Many “How to...” books are available in the bookshops. Some of them undoubtedly offer good advice by people who have learned the hard way in various aspects of life. Perhaps the most numer­ous are those dealing with money, written either by those who have made millions, or those who still dream about it.

But the Bible talks about riches in many passages. Jesus gave advice to the rich young ruler that made his face fall and he went away very sad:

Sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, fol­low me. Mk. 10:21

However, Paul talks about another sort of riches when he encourages the Christians in Corinth to be generous in their giving. He quotes the best example of all to move them to similar self-sacrifice:

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich. 2 Cor. 8:9

It’s striking that in the New Testament this is one of several great statements about the Lord Jesus that come in pas­sages teaching very practical lessons. Others are Jesus’ response to the request of James and John for exalted positions in His kingdom (Mk. 10:45), and Paul’s appeal for unity in the church at Philippi (Phil. 2:5-11).

What is the teaching of this verse in Corinthians, and how does it apply to us?

First, it teaches that the Lord Jesus, the eternal Son of God, left the outward dis­play of divine majesty when He came to earth for us.

If grace is the display of unmerited favour, how wonderfully Jesus’ coming into our world displays grace! Paul tells the Corinthians that they already know about this grace, for it is contained in the message of the Gospel they had heard from him. Likewise, we too have heard the same message of grace over and over again. We sing:

Thou didst leave Thy throne
And Thy kingly crown
When Thou camest to earth for me.

That’s the pre-eminent demonstration of grace, that the Lord Jesus should leave His heavenly glory, become the babe of Bethlehem, and ultimately give Himself as a ransom for many. It is in this way that God demonstrated His love for a lost world (Jn. 3:16). He humbled Himself to come and save us, and that humiliation took Him to His death on Calvary.

Second, it is through faith in the Lord Jesus that we too become rich.

Here are the real riches! Not just some money or earthly posses­sions that may make us feel that we are wealthy. The true wealth is what is spiritual and eternal. Jesus came in order to give us of His riches. When we trust in Him we gain heavenly citizenship. That is what Paul teaches in another of his letters:

God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. Eph. 2:6-7

What’s the message of the Bible con­cerning riches? Don’t put your hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but “hope in God who richly provides us with every­thing for our enjoyment” (1 Tim. 6:17). Don’t let your life be dominated by the love of money, for as Paul points out the desire for material wealth can often cause people to wander from the faith (1 Tim. 6:10). Remember too that whatever wealth we accumulate we can’t take with us (1 Tim. 6:7). However, when we come to Jesus in believing trust, we gain riches that are abundant and that endure. The real riches are spiritual and in coming to Jesus we gain an inheritance that can’t be taken from us.

Third, we must follow the example of the Lord Jesus, giving ourselves first to Him and then to others in the service of His kingdom.

Grace calls for a response. The giving of Jesus calls for us to give ourselves, and that must be first of all to the Lord Himself. Self-dedication to the Saviour and the work of His kingdom is the first and basic response to Jesus and His love. Just as Paul describes the response of the Christians in Macedonia, his description should characterise us as well: “They gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will” (2 Cor. 8:5).

Other things follow. We give of what we are and what we have. We recog­nise the lordship of Jesus over our lives, and so we give of our talents and our pos­sessions for the work of His kingdom.

Those to whom Paul wrote at Corinth excelled “in this grace of giving”. How is it with us? Is that what others say about us as they look at our lives?

The pattern is clear — the Lord Jesus had all the glory of heaven, yet He came down to earth to save sinners. He did not think that His position in heaven as God’s Son was a thing He needed to clutch at. He was eternally the Son, and so He came willingly to earth to become poor. His poverty results in our gain.

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift. 2 Cor. 9:15