Overview:
2 Corinthians 8:1–9; 9:3–8, 13–15
There is no way we can remove the idea of giving from the concept of grace. Giving is the essence of grace. God doesn’t charge us for His grace; He gives it to us. When we come to Him, by faith in His Son, God doesn’t frown and say, “That’ll be $2,500, please . . . plus tax!” No, He gives us His forgiveness. He gives us His love. He gives us eternal life with the promise of heaven. We’ve established that kind of grace as vertical grace . . . God’s giving to us what we do not deserve, what we can never repay.
We’ve also examined horizontal grace—our giving to others. We don’t give to reciprocate. We give because we have received grace as a gift from God. That gift motivates us to be people of grace, and where there is grace there must be giving. It’s like love—God first loved us when we were unlovely and unattractive. Because He continues to love us, we, in turn, should love one another. God also gave to us—and continues to give—despite our waywardness, rebellion, and ingratitude. In turn, that kind of “grace giving” ought to flow from our hands to others’ hearts.
Message Summary:
There is no way to separate the idea of giving from the concept of grace. In this inspiring message from The Grace Awakening series, Pastor Chuck Swindoll turns to 2 Corinthians to reveal the "essence of grace" in action. While we have already established "vertical grace"—God giving to us what we could never earn—this teaching focuses on "horizontal grace," where that divine generosity flows from our hands to the hearts of others.
This overview explores the contagious and "charming" nature of a generous spirit. Pastor Chuck emphasizes that grace-based giving is not motivated by reciprocation or duty, but by a heart that has been truly awakened to the lavish love of God. When we give as we have received, our generosity becomes a powerful witness to the world of the transformational power of Christ.Message Key Facts:
- Series Title: The Grace Awakening
- Message Number: 14
- Speaker: Pastor Chuck Swindoll
- Central Theme: Discovering the freedom and delight of generosity when it is fueled by grace rather than obligation.
- Core Principles:
- Giving as the Essence of Grace: Just as God does not "charge" for His grace, our giving should be a free-will expression of love.
- Vertical to Horizontal: Our horizontal generosity toward others is the natural result of receiving vertical grace from God.
- The Motivation of Love: We love and give because He first loved and gave to us, even when we were unlovely.
- The Charm of Generosity: How a grace-filled giver becomes a refreshing model of servanthood in a selfish world.
Message References:
- Primary Passage: 2 Corinthians 8:1–9; 9:3–8, 13–15
- Supporting Contexts:
- Matthew 10:8: The foundational mandate of grace: "Freely you received, freely give."
- Proverbs 11:25: The principle that a generous person will prosper, and whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.
- 1 John 3:17: The practical challenge to let the love of God abide in us by responding to the needs of our brothers and sisters.
