2 Corinthians 8 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.
Time Period
~AD 55-56, roughly a year after the Corinthians first pledged money to Paul's relief fund
Location
Written from Macedonia in northern Greece, whose churches at Philippi and Thessalonica are the example, on behalf of famine-hit believers in Jerusalem
Audience
The Corinthian church, materially better off than the Macedonian congregations and slow to finish what it had promised
Situation
Paul reports that the poor Macedonian churches begged for the privilege of giving beyond their means, and urges Corinth to complete the collection it started. He sends Titus and two trusted companions ahead to organise the money before he arrives.
Key Background
The collection was a fund Paul gathered from his Gentile churches for the struggling Jewish believers in Jerusalem, and it mattered to him as proof that the two halves of the early church were one body rather than two movements. Handling other people's money was a reputational minefield, which is why he insists on travelling companions chosen by the churches and stresses that the arrangement is designed to be above suspicion. Ancient patronage worked on obligation and public credit, with donors expecting honour in return, so Paul's framing of giving as a shared grace rather than a transaction cuts against how the Corinthians would naturally have read it.
Now, and we want you to know about the God has given to the in
In the middle of a severe of their overwhelming joy and their deep poverty overflowed into an abundance of
I can that they gave as much as they could afford, and even beyond what they could afford, entirely on their own
They urgently begged us for the of in this of for in
And they didn't just do what we expected — they first gave themselves to the and then to us, because that's what
So we urged — since he had already started this work of among you — to also bring it to completion.
But since you in everything — in in speech, in knowledge, in complete and in your love for us — make sure you also in this act of
I'm not saying this as a I'm using the dedication of others to test whether your love is
You already know the of our Lord Jesus, The — that although he was he made himself for your sake, so that through his poverty you could become
And here's my on the matter: This is in your best interest, since you were not only the first to give but also the first to want to give, starting a year ago.
Now finish what you started, so that your to begin is matched by completing it according to what you have.
Because if the is there, the gift is based on what a person has, not on what they don't have.
I don't want this to be a burden on you while giving relief to others. The goal is
Right now your can meet their need, so that in turn their can meet your need. That's how equality works.
As it is "The one who a lot didn't have too much, and the one who a little didn't have too little."
But thanks be to God, who put the same for you into the heart of Titus.
He not only responded to our appeal, but being so himself, he's coming to you on own
And we're sending along with him the who is praised by all the for his work in spreading the
And more than that, he was by the gathered communities to travel with us as we carry out this act of — which we're doing to honor the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help.
We're taking this precaution so that no one can us about how we handle this
Because we're committed to doing — not only in the Lord's but also in the of
And we're also sending with them our brother who has his many times over in many situations, and now even more so because of his great in you.
As for Titus, he is my and among you. As for our brothers, they are of the an to The
So show them the of your and the reason we're so of you — and do it where all the can see.