John Calvin Commentary 2 Corinthians 8

Since any lingering offense among the Corinthians, caused by the severity of the preceding Epistle, might hinder Paul's authority over them, he has until now endeavored to win their affection. Now, after clearing away all cause for offense and regaining favor for his ministry, he recommends the brethren at Jerusalem to them, so that they may provide help for their needs.

He could not have attempted this with any great advantage at the beginning of the Epistle. Therefore, he prudently deferred it until he had prepared their minds for it.

Accordingly, he dedicates this entire chapter and the next to exhorting the Corinthians to be active and diligent in collecting alms to be taken to Jerusalem for relieving the poverty of the brethren. For they were afflicted with a great famine, so that they could hardly sustain themselves without being aided by other churches. The Apostles had entrusted Paul with this matter (Galatians 2:10), and he had promised to attend to it. He had already done so in part, as we have seen in the previous Epistle. Now, however, he urges them still further.

I make known to you. He commends the Macedonians, but with the intention of stimulating the Corinthians by their example, although he does not expressly say so. For the Macedonians had no need of commendation, but the Corinthians needed a stimulus. And to stir the Corinthians further to emulation, he ascribes it to the grace of God that the Macedonians had been so ready to give help to their brethren.

For although all acknowledge that it is a commendable virtue to help the needy, they nevertheless do not consider it a gain, nor do they view it as the grace of God. Instead, they consider that it is merely so much of what was theirs taken from them and lost. Paul, on the other hand, declares that we ought to ascribe it to the grace of God when we provide aid to our brethren, and that we should desire this as an extraordinary privilege.

He mentions, however, a twofold favor that had been bestowed upon the Macedonians. The first is that they had endured afflictions with composure and cheerfulness. The second is that from their meager resources, just as if they had possessed abundance, they had taken something to be given to their brethren.

Paul rightly affirms that each of these things is a work of the Lord. For all who are not upheld by the Spirit of God (the Author of all consolation) quickly fail. And deeply rooted distrust clings to us, keeping us back from all acts of love, until it is subdued by the grace of the same Spirit.

In much trial — In other words, while they were tried with adversity, they nevertheless did not cease to rejoice in the Lord. Indeed, this disposition rose so high as to swallow up sorrow, for the minds of the Macedonians, which must otherwise have been constrained, needed to be set free from their restraints so that they might liberally provide aid to their fellow believers.

By the term joy, he means that spiritual consolation by which believers are sustained during their afflictions. For the wicked either delude themselves with empty consolations, by avoiding a perception of the evil and distracting their minds with wandering thoughts, or else they completely surrender to grief and allow themselves to be overwhelmed by it. Believers, on the other hand, seek occasions of joy in the affliction itself, as we see in Romans 8.

And their deep poverty. Here we have a metaphor taken from exhausted vessels, as if he had said that the Macedonians had been emptied, so that they had now reached the bottom. He says that even in such difficult circumstances, they had abounded in liberality and had been rich, so as to have enough—not merely for their own use, but also for giving assistance to others. Note the way we can always be liberal even in the most extreme poverty: if, by liberality of spirit, we compensate for what is lacking in our resources.

Liberality is opposed to stinginess, as in Romans 12:8, where Paul requires this from deacons. For what makes us more tight-fisted than we ought to be is this: we look too carefully and too far ahead when contemplating potential dangers; we are excessively cautious and careful; we calculate too narrowly what we will require for our entire life; or, in short, we fixate on how much we lose when the smallest portion is taken away.

The person who depends on the Lord’s blessing has their mind set free from these hindrances and, at the same time, has their hands opened for good deeds. Let us now draw an argument from the lesser to the greater. “Limited means, indeed poverty, did not prevent the Macedonians from doing good to their fellow believers. What excuse, then, will the Corinthians have if they hold back, while wealthy and prosperous in comparison with them?”

To their power, and even beyond their power. When he says that they were willing of themselves, he means that they were, of their own accord, so well prepared for the duty that they needed no exhortation. It was a great thing—to strive up to the measure of their ability; and thus, to exert themselves beyond their ability showed a rare and truly admirable excellence.

Now he speaks according to the common human custom, for the common rule of doing good is what Solomon prescribes (Proverbs 5:15)—to drink water out of our own fountains, and let the rivulets go past, that they may flow onwards to others.

The Macedonians, on the other hand, taking no account of themselves and almost losing sight of themselves, were more concerned with providing for others. In short, those who are in straitened circumstances are willing beyond their ability if they spend anything on others from their slender means.

Beseeching us with much entreaty. He expands on their promptness, since they not only did not wait for anyone to admonish them, but even implored those who would have admonished them, if their activity had not anticipated everyone's desires.

We must again repeat the comparison previously made between the lesser and the greater. If the Macedonians, without needing to be implored, press forward of their own accord, indeed, anticipate others by using entreaties, how shameful it is for the Corinthians to be inactive, especially after being admonished! If the Macedonians lead the way before all, how shameful it is for the Corinthians not, at least, to imitate their example! But what are we to think, when, not satisfied with imploring, they added to their requests earnest entreaty, and much of it too?

From this it appears that they had implored, not merely as a formality, but in genuine earnestness.

That the favor and the fellowship. He has used the term favor to recommend almsgiving, although the word can also be explained in different ways. However, this interpretation seems to me to be the simpler one: because, just as our heavenly Father freely gives us all things, so we should imitate His unmerited kindness in doing good (Matthew 5:45); or at least, because in using our resources, we are simply distributors of His favor.

The fellowship of this ministry consisted in Paul being a helper to the Macedonians in this ministry. They contributed from their own resources so that it might be administered to the saints. They wished for Paul to take charge of collecting it.

And not as He expected from them an ordinary degree of willingness, such as any Christian should show; but they went beyond his expectation, since they not only had their material resources in readiness, but were prepared to devote even themselves. They gave themselves, he says, first to God, then to us.

It may be asked whether their giving themselves to God and to Paul were two different things. It is quite a common occurrence that when God charges or commands through anyone, He associates the person whom He employs as His minister, both in the authority to command and in the obedience that is given.

It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us (Acts 15:28); say the Apostles, while at the same time they merely, as instruments, declared what had been revealed and commanded by the Spirit. Again, The people believed the Lord and his servant Moses (Exodus 14:31), while at the same time Moses had nothing apart from God. This, too, is what is meant by the clause that follows—by the will of God. For, as they were obedient to God, and had committed themselves to Paul's ministry to be regulated by his counsel, they were influenced by this consideration in listening to Paul, as speaking from God’s mouth.