The Corinthians’ eagerness to help had inspired other believers, but their promised gift still needed to be prepared. How can Paul urge them to follow through while insisting that they give willingly, without reluctance or compulsion? His appeal turns to the God who supplies seed for sowing and bread for food. God provides for His people so that they can abound in good works, and the harvest includes relief for needy saints, thanksgiving to God, and believers praying for one another. What does it mean to reap generously, and what frees a Christian to give cheerfully? Paul’s answer leads from the offering being gathered to God’s own inexpressible gift in Jesus Christ.
The Rev. Jonathan Krenz, pastor of Augustana Lutheran Church in Moscow, Idaho, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 2 Corinthians 9:1–15.
To learn more about Augustana Lutheran, visit moscowlutheran.org.
What happens when Christians turn their pastors into rival teams, take one another to court, and leave their neighbors hungry at the Lord’s Supper? Corinth gives Paul plenty to write about. Questions about marriage, meat sacrificed to idols, spiritual gifts, and the resurrection bring the apostle into the daily life of a church struggling with pride and division. Through it all, he keeps bringing them back to Christ crucified and risen.
In 2 Corinthians, the strained relationship between Paul and the people he loves brings its own painful questions about forgiveness, faithful ministry, suffering, and weakness. These letters give us the treasure in jars of clay, the promise of resurrection, and the assurance that Christ’s grace is sufficient. Join Thy Strong Word as we study 1 and 2 Corinthians verse by verse and hear what God speaks to a troubled church He has called His own.
Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to:
