"His
Unspeakable Gift"
In this chapter and the one before
it the Apostle Paul is admonishing the Corinthian believers to give. You will
notice, in reading the passage, that he does not draw a single motive from the
law. He does use the law as an illustration, but never as a motive. Paul does
not say, "Tithe and God will bless you." Nor does he threaten
punishment if you fail to do so. He knew that he was writing to believers, men
under grace not the law. Therefore, he places upon us the irresistible
Constraint of love. His argument is this - since God has given you the richest
gift of his love, Jesus Christ, it is most reasonable that you give cheerfully,
from a heart of love. Can any redeemed soul resist such an argument? Never!
Mark these lessons:
First, give your ownselves to the Lord (8:5). Give yourself to Christ, heart, soul, mind,
body, and spirit. Christ has redeemed me. I belong to him. All that I have
is his. "Here, Lord, I give myself to thee, 'Tis
all that I can do."
Secondly, When
you give, give with a willing heart (
Thirdly, give from
a proper motive (8:9), Our Lord, who was rich in all the glory of his
eternal God-head, became poor for our sakes. For us he endured the poverty of
hell itself upon the tree. He had this reason for doing so, that we might enjoy
all the riches of grace, salvation, and eternal life in him. Having such a
Redeemer, having received from him the gift of eternal life and the best gift
of all, his own self, can we be niggardly and selfish? I think not.
Don Fortner