⁶Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. ⁷Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

While the occasion for Paul’s teaching the Corinthians about financial giving happens to be a collection for the Christians in Jerusalem due to a famine, the principles laid out in 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 apply to stewardship in general. Interestingly, nothing is found here (or anywhere else in the NT) about the OT mandate of the tithe (10 percent). It might be assumed, due to the familiarity of the Jewish background, that a tithe would be the expected amount (see 1 Cor. 8:5 where the Macedonians gave more than Paul might have expected). But Paul clearly avoids such a reference.

Three principles are highlighted here. The first is the correlation between giving and receiving. The person who gives little will receive little blessing in return. The one who gives generously will receive generous blessings. Many TV evangelists and other unscrupulous preachers abuse this principle to manipulate people into giving more and more money to their ministries. Their interpretation goes like this: “If you give more money to this ministry, God will bless you financially with a raise, or windfall, or inheritance, etc.” This is supported by so-called testimonies of people who did experience such an effect that they attribute to their financial giving.

The problem with that interpretation is that it assumes the “reap bountifully” is a corresponding financial windfall of some sort. In the hands of clever scammers, many are strung along as suckers, being motivated by greed rather than pleasing God. In truth, there is probably a mixture of motivation that people have in their giving, but charlatans will use whatever means necessary to get people’s money, under the guise of spirituality.

So then, what does Paul mean when he relates sowing and reaping? Once we move past the thought of one’s own benefit, we can see that there is great benefit to others in our giving, and that can be sparing or bountiful, depending on our generosity. That is a better motivation than greed for our own benefit.

The second principle deals with our motivation. We should give based on our inner purposes, not by outward persuasion, not because of some forceful fundraising campaign. Simply put, we should give happily because, “God loves a cheerful giver.” In light of our innate selfishness, this occurs as a miracle of God working in the heart of His people, as we shall see in the next verse.

Lord, so work in my heart that I might give joyfully and generously.