Forgiven Much - Loves Much

2 Corinthians 8:1-15

Do you recall the account of Jesus being invited by Simon the Pharisee to his home for a meal, and a known woman of the city, a sinner came and weeping her tears covered Jesus' feet, and she wiped them with her long hair and kissed his feet and anointed them with very expensive ointment.  And Simon was sure that Jesus had to know what kind of woman was doing this and it proved he was not a prophet.  That story is found in Luke 7:36-50 and do you recall Jesus telling Simon about a story of a certain moneylender who had two debtors?  “One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.  When they could not pay, he canceled the debt of both. Now, which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he canceled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” Then turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little loves little.” And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

As I read Paul’s account of the churches of Macedonia giving above and beyond their ability to help and support the church at Jerusalem, it made me wonder were they more grateful than the church of today?  With all the tools the current church has, and it has many books and lessons on grace and the love of God.  Most families that go by the title of Christian have more than one Bible and the resources to sermons, and teaching is everywhere, but these Macedonians who had so little had the same spirit of this woman Jesus is telling us about in Luke’s gospel.

Did you grasp who a part of these churches in Macedonia was?  They were churches in extreme poverty, but full of joy and Paul testifies that they gave according to their means, and beyond their means, of their own free will.  They were excited that God had allowed them to be part of His plan to help those in need.  And now Paul is asking the churches in Corinth to have the same heart as Titus comes to take an offering for the needs of the churches in Jerusalem.  In that the churches in Jerusalem were house churches, it was not to build a building but to help those in great need.

Paul tells us they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then they had no difficulty in offering their material resources.  Could that be what is missing in today’s church, we have not first given ourselves?

Maybe grace has somehow not become a reality in today’s church, if that is true, then you have bought into a lie, that it is your ability, your religion, your acts of righteousness that earn you a place in God’s heaven, and in fellowship with the Lord Jesus.  Listen to this quote from Charles Spurgeon: “If heaven were by merit, it would never be heaven to me, for if I were in it, I should say, ‘I am sure I am here by mistake; I am sure this is not my place; I have no claim to it.’ But if it be of grace and not of works, then we may walk into heaven with boldness.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice