"So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy" - Romans 9:16
In light of the fact that the Corinthians were so easily impressed by human ability and importance, Paul reluctantly begins to defend his apostleship to them. His fear that they were listening to the false apostles was not motivated by ego but out of a concern for their spiritual well-being. He did not want them to believe the corrupted version of the gospel that the false apostles were teaching.
Paul asks the Corinthians to not make it necessary for him to be boldly rebuke and correct them the next time he visits Corinth. He warns that those who would question his authority as an apostle would not be challenging his human human strength or authority but the power of God that was working through him. However, he would rather not have to “pull rank” with his authority as an apostle.
Paul continues describing the blessings of being a giver. God enjoys giving to generous people so that they can continue to give to those in need. Paul makes it clear that giving should not be done in order to gain God’s blessing but should be done as an expression of love for others. If we enjoy giving to others then God promises to supply our needs so that we can continue being generous.
Paul had been asking the churches he was visiting to give to the poor saints in Jerusalem and he uses the example of the Macedonians sacrificial giving to motivate the Corinthians to complete the offering that they had begun collecting a year before. This passage paints a picture of the kind of Christian giving that God loves and blesses.
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