Tuesday 10 March 2026
Now as you excel in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you – so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking. (v. 7)
Background
Paul, Titus and the Christian community at Corinth had together tackled the problem of the scandal described in 1 Corinthians 5:1-2, 13. That was a negative issue and hopefully they could now put it behind them.
Paul now turned to the positive; something useful, indeed very necessary, in which the Corinthian church could help. The Jewish Christians in Jerusalem were suffering considerable hardship. From their earliest days they had practised a form of communism which was a great help to their poorer members. There were clearly quite a number of them, many of whom would have lost their jobs when they converted to Christianity.
Paul realised quite early on the importance for the Gentile (non-Jewish) Christians to help the Christians in Jerusalem. The Corinthian Christians had been the first to contribute to this fund, but their internal problems had so absorbed them that they were neglecting the needs of others.
In his first Letter to the Corinthians, Paul had given explicit instructions how this should be done, beginning with the rather mundane phrase "Now concerning the collection". (16:1-4)
Paul reminded the Corinthians of their generosity before they had been torn apart by their own problems, and of the sacrifices of the Macedonian churches, giving "according to their means, and even beyond their means, begging us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in this message to the saints" (vs 3-4).
He distinguished between giving a command, which this was not, and giving his advice, which was to complete the task they had begun the previous year (vs 8-11).
To Ponder:
- After any crisis – personal or connected to church or any other organisation to which you are attached – what helps you to put it behind you in order to continue your daily life?
- What steps do you take to remind yourself of a promise made previously?
Prayer
Bountiful God, give us the gift of generosity. Amen.
Bible notes author: Alan Sharp
Alan Sharp lives in St Albans where he is a member of both his local Methodist church and his parish church. He has been a local preacher and a church organist and choirmaster for over 60 years. He writes a monthly article on hymn tunes for The Methodist Recorder.