July 2026

Greetings, saints.

Let us turn together in the word of God to 2 Corinthians 9:7. Here we read (quoting): “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”

The context is that Paul is writing to the believers at Corinth about the financial collection he is taking for the poor saints at Jerusalem, and he is urging them to have their contribution to the collection ready by the time he next visits them.

So Paul is talking to the church about money? Yes…and no.

As we start to unpack this, the first thing to notice is that Paul’s message in verse 7 is addressed to every man—“Every man according as he purposeth in his heart…” he writes.

Every man. Not some men, not wealthy men, not influential men, not men of means or reputation. Paul says, “Every man.”

This is important because it tells us that Christian giving, and Paul’s message concerning it, is not a matter of social class, financial status or economic strength. It concerns every believer. Paul is not explaining the theology of giving for the rich; he is explaining the theology of giving for the redeemed.

The second thing we can notice is that Paul says men should purpose in their heart to give. This also is important, as we learn from this that Christian giving begins not in the hand, or in the wallet or purse, not in the bank account, but in the heart. The heart is the treasury of the believer. The heart is the place where giving is born.

This means that giving is first and foremost an internal act, a spiritual decision, a deliberate intention formed before God. The word purposeth speaks to determination, resolution and intentionality.

While 2 Corinthians 9:7 is one of the most frequently quoted passages of the many in scripture on Christian giving, when it is isolated from the verses around it, it loses the richness and depth that God intends us to take from it. So before continuing our examination of verse 7, let us step back one verse and hear Paul’s flow of thought.

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 9:6 (quoting): “He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.”

This is not a prosperity slogan. Paul is not promising material wealth; there is no promise of that for us in this age. This is a spiritual principle; Paul is teaching that the more we invest in spiritual things, the more spiritual fruit we reap.

Paul writes a similar thought to the churches of Galatia, but in his epistle to them he adds a detail. At Galatians 6:7 we read (quoting): “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked:” Using agricultural imagery in the verse, this is divine assurance that if we sow spiritual seed we shall reap spiritual fruit. And that if we do not, we will not. God is not mocked; this rule is fixed.

This then gives us the immediate spiritual context for 2 Corinthians 9:7, and it shows us that Paul’s instruction to the Corinthians in this verse is not issued to help them meet a financial giving target, but rather to help them bear spiritual fruit.

Giving is sowing. Sowing is investing.

At the end of verse 7 Paul writes that God loves a cheerful giver.

Cheerful giving is contrasted in the verse to giving which is grudging or of necessity, in other words to giving made under some cloud of obligation. God, it seems, is not impressed by even large amounts given reluctantly.

What then does it mean to give cheerfully?

To understand this, we must look to the Lord Jesus Christ, who Galatians 2:20 tells us gave himself for us, and examine the nature of his ‘giving’.

We read at Hebrews 12:2 that Christ gave himself not grudgingly but willingly. It says there, speaking of Christ, (quoting): “who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross,”

Joy and grudgingness cannot coexist.

And scripture also makes it clear that Christ gave his life not of necessity, at the behest of something or somebody else, but of his own choice. At John 10:18 Jesus says, speaking of his life (quoting): “No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself.”

At his arrest, when Peter drew the sword, Christ said (quoting): “Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53). Christ could have summoned help and avoided arrest and all that followed.

As he hung on the cross, the mockers cried (quoting): “Save thyself… come down from the cross.” (Matthew 27:39–42) He could have come down, as he had previously managed supernatural escape (for example, Luke 4:30), but he remained.

Philippians 2:7 says that Christ (quoting): “made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant…”

Christ gave himself willingly.

Now the pattern Paul is leading us toward emerges. Cheerful giving is Christlike giving. Cheerful giving is gospel-shaped giving. Cheerful giving is grace in action. It is not the outcome of a momentary or spent emotion, or of a promise half-regretted; it is not the huffy obedience to an imposed obligation. It is deliberate generosity expressed with an open hand.

At this point some might object: “But Israel had to tithe under the Law. Surely that was not cheerful giving.”

Indeed, Israel was commanded to bring several tithes—10% portions of livestock and crops. Yet scripture shows that even under the Law, God required the right heart.

We see that Israel was commanded to:

Rejoice when bringing the tithe (Deuteronomy 26:11)

Serve the Lord with gladness (Deuteronomy 28:47)

Honour the Lord with their substance (Proverbs 3:9)

Give willingly and with a perfect heart (1 Chronicles 29:9)

The tithe was commanded, but the attitude was not optional.

Obedience without joy was disobedience of the heart. Paul’s teaching in 2 Corinthians 9 is therefore not a departure from the Law of the old testament—it is a continuation of God’s timeless desire for willing, joyful, wholehearted giving.

Paul had warned the Corinthians earlier in the same epistle (quoting): “That ye receive not the grace of God in vain.” (2 Corinthians 6:1)

How might a believer receive God’s grace in vain? One way is to treat giving as an obligation—something calculated, measured, and performed only because we “must.”

When giving becomes a matter of necessity rather than willingness, we have missed the point of grace. Grace transforms duty into delight. It turns obligation into opportunity. Grace makes giving joyful, not mechanical.

If we calculate our giving only by what we must do, rather than by what we may do, we are not walking in grace—we are walking in the shadow of compulsion. And Paul says that is to receive God’s grace in vain.

Cheerful giving is grace in action. Reluctant giving is grace resisted.

We are beginning to see that Paul’s deepest concern in this passage is not money—it is fruit. He writes in Philippians 4:17, commending the church at Phillipi for supporting his ministry with material supplies, (quoting): “Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.”

This same priority shapes his teaching in 2 Corinthians 9. Paul is not primarily fundraising; he is shepherding. He wants the Corinthians to experience the spiritual harvest that comes from sowing bountifully.

Paul’s heart is pastoral, not financial. He wants them to grow, not merely to give. He wants them to reap spiritual fruit, not simply meet a need.

The fruit is not only in the gift—it is in the giver.

Brethren, when we combine 2 Corinthians 9 verses 6 and 7, we see a complete picture:

Giving is sowing — we reap spiritually according to how we invest spiritually.

Giving is Christlike — cheerful giving reflects the generous heart of the Saviour.

Giving is grace-driven — it is not mechanical, not reluctant, not calculated by necessity.

Giving is heart-focused — even under the Law, God required joy and willingness.

Giving is fruitful — Cheerful giving bears spiritual fruit to the believer’s account.

So, while the subject matter of 2 Corinthians 9:7 is the giving of money, it is not a verse about the giving of money—it is a verse about grace, spiritual growth, and ultimately Christlikeness.

Cheerful giving is not about meeting a requirement. It is about reflecting the gospel, sowing into eternity, and becoming more like Christ. When believers give cheerfully, they imitate Christ, they honour God, they bless others and they reap spiritual fruit.

This is the heart of Paul’s message. This is the heart of grace.

Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.

Grace to you all.

Amen.