2 Corinthians 8:12
ESV
For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.
NIV
For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.
NASB
For if the willingness is present, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.
CSB
For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.
NLT
Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have.
KJV
For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.
NKJV
For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.
What does 2 Corinthians 8:12 mean?
The time has come, Paul has written, for the Corinthians to follow through on their original commitment to donate to a collection for the suffering Christians in Jerusalem. He has said, in essence, that their original readiness to give will be meaningless if they do not complete it.Paul insists that he is not asking for any specific amount of money from them. Instead, he says the same thing here as when writing to them in 1 Corinthians 16. Namely, that giving should be according to what each of them has, based on a person's possessions or income, not according to a set amount. This is the biblical principle of proportional giving: contributing a percentage of one's money to the needs of others as an act of grace and love.
It's important to notice that Paul does not specify what that proportion or percentage should be. Paul leaves that to each person individually. The important thing is to give according to what a person has and not according to some set amount that would be unfairly difficult for the poor to contribute and unfairly easy for the wealthy to reach.
Second Corinthians 8:1–15 begins with Paul's praise for the churches in Macedonia. These believers begged to be included in giving to a collection for the suffering Jewish Christians in Jerusalem. Paul urges the Corinthians to follow through on their own commitment to do the same thing of their own free will as an act of grace. In doing so, they will also be following the example of Jesus' sacrifice for them. They should give proportionally, using their abundance to meet the need of other believers so that all may have enough.
The Corinthians had previously agreed to contribute to a collection. This was for suffering Christians in Jerusalem. Paul raises the issue with them, pointing to the example of the poverty-stricken Macedonian churches who had given beyond their means of their own free will. Paul urges the Corinthians to follow through on their commitment by their own choice. Titus and two representatives of other churches are coming to Corinth to oversee the collection so it is done with integrity. Paul urges the Corinthians to prove their love by following through on their commitment to give.
