And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:
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Ambrosiaster
AD 400
Paul points out that the grace of God is present in them. Just as it has led their hearts to amend their faults and accept the truth of Christian teaching, so it will assist them, once they have begun, to abound in every good work. Commentary on Paul’s Epistles.
And God is able to make all grace abound toward you. This is an answer to an objection: You will say to me, If I give much, I shall become poor, I shall be unable for the future to help my servants and others who are in more need (Theophylact). To this the Apostle answers: Do not be afraid of that; believe and hope in God, who is able to make all grace (or beneficence—Syriac) abound toward you, so that you shall always have a sufficiency of goods, out of which you may abound in every good work. God can and does enrich those that give alms, so that they have always means to spend, and so can abound in works of charity.
God is able denotes not only the power but also the act of God. The phrase is a meiosis. Similarly, a king might say to his commander-in-chief: "Go, end the war, spare no expense. I am able to bear it, and to enrich you as well."
In the Greek there is a beautiful use of the word all, which is three times repeated in the last clause of this verse, "always having all suff...
God is generous to the liberally disposed Christian; filling such as relieve the poor with every species of good, and returning their charities a hundred-fold. (Menochius)
And may God , that is able, fulfill all grace towards you.
By this prayer he takes out the way a thought which lay in wait against this liberality and which is now also an hinderance to many. For many persons are afraid to give alms, saying, 'Lest perchance I become poor,' 'lest perchance I need aid from others.' To do away with this fear then, he adds this prayer, saying, May He make all grace abound towards you. Not merely fulfil, but make it abound. And what is make grace abound? 'Fill you,' he means, 'with so great things, that you may be able to abound in this liberality.'
That ye, having always all sufficiency in every thing, may abound to every good work.
Observe, even in this his prayer, his great philosophy. He prays not for riches nor for abundance, but for all sufficiency. Nor is this all that is admirable in him; but that as he prayed not for superfluity, so he does not press sore on them nor compel them to give of their want, condescending to their weakness; but a...
Note how Paul does not pray for riches or abundance but only for enough to live on. Nor is this the only thing he should be admired for. He asks the same thing of the Corinthians… . He wants them to have enough of this world’s goods but more so an overflowing abundance of spiritual blessings.
