He who sows sparingly reaps sparingly, and he who sows bountifully reaps bountifully.

 

He who sows sparingly reaps sparingly, and he who sows bountifully reaps bountifully.

 

2 Corinthians 9:6–7: "The point is this: whoever sows sparingly (*pheidomenos*) will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully (*eulogiais*) will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly (*lypēs*) or under compulsion (*anankēs*), for God loves a cheerful giver (*dotēn*)."

*Pheidomenos* (φειδομένως) implies exercising restraint. *Speiron* (σπείρων) means to sow seed. The meaning is that if one restrains greed and sows the word of grace, one reaps in proportion to that restraint. *Eulogiais* (εὐλογίαις) refers to the word of God's grace; those who sow seed for the sake of *eulogiais* reap an abundant harvest. Churches often link this passage to the act of giving financial offerings, but that is not the intended concept. Consequently, sermons are used to induce people to give large offerings to the church.

Financial offerings are necessary for the church to function and sustain itself. Such giving should be voluntary; however, the creation of specific "tithe envelopes" creates an atmosphere of coercion, implying that tithing is mandatory. This leads to legalism; both those who encourage this practice and those who tithe with this mindset fall into legalism. Those who still speak of and promote tithing today are essentially people who are waiting for Jesus Christ.

The "fruit" signifies resurrection life—the work of bringing a dead spirit back to life. There are believers who think that because they pay tithes and offer generous donations, they will receive worldly blessings—and because they happen to earn a lot of money, they imagine they have reaped a bountiful harvest. However, the Bible speaks not of worldly blessings, but of heavenly blessings. Heavenly blessings consist of receiving resurrection life and returning to the Kingdom of God.

"Deciding in one's heart" refers to the resolve to become a minister who proclaims the word of grace. The word *lypēs* (λύπης) signifies "out of sorrow," while *anankēs* (ἀνάγκης) implies "reaching out one's arms (in prayer) to God." The Greek negative particle *mē* (meaning "not"), translated as "do not," applies only to *lypēs* and not to *anankēs*; however, translators have mistakenly linked it to both. Therefore, a correct translation would be: "Do not do it out of sorrow, but rather reach out your arms in prayer to God and do it with joy." The word *dotēn* (δότην) signifies one who gives love. When the aforementioned condition is met, one becomes a person who imparts God's love.

The call is to engage in a ministry that gives life to the spirit. God bestows abundant grace upon those who minister in this way. God's grace manifests as the filling of the Holy Spirit. 2 Corinthians 9:12 states: "This service (*leitourgias*)—this ministry (*diakonia*)—not only supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows in many expressions of thanksgiving to God."

What the saints truly need is a life filled with the Holy Spirit. A life filled with the Holy Spirit is one characterized by a heart that always rejoices in God. Consequently, one carries out the work of establishing God's will with a joyful heart, not out of a desire for any reward or return. Under the doctrine of justification by faith, believers are saved through faith in Jesus; however, the concept of rewards implies that subsequent acts—such as missionary work, acts of charity, or preaching the Word—are linked to receiving a reward. The idea is that believers strive diligently in these areas to secure a great reward upon entering the Kingdom of God. Matthew 5:12 states: "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus spoke of the eight Beatitudes; these words were addressed to the Jews of that time. Although God had given the Law to His people and called upon them to achieve righteousness by keeping it, the fundamental purpose was for them to realize that they were sinners—separated from the Kingdom of God and incapable of keeping the Law—and to understand that salvation could be found only through Christ.

Thus, Jesus called upon the Jews to repent. True blessing lies in realizing one's status as a sinner through the Law and discovering Christ. Yet, the people failed to discover Christ and instead handed Jesus over to be crucified. In this context, the "reward" signifies the blessing of rejoicing in the fact that one has been liberated from the Law and enabled to return to the Kingdom of God.

In the worldly sense, a prize is awarded to the person who takes first place in a competition. It is the result of one's own diligent effort, earned for one's own sake. Such worldly rewards mirror the attitude of the Pharisees, who became legalists in their attempt to establish their own righteousness and lived lives strictly bound by the Law. Hebrews 11:26 states, "He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward." The Greek phrase for "looking ahead to his reward" is *apéblepen gàr eis tēn misthapodosían*, which can be translated as "looking toward the inheritance he was to receive." The inheritance he was to receive is the Kingdom of God, signifying resurrection life.

Revelation 22:12 says, "Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done." In the Bible, the "reward" refers to becoming one with God; thus, eternal life itself is the reward. Today, many churches teach that if one serves diligently, engages in missions, and gives offerings, God will bestow a reward in the future—specifically, upon resurrection after death. The implication is that while salvation is obtained through justification by faith, the reward depends on one's own efforts. Such teachings arise from a misunderstanding of the true meaning of the reward.

The nature of the "work" one performs is defined in John 6:28–29: "Then they asked him, 'What must we do to do the works God requires?' Jesus answered, 'The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.'" It depends on the outcome of faith. One must enter into the faith of Christ; relying on one's own faith leaves one under the law.