What does 2 Corinthians 8:1 mean?
After praising the Corinthians for their repentance and humility in response to his letter of rebuke, Paul addresses his effort to raise funds for the suffering Christians in Jerusalem.He begins by praising the churches in the region of Macedonia, which would have included the towns of Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea. He wants the Christians in Corinth to know how God's grace has been given to these churches. This was true in the sense that people in this region had heard Paul's preaching of the gospel during his second missionary journey and received Christ as Savior (Acts 16:12–40; 17:1–15). Paul's point here, though, was to provide evidence of God's grace to these believers—their own generosity in giving funds to the collection. Paul teaches that the choice to freely give money to meet the needs of other believers is evidence that the givers have themselves received God's grace.