For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness. As it is written, “Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.” | 2 Corinthians 8:13–15
As Andrew preached through 2 Corinthians 8 on Sunday, I was struck by the above statement, for three reasons: one practical, one theological, and one personal.
First, Paul presents this as an issue of fairness, which seems odd. Paul makes it clear that God is the one who provides all things, and that He hands out His grace in an uneven, we may even say unfair, way. Yet, He calls for His people to give out of their excess for the sake of those who lack.
God created a system in which everything was ‘very good’ and people had all of their needs met. Sin destroyed this perfection and created haves and have nots. God continues to provide enough for His creation, the problem is, sinful people consume and hoard it for themselves. God calls His people to be part of the solution: redistributing the resources that He has given to assure that all are provided for.
The second thing that strikes me here is how socialist the quote from Exodus sounds. Those who gathered much had what they needed, and those who gathered little had what they needed. Neither had more or less.
This is the Biblical vision of heaven (like God’s description of the body): every person doing their best for the benefit of the whole. Some are naturally going to be able to achieve more and accomplish greater things (which means earning more money in the world’s economy), but this simply puts them in a position of having more to share. In God’s economy, what provides for those in need is gratitude.
Socialism is a political theory of how to achieve fairness. Its ends align with what Paul is talking about here, but the process to get there is different. Instead of trusting that generosity and thanksgiving can bridge the gap of inequality, it turns to political means. Rather than trusting God to rule over His creation, it gives authority to the state.
I don’t mean for this to turn into a political blog, but I do think it is helpful to point out these differences. The Bible doesn’t tell us that we can achieve heaven on earth, which is the stated goal of any earthly system. What happens when we put our trust in politics, is that the conversation of our things becomes about a tug of war between the state and the individual. We forget that it all belongs to God to achieve His ends. The best solution is to stop fighting and to start serving. As you practice the radical generosity that Paul is talking about (and that God intends), you begin to see that the best way to get God’s resources to those in need is through His people sharing from their excess.
The third thing I want to point out from this section is that it hit me in a very personal way Sunday. Many of you know that my family bought a house and moved this last week. This was after selling our house and moving into a temporary living situation two months ago. This time was filled with so many unknowns (some still unknown). The one constant for my family has been support from the church family. From a place to stay, to an RV, to meals, to moving help, we have received the generosity and love that Paul celebrates in the Macedonians. I want to do the same.
Our church has done this time and time again, from: sharing of stimulus money, to supporting missionaries, to giving to benevolence, and buying Christmas gifts every year – you have shown your generosity. The meals and caring for people who are sick has been a consistent part of our church life. At the same time we were moving, dozens of people were serving the families who stayed at our church for Family Promise. It is a joy to lead and serve this church who: excels in this act of grace.
As well, Paul goes out of his way to commend those whom he serves alongside. In the same week that Andrew delivered this sermon on generosity to us, he also gave hours of his time to serve my family. This is not a man who calls the church to something that he does not model; Andrew is a picture of what radical generosity looks like. He doesn’t do this because of his personality type or what he hopes to get in return – he does it for the glory of the Lord himself. He serves because he is well aware of what he has been given.
Let us all strive to set aside the very human desire to accumulate and consume. May we look for every opportunity to use what God has given to us for His glory. Through this, we get to be part of His work to reverse the effects of sin on His world.