“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.”
2 Corinthians 8:9
What did Jesus give up for you? My first thought when I think of what Jesus sacrificed for me was His life on the cross for my sins that I might have salvation. And this is most often what I think of when I hear of the grace of Jesus. But that was not the only grace of Jesus and it’s not even the first. He first gave up heaven!
Here in this text, 2nd Corinthians 8:9, the Holy Spirit says, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ…” in reference to Him giving up heaven. We know this grace of Jesus, but what does it mean?
It means He didn’t have to give up heaven, but He chose to. He did it out of love for you and me. We may not comprehend completely sacrificing our 1st world lifestyle for a 3rd world lifestyle. Maybe for a day. Maybe even for a week or month. But for 30+ years?! Heaven doesn’t seem like a place one would want to leave for even a second. It is beyond everything good about this realm without the bad. And yet, Jesus gave it up. All the riches of heaven for the poverty of this corrupted earthly realm. We know grace through Jesus giving up heaven.
It means He did this for us. Not Himself. Which is even more remarkable. Even in charity, those giving are asking “What’s in it for me?” (Even donating to charity we want our tax receipt to get credit on our taxes or so oftentimes we want the “social credit” of the “humble brag” post on social media). But what Jesus did He did purely for our benefit. Of course, it is in His nature of goodness and love to desire to do it, to begin with, and to actually follow through and do it, it is a demonstration of the great heart of truth and grace that our Savior possesses. We know grace through Jesus giving up heaven.
It means He gave up the riches of heaven so that we might enjoy the riches of heaven. The grace of giving up heaven was not just to come to earth and hang out with us. But even that would’ve been grace; wouldn’t it? Even if Jesus had just lived here and taught everything that He did in word and deed, His presence and teachings would’ve been a gift of grace. We would’ve been enriched in His spiritual knowledge and wisdom. But Jesus didn’t stop there. He gave everything, He gave His own life, that we might be partakers of the riches of heaven. We know His grace!
How glorious and how gracious a Savior we have and serve! What great and unimaginable gifts our Lord bestows! How blessed we are to know, and be partakers, of the wondrous grace of Jesus!
What does that call us to do as Christians? What does that example of giving up heaven call us to be? In the context of II Corinthians 8:9, it calls us to be selfless sacrificial givers. Not just wanting or desiring to help others, but actually doing it. Completing the work. Who will you become poor for today that you might make them rich? Who might you sacrifice for this week that they might have joy and relief? Who might you serve in love as Jesus did, and thus honor Him as a true disciple? Don’t just know the grace of Jesus… live it.
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