Sunday Digital Bulletin
Sunday, November 2, 2025
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Sermon Notes
2 Corinthians 9:1-15 NRSV
Written by Rev. Dr. Alf Halvorson
This is the fourth in our series on Paul’s Second Letter to the Church in Corinth. In chapters 8 and 9, Paul invites and challenges the Corinthian congregation to fulfill their pledge financially for the needs of the mother church in Jerusalem. He is very direct in his appeal and challenges them by the example of the churches in Macedonia in chapter 8.
Now, here in chapter 9, Paul admits in the first five verses that he challenged the churches up in Macedonia by the previously agreed upon pledge of the church in Corinth. He has been “playing them off each other” to try to inspire both locations’ participation and faithfulness. He even admits his worry to them that if some friends from Macedonia come with him to Corinth and the Corinthian church does not have the pledge all collected (and ready to be delivered), he and they will look bad and be humiliated.
Paul is definitely pulling out all the stops psychologically—but then, in verses 6-15, he seems to shift and give more of a theological argument for life making sense when we are generous rather than stingy. It is a profound, powerful, beautifully positive section of Scripture..
- Have you ever been “guilted into” giving or doing something you really did not want to at the time? What was it about or for? How did you feel during and after the episode? Is it good to give based on guilt?
- Read 2 Cor. 9:1-15; focus especially on verses 6-15. Paul says the gifts are to be “voluntary” in verse 5 and given not “reluctantly, or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful give”’ in verse 7. What theological argument overall does Paul make in these later verses to help the Corinthian church be able to give from the right motives and with the right view of God in mind?
- I shared in my sermon that Paul quotes three Old Testament Scriptures to make his case. He quotes Prov. 22:8 from the Greek version of the OT; then Ps. 112:9; and then finally Is. 55:10. He uses specific verses, but I tried to make the case that he intends the audience to know and look at the entire chapter around each verse to see the rationale for the quote. If you have the time, read Proverbs chapter 22, Ps. 112, and Isaiah 55. How do those sections fill in the argument or provide a foundation for Paul’s invitation to generosity?
- In my message, I spent considerable time on the phrase, “(the person’s) righteousness (benevolence, justice, and mercy together) endures forever.” I shared about my mom and about “a rope of our life and eternity.” What spoke to you, if anything, from that section of the message?
- In verses 11-15, Paul suggests the benefits that will result from their/our generosity. What are those benefits? How does remembering the “indescribable gift(s) of God” help us grow in giving? Do you have any questions about pledging or giving to the ministries of Christ through MDPC? If you do, talk to one of our pastors, staff, or a church member to get clarity on this core principle of radical generosity at MDPC.