As we continue on from the previous chapter, we ought to remember that when Paul wrote this letter there were no chapter or verse divisions. He has already taught the Corinthian and Achaian holy-people (sanctified-people, Christians, saints, children of the only true God) that they should firstly give themselves to God in the service category, receive from Him, and then carry-out God's will regarding giving-to and receiving-from other holy-people.
II Corinthians 9:1-4:
9:1For indeed concerning the ministry, the (ministry) into the holy-people, it is exceeding for me to write to you, .2for I knew2 your eagerness which I boast on your behalf to (the) Macedonians that Achaia was prepared2 from (the) past-year, and your zeal stimulated more-people, .3but I sent the brothers in order that our boast, the (boast) on your behalf, may not be emptied in this particular in order that you may be having been prepared2 according as I used-to-say (about you), .4lest-somehow if-ever (the) Macedonians may go together with me and they may find you unprepared, "we" may be brought-down-to-shame in order that I may not say "you" in this substance.
The word “ministry” means: the duty of service to benefit others, not 'being-subject' to them but doing work to bring profit to them, the day-by-day ministerial duties, the functions of service for God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul writes: In truth indeed about the ministry into (directed-to) the holy-people, it is abundant (over and above the number or measure already attained) for me to write to you. Why? For I knew and still know (perceive, see) your eagerness (readiness, your willing-enthusiasm, alacrity of a willing-mind beforehand) which I boast (speak justifiably loudly) in the interests of you to the Macedonian holy-people.
My boast is that Achaia (referring to the holy-people living in the whole area of Achaia which includes Corinth, the capital city of Achaia) was prepared and is still prepared (made itself ready by getting its implements or vessels beside itself) since last year, and your zeal (your boiling or vehement passion) stimulated (in the good sense of arousing, exciting, irritating or provoking into action) the bigger-portion (majority) of people to whom I spoke.
But I sent the brothers (refer to chapter 8:16-24)…
…lest in some manner (so that there would be no way) it would ever happen that the Macedonian holy-people would come in conjunction with me to you and they would find you unprepared (not made-ready) – then "we" (myself and those with me) would be put to shame (caused to have the feeling or emotion of disgrace and guilt bringing reproach having recognized and being sorry for our own performance of an improper, ignominious or dishonorable deed from God's point of view, made to feel shame before others).
And, I write "we" for the purpose and result that I would not lay it out that it would be "you" Corinthian and Achaian holy-people who would be brought-down to shame within the sphere of action of this substance.
The word translated “substance” means: that-which is standing-under, underlying, what is arranged underneath everything else, the substructure, subject, the essence of this matter in contrast to what manifestly appears.
[Reference: Acts 20:1-4; Romans 12:13, and 15:26; I Corinthians 16:2, 3; II Corinthians 8:4, 10-12, 19 and 24.]
Verse 5:
.5Therefore I led (my mind to regard it) constraining to encourage the brothers in order that they may go-forth into you and they may fully-equip-beforehand your blessing, having been promised-beforehand2, this prepared-thing to be thus as a blessing not as covetousness.
Following on logically, I led my mind to view it constraining (I took the initiative or caused it to be in my mind as being necessary due to constraint, applied-force) to encourage the brothers (to exhort them, to call our brothers beside me as a concerned father or mother would call their children close to them under their arms so as to help them to do that which is right) for the purpose and result that…
…it is in this manner that this prepared-thing (what is ready) would be as a blessing for both the giver and the receiver, and not as covetousness (not as a constant wanting to have more than what God provides, greed, always grasping and reaching out to get something else more than what is right).
Verses 6-8:
.6But this: the (person) sowing sparingly will also harvest sparingly, and the (person) sowing on blessings will also harvest on blessings; .7each-person according as he chose-beforehand-for-himself2 with the heart, not out-from sorrow or out-from constraint, for God loves1 a cheerful giver, .8but God is able to exceed all grace into you in order that in every (manner) always having all self-sufficiency you may exceed into all good work;
But you ought to understand this:
a) will also harvest (reap) sparingly (the portion of harvest which would have been there for him to use or do things to/with, will not be there at harvest-time as a result of his own actions during the sowing period of time, therefore he will have to abstain from using or doing things to/with that portion), and
b) will also harvest (reap) resting-on blessings (based upon the effects of these good/well spoken words coming to pass).
Paul continues to teach and explain:
a. but each holy-person is not to do this originating from sorrow (grief; you have sorrow when giving - this is not referring to "feeling sorry" for someone else, but it refers to you being grieved by the fact of giving something to someone else) or originating from constraint (a necessity or need arising from the force or entreaty of the circumstance or situation; you give only because you are applied force to give),
b. because in truth the only true God loves, with His kind of love, a cheerful giver (a person who gives radiantly, with a glowing-shine, with hilarity);
a. for the purpose and result that –
i) within the sphere of action of all/every way (method) you are always (every time, all there, constantly) having all/every self-sufficiency (holding all adequacy within yourselves being satisfied with enough and being strong to ward-off anything contrary) –
b. you would exceed into all/every good work (you would abound directed to all work that issues from God Who is good, everything good that is wrought, every deed, every effect produced having acted expending your energy in accordance with what is perfectly admirable from God's viewpoint).
Paul gives great emphasis to what God does by the repetition of the Greek root-word pas, which can be translated into the English as "all" or "every."
Grace is what is freely bestowed without any merit on the recipient's part; it includes reference to the attitude and quality of the one giving something favorable to another. Grace is not bestowed because somebody deserves a wage that is owed for something they said or did, nor because they begged so hard, nor because they forced the giver to give! Grace is bestowed because the giver wants to give by his own freedom of will to the recipient - it is completely unmerited favor from the giver to the recipient. Here Paul writes: God is able to exceed all grace into you in order that in all/every manner always having all self-sufficiency you may exceed into all good work.
[Reference: Deuteronomy 15:10 and 11; Proverbs 11:24 and 25; Galatians 6:6-10; Ephesians 2:10; Colossians 1:10; II Thessalonians 2:16 and 17; II Timothy 3:16 and 17.]
Verses 9 and 10:
.9according as it was written2, "he scattered, he gave to the poor-laborers, his righteousness remains into the age," .10but the (One) fully-supplying sowing-seed to the (person) sowing and bread for eating, He will supply and He will multiply your sowing-seed, and He will cause-to-increase the offsprings of your righteousness;
This is according as it was written and is still written as part of the old covenant writings in Psalm 112:9:
But the One Who is fully supplying sowing-seed to the person who is sowing the seed set-aside for this purpose…. The words "fully supplying" are used as though God is fully leading a chorus of dancers and singers and so is joyful as He supplies the sowing-time seed when its time-cycle comes around during the year. He is further-supplying, super-adding, furnishing-upon, fully-furnishing everything needed (the necessary costs and provisions) regarding the seed which is needed for sowing during the time of sowing.
And the One Who is fully-supplying bread (that portion of the harvested seed from the earth which is set-aside for the purpose of being made into bread) into, for, with-a-view-to the action of eating it (not keeping it for the next cycle of sowing seed)….
As well as Psalm 112:9, this is also similar to what is written in the Book of Isaiah, and let us read some verses to help our understanding.
Isaiah 55:7-11:
Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
[Reference: Proverbs 11:18, 24 and 25.]
II Corinthians 9:11 and 12:
.11in every (manner you are) being made-wealthy into all singleness, the-thing-which renders-to-work thankfulness to God by means of us .12because the ministry of this official-service not only is filling-up-towards the lacking-things of the holy-people but (it is) also exceeding by means of many thankfulnesses to God,
Paul continues: …in every way (method) you are being made-wealthy (caused to be rich) into or with-a-view-to all/every singleness (plainness, straightforwardness without any double-meanings, false motives or intentions), and it is all this singleness which renders thankfulness to God to work (it causes to effect, effectively brings down gratitude being shown towards God) through myself and those with me.
Why? Because the ministry pertaining to this official-service (specifically this area of service, the office, work, official-duty pertaining to public service towards other holy-people)…
The word "thankfulness" in Greek and comes from the same root word as the word "grace" plus the word "well" or "well-off." Therefore "thankfulness" is the expression made by the freedom of will of the recipient expressing well his gratitude to the giver of the grace given-to and received-by him. It is not a forced or obligated "thank you"!
God supplies to the holy-person who has given himself to God, and he receives what He gives, then this holy-person gives to other people from what he has received from God according to what God says. The other people also receive instructions from God to give from that-which God has given to them, etc, and so there is equity among the Christians, and all the recipients of this grace give thanks back to God Who is the source of all grace.
In every manner the Corinthian and Achaian holy-people were being made-wealthy into all singleness, the-thing-which rendered-to-work thankfulness to God by means of Paul and those with him (they transported those things being given and received to and from the different areas) because the ministry of this official-service not only is filling-up-towards the lacking-things of the holy-people but it is also exceeding by means of a lot of thankfulnesses being made to God.
[Reference: Romans 15:27; I Corinthians 16:17; II Corinthians 1:11, and 8:1-6, 14.]
Verses 13 and 14:
.13(you are) glorifying God by means of the proof of this ministry on the subjection of your agreement into the good-message of Christ, and (on your) singleness of the sharing-in-common into them and into all-people, .14and (on) their supplication on your behalf (while they are) earnestly-longing-for you because-of the super-throwing grace of God on you.
You are glorifying God (giving the importance, splendor and renown to your Father, the only true God) by means of the proof of this ministry (through the proof pertaining-to this function of service and thereby showing it to be approved, proven to be true; this word “proof” dokime means: that-which has the quality and character of having already been tried, tested, and has been proven to be true, it is the evidence that proves it as fact and demands the mind to accept its validity):
[Reference: Romans 10:9 and 10; II Corinthians 8:1-4.]
Verse 15:
.15Thanks to God on His untold-out free-gift!
Thanks to the only true God. This word "thanks" in the Greek is the same word as the word "grace," but here it is used as the expression made by the freedom of will of the recipient expressing his gratitude to the giver of the grace (the bestowed unmerited or undeserved favor) given-to and received-by him.
Thanks to God resting or based upon His untold-out free-gift. The present that God has given to all holy-people is not told-out; it is not related to the end, without full details, the whole of what is involved has not been fully narrated! The word translated "free-gift" emphasizes the fact that the gift is freely given, even though the actual gift is a valuable quality item.
What free-gift is Paul referring to here which we have already received because it is available right-now? It is the holy spirit-life which God has made available by means of the Lord Jesus Christ and which every holy-person (Christian) has received, for this holy spirit is what makes a person holy, a Christian.
We have received the fullness of all that is available to be received spiritually from God by means of the Lord Jesus Christ during this present time-period, but we have not received the totality of all that God has promised us in Christ Jesus yet. There is so much grace, mercy, peace, etc, involved in this free-gift that it cannot be related in detail to us at the moment, but God has told us quite a lot so that we should not be ignorant of what we have already received. Paul wrote many details about holy spirit and its manifestation in his first letter to the Corinthians. When Christ will come to gather all holy-people together with him and we will receive our new spiritual bodies like unto his glorious body, then we will all know the fullness of all that God promises and gives us.
[Reference: Acts 2:1-4, 38 and 39; II Corinthians 8:9; Colossians 1:27. Also, you may read my study on I Corinthians, specifically chapters 12-14 regarding the manifestation of holy spirit, and chapter 15 regarding the gathering together of all holy-people, resurrection, etc. Note: verbs with a superscript 2 (2) immediately following them indicate the "perfect" tense - details are provided in the "Relevant Notes" link of this study.].
Thanks to God on His untold-out free-gift – holy spirit!
