2 Corinthians 8:6 means that Paul asked Titus to help the Corinthian church finish a generous act of giving that they had already begun, bringing their gift for the believers in Jerusalem to completion. The verse shows that good intentions need follow-through, and that the grace God gives can be expressed in practical generosity. Paul wrote this letter himself, and in this verse he describes the arrangement he made with Titus to encourage the church in Corinth.
So we urged Titus, that as he had made a beginning before, so he would also complete in you this grace.
2 Corinthians 8:6 (WEB)
What 2 Corinthians 8:6 Means
The verse is a short statement about a plan. Paul says he “urged” Titus, which means he encouraged him and asked him to go and act. Titus was to return to Corinth and help the church bring to completion a project that was already underway. Paul does not say the Corinthians had failed. He says Titus had “made a beginning before,” which points to an earlier visit where the work was started and the church was first invited to take part.
The word “grace” here refers to this act of giving. In the wider passage, Paul uses “grace” to describe a kindness freely given, and he applies it to the collection of money for suffering believers. The verse does not promise that every project will be finished, and it does not claim that good beginnings always lead to good endings. It describes one specific request by one specific leader to one specific church, and it draws a lesson from that request about faithfulness.
The Context of 2 Corinthians 8:6
Second Corinthians is a letter Paul wrote to the church he had founded in Corinth, a busy port city in Greece. The letter deals with tension between Paul and some members of the church, and in chapters 8 and 9 Paul turns to the offering he was gathering for the poor believers in Jerusalem. He holds up the churches of Macedonia as an example, saying that even though they were poor and facing hardship, they gave generously and begged to be allowed to share in the work.
Verse 6 sits in the middle of this appeal. Just before it, Paul praises the Macedonians and says they gave themselves first to the Lord. Just after it, in verse 7, he urges the Corinthians to excel in this grace as they already excel in faith, speech, knowledge, and love. Read in that setting, the verse is not a reprimand. It is an encouragement to a church that is strong in many areas to finish well in one more.
Key Phrases in 2 Corinthians 8:6
2 Corinthians 9:7
Let each man give according as he has determined in his heart; not grudgingly, or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver.
(WEB)
This verse, from the same appeal, says God loves a cheerful giver. It fills out the picture of 8:6 by reminding us that the goal of finishing the gift is a willing heart, not reluctant obligation.
Philippians 1:6
Being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.
(WEB)
Paul writes here that God, who began a good work in believers, will carry it on to completion. It shows the same concern for finishing well, and it places the ultimate responsibility for that completion in God’s faithfulness.
A Short Prayer From 2 Corinthians 8:6
Lord, you have started good work in me, and I thank you for every act of generosity and faith that has already taken root in my life. Help me to finish what I have begun in love, not out of pressure but out of gratitude for the grace you have shown me. Where I have grown tired or distracted, renew my heart and my commitment. Give me the patience to see things through and the joy of seeing them completed for your glory. Amen.
