{"id":5771,"date":"2020-09-01T08:00:56","date_gmt":"2020-09-01T00:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?p=5771"},"modified":"2021-10-07T05:28:34","modified_gmt":"2021-10-06T21:28:34","slug":"257-saint-paul-on-the-grace-of-all-sufficiency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?p=5771","title":{"rendered":"255. Saint Paul on the grace of all sufficiency"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><span style=\"color: #008080;\">And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work.<\/span><\/strong> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">(<\/span><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">2 Corinthians 9:8<\/span>, <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>NRSV<\/em>)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/a\/a9\/Saint_Paul%2C_Rembrandt_van_Rijn_%28and_Workshop%3F%29%2C_c._1657.jpg\" alt=\"Image result for apostle paul by rembrandt&quot;\" width=\"556\" height=\"703\" \/>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>The Apostle Paul<\/em>, by Rembrandt van Rijn, c.1657.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The background to this Pauline writing in 2 Corinthians 9:8 is Paul making a very earnest appeal to the Gentile Christians in Corinth for pecuniary help to the poor Jewish Christians in Judea. This \u201ccollection for Judea (Jerusalem Church)\u201d occupied for so long a period so much of Paul\u2019s thoughts and efforts. He had already written on this subject matter in 1 Cor 16; now, he writes again and at length in 2 Cor. In a concrete way that would \u2018touch the hearts\u2019 of the Jewish brethren, Paul wants to demonstrate the absolute unity of the two halves of the Church, the Gentile and the Jewish. And so, with great rhetorical skills, he writes powerfully in the collection for the poor saints of Judea.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">He is lifting up a little \u2018secular\u2019 affair into a deeply spiritual subject matter. By a broad general law, he goes to the very depths of the Christian life. And so, while the apostle\u2019s words primarily apply to money matters, they have serious implications for Christian living today.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In three clauses, Paul gives us a powerful three-step presentation that unpacks the working of grace.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>First Step: The Fountain<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201c<em>And <strong>God<\/strong> is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance<\/em>\u201d (2 Cor 9:8<sup>a<\/sup>)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">God is the \u201cFountain of Life\u201d, the <em>giving<\/em> source. One in its essence, this grace manifests in many forms, for there are many graces in the One Grace.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Not only is it many-sided, it is abounding. This fountain does not give scantily, but is always pouring itself out, and it \u201cabounds\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">There is, however, the condition of Christian obligation: Paul says God &#8220;<em>can<\/em>&#8221; which describes God\u2019s ability &#8211; He is able to provide. Paul does not say God \u201cwill\u201d. In other words, the fountain may be richly flowing alright, but it may not be flowing in our direction, <em>unless<\/em> we desire it, deserve it, and sincerely petition it for faithful stewardship.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The corollary is obvious: if our supplies are scant when the fountain is gushing, that must point to the inadequacy of our orientation. Might it not be that we are in fact oriented towards ourselves rather than towards God? Perhaps the proper thing to do is to take a hard look at ourselves?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">This truth of God\u2019s providence of blessing in abundance is universal, relating as it does to all grace, all sufficiency, for all things, and in every good work. In a word, the grace that God gives us is <em>new life through Jesus Christ<\/em>. \u201cGrace\u201d is for Paul the whole sum of the unmerited blessings, <em>the undeserved pardoning love of God<\/em>, which come to us through Jesus Christ.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">All this is the outcome in Christian life which is stirred from the <em>inside<\/em>, but which originates solely in God\u2019s ceaseless, unexhausted love, unmerited and free.\u00a0We need to believe in that. As Hugh Lavery points out, \u201cI believe in God\u201d is not an opinion, but a decision. We live and move by a creed that often imperceptibly imparts drive and direction. Faith, after all, operates like a foundation. Faith in God is faith in Him as the foundation. Faith is the first agent of increase, just as its lack \u2013 unfaith \u2013 operates as an agent of sterility.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Second Step: The Reservoir<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201c<em>so that by always having enough of everything<\/em>\u201d (2 Cor 9:8<sup>b<\/sup>)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">As the divine fountain abounds, so will the finite reservoir always be sufficient. A deeper dimension of this idea of sufficiency at once emerges, however, and that is, the good gifts of divine grace will always be proportioned to our work. Sufficiency is work-related and work-measured.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">We shall <em><u>feel<\/u><\/em> that we have enough, if we are as we ought to be. Wisdom exudes from the saying \u201cenough is as good as a feast.\u201d \u201cToo much,\u201d then, instead of adding to the delight of the feast, dilutes and spoils it. Besides, life teaches that anything in \u201cexcess\u201d goes downhill. Excess alcohol intoxicates. Excess food is injurious to the body. Excess food supplies, like cash, doesn\u2019t keep very well. More likely, it corrupts and spoils.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In a related idea, this sufficiency applies to our sufferings as well. Out of the fullness of God, we receive proportionate strength to face daily tasks, crosses, sorrows, temptations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">God does not command what we cannot fulfill. He infuses strength. He comforts a sad and weighted heart. He \u201cmakes the back to bear the burden\u201d. God \u201cwill not let you be tempted beyond your strength\u201d [1 Cor 10:13].<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Furthermore, heavy task or crushing sorrow, the key that opens the door of God\u2019s treasure-house, St Paul says, is grace.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cMy grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness&#8221; \u2026 for when I am weak, then I am strong. [2 Cor 12:9-10].<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">St Paul\u2019s writings demonstrate a profound truth he learnt in Christian life. And right here, this \u201cApostle of the Crucified Lord\u201d offers us a deep spirituality:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The harder your work, the weightier your burden, the darker your sorrows, the mightier is God\u2019s support and the brighter will His light shine upon your feet.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">This is a very difficult lived-wisdom no doubt, but it is a profound and consoling one as well when we need it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Third Step: The Out-flowing Stream<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201c<em>you may share abundantly in every good work<\/em>\u201d (2 Cor 9:8<sup>b<\/sup>)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Grace-giving is <em>not<\/em> an end in itself. God gives us grace for a very important consideration: that we may have great sufficiency for every good work; that weak, sinful creatures that we are may build character and conduct.\u00a0As St. Augustine noted, &#8220;Grace is given not because we have done good works, but in order that we may be able to do them.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">What we are here for, what Jesus Christ died for, and what His Spirit is given and lives in us for, is none other than that: we should have <em>a correct creed <\/em>matched by <em>a living faith<\/em>, we be filled and radiant with common moralities and \u2018good works\u2019, and we be an <em>out-flowing<\/em> stream of all things lovely and grace-filled, reflecting the avalanche of grace of which we are beneficiaries.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">God confers his gifts upon us that we may do good with them, and so may receive still greater blessings. All things in this life, even rewards, are like \u201cseeds\u201d to the faithful who mobilise them towards a future harvest.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Money given in charity is never a waste, but when given from proper principles, it is seed sown, from which a valuable increase may one day result.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Help should of course be given freely, be it more or less; not grudgingly, but cheerfully. But, it should also be given carefully. Works of charity, like other good works, should be done with <em>thought<\/em> and <em>design<\/em>. <em>Due thought<\/em>, on our own circumstances, and those we are about to relieve, will direct our gifts for genuine charitable uses.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">God will bless the increase of those who <em>give<\/em> cheerfully, that they may have, <em>not<\/em> indeed the <em>superfluity<\/em> which ministers to selfish luxury, but the sufficiency with which all true disciples ought to be content. Clearly, we are to copy the graciousness of God because of the divine grace that we are given. For, \u201cto whom much is given, much is expected\u201d [Luke 12:48]. And so, no one should receive divine grace in vain. For if we do not apply well the grace that God has given us, we shall come under the stern and inevitable sentence:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cFor to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.\u201d [Matt 13:12]<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In sum, then, God provides grace. It is God, the Fountain of Life, who provides every possible blessing in abundance. The supply will always be sufficient. We will always have sufficient supply of every possible grace that we \u201creally\u201d need. And the sufficiency is always meant for good works. Our constant sufficiency is meant for sharing in good works. As we share, new \u201cseeds\u201d are sown, and more blessings flow our way. But, failing to share may result in what we have being taken away.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Copyright \u00a9 Dr. Jeffrey &amp; Angie Goh, September 2020. All rights reserved.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">You are most welcome to respond to this post. Email your comments to <strong><u><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"mailto:jeffangiegoh@gmail.com\">jeffangiegoh@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/u><\/strong> You can also be dialogue partners in this <em>Ephphatha Coffee-Corner Ministry<\/em> by sending us questions for discussion.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:8, NRSV) \u00a0The Apostle Paul, by Rembrandt van Rijn, c.1657. The background to this Pauline writing in 2 Corinthians 9:8 is Paul making a very <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?p=5771\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sfsi_plus_gutenberg_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_show_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_type":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_alignemt":"","sfsi_plus_gutenburg_max_per_row":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"rttpg_featured_image_url":null,"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"Dr. Jeffrey &amp; Angie Goh","author_link":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?author=1"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"<a href=\"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?cat=1\" rel=\"category\">From Our Perspective<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:8, NRSV) \u00a0The Apostle Paul, by Rembrandt van Rijn, c.1657. The background to this Pauline writing in 2 Corinthians 9:8 is Paul making a very&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5771"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5771"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5771\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6677,"href":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5771\/revisions\/6677"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5771"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5771"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5771"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}