Answer
After teaching on the benefits of generous, open-hearted giving, Paul ends with this encouragement: “Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves [by giving to the poor], others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them [the recipients of the contribution] and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:13–15).
Both Jewish and Gentile believers—fruits of the combined ministries of Paul, Barnabas, Peter, James, and John—were involved in sending financial contributions to the poor among the church in Jerusalem (see 1 Corinthians 16:1–4; Romans 15:26; Galatians 2:9–10). In 2 Corinthians 8:1—9:15, the apostle Paul encouraged the believers in Corinth to give generously and to stick to their commitment, for they had grown slack and irregular in setting aside money for the collection (see 2 Corinthians 8:10–11).
Paul wanted the Corinthians to understand the far-reaching consequences of their giving. Believers everywhere would see their obedience and how they honored God through their giving. They would prove the sincerity of their love for God and for other Christians (2 Corinthians 8:8; 1 John 4:20) and thus demonstrate the genuineness of their faith in Jesus Christ. As a result, believers all over the world would be praying for the Corinthians because their hearts would be moved by the surpassing grace God had given them. The very idea caused Paul to erupt with thanksgiving and praise to God for His indescribable gift!
What is this indescribable gift? It is the surpassing grace of God given to all who accept His salvation, forgiveness, and eternal life in Jesus Christ.
After the fall of humanity, when Adam and Eve rebelled against God in the Garden of Eden, all people were born into sin and destined for death (Romans 6:20–23). Only through God’s indescribable gift of grace, which is Christ’s life, His sacrificial death on the cross, and His subsequent resurrection from the dead, can people be forgiven of sin, redeemed from death, and given everlasting life. Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
Although the gift is too marvelous words, Paul attempted to describe it to the Romans: “But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins” (Romans 5:15–16, NLT).
When we place our faith in Jesus Christ, God’s indescribable gift of grace “freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins” (Romans 3:22–24, NLT; see also Ephesians 1:7–8; Titus 2:11–14).
In another passage, Paul explained, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8; see also Ephesians 2:4–5). God’s indescribable gift is His unmerited favor. We don’t deserve this gift, and there’s nothing we can do to earn it (see Romans 5:6–8; 9:14–16; 11:5–6; Titus 3:4–7; Acts 15:11). All we can do is receive God’s gracious gift with humility and trust (Luke 18:9–14; Hebrews 4:16; 1 Timothy 1:15–16).
The indescribable gift is God’s own Son, Jesus Christ, who gave His life so that we might live for Him and with Him forever. He is our example in everything, including generous gift giving: “You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9, NLT). Inspired by the lavish outpouring of God’s grace in our lives, we ought to always give generous gifts with joy in our hearts.
