2 Corinthians 8:5 - Exposition

Not as we hoped; rather, not as we expected . They were so poor that it was impossible to expect much from them, but they surpassed my expectations in every way. The Church of Philippi, perhaps under the influence of Lydia, was remarkable for generosity, and was the only Church from which St. Paul would accept any personal help ( Philippians 2:25 ; Philippians 4:15-18 ). First . "They gave themselves to the Lord, which is the best of all, and they gave themselves as helpers to us also—by the will of God." (For a similar use of "and" to imply a matter of less importance, see Acts 15:28 .) The phrase, "by the will of God," implies thanksgiving to God for the grace which enabled them to give themselves to him, and their goods to his saints. Being "a peculiar people," they naturally showed themselves "zealous of good works" ( Titus 2:14 ). First ( Romans 1:16 ; Romans 2:9 , Romans 2:10 ).