You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” NLT

‘As always, Paul’s vision of God’s people is firmly rooted in the Bible. And whenever Paul quotes a passage of the Bible, even four or five words, it’s worth looking at the original passage, often the entire chapter or paragraph from which the quotation is taken, and seeing what its overall sense is.’ Tom Wright

Tom points out that the Greek translation of Proverbs 22:9 says, ‘God loves a cheerful giver.’ He says that Paul and his churches would normally have read the Bible in Greek, and the passage he quotes would have been in their Bibles. He also points out that much of Proverbs 22 is about riches and poverty.

‘Proverbs gives a reasonably complete portrait of a wise and God-fearing person who knows how to be generous with money. Paul wants the Corinthians to see this as a portrait of themselves.’

He wants them (and we can say ourselves also) to fully inhabit the Biblical picture of a godly person. This will involve cheerful generosity.