on communicating to you the grace of God.” The grace of God is the fact that God so provided for the impoverished and persecuted Macedonians that they have an abundance to give to the impoverished and persecuted believers in Jerusalem.

“bestowed on the churches” — ‘bestow’ is a perfect passive participle of didomi which means to give: “the grace of God having been given.” Perfect tense: given in the past with results that go on forever. The perfect tense says it was given then, that it is meaningful today and tomorrow, and in the next century if the Lord tarries. That which is accomplished in grace is meaningful for a hundred years from now, a thousand years from now, two thousand years from now. That’s God’s plan. The passive voice: the Macedonians received grace. The participle indicates this is a plan of God, a law of God. “On the churches” is the preposition e)n plus the instrumental case — ‘by means of the churches.’ They were the instruments of God to take an offering to Jerusalem.

According to the historian Livy in chapter 45, paragraph 30 of his manuscript, the Romans at this time had devastated all of Macedonia. The entire region of northern Greece was impoverished. Yet the Macedonian Christians gave extensively out of their poverty for the Jerusalem collection. Therefore collecting an offering for the relief of the destitute believers of Jerusalem was not only a grace subject but a vital subject to the apostle Paul. He referred to this collection in Acts 24:17; Romans 15:25-28; 1 Corinthians 16:1-4; Galatians 2:10; 2 Corinthians 8:1-5.

The word for ‘grace’ is xarij. The Macedonian has grace. He is broke but he manages somehow to get the ‘widow’s two mites.’ When he gives these two mites he has nothing. He still has grace. When you give in grace you can’t give away grace, you still have grace when you’re broke. You have grace under all conditions, there never will be a time when you get rid of grace once you have it — unless you get into legalism, negative volition toward doctrine, or the emotional revolt of the soul. The grace of God remained a permanent part of the character of the giver. In this case the givers are the Macedonians.

Verse 2 — the first principle of giving. “How that” — introduces what appears to be a paradox: deep poverty and liberality of giving.

“in a great trial” — the preposition e)n plus the locative should be translated ‘in the sphere of.’ The noun for ‘trial’ is dokimh which means a testing for the purpose of approval. They were tested to give under poverty but because they were grace oriented they gave under poverty.

“of affliction” — pressure, qliyij. This should be translated, “That in much testing of pressure.”

“the abundance of their joy” — the word for ‘abundance,’ perisseia, means superabundance. They were overloaded with happiness. The word for ‘joy’ is +H — ‘the superabundance of their happiness.’

Much testing and superabundance of happiness

1. This happiness, xara, is based in Bible doctrine.

2. You cannot build happiness on happiness. You cannot be happy tomorrow with the person or thing that made you happy today if you build happiness on that person or thing.

3. Happiness can only be built on Bible doctrine — Jeremiah 15:16; John 13:17; 1 John 1:4.

4. Doctrine gives you the capacity for happiness — John 17:13,17.

5. Therefore, apart from Bible doctrine in the heart and resultant capacity for happiness the thing or person who makes you happy today will either bore you or make you miserable tomorrow. You will be bored with their presence or miserable by their absence — Hebrews 13:5,6

6. Unless you have doctrinal capacity even right man or right woman will not make you happy.

7. These Macedonians were under pressure but they had great happiness. They gave out of grace happiness, they gave out of +H.

“and their deep poverty” — a prepositional phrase which starts out with kata which ordinarily mean norm or standard. Here It means ‘down’ or ‘deep down.’ It should be translated, ‘in their deep down poverty.’ The word for ‘poverty’ is ptwxeia which means the depths of poverty. Here is the paradox of the Christian life. Deep down poverty abounds to great wealth.

“abounded” — this should be translated ‘superabounded.’ This is the aorist active indicative of perisseuw which means to be richly furnished, to be possessed of full sufficiency, to exist in full quality, to superabound.

“unto the riches’ — the preposition e)ij is causal, ‘because of.’ The word for ‘riches’ is in the accusative — ‘because of their riches.’

“of their liberality’ — grace generosity, generosity of mental attitude. The word is a(plothj.

Translation: “That in the midst of severe testing of great pressure the superabundance of their happiness and their deep down poverty superabounded because of their riches of a generous mental attitude.”

The first principle of giving

Giving is a mental attitude rather than the amount donated. While the Macedonians were in great poverty they gave on the basis of their great happiness and generous mental attitude. Therefore the first principle of giving deals with grace orientation.

Verse 3 — the second principle of giving. “For to their power” is a prepositional phrase, kata plus the accusative of dunamij — ‘according to the standard of their ability.’ Their ability was stated in the previous verse: they had a great mental attitude, divine viewpoint, and +H. So they gave according to the basis of their happiness. Just as God provides money for the believer to give He also provides, prior to that, happiness. The Macedonian believers were broke and yet at the same time they had happiness, they had a wonderful mental attitude, and they were able to give on the basis of that standard of grace.

“I bear record” is literally, ‘I give solemn testimony.’ This is a Greek word for giving testimony in court under oath — maturew. It is translated, ‘I testify,’ present active indicative, linear aktionsart. He keeps on testifying to this principle. Paul is the witness to both their poverty and their happiness, and their mental attitude based on Bible doctrine. The next phrase describes how they gave.

“beyond their power” — literally, ‘beyond their ability [to give].’ This is para plus the accusative of dunamij. This is sacrificial giving.

“they were” is not found in the original; “willing of themselves” — an adjective, nominative masculine plural a)uqairetoj. It means one who chooses his own course of action from his own free will. So it implies having free will and making a decision without coercion. It is a spontaneous but firm decision.

Translation: “That according to the standard of their ability, I testify, and beyond their ability willingly and voluntarily from their own free will.”

The second principle of giving

1. The Macedonian believers gave of their own free will and not from any human pressure. There is no human pressure involved in grace giving.

2. Furthermore they gave sacrificially apart from human coercion. There was no emotion involved in this.

3. No emotional gimmick, no points system, no bribing God for a better deal, and no approbation lust are involved in true giving. In other words, grace giving is based entirely upon the Word of God as the individual believer possesses it. The Word of God is the only true motive in grace giving.

4. All giving is from the priesthood, therefore the priesthood must function from free will and privacy. These are the ingredients of freedom under the angelic conflict.

5. Giving must be accomplished in privacy as unto the Lord as a commemoration of the Father’s grace.

6. Giving must be an expression of free will from grace orientation.

Verse 4 — “Praying” is not really praying at all, it means begging here. It is the present middle participle from deomai. The present participle means they kept on begging; the middle voice: they did it themselves.

“with much entreaty” — the preposition meta, plus the genitive of polluj — ‘much,’ plus the genitive of paraklhsij. Literally, “associated with much earnest supplication [imploring].” The word order is different in the Greek. It should read, “with much imploring, begging us.”

“that we should receive the gift” — incorrect. It should be “the favour” or “the grace.” This is xarij which means grace — literally, “begging us the favour and the partnership in the ministry of the saints.” The word ‘favour’ is grace, one of the key words in giving; ‘partnership’ or ‘fellowship’ is koinwnia.

“the ministering” — diakonia, a word which occurs at least 15 times in chapters 8 & 9. It refers here to the priestly ministry or function of giving; “to the saints” — the directional preposition e)ij, plus a(gioj. This is a reference to the destitute believers in Jerusalem.

Translation: “With much imploring begging us the favour and the partnership in the ministry of the saints.”

The third principle of giving

Christian giving is a privilege associated with grace. This principle is derives from two nouns in verse 4, xarij and diakonia.

Verse 5 — “And this they did not as” is kai o)un kaqwj, which is “and not even as.”

“we hoped” — e)lpizw is generally translated ‘hope’ but it means to have confidence, expectation. This is an aorist active indicative. In the aorist tense it means expectation; in the perfect tense it means confidence. Here it means expectation. In other words, the Macedonian believers were broke, yet they did more than expected. Paul expected them to do something but they far exceeded his expectation.

“but first” — here the emphasis is on the person rather than the gift. We have here prwton and it means to separate the person of the believer from the money of the believer. When a person gives of his money he is simply doing something that any unbeliever can do, but unbelievers cannot give of their person, of their soul. Soul giving must precede money giving.

“their own selves” — a reflexive pronoun, e(autou. Generally pronouns follow verbs in the Greek, and generally in the genitive case. To put a reflexive pronoun in front of a verb it is to emphasise the inner person; “they gave” — aorist active indicative of didomi, the common verb for giving. Literally, “they gave themselves and only themselves first to the Lord.” This is the word order in the Greek. The reflexive pronoun is in the emphatic position because it is placed before the verb, and the reflexive pronoun indicates the inner man or the soul. Giving, then, is a soul activity. That soul activity actually extends itself into giving some kind of a monetary offering, but the money or the amount of money is not important, it is the soul that counts.

“and unto us by the will of God” — dia plus the genitive of qelhma which is the plan of God, the design of God: “and unto us according to the design of God.”

Translation: “And not even as we expected, but they gave of themselves and only of themselves first to the Lord, and then to us by the plan [purpose and design] of God.”

The fourth purpose of giving

1. While giving is the design, the plan, and the purpose of God there is a definite sequence in giving.

2. This is because giving is a commemoration of grace. Jesus Christ gave Himself on the cross but His character was involved. He gave of Himself. God gives in grace because of His character. He gives in grace because of who and what He is.

3. Therefore in recognition and orientation to God’s grace the believer must give on the basis of his character. He must give on the basis of the function of his right lobe.

4. Therefore the giving of self is the capacity for love and the capacity for grace based on doctrine.

5. Giving, then, is both an extension and a manifestation of what goes on in the soul.

6. First there is the soul and then there is the overt act of giving. Giving must originate in the soul. The overt act is an extension of the soul.

7. The act of giving reflects grace and love in the soul. Therefore giving in grace does not emphasise the amount of the gift, nor relate it to emotional revolt of the soul.

8. Giving from the emotional revolt of the soul ends up being a bribe for love or good behaviour.

The illustration is found in Luke 21:1-4

The widow represents human helplessness.

1. The widow gave her last two coins to the Lord.

2. At that point all of her living was gone, she was absolutely without funds.

3. But in reality her living was not gone.

4. The woman first gave of her soul, then she gave her last two coins.

5. She could not give her last two coins were it not for the fact that her soul was totally involved with the Lord. She was totally dependent upon the Lord to provide for her in grace.

6. When the widow gave her last coin she had not lost her living because the Lord was her living, not money.

7. In other words, she gave her last two coins but she still had the Lord.

8. Summary of the condition of her soul: The Lord was her life, not money.

Verse 6 — the application of Macedonian giving. This passage relates the study of Macedonian giving to Corinthian giving, and the transitional verse is verse 6. “Insomuch that” is a prepositional phrase e)ij to. It should be ‘with the result that.’ The Macedonian giving has fulfilled every principle of grace, every principle of the extension of Bible doctrine. It is giving on the basis of the filling of the Spirit, giving on the basis of doctrine in the right lobe, giving on the basis of capacity for love. Now Paul cannot see why the Corinthians cannot give on exactly the same basis. The Corinthians are now hit with the same challenge. And what is the principle behind this prepositional phrase? It is to remind us that as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ we have a responsibility to give provided that it is an extension of the spiritual life.

“we desired Titus” — aorist active infinitive of parakalew. Sometimes this word means to comfort and sometimes to chew someone out, to rebuke. Rebuke and comfort do not go together, on the surface anyway. But rebuke is one of the means of comfort, therefore parakalew is used here by Paul in the sense of a command, in the sense of a command that does not demand instant obedience but demands volition. This is Paul calling in Titus and not commanding him to go to Corinth but he simply mentions his plan to take an offering in Corinth. And Titus says, ‘I’ll go.’ If the word here had been u(potassw then all Titus could do would be to say, “Yes sir” and go to Corinth. Titus was not commanded to go back, and this is a part of the grace concept. When Titus goes back to Corinth he goes back because he wants to go back, it is his personal desire to be with the Corinthians so that he can administer to them Bible doctrine that they can administer this matter of the collection to the Jewish saints in Jerusalem.

“that as” — i(na kaqwj is ‘that even as.’ It indicates something of a purpose but a purpose which has been begin but not completed; “he had begun” — aorist active indicative of proenarxomai [pro = before; en = in; arxomai = begin] which means to begin before at a particular time, at a specific time. Translation: “With the result that we requested Titus that even as he had begun on a previous occasion” — reference to his ministry of teaching doctrine which resulted in the Corinthians of their own free will first giving of themselves to the Lord and then giving of their means for this specific offering. Now Titus returns with more than Paul’s letter, he returns with the desire to teach.

“he would also finish” — aorist active subjunctive of e)pitelew. Whether this is completed or not depends entirely upon the spiritual condition of the Corinthians. Which way did they go in the absence of Titus. The subjunctive mood recognises that in order to be effective and consistent there must be stability of spiritual life. They were stabilised when Titus left.

“in you” is again the preposition e)ij. This time it means ‘with reference to you,’ or, ‘that he would complete toward you.’ Then finally, “this grace.”

Translation: “With the result that we requested Titus, that even as he had begun [on a previous occasion], so also he would complete with reference to you this favour also.”

The word ‘favour’ or ‘grace’ indicates that giving must always be on the basis of grace. Giving is always with grace, no strings, not gimmicks, it depends strictly upon the condition of the soul.

In verses 7-15 we have a new section. We go from Macedonian giving to Corinthian giving. In verses 7-9 there are three things to encourage Corinthians giving. The first of these is in verse 7, the consistent function of GAP.

Verse 7 — “Therefore, as ye abound in every thing.” Literally, this is ‘Moreover just as in everything you super abound.” Perisseuw means to super abound. There are two areas in which they abound: a) doctrine or spiritual things; b) material things. God has blessed the Corinthians as He has blessed few of the early churches, they have both spiritual and material wealth; “every thing” is a prepositional phrase — e)n plus the locative of paj. This means ‘in the sphere of every thing.’

Next we have those things which are necessary for giving and not one of them refers to money. Each one is given in the locative case.

“in faith” — pistij which refers to inhale and exhale. The inhale is a part of GAP, the exhale is a part of faith-rest. It refers here specifically to converting gnwsij into e)pignwsij.

“and utterance” — logoj, Bible doctrine found in the Word; ‘in the sphere of doctrine.’

“and in all diligence” — spoudh which is application. This implies that e)pignwsij is in existence.

“and in your love” — a)gaph, a relaxed mental attitude indicting some results, they are a growing group.

“that” — i(na; “also in the sphere of this grace [xarij]” — grace giving.

Translation: “Moreover just as in the sphere of every thing you super abound, in the sphere of faith, in the sphere doctrine, in the sphere of application, in the sphere of your love from you to us, with the result that also in the sphere of this grace [giving] you super abound ” — perisseuw, present active subjunctive. It is potential whether they extend their spiritual wealth to ‘this grace’ or not. It depends upon their volition.

The fifth principle of giving

1. Christian giving is an extension of stability in the spiritual life.

2. Christian giving is an extension of the daily function of GAP.

Verse 8 — “I speak not” is a present active indicative of legw which means to communicate categorically. The present tense here means to keep on communicating categorically, this is linear aktionsart. The negative means there is one thing that you never do in connection with the subject of giving. You never push people into it.

“by commandment” — ‘by’ is kata, the preposition of norm or standard; ‘commandment’ is e)pitagh and it means to be forced into something. The prepositional phrase actually means, “I am not speaking according to the commandment.” Giving is never a matter of being commanded to give.

The sixth principle of giving

Giving must never be forced or coerced, it must be the result of grace orientation. We have love giving rather than law giving. Giving must become a category #1 response. Giving is the result of the intake of doctrine, of the function of GAP. It must be an expression of the priesthood of the believer. Giving is always an expression of your category #1 love response to God.

“but,” conjunction of contrast, “by occasion of the forwardness of others” — dia plus the genitive of spoudh, “but through diligent application of others.” ‘Others’ refers to the Macedonians; “to prove the sincerity of your love” — literally, ‘testing the genuineness of your love.’ There is no word here for ‘sincerity.’ This is a reference to the diligent application of doctrine on the part of the Macedonian believers. Giving is never a matter of command. The Macedonians are an example for the Corinthians and the reason they were a good example was because the Macedonians did not have any money. The Corinthians probably thought that they would be tapped for money because they were so wealthy. So this is a perfect illustration for the Corinthians that it is not the amount donated but the spiritual concepts involved, the response to God’s love through the intake of Bible doctrine.

“provoke” is a present active participle of dokimazw, to test for the purpose of approving. This means that the whole idea of testing is so that you can be approved.

“sincerity” — gnhsioj means ‘genuineness.’ It is a noun that connotes reality. Giving is designed by God to test your love response, to test the reality of your love for the Lord.

Translation: “I am not speaking according to the norm or standard of a commandment, but through the diligent application of others, testing the genuineness of your love.”

Giving is a test of the genuineness of your love of Jesus Christ, of God the Father, and even your love of God the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the sixth principle says in effect that Christian giving is love giving, not law giving.

Verse 9 — “For” is gar, here used as a causal particle. It introduces an intimate detail or principle. Therefore it should be translated “now” rather than for.

“Now ye know” — present active indicative of ginwskw which means the experience of studying or taking in the Word of God. Behind ginwskw is the experience of concentrating. ‘Now you know from the experience of study [GAP].’ The believer must know grace before he can give the Bible way.

The seventh principle of giving

Giving depends on grace orientation. Grace orientation depends on the intake of doctrine and the beginning of the erection of the ECS.

“the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ” — the word for ‘grace’ is xarij.

The doctrine of grace

1. Grace is all that God is free to do for man on the basis of the cross. Therefore grace is the plan and work of God on behalf of man. Grace is the policy of God’s plan.

2. Grace depends upon the essence or the character of God. Therefore grace depends on who and what God is, grace is what God can do for man and still be consistent with His own character.

3. The believer must sort out the difference between grace and legalism. Legalism is man’s works or ability intruding upon the plan of God.

4. The greatest thing that God can do for the saved person is to make him exactly like His Son, Jesus Christ. This is accomplished in three stages, all of which are related to the angelic conflict. Stage one or positional sanctification: every believer enters into union with Christ. Stage two is the construction of the ECS through the consistent use of GAP, the intake of doctrine. This is spiritual triumph of the believer in the angelic conflict, and this is experiential sanctification. Stage three is ultimate sanctification in which the believer receives a resurrection body, minus the old sin nature and minus all human good. At this point the believer is physically superior to all angelic creatures.

5. The entrance factor of grace. Every believer has tasted the grace of God at least once — 1 Peter 2:3. This refers to the point of salvation when the believer receives at least 36 things which he did not earn or deserve, but he received them from God. The believer at salvation has passed the point of propitiation and therefore God can love that believer with a maximum love and at the same time not compromise His perfect character. Ephesians 2:8,9.

6. Disorientation to grace is the believer’s greatest occupational hazard in phase two — Galatians 5:4, falling from grace; Hebrews 12:15, not using the grace of God.

7. The divine attitude of grace is expressed in Isaiah 30:18,19. God is constantly waiting to pour out His grace on every believer in phase two.

8. Grace is phase one is expressed in many ways. It is always the same principle: salvation is believing in Jesus Christ, God has provided everything for salvation, man responds in a non-meritorious manner [faith] — Psalm 103:8-12; Romans 3:23-24; 4:4; 5:20; Ephesians 2:8,9.

9. There are many ways in which phase two expresses grace: Hebrews 4:16 — prayer; 2 Corinthians 12:9,10 — suffering; 2 Peter 3:18 — growth; 1 Peter 5:12 — stability; Hebrews 12:28; 2 Corinthians 1:12 — the modus vivendi of the Christian life; 1 Corinthians 15:10; 2 Corinthians 6:1 — production of divine good.

10. Grace and giving — 2 Corinthians 8:9. Grace orientation is the bona fide motivation and thought pattern for giving.

11. Grace is suffering — 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. Grace is the only sufficiency for suffering in phase two. Through grace God is able to bless the believer in the midst of the pressures, the sufferings, and the adversities of life.

12. The implications of grace:

a) God is perfect, His plan is perfect.

b) A perfect plan can only originate from a perfect God.

c) If man can do anything meritorious in the plan of God it is no longer perfect.

d) A plan is no stronger than its weakest link. For this reason grace excludes all human merit, all human ability, all human good.

e) Legalism (human works) is the enemy of grace.

f) The works of human righteousness, therefore, have no place in the plan of God.

g) All human good is associated with the mental attitude sin of pride.

13. There are four areas in which pride rejects grace.

a) The pride of the believer who rejects the doctrine of eternal security. He thinks his sins are greater than the plan of God.

b) The pride of the believer who succumbs to pressure and adversity. He thinks his sufferings are greater than grace provision.

c) The pride of the pseudo spiritual. The believer who thinks his human system is greater than the power of the Spirit in his life.

d) The pride of the believer under emotional revolt of the soul. He thinks his emotions, his feelings, and his experiences are more important than Bible doctrine.

“though he was rich” — plusioj w)n. [w)n is a present active participle of e)imi] It should be translated “being rich.” E)imi is an absolute status quo verb, it indicates an absolute status quo of Jesus Christ as God in eternity past. There never was a time when Jesus Christ was not rich. Jesus Christ is God therefore the maximum concept of wealth lies in any person on the Godhead. Plusioj doesn’t mean wealthy, it means abounding in riches. It is a reference to the deity of Christ plus the perfect humanity of Christ. The verb to be here in participial form is called a concessive participle, it indicates that Christ was really wealthy at all times — ‘that he being wealthy.’

“for your sakes” — dia plus the accusative plural of su should be translated here ‘because of you all.’ This is substitutionary, it is Jesus Christ thinking of you and providing for you eternal salvation.

“he became poor” — aorist active indicative of ptwxeuw which means to actually come to the point of complete poverty, abject poverty. The aorist tense does not refer to the incarnation but to Jesus Christ on the cross, the three hours when He was bearing our sins. The active voice indicates that this was a voluntary act on the part of Jesus Christ, and the active voice gives us our illustration of giving. Jesus Christ gave of Himself. True giving today is the giving of yourself, to give as an extension of doctrine in your soul. The indicative mood is the reality of Christ being judged for our sins and therefore becoming totally poverty stricken.

The literally word order in the Greek is: ‘Now you know from the experience of study the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that because of you all he became poor, being wealthy.’

The next phrase refers to the Corinthians believers: “that ye” — i(na u(meij; “through his poverty” — we have an instrumental noun, ptwxeia, and it means ‘by means of his poverty.’ The word for ‘his’ is actually a demonstrative pronoun, e)keinoj, and this change of pronoun here is important. It is in contrast to the word ‘you all.’ This demonstrative pronoun is used to refer to a person previously mentioned, and a person who is the object of love. The principle is that the Corinthians love Jesus Christ, albeit with varying capacities.

“might become rich” — ploutew, aorist active indicative. This verb connotes all that God’s grace provides in both phase one and phase two. Hence, the entire plan of God is grace operated. Therefore giving on the part of the believer must comply with God’s plan. God’s plan is always grace. The aorist tense gathers into a single whole all of the grace provision of God from salvation to eternity. The active voice: the believer is the recipient of grace riches at the point of salvation.

Translation: “Now you know from the experience of study [GAP] the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that he being wealthy, because of you all became poor [the cross], that you all by means of the poverty of him [the cross] might become rich.”

Verses 10 and 11 are an exhortation to complete the Corinthians offering. The offering was begun approximately a year ago but has never been completed.

Verse 10 — “And herein” is e)n plus the locative toutoj plus kai. It means ‘And in this.’ It is a reference to the principle of doctrine given in the preceding verse, the principle of God’s grace, the principle of Jesus Christ completing the plan.

“I give my advice” — in other words, on the basis of what has just been taught, the principles of giving, I have some advice to give. Paul does not give an order, he simply gives advice. The reason is that to give an order is to violate their volition at this point. Giving must always be a matter of volition. Giving must always come from you and not someone else’s demands. When you demand of volition that volition gives it is no longer giving. Giving demands free will. Paul is going to give them something, and this is the ministry of God the Holy Spirit — present active indicative of didomi which means to give. The noun for ‘advice’ is the accusative singular of gnwmh which means a suggestion as distinguished from a positive command or an injunction. It also refers to the mind or what the mind concludes, or what the mind possesses. So probably a better translation would be ‘opinion’ based on knowledge of doctrine. “And in this I give you my opinion [based on doctrine].”

“for this” — touto gar; “is expedient” — sumferw which means ‘profitable’ ; “for you.”

“who” — a compound relative used in place of a simple relative, o(stij. It actually means ‘you who are of such a quality as to be able to handle it.’

“you who have begun before” is incorrect. So far it should be, “And in this I give my opinion [based on doctrine]: for this is profitable for you, who not only to do but also to desire that which you began [at a particular time] a year ago.” The key here is ‘to do’ and ‘to desire.’ We have poiew for doing, and qelw for desiring. To do is an aorist active infinitive and to desire is a present active infinitive. So we have two infinitives expressing a purpose. But notice that in the aorist tense for doing and the present tense for desiring there is a difference. The desire stays with you to give whether you are actually giving or not. Qelw expresses a state of love. The believer priest who has Bible doctrine and who has the capacity to love God under category #1 always desires to give; it stays there, present tense. But the actual doing of it is in a point of time.

“who have begun before” — aorist middle indicative proenarxomai. It actually means to begin something at a particular time prior to the point when this word was written.

“a year ago” is literally, ‘from last year.’

Verse 11 — “Now therefore” is nuni de; perform — aorist active imperative of e)pitelew [e)pi = upon’ telew = to finish, or sometimes ‘beyond’]. Basically this says, “Now also finish doing it.” For a year now they have been qelw, present linear aktionsart. A year ago they started the offering. Now it is a year later and the desire is still there. So Paul is saying to finish what they started doing.

“that” — in order that; ‘as” — kaqaper which means ‘just as.’

“a readiness to will” — proqumia means a deep desire which becomes motivation; “will” is qelw and it is in the present tense again.

“a performance” — aorist active infinitive of e)pitelew. Here it means ‘to complete’ or ‘to finish.’

“out of that which ye have” — literally, ‘out from having.’ This is the preposition e)k plus the present active infinitive of e)xw which means to have, to hold, to possess. So, give out of what you possess.

Principle: God in grace has given you materialistic possessions as well as spiritual provision. “As God has provided, give” is the principle of percentage. The same thing is taught in 1 Corinthians 16:2. Tithing is out. “Give as God has prospered.”

Translation: “But now also finish doing it in order that just as [positive volition] to will, so also to complete [the giving] out from what you have.”

Hence, there is an issue of volition in giving. No one can put pressure on you to give. You should never give from emotion or because someone has pressured you into giving. Giving must come from what you are spiritually, the intake of doctrine and the use of the same.

Verse 12 — “For if” introduces a first class condition; “there be” — in not e)imi, it is not found here, it is prokeimai which means to have something on hand; “a willing mind.” What she be on hand at all times? Obviously you don’t always have money, but you can always have the basis for giving which is a willing mind. We have here proqumia which is positive volition based on doctrine. First class condition: and there is. A remarkable change in the Corinthians.

“it is accepted” — the words ‘it is’ are not found in the original. We have an adjective, e)uprosdektoj. It means ‘pleasing.’

“according to that” — kaqo which is according to the norm or standard.

“a man hath, not according to that he hath not” — literally, ‘of he has, or if he has not.’ In other words, giving is acceptable whether you have something to give or not to give if you have positive volition based on doctrine. This switches giving from what you put in the offering to what goes on in your soul.

Verses 13-15, a principle of equality.

Verse 13 — there is no “I mean” in the Greek. It is literally ‘For [o)u gar = the collection] is not that other men [other believers].”

“be eased” — the noun a)nesij which means ‘relief.’ “For the collection is not that there be relief to others from the responsibility of giving” is what it actually means.

“and ye burdened” — literally, ‘and you pressurised.” The pronoun ‘you’ plus qluyij which means pressure.

Translation” “For [the collection] is not that there be relief to others [from responsibility of giving], and to you pressure.”

Verse 14 — “But” is the conjunction that introduces the principle of equality in contrast to a Corinthian misunderstanding which is anticipated. Apparently the Corinthians were about to assume that they were going to carry the financial load for the early church.

“by an equality” — Paul now explains why the Jerusalem church, why no other church, and why this is necessary. This is e)k plus i)sothj, and this prepositional phrase should be translated, ‘out from fairness.’

“now at this time” — e)n tw nun kairw means ‘at the present time’; “your abundance” — the Corinthians are very wealthy; “to their want [poverty or lack].”

“that their abundance” — if the Jerusalem church is broke where do we get ‘abundance’? It so happens that the Jerusalem church was a great centre for a large number of young men with communication gifts. If the Jerusalem church is broke these men cannot train, cannot study. It takes money to sustain the Jerusalem church which at this point is really the seminary to provide pastors for all of the churches. They lack funds and therefore these must come from elsewhere.

“there may be” is a present passive indicative of ginomai which means to come to pass, to come into existence.

Translation: “But out from fairness, at the present time your abundance of money to their lack of money, that also their abundance [of spiritual gifts] may become to your lack [of pastors]: in order that there may come to pass balance.”

In other words, God did not provide in any one church everything that was necessary for local churches to function. In one area He provided a certain number of men, in another area He provided money. This means you have an interrelationship of team work. This is illustrated in verse 15 where we have a quotation from Exodus 16:18.

Verse 15 — “As it is written” — literally, ‘According as it is written,’ perfect passive indicative of grafw, written in the past with the result that it stands — Exodus 16:18.

“He that had much” — o( to polu, no verb here, ‘the the one much.’ This means ‘the one having gathered much.’

‘had nothing [left] over’ — aorist active indicative of pleonazw plus the negative o)uk. This is so strong that it means there never was an exception.

“he that gathered little had no lack.”

This illustration from the principle of equality is taken from manna for a reason. Manna, by the way, is taken from two Hebrew words man hu and it means What is it? When the Jews walked out of their tents and saw it for the first time they said, ‘What is it?’ Exodus 16:2-4, they got it because they complained. They started to complain and God provided. Giving is the application of the doctrine of equality. Remember that manna is grace. They didn’t earn it or deserve it. God gave on the basis of equality because God is fair.

The doctrine of manna

1. Manna came down every day, but it didn’t — Exodus 16:4,5,22-27. God provided manna every day except Saturday, the Sabbath. Therefore on Friday God told the Jews to gather double. If manna was kept overnight it spoiled but if it was kept overnight on Friday it was preserved for the Sabbath. The application: Some Bible doctrine is used daily, like Rebound and Faith-Rest. Some Bible doctrine is preserved in the right lobe for special circumstances — suffering, prosperity, love, service, etc.

2. Those who gathered a lot of manna did not have any more than those who gathered little manna. So whether you had a lot or a little it was always the same because a lot meant your capacity for a lot or a little matched your capacity for a little — Exodus 16:16-18; 2 Corinthians 8:15. This is the law of equality. God always matches capacity. Some people seem to get more than others but some people have more capacity than others. Those who gathered a lot of manna did not have any more than those who gathered a little manna because each person gathered according to his capacity, and each one therefore had that which satisfied his capacity. God will always meet your capacity and your capacity is based on doctrine. Capacity is Bible doctrine in the human spirit and in the right lobe.

3. Manna spoiled, but it didn’t spoil — Exodus 16:19,20. If kept overnight it spoiled. If kept overnight on the sixth night it was preserved. Therefore if anyone was going to enjoy manna he must follow divine instructions. He must have the divine viewpoint about manna. There is just one way, God’s way, and that is learning Bible doctrine. Doctrine must be more real to you than anything else in life.

4. Manna spoiled if kept overnight but it was preserved indefinitely in the ark of the covenant — Exodus 16:19,20; Hebrews 9:4; Exodus 16:33. Doctrine you learn through the function of GAP can be used to construct an ECS, to form norms and standards and viewpoint in the right lobe. That doctrine can reside in you forever. There never will be a time when that doctrine doesn’t reside there and the only thing that can ever destroy it is when you start going backward. You still have free will and you never stand still. You are either going forward or backward in your Christian life.

5. Manna melted, but it didn’t melt — Exodus 16:21. Only manna which has been gathered withstood the rays of the sun. The manna carried into the tent in those days remained all day but the unguarded manna outside of the tent melted when the sun came up. Only Bible doctrine absorbed under GAP can help in time of pressure or prosperity. Ungathered manna is like Bible doctrine still in the Bible. You have to gather it. The only manna that did any good was the manna gathered and brought into the tent. Only Bible doctrine absorbed is usable. This emphasises the daily function of GAP — Matthew 4:4; Deuteronomy 8:3; Jeremiah 15:16.

6. Manna tasted good to some and bad to others. This illustrates positive volition toward doctrine. In Exodus 16:31 the people who were positive loved it, it tasted like honey. But to the people who were negative, Numbers 21:5, it tasted horrible. What was the difference? Attitude!

7. Manna came as a complaint from Israel — Exodus 16:2-4. Therefore manna is grace provision. The Jews did not earn it or deserve it — Psalm 78:18-25. God provided manna when the Jews were negative toward doctrine and generally in revolt. So regardless of how the Jews had sinned, how they had failed, or the condition of their soul, manna was delivered on schedule every day, except the Sabbath — Exodus 16:35.

8. The rejection of grace [manna] resulted in divine discipline — Numbers 21:5,6. God blesses the believer through grace, and when the believer decides he wants to operate outside of grace it is called falling from grace in Galatians 5:4, and failing grace in Hebrews 12:15. So God disciplines in grace those who do not like direct blessing from grace.

“But thanks” — ‘thanks’ is the word ‘grace.’ “But grace to God” — xarij de tw qew. Xarij = grace; de = the dividing line to show that this particular phrase is related to the previous verse; tw qew = dative of dignity or person. Grace belongs to only one person; we function under it. No man ever thought of grace, it is the monopoly of God. Grace is the character of God; who and what God is, never who and what man is.

“which put” is incorrect. God didn’t ‘put’ anything, He gave — present active participle of didomi. Linear aktionsart, He always gave, there never was a time when He didn’t give, He is always giving. That is because grace belongs to Him. Active voice: grace comes from God. Participle: it is a divine law. “But the grace to the God who is constantly giving.”

“the same earnest” — spoudh means intensity of character and it is translated ‘diligent’ — ‘the same intensity of character on you behalf in the heart of Titus.’

“for you” is ‘on behalf of you’ — u(per. What does Titus have in his heart that makes the difference? Bible doctrine. The heart refers to the right lobe.

The doctrine of the heart

1. The heart is the right lobe in the mentality of the soul.

2. The essence of the heart or the dominant lobe:

a) It has frame of reference with a memory centre. It is recalled from the frame of reference into the memory centre for utilisation.

b) We have what the Greek calls suneidhsij which means ‘to know with’ and is translated ‘conscience’ — norms and standards for life, and they generally come from knowledge in the frame of reference hitting memory centre to form the standards of life.

c) Viewpoint. This is the mental attitude toward life, or lack of it. Viewpoint can be divine or human.

3. The doctrinal content of the soul resides in the heart. The heart is designed to be the dominant lobe of the mentality of the soul and the dominator of the entire soul. The heart, therefore, is comparable to the right man and is the target for GAP. The heart, then, become vital in the function of GAP — 1 Kings 3:9,12; Proverbs 8:5; 15:14; Jon 38:36.

4. The right man is the heart, the right woman is the empty vessel known as emotion. The emotion is the woman of the soul and the heart is the man of the soul. That is why the emotion is empty unless it receives something from the heart. When the emotion dominates the soul you have a female soul. This is what happens under emotional revolt. On the other hand, whatever is in the heart or the right lobe, and this dominates, has response (and occasionally reaction) in the emotion. The emotion is a responder. So we have an analogy here to right man and right woman. As the dominant lobe the heart carries the authority of the soul and is therefore analogous to the right man. The emotions of the soul as responder and as appreciator are comparable to the right woman. Therefore they are linked in many passages — Psalm 26:2; Jeremiah 11:20; 17:10; 20:12.

5. The heart is directly related to capacity for life. The emotions as responders are designed to enjoy capacity for life but the heart as the dominant lobe is the initiator of that capacity. Capacity for life and everything related to life comes from the heart or right lobe. There are at least seven areas where capacity for life is related to the heart is the scripture: a) Love. Love is living, it is living in the heart — Deuteronomy 6:4; 11:13; Joshua 22:5.

b) Happiness is related to capacity in the right lobe or heart — Psalm 19:8; 28:7.

c) Dynamics in living originate in the heart — Job 9:4.

d) Sorrow — Leviticus 26:16; Nehemiah 2:2.

e) Pressure — Psalm 34:18.

f) Discouragement — Numbers 32:7,9.

g) Cowardice — Joshua 14:8.

Anything that makes you aware of life is a heart function.

6. It becomes obvious, then, that the heart is also an area of cursing — Lamentations 3:65; Deuteronomy 28:47,48. In that connection the heart is related to psychoses — Isaiah 13:7,8. Under emotional revolt of the soul mental attitude sins are related to the heart — Psalm 66:18. Your prayer life is related to your heart, and failure in your prayer life (iniquity in the heart) — Psalm 101:5; Proverbs 6:18; Matthew 12:35; 15:18,19; Luke 6:45; 24:25.

One of the great malfunctions of the heart is said to be revenge. Revenge starts with mental attitude sins under category #1 emotional revolt. It usually moves over to the lust pattern and it involves a function of the heart. We also have the heart functioning under emotional revolt so that it is said to be destroyed or deceived — Jeremiah 17:9.

7. The heart also is a way of life — Proverbs 14:10-15 cf. 23:7. Your way of life is what goes on in your heart and there are three areas where something can go wrong. As you increase doctrine and knowledge in general your capacity for life should increase — and as doctrine comes into memory centre to be utilised. Then you develop norms and standards that are compatible with God’s through doctrine, and you develop a divine viewpoint through doctrine. So what goes on in the right lobe is actually your way of life. All doing is dependent upon what you think, or don’t think. That means that the heart is related to grace function — Proverbs 24:17. The heart is related to grace orientation — Exodus 23:9. The heart is the basis for stability in a crisis — Psalm 112:7,8. The heart is related to happiness — 1 Samuel 2:1.

8. The heart, therefore, becomes related to motivation in life. Motivation in spiritual life — 2 Corinthians 9:7. Motivation in temporal life — Exodus 35:25,26,35; 36:8.

9. Since the heart is so vitally related to capacity for life it is also used as an anthropopathism. We have phrases where ‘the heart of God’ is used — 1 Samuel 2:35; Psalm 78:72; Jeremiah 23:20;30:24.

10. There is a relationship between the heart and positive volition. This is true in salvation — Romans 10:9,10.

11. On the other hand the heart is related to negative volition. The Pharaoh of Exodus hardened his own heart — Exodus 7:22,23; 8:15, 32; 9:34. Sihon — Deuteronomy 2:30. There are other cases — Deuteronomy 15:7; Psalm 95:8; Hebrews 3:8; 1 Samuel 6:6; 2 Kings 17:14; Jeremiah 7:26; 19:15.

12. The heart is also the basic area for happiness. We have two expressions which are found very frequently in the scripture. The gladness of heart — Judges 18:20; 1 Samuel 1:13; 1 Kings 8:66; 2 Chronicles 7:10; Esther 5:9; 1 Samuel 10:9; 16:7; 17:32. The merry heart — Proverbs 17:22; 1 Samuel 15:36; 2 Samuel 6:16; 13:28; 1 Kings 3:9,12; 8:17; Proverbs 15:13; Proverbs 17:22.

Titus

1. He was a theological student at Paul’s seminary — Titus 1:4. This is derived from the technical use of the Greek word teknon’ “child.” It also means student. A child must be under parental discipline, a student must be under academic discipline.

2. After Timothy failed in Corinth Paul sent Titus as the trouble shooter — 2 Corinthians 2:13.

3. He straightened out Corinth and returned to Paul in Macedonia — 2 Corinthians 7:5-7.

4. Between the first and second Roman imprisonments Paul and Titus visited the island of Crete — Titus 1:5.

5. Then Titus went on a mission to Dalmatia — 2 Timothy 4:10.

6. Prior to this Titus had been a test case in Jerusalem — Galatians 2:1-3.

7. The name of Titus is not found in the book of Acts, yet Titus was one of the greatest men on Paul’s team. Why? Because Titus and Luke were brothers — 2 Corinthians 1:18; 12:18.

8. Tradition indicates that Titus returned to Crete as its bishop, lived there until a ripe old age, and the end of his life was very similar to that of Jeremiah’s — tranquillity and peace.

“For indeed he accepted the exhortation.” The word for ‘accepted’ is the aorist active indicative of dexomai which means to welcome an opportunity, to receive an opportunity and to use it with aggressiveness. Titus is a very aggressive person and once he sees and opportunity he knows that this is the type of thing that happens once in a lifetime. Never again will Titus have the opportunity of being in an administrative team. His primary job and responsibility was pastor-teacher, the communicator of Bible doctrine. He is also a special type of pastor-teacher, he is a trouble-shooter. God opens a door for every believer sooner or later, and those believers who have Bible doctrine will walk through that door. Believers who do not have doctrine will not even know that opportunity knocks. When opportunity comes, and it will, your only preparation is Bible doctrine. When that day comes all of the doctrine you have ever learned will be brought into focus.

“the exhortation” — the noun paraklhsij which is a command that is stated in the form of a request.

God’s team functions on discipline. Discipline comes from doctrine.

“being more forward” — ‘being’ is present active participle of u(parxw and it means existing, to be in a status quo, to be in possession of, ‘more forward’ — the comparative adjective of spoudaioj which means diligent, a combination of mental attitude drive and the ability to carry it out. Titus existed in the status of more diligence, he had the mental attitude, the volition; he understood the issue. In other words, Titus was well motivated to carry out this mission.

“of his own accord” — a)uqeiretoj means one who chooses his own course of action and moves with aggressiveness and spontaneity.

“he went unto you” — ‘he went face to face with you.’ Aorist active indicative of e)cerxomai which means he ‘moved out’ toward the objective; plus proj plus the accusative, “face to face with you.”

Translation: “Because he welcomed the exhortation; and being in a state of more diligence [mental preparation and motivation], of his own spontaneous volition he moved out face to face with you.”

Verse 18 — “And we sent with him.” The word to send is the aorist active indicative sumpempw [pempw = to go or to send; sum = in the company of]. This means that Titus did not go alone but he had Luke and an unknown believer with him.

“the brother” — if you want to make something very strong you omit the personal pronoun. There is a principle of Greek syntax, in fact it is an idiom, that the definite article is used as a personal pronoun in very special cases. This special case occurs twice in 2 Corinthians — cf. 12:18. “His brother” is the literal translation. Here in chapter 18 it is the same: “his brother.” This is Luke.

“whose praise” — e)painoj really means applause. It means to render an honour that can be heard and it is the expression of approval; “in the gospel throughout all the churches.” In other words, wherever he has gone he has been faithful and he is recognised by believers everywhere as one who is a great believer.

Verse 19 — “And not only,” literally, “but.” Not only is Luke commended for his ministry in disseminating the gospel but he has also been elected by the churches to travel with Paul.

“who was also chosen” — xeirotonew [xeir = hand; tonew = placing or stretching of hands]. So he was chosen by the raising of hands. In other words, public vote.

“of the churches” — under the churches, u(po, authority, ‘under the authority of the churches.’

“to travel with us in this grace” — he was a part of the Pauline team, and ‘with this grace’ is literally, ‘in this grace,’ the preposition e)n plus the locative of xarij — in the sphere of this grace. Notice Paul’s grace orientation. He even relates travelling in all of these countries “in the sphere of grace.”

“which is administered” — dative present passive participle from diakonew which means to administer; “by us.”

“to the glory of the same Lord” — ‘face to face with the glory of the same Lord,’ literally.

“and of your ready mind” — or literally, ‘face to face with our willingness of mind.’

Translation: “And not only, but who also was appointed by public vote under the authority of the churches as a travelling companion in this grace, which is being administered by us face to face with the glory of the same Lord, and face to face with our willingness of mind.”

The eighth principle of giving

1. Money given to the Lord’s work by the believer priest must be properly administered.

2. Reliable people must be appointed by the church to collect and account for the use of funds.

3. Money must be handled by more than one person to avoid any appearance of dishonesty or misappropriation.

4. Those who administer funds must be face to face with the glory of the Lord. In other words, they must be occupied with Jesus Christ and well motivated.

5. Therefore the administration of money includes everything from congregational appointment to strong category #1 love toward Jesus Christ. The administrator must be motivated by Bible doctrine, and his success as an administrator does not depend on human ability but on his capacity to love Jesus Christ and orient to the grace of God.

Verse 20 — “Avoiding this” — ‘avoiding’ is the present middle participle, the verb is stellw. Stellw in the active voice means to arrange, equip, set in order. In the middle voice it means to shun, avoid, withdraw from something. Here it means ‘constantly avoiding this.’ When it comes to giving there is something that must always be shunned or avoided.

“that” is two words in the Greek, mh tij. Mh is a negative; tij is a particle, and it should be translated ‘lest anyone.’

“should blame us” should be ‘find fault with us.’ The word to ‘blame’ is mwmeomai which means to censor or find fault. It is in the aorist tense, the point of time when an offering is being handled, when money is being handled. The middle voice is reflexive. The subjunctive mood is potential. It should be translated, “Constantly avoiding this lest anyone should find fault with us.”

“in this abundance” — e)n plus the locative of a)drothj which means a large amount of money being handled: ‘in the sphere of handling large amounts of money.’

“which is administered” — diakonew means to administer.

“by us” is ‘under our authority’ — u(po, the preposition of authority or responsibility: ‘being administered under our authority.’

Translation: “Constantly avoiding this lest anyone should find fault with us in the sphere of handling large amounts of money being administered under our authority.”

1. Money given by churches must be handled under good administration.

2. This administration of money on the local church demands a proper system of collection, a system which brings out the spiritual nobility of the individual without coercion.

3. There must also be proper accounting by those with administrative gifts.

4. There must be honesty in the administration of money which has been given from love as an expression and commemoration of grace.

5. The administration of money must be honest before the Lord and honest before man.

6. The procedures for handling money must be worked out ahead of time to ensure security and proper administration of the grace offering.

Verse 21 — “Providing” is a present active participle, the verb is pronoew [noew = to think; pro = before]. ‘Before thinking’ is actually to provide because of forethought, using forethought to provide. In other words, this is a word for good administration.

“for honest things” — kaloj here means valuable things: “Using forethought to provide for valuable things.” This means money. Why is it valuable? Because of the amount? No, because of the love, because it is given in love, because it is given in grace orientation. Grace money is the most valuable in the world whether it is a small amount of money of large. It is grace money. Therefore grace money must be handled with the utmost of care.

“not only in the sight of the Lord, but also before men.”

Verse 22 — Paul commends an unknown administrator. “And we have sent” — sunpempw, a verb of identification [pempw = send; sun = with]. With Luke and Titus there is an unknown believer called ‘our brother.’

“Our brother”

1. Interpretation: He is an unknown believer with the gift of administration. He has been sent along with Titus and Luke.

2. This is a case of emphasising a ministry of grace rather than a personality.

3. In the administration of the financial affairs of the local church it takes a lot of unknown and unheralded heroes of administration to accomplish the job in a manner pleasing to the Lord.

4. God knows them very well and blesses their efforts in His service.

5. Administration in the local church is a part of Christian service.

“whom we have oftentimes proved” — ‘proved’ is the aorist active indicative of dokimazw, and it means ‘tested.’ This means to test for the purpose of approval.

“diligent in many things” — spoudaioj indicates excellence, positive volition, excellent mental attitude.

“but now” — nuni de. This is very strong, it indicates even improvement; “more diligent” — this is the comparative of spoudaioj which indicates great improvement. He started out being good; now he is even better.

“upon the great confidence” is ‘by reason of his great confidence.’

“directed toward you.”

Translation: “But we have sent with them [Luke and Titus] our brother [unknown] whom we have tested for approval many times in many things, he being diligent, but now much more diligent, by reason of his great confidence toward you [Corinthians].”

Verses 23,24 — the endorsement of the delegation.

Verse 23 — “Whether” is e)ite e)ite — “whether or.” The first e)ite is translated ‘whether’ and this is an endorsement of Titus. The second e)ite is an endorsement of his collection team. “Whether of Titus” is u(per Titus, ‘whether on behalf of Titus.’

“my partner or with reference to you my co-worker” — Paul has delegated the authority to Titus and Paul is responsible for Titus and for the delegation.

“concerning you” — ‘with reference to you.’

Translation: “Whether on behalf of Titus my partner and with reference to you my co-workers: or our brethren [the delegation], agents of the churches, glory of Christ.”

“messengers” is a)postoloj, but it doesn’t mean apostle here. Sometimes this word is technical for the gift of apostleship but apostle also means agent. An administrator is the agent of the church, but an agent of the church is just as much in the glory of Christ as anyone else.

Verse 24 — “Wherefore” is thn o)un and it means ‘Therefore, in conclusion.’ The particle o)un can express either sequence or consequence. Here it expresses consequence.

“shew ye” — present active participle of e)ndeiknumai which means to demonstrate something you have. What is it that they have? Capacity to love Jesus Christ. That is the issue in the offering. “Therefore demonstrate the proof of your love.”

“the proof of your love” — ‘proof’ is e)ndeicij and it means proof or manifestation. The proof is giving.

“and our boasting [glorying] on behalf of you to them before the churches.”

Translation: “Therefore be demonstrating the proof of your love and our glorying on behalf of you to them before the churches.”