The Gracious Act of Giving

Generous and earnest giving by believers to the cause of Christ's kingdom is a gracious work of the Spirit and it flows out of gratitude to Christ for his death and resurrection in behalf of our salvation. The Macedonian Christians exemplified this spirit of giving in their earnest desire to give of their financial means, and beyond their means, to help out the suffering Christians in Jerusalem. Paul urges the Corinthian Christians to follow both Christ and the Macedonians' and complete their stated intention to also help out the Jerusalem church.