I beg of you that when I am present I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. ( 2 Corinthians 10:2 2 yea, I beseech you, that I may not when present show courage with the confidence wherewith I count to be bold against some, who count of us as if we walked according to the flesh. –3)

Consider the relationship between the images of love in 2 Corinthians 8 Chapter 8 1 Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God which hath been given in the churches of Macedonia; 2 how that in much proof of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. 3 For according to their power, I bear witness, yea and beyond their power, `they gave' of their own accord, 4 beseeching us with much entreaty in regard of this grace and the fellowship in the ministering to the saints: 5 and `this', not as we had hoped, but first they gave their own selves to the Lord, and to us through the will of God. 6 Insomuch that we exhorted Titus, that as he made a beginning before, so he would also complete in you this grace also. 7 But as ye abound in everything, `in' faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and `in' all earnestness, and `in' your love to us, `see' that ye abound in this grace also. 8 I speak not by way of commandment, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity also of your love. 9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might become rich. 10 And herein I give `my' judgment: for this is expedient for you, who were the first to make a beginning a year ago, not only to do, but also to will. 11 But now complete the doing also; that as `there was' the readiness to will, so `there may be' the completion also out of your ability. 12 For if the readiness is there, `it is' acceptable according as `a man' hath, not according as `he' hath not. 13 For `I say' not `this' that others may be eased `and' ye distressed; 14 but by equality: your abundance `being a supply' at this present time for their want, that their abundance also may become `a supply' for your want; that there may be equality: 15 as it is written, He that `gathered' much had nothing over; and he that `gathered' little had no lack. 16 But thanks be to God, who putteth the same earnest care for you into the heart of Titus. 17 For he accepted indeed our exhortation; but being himself very earnest, he went forth unto you of his own accord. 18 And we have sent together with him the brother whose praise in the gospel `is spread' through all the churches; 19 and not only so, but who was also appointed by the churches to travel with us in `the matter of' this grace, which is ministered by us to the glory of the Lord, and `to show' our readiness: 20 Avoiding this, that any man should blame us in `the matter of' this bounty which is ministered by us: 21 for we take thought for things honorable, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men. 22 and we have sent with them our brother, whom we have many times proved earnest in many things, but now much more earnest, by reason of the great confidence which `he hath' in you. 23 Whether `any inquire' about Titus, `he is' my partner and `my' fellow-worker to you-ward, or our brethren, `they are' the messengers of the churches, `they are' the glory of Christ. 24 Show ye therefore unto them in the face of the churches the proof of your love, and of our glorying on your behalf. and 2.

In chapter 8, love is the overflow of joy in God that gladly meets the needs of others. It is the impulse of a fountain to overflow. It originates in the grace of God, which overflows freely because it delights to fill the empty. Love shares the nature of that grace because it too delights to overflow freely to meet the needs of others.

In chapter 2, love is what exists between people when they find their joy in each other’s joy. Is this in contradiction to the love of chapter 8, where joy comes from God and overflows to others? It sounds in chapter 2 like joy is coming from the joy of other people, not from God. How do these two ways of talking about love relate to each other?

I think the answer is that love not only delights to cause joy in those who are empty ( 2 Corinthians 8 Chapter 8 1 Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God which hath been given in the churches of Macedonia; 2 how that in much proof of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. 3 For according to their power, I bear witness, yea and beyond their power, `they gave' of their own accord, 4 beseeching us with much entreaty in regard of this grace and the fellowship in the ministering to the saints: 5 and `this', not as we had hoped, but first they gave their own selves to the Lord, and to us through the will of God. 6 Insomuch that we exhorted Titus, that as he made a beginning before, so he would also complete in you this grace also. 7 But as ye abound in everything, `in' faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and `in' all earnestness, and `in' your love to us, `see' that ye abound in this grace also. 8 I speak not by way of commandment, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity also of your love. 9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might become rich. 10 And herein I give `my' judgment: for this is expedient for you, who were the first to make a beginning a year ago, not only to do, but also to will. 11 But now complete the doing also; that as `there was' the readiness to will, so `there may be' the completion also out of your ability. 12 For if the readiness is there, `it is' acceptable according as `a man' hath, not according as `he' hath not. 13 For `I say' not `this' that others may be eased `and' ye distressed; 14 but by equality: your abundance `being a supply' at this present time for their want, that their abundance also may become `a supply' for your want; that there may be equality: 15 as it is written, He that `gathered' much had nothing over; and he that `gathered' little had no lack. 16 But thanks be to God, who putteth the same earnest care for you into the heart of Titus. 17 For he accepted indeed our exhortation; but being himself very earnest, he went forth unto you of his own accord. 18 And we have sent together with him the brother whose praise in the gospel `is spread' through all the churches; 19 and not only so, but who was also appointed by the churches to travel with us in `the matter of' this grace, which is ministered by us to the glory of the Lord, and `to show' our readiness: 20 Avoiding this, that any man should blame us in `the matter of' this bounty which is ministered by us: 21 for we take thought for things honorable, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men. 22 and we have sent with them our brother, whom we have many times proved earnest in many things, but now much more earnest, by reason of the great confidence which `he hath' in you. 23 Whether `any inquire' about Titus, `he is' my partner and `my' fellow-worker to you-ward, or our brethren, `they are' the messengers of the churches, `they are' the glory of Christ. 24 Show ye therefore unto them in the face of the churches the proof of your love, and of our glorying on your behalf. ), but also delights to contemplate joy in those who are full ( 2 Corinthians 2 Chapter 2 1 But I determined this for myself, that I would not come again to you with sorrow. 2 For if I make you sorry, who then is he that maketh me glad but he that is made sorry by me? 3 And I wrote this very thing, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you all, that my joy is `the joy' of you all. 4 For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; not that ye should be made sorry, but that ye might know the love that I have more abundantly unto you. 5 But if any hath caused sorrow, he hath caused sorrow, not to me, but in part (that I press not too heavily) to you all. 6 Sufficient to such a one is this punishment which was `inflicted' by the many; 7 so that contrariwise ye should rather forgive him and comfort him, lest by any means such a one should be swallowed up with his overmuch sorrow. 8 Wherefore I beseech you to confirm `your' love toward him. 9 For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye are obedient in all things. 10 But to whom ye forgive anything, I `forgive' also: for what I also have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, for your sakes `have I forgiven it' in the presence of Christ; 11 that no advantage may be gained over us by Satan: for we are not ignorant of his devices. 12 Now when I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ, and when a door was opened unto me in the Lord, 13 I had no relief for my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother: but taking my leave of them, I went forth into Macedonia. 14 But thanks be unto God, who always leadeth us in triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest through us the savor of his knowledge in every place. 15 For we are a sweet savor of Christ unto God, in them that are saved, and in them that perish; 16 to the one a savor from death unto death; to the other a savor from life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not as the many, corrupting the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God, speak we in Christ. ). And these two delights are not at all in contradiction.

The grace of God delights to grant repentance ( 2 Timothy 2:25 25 in meekness correcting them that oppose themselves; if peradventure God may give them repentance unto the knowledge of the truth, ), and it rejoices over one sinner who repents ( Luke 15:7 7 I say unto you, that even so there shall be joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, `more' than over ninety and nine righteous persons, who need no repentance. ). Therefore, when our hearts are filled with joy in the grace of God, we want not only to cause the joy of others, but also to contemplate it when it exists in others.