How does Paul's attitude in this verse connect to Jesus' sacrificial love?

Paul’s Echo of Christ’s Self-Giving

• 2 Corinthians 12:15: “I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If I love you more, am I to be loved less?”

• Paul pledges to “spend and be spent”―a deliberate choice to pour out every resource, even life itself, for the spiritual good of others.

• This language mirrors the core of Jesus’ own mission: giving Himself without reserve for people who could not repay Him.

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Jesus, the Pattern of Ultimate Spending

• John 15:13: “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”

• Mark 10:45: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

• Philippians 2:5-8 highlights Christ’s self-emptying―the eternal Son choosing servanthood, obedience, and death on a cross.

• Paul’s readiness to be “spent” flows directly from beholding this self-emptying Lord. The apostle simply imitates the pattern set at Calvary.

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Love That Gives, Whether or Not It’s Returned

• Jesus washed the disciples’ feet knowing betrayal and denial were minutes away (John 13:1-11).

• Likewise, Paul notes that his greater affection might result in being “loved less.” Yet he keeps giving.

• True Christ-like love is measured not by reciprocity but by faithfulness; it presses on even when misunderstood or under-appreciated.

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Fuel for Paul’s Resolve

• Galatians 2:20: “Christ lives in me… I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

• The apostle’s reservoir is not sheer willpower; it is the indwelling Christ. Knowing he is loved sacrificially enables him to love sacrificially.

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Living Out the Same Rhythm Today

• Recognize every act of self-giving—time, energy, resources—as a small reflection of the Cross.

• Expect that some will value the gift, others may not; keep loving anyway.

• Draw strength from the unchanging fact: Jesus already spent Himself for you, therefore you never give from emptiness but from His fullness (Ephesians 3:19).