Obligation or Love?

Based on 2 Corinthians 8:7-15

How much are you willing to give of yourself and your resources to meet the needs of those you love? I can imagine that if someone in your family or a friend was in a bind and there was some way you could help them out, you would do that. You may not have the capacity to give them everything they need. But whatever you could offer, whether it be money, or some of your time, your skills, or even a hug and a word of encouragement, it’s your love for that person that motivates you to offer what you can to respond to their time of need. Whatever help you offer is a natural expression of your love for that person.

It makes a difference if we are motivated by a sense of obligation or by love. To me, a sense of obligation to help someone feels like a duty, like a “have to.” You do it to check off a box or maybe because that’s what a Christian is supposed to do. People can give out of obligation without their heart being in it. It can be sort of like paying taxes. To respond to the needs of others as an obligation rather than as an act of love seems less authentic to me. Responding out of love rather than obligation seems to be more authentic. It’s more personal, an extension of a relationship with the person you are helping whereas helping as an obligation is almost like the person you are helping is an object of your charity. There doesn’t necessarily have to be a relationship with someone when you are helping out of obligation. But when you respond out of love, of course there is a relationship. To me, responding to the needs of others out of love rather than obligation has more integrity. It seems more genuine.

This is what Paul is getting at when he writes to the Corinthian church about their participation in the collection. The collection was a fundraising campaign Paul took on as part of his ministry to the Gentile Christians. When Paul met with the church elders in Jerusalem to explain his calling to evangelize the Gentiles, the elders agreed to support him in this work. But they asked Paul to let the Gentile Christians know that their Jewish siblings in Jerusalem needed their financial support as they were suffering great poverty. So, Paul set up a procedure to raise funds for the church in Jerusalem. He asked the Gentile churches he had a relationship with to take up a weekly offering of funds. Then, periodically, either he or someone he sent would go to the churches to collect those offerings and deliver them to the church in Jerusalem.

Paul notes in the reading we heard today that the Corinthians started off the previous year with eagerness to participate in this collection. They saw it as a great opportunity to demonstrate solidarity with their Jewish Christian siblings who lived in the city where the Christian movement started. But as the year went by, it seems their interest and engagement with the collection was starting to flag a bit. Maybe they weren’t giving as much. Or they started to collect funds for other purposes. Or they weren’t consistent in having a weekly collection. Or maybe there was some complaining going on about the collection, or some questions about just what Paul or the church in Jerusalem was doing with that money. Whatever it was, Paul didn’t specify, it seemed to him that the Corinthians were not participating with the same level of enthusiasm. Something was off.

So, Paul addressed his concern with the Corinthians, to see if he can get them re-engaged in this opportunity to share with those who were less fortunate with that same eagerness which they started. He uses a few arguments in his effort of encouragement. Let’s take a quick look at them.

First, Paul wants the Corinthians to see their engagement with the collection as a test in comparison to the engagement of other communities, particularly the Macedonians. We learn about the situation with the Macedonians in the previous verses, 8:1-6.

“We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God that has been granted to the churches of Macedonia; for during a severe ordeal of affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For, as I can testify, they voluntarily gave according to their means, and even beyond their means, begging us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in this ministry to the saints—and this, not merely as we expected; they gave themselves first to the Lord and, by the will of God, to us.”

Wow! These Macedonians set an impressive example. Despite their extreme poverty, they were so filled with joy that they did not let their poverty prevent them from giving to the collection even beyond their means. They begged for the privilege of giving money that would support the church in Jerusalem, their love and zeal for that church was so great. Nothing would stop them from giving what they could. Clearly, they were not acting from a place of obligation but rather from a place of love. And Paul brings up these amazing Macedonians for the Corinthians to compare themselves. He asks them to put themselves to the test. Can they match the generosity of the Macedonians? Paul doesn’t mean can they give the same amount of money. In fact, the Corinthians are not living in poverty at all but are abundant in so many ways. But do they have the same joy? The same love? Can they match their spirit of generosity when it comes to supporting the church in Jerusalem? That would be a test for anyone. It would likely be obvious to the Corinthians that they are lacking in the same zeal.

Just in case this first argument makes it sound like Paul is trying to make this like competition, Paul uses his second argument, bringing the focus on Jesus. Paul likely has in mind an old Christian hymn that he quotes in his letter to the Philippians:

“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross.”

Paul reminds the Corinthians that Jesus, who was rich, became poor for their sakes so that they might become rich. Now, Jesus was not rich in money. Paul is talking about how Jesus emptied himself of his glory as the son of God so that he could take on human form, humble himself and die on the cross so that the Corinthians can receive eternal life. In other words, he is reminding the Corinthians of the great wealth of grace they have received by what Jesus did on their behalf. Now, how should the Corinthians respond to this grace? You could say that they are obligated to respond by giving what they can to support their fellow siblings in Christ. Or they could be filled with so much gratitude, love and joy for what God has done for them through Christ that they are eager to share of their abundance to support their siblings. Obligation or love? That’s their choice. They should not look to the Macedonians as a competitor they need to beat in the game of generous giving. No, they should be inspired by the deep joy and gratitude the Macedonians have toward God because of what God has done for them. If the Corinthians can capture that same level of joy and gratitude, the giving will follow. That’s what Paul is counting on. Motive makes a difference.

Then, Paul moves to his third argument. He wants to make sure the Corinthians know he is not asking them to empty out their bank accounts. It is true that the Macedonians gave beyond their means. But they didn’t have to do this. Look what Paul says in vv. 12-13: “For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has—not according to what one does not have. I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you.” What Paul is saying is that he wants the Corinthians to be eager to share out of their abundance. In practical terms, after they have cared for their own needs and have saved some back to help assure they are well supplied, whatever is left they can give to support those in need. Honestly, if they are filled with eagerness, if they love God and love their siblings in Christ, they should want to give what they can spare to those in need rather than hoard for themselves. They are not being asked to make themselves poor. They are only being asked to give what they have to spare. This is doable and, if they are motivated by love, a no brainer.

Last, Paul finishes off his effort by calling to mind when God gave the Israelites manna during their journey to the promised land. As we read about it in Exodus, every morning as the Israelites came out to collect the manna that had collected on the ground, it didn’t matter how big or small the family, each family had just what they needed for that day. It was the living out of that part of the Lord’s prayer where we pray, “Give us this day our daily bread” which could be said another way, “Give us the bread we need for today.” When the Israelites journeyed to the promised land, God assured they had what they needed to sustain themselves for the journey. In the same way, Paul is asking the Corinthians to give of their extra so that those in poverty will have what they need, trusting that in the future if the Corinthians find themselves in poverty, the other churches, maybe even the church in Jerusalem, will give of their excess so that everyone will have enough. Or, as Paul put it, there would be a “fair balance”, no one has too much or too little, but everyone has just what they need. Some have called this principle of fair balance as an aspect of what is called the economy of abundance, the belief that there is enough for everyone. The issue is distribution.

So, what might we learn and apply in the stewardship of our resources? Although our context is different from the Corinthians, we are not participating in a collection that goes to a specific church that is impoverished, there are some principles here that we can apply as we steward our resources.

First, remember that this is not just about money. Paul is focusing on the collection of funds to be sent to the church in Jerusalem. But look back at vs. 7. See all the kinds of resources that the Corinthians excelled in. Paul says they excel in everything. They excel in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in eagerness. They even excel in Paul’s love for them. They are well supported and well-endowed in so many ways other than money. In the same way, we steward more than our cash. We are stewards of our knowledge and training. We are stewards of our faith in God and one another. We steward our commitment to God, to the church, to the larger society. We steward our passion. We steward our time. We have a lot of resources besides money that we steward and that we can potentially offer to help those in need.

Second, we are asked to give out of our abundance. We are not asked to put our own financial situation in jeopardy. We are not asked to voluntarily place ourselves in poverty. We still have the responsibility to sustain our households and be prudent about caring for our future needs. But once we have been prudent and our households are cared for, what to do with the excess? Our love for God and for those whom God loves would prompt us to give what we have to those who are in a rough spot and need some help. We can do this. We can help others without wrecking our own financial situation.

And, again, it’s not only about money. Think about how you steward your time. You only have so many hours of the day. A lot of those hours are already claimed. You have to get a good night’s sleep so you can function during the day. You have hours claimed to take care of personal needs and other household chores. You may have a job that requires a lot of your time. You need to claim some hours during the week to play and have fun with your friends and family. What hours are left? Those are the hours you can use to volunteer your time to help others. We give out of our extra. That’s what Paul is saying to us.

Finally, we are challenged to give with eagerness and love, not obligation or pressure. I have heard stories of churches that can be a bit heavy handed when it comes to stewardship campaigns. This is just hearsay, but I have heard of churches that asked for their members to submit their 1040s so the officers could see how much they were making and take 10% of that as the amount due for their tithe to remain members. I have heard of a church that would lock the doors of the sanctuary and not let anyone leave until a certain amount of money was raised. Just hearsay. I hope none of that is true. But if it is…sounds like a heavy dose of pressure. Paul was bending over backwards to let the Corinthians know he isn’t trying to manipulate them or pressure them to do anything they don’t want to do. When it comes to giving what we have to support others, obligation or pressure is not the motivation that we should be after. It is love for God and one another that is the motivation we need to give what we can to help others and to support the church.

Let everything we do be motivated by love, starting with our love for God. Let our gratitude for all that God has blessed us with, especially this community of faith and the promise of eternal life, be the foundation of our giving in whatever form that giving takes. Whether it be money, time, skill, or passion, let us offer what we can in gratitude for the great abundance of grace God showers on each of us day by day.