2 Corinthians 8:18
ESV
With him we are sending the brother who is famous among all the churches for his preaching of the gospel.
NIV
And we are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel.
NASB
We have sent along with him the brother whose fame in the things of the gospel has spread through all the churches;
CSB
We have sent with him the brother who is praised among all the churches for his gospel ministry.
NLT
We are also sending another brother with Titus. All the churches praise him as a preacher of the Good News.
KJV
And we have sent with him the brother, whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches;
NKJV
And we have sent with him the brother whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches,
What does 2 Corinthians 8:18 mean?
Three men are headed to Corinth to collect contributions for suffering Christians in Jerusalem. These men are being sent with this very letter, written by Paul. Titus, who has recently returned from Corinth, will be coming of his own free will.Paul describes the second member of the delegation as a man famous among all the churches for his preaching of the gospel. It is not clear why Paul doesn't name the man, as he usually does when referring to other ministers of the gospel in his letters. His mention of "all the churches" may mean the churches in the Macedonian or another region, since the following verse says the man has been appointed by the churches to travel with the delegation to collect and distribute the funds for Jerusalem.
Second Corinthians 8:16–24 describes the three men who will be coming to Corinth. After delivering this letter, they will help collect the Corinthian's contribution to the needs of suffering Christians in Jerusalem. The Corinthians know Titus, who recently returned from Corinth, and that he cares for the Corinthians as deeply as Paul himself. Titus will be accompanied by two delegates from other churches to prove that everything is done honestly and with transparency. These men will then report back to their churches how the Corinthians participated in the collection.
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.
