2 Corinthians 8:1
Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia,
The grace of God refers to the goodwill, lovingkindness, and favor of God that is freely given to us so that we may partake in his divine life. See entry for Grace of God.
2 Corinthians 8:9
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.
(a) The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is the grace of God that comes to us through his Son (John 1:16–17).
Grace is love that stoops and in this verse we have a fine example of condescending grace. Jesus comes down so that we may go up. As someone once said, the Son of God became the Son of Man so the sons of men might become the sons of God.
(b) Though he was rich. There is none richer than the Creator of all. Yet Jesus traded the comforts of heaven for the squalor of a world captive to sin.
(c) He became poor. Jesus was born into a poor family. We know this because Joseph and Mary brought a poor person’s offering to the temple when Jesus was dedicated (Luke 2:24).
(d) His poverty. Like sin and sickness, poverty is a curse that keeps people enslaved. Jesus bore this curse on the cross so that we might be abundantly blessed.
(e) Become rich. How do the poor become rich? By being adopted into the family of God. He who is a joint heir with Christ is the heir of all things (Rev. 21:7). He who has Christ has everything (Rom. 8:32).
2 Corinthians 8:18
We have sent along with him the brother whose fame in the things of the gospel has spread through all the churches;
The gospel refers to the gospel of Christ or the gospel of God or the gospel of the kingdom. These are all different labels for what Paul referred to as “my gospel” or the gospel of grace.
See entry for The Gospel.
2 Corinthians 8:23
As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you; as for our brethren, they are messengers of the churches, a glory to Christ.
(a) Titus; see entry for 2 Cor. 2:13.
(b) Fellow worker. Titus is one of seven people identified by Paul as a fellow minister of grace. The others are Timothy, Epaphroditus, Urbanus, Philemon, Prisca and Aquila (Rom. 16:3, 9, 21, Php. 2:25, Phm. 1:1).
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