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Rich and Poor
A short post today - a great commentary on a great verse:
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. -2 Corinthians 8:9
"The Corinthian church—a wealthy church—had pledged a great deal of money, but they had not yet given any of it. Paul was concerned that they might never get around to giving what they had promised, so he gave them two models of generous giving. In the previous verse and first part of this chapter (8:1–5, 8), Paul had given them the first model: the poor Macedonian Christians who had enthusiastically given beyond what they could afford. Then in this verse, Paul gave the Corinthians another model: Jesus himself. Although the Macedonians had shown a great amount of generosity in past, their sacrifice couldn’t compare with Jesus’ giving of himself. Jesus’ action was the ultimate model for the Corinthians.
Jesus became poor for the Corinthians’ sakes by generously giving up his rights as God and becoming human. Although he was God and possessed all the privileges, power, and wisdom of God (John 1:1–14), the Son of God relinquished all that. He voluntarily became a man named Jesus of Nazareth. The Lord became poor when he became human because he set aside so much. He was a heavenly King, and he humbled himself to become a servant of lowly human beings. He even voluntarily surrendered himself to death on a cross—the most cruel and humiliating death known at that time. Yet by doing so, he made all who believe in him rich. Christians have not only been saved through his self-sacrificial actions, they have also been accepted into God’s family (5:8, 18). That means that they have a glorious, eternal inheritance in heaven (4:18; 5:1)." [1]
Rich and Poor
A short post today - a great commentary on a great verse:
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. -2 Corinthians 8:9
"The Corinthian church—a wealthy church—had pledged a great deal of money, but they had not yet given any of it. Paul was concerned that they might never get around to giving what they had promised, so he gave them two models of generous giving. In the previous verse and first part of this chapter (8:1–5, 8), Paul had given them the first model: the poor Macedonian Christians who had enthusiastically given beyond what they could afford. Then in this verse, Paul gave the Corinthians another model: Jesus himself. Although the Macedonians had shown a great amount of generosity in past, their sacrifice couldn’t compare with Jesus’ giving of himself. Jesus’ action was the ultimate model for the Corinthians.
Jesus became poor for the Corinthians’ sakes by generously giving up his rights as God and becoming human. Although he was God and possessed all the privileges, power, and wisdom of God (John 1:1–14), the Son of God relinquished all that. He voluntarily became a man named Jesus of Nazareth. The Lord became poor when he became human because he set aside so much. He was a heavenly King, and he humbled himself to become a servant of lowly human beings. He even voluntarily surrendered himself to death on a cross—the most cruel and humiliating death known at that time. Yet by doing so, he made all who believe in him rich. Christians have not only been saved through his self-sacrificial actions, they have also been accepted into God’s family (5:8, 18). That means that they have a glorious, eternal inheritance in heaven (4:18; 5:1)." [1]
[1] Bruce B. Barton and Grant R. Osborne, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Life Application Bible Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1999), 393.
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