2 Corinthians 8:10-24 Lesson 350

2 Corinthians 8:10-24 Lesson 350

Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

In this lesson:

Fundraising for Jerusalem in Corinth.

A mission for Titus (8:16-24).

Look for the spiritual principles.

Jesus on The Mount of Olives.

"Jerusalem, O Jerusalem"
By Greg Olsen

Study Tip:

Be wary of all interpretations of the Bible, including these lessons.
Let God speak to you, then form your own conclusions.

The Second Epistle of Paul The Apostle To The Corinthians

The King James Bible

2 Corinthians 8:10-24
Titus is sent to Corinth

10And herein I give my advice: for this is expedient for you, who have begun before, not only to do, but also to be forward a year ago.

11Now therefore perform the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which ye have.

12For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.

13For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened:

14But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality:

15As it is written, He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack.

16But thanks be to God, which put the same earnest care into the heart of Titus for you.

17For indeed he accepted the exhortation; but being more forward, of his own accord he went unto you.

18And we have sent with him the brother, whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches;

19And not that only, but who was also chosen of the churches to travel with us with this grace, which is administered by us to the glory of the same Lord, and declaration of your ready mind:

20Avoiding this, that no man should blame us in this abundance which is administered by us:

21Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.

22And we have sent with them our brother, whom we have oftentimes proved diligent in many things, but now much more diligent, upon the great confidence which I have in you.

23Whether any do enquire of Titus, he is my partner and fellowhelper concerning you: or our brethren be enquired of, they are the messengers of the churches, and the glory of Christ.

24Wherefore shew ye to them, and before the churches, the proof of your love, and of our boasting on your behalf.

Margin notes:

"This is expedient for you." (8:10) - "This is best for you."

"But also to be forward a year ago." (8:10) - "But you were also willing a year ago (9:2)." By now, the fundraising is in its twelfth month.

"Now therefore perform the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to will." (8:11) - "Now complete the fundraising, as you were excited to do (a year ago)."

"It is accepted according to that a man hath." (8:12) - "Give an amount based on what you have."  God does not expect us to give more than we can afford.  Jesus values a small gift from a poor person more than a large donation from a rich person (Mark 12:43-44).

"I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened." (8:13) - Do not make yourself poor trying to ease the burden of others.

"At this time your abundance may be a supply for their want." (8:14) - "Today, your abundance may supply those in need."

"As it is written, He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack." (8:15) - "As it is written, those who gathered more (bread) had no leftovers; and those who gathered less had enough (to eat)."  This verse refers to God providing manna (bread) to the Israelites as they wandered in the wilderness; everyone received enough to eat (Exodus 16:18).

"He accepted the exhortation; but being more forward, of his own accord he went unto you." (8:17) - "He (Titus) accepted our appeal (to visit Corinth), being eager, he went on his own accord."

"The brother." (8:18) - The brother is either Luke (the author of the "Gospel According to St. Luke") or Barnabas (an early Christian who traveled with Paul on the first missionary journey). Verse 12:18 confirms that Titus didn't travel alone.

"Chosen of the churches to travel with us with this grace." (8:19) - "Chosen by the churches (of Macedonia) to travel with us (to Jerusalem) with these donations."

"Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men." (8:21) - "Doing honorable things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the eyes of people (in other words, being good role models)." Paul is paraphrasing Proverbs 3:4.

"We have sent with them our brother." (8:22) - Another believer accompanied them.  Many scholars believe this unknown brethren was Apollos. Born in Alexandria, Egypt, Apollos was a Jew, scholar, gifted public speaker (Acts 18:24-26), missionary, teacher, and a friend of Paul's. Apollos preached in Corinth (Acts 19:1) and helped expand the church (1 Corinthians 3:6). Tutored by Aquila and Priscilla, his powerful speaking style made Apollos so popular in Corinth that some Christians began to follow him instead of Christ. Rather than being flattered, this made Apollos hesitant to return to Corinth (1 Corinthians 16:12).
Paul relied on Apollos and asked for his assistance in Nicopolis (Titus 3:13).
Apollos was with Paul in Ephesus when he wrote the "First Epistle to the Corinthians." Many biblical scholars believe Apollos wrote "The Epistle to the Hebrews."

New Living Translation

2 Corinthians 8:10-24

10 Here is my advice: It would be good for you to finish what you started a year ago. Last year you were the first who wanted to give, and you were the first to begin doing it. 11 Now you should finish what you started. Let the eagerness you showed in the beginning be matched now by your giving. Give in proportion to what you have.

12 Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don't have.

13 Of course, I don't mean your giving should make life easy for others and hard for yourselves. I only mean that there should be some equality. 14 Right now you have plenty and can help those who are in need. Later, they will have plenty and can share with you when you need it. In this way, things will be equal.

15 As the Scriptures say,

"Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over,
and those who gathered only a little had enough."

Titus and His Companions

16 But thank God! He has given Titus the same enthusiasm for you that I have. 17 Titus welcomed our request that he visit you again. In fact, he himself was very eager to go and see you.

18 We are also sending another brother with Titus. All the churches praise him as a preacher of the Good News. 19 He was appointed by the churches to accompany us as we take the offering to Jerusalem-a service that glorifies the Lord and shows our eagerness to help.

20 We are traveling together to guard against any criticism for the way we are handling this generous gift. 21 We are careful to be honorable before the Lord, but we also want everyone else to see that we are honorable.

22 We are also sending with them another of our brothers who has proven himself many times and has shown on many occasions how eager he is. He is now even more enthusiastic because of his great confidence in you. 23 If anyone asks about Titus, say that he is my partner who works with me to help you. And the brothers with him have been sent by the churches, and they bring honor to Christ.

24 So show them your love, and prove to all the churches that our boasting about you is justified.

This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

Today's question:

1. What principles on charitable giving are found in this passage?




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Answer: (Do you agree?)

1. This passage has at least four principles to guide Christians in making a Charitable gift.

A) After you make a charitable commitment, fulfill it. (8:10)

B) Be willing to give, but only give what you have. You are not expected to impoverish your family. (8:12)

C) Remember, if you help others, they will help you when in need.  (8:14)

D) Always give out of love for Jesus Christ, and never grudgingly or out of pressure.


Our faith in God secures our salvation and compels us to help others.


Application thought for the day:

What lessons about Christian enthusiasm can you find in this segment?

Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
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