2 Corinthians 1:1-11 - Suffering and Comfort of Hope

2 Corinthians 1:1-11

Greetings

1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
To the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia:

2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Comfort in Suffering

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. 6 Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. 7 And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.

Delivered from Suffering

8 For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. 9 Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, 10 who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us, 11 you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many.

Paul wrote this epistle to show his thanks for the repentant majority at Corinth and to appeal to the rebellious minority there to accept his authority and turn from sin to Him as well.  He conveyed the truths of suffering with the comfort of hope in Jesus Christ as their hope and ours.  He began by reminding the readers and hearers of this communication that he was called to be an apostle, one who was an eyewitness of Christ, that gave him unique authority to proclaim and explain God’s word as the prophets of old delivered the word of God to His people.  This was God’s choice and not Paul’s to be an apostle and messenger of the gospel as the other of the original twelve.  Paul was therefore given the authority to address the doctrine and practice of the errant believers in writing which has become authoritative scripture for us as well in the church.  He conveyed God’s grace and peace of the gospel that had recon those who were in Christ as that mouthpiece of the Lord before continuing in exhorting and encouraging those who were in Jesus there.  He opened the discourse with the promises of comfort from the Lord in their suffering which we all still find invaluable as we read nearly two thousand years later.  It is the blessed God Himself who is merciful to us in lavishing comfort on we the people of His kingdom!  He comforts us in all pressing hard times not only to relieve our suffering (2 Corinthians 7:5-7) , but also to provide us with the experience and practical wisdom to in turn help others who suffer as ones who have trod the path before.  We share these sufferings as a body together in Christ that we might be strengthened by our Lord together as we minister to each other.  We suffer for Christ and for His sake of the gospel (Romans 8:16-17) which the world rejects and opposes daily that He might console us and build our reliance and trust in His mercy and grace.  We suffer shame and danger that others may be saved from sin’s punishment through this word of hope (2 Corinthians 4:15) and receive comfort in return to bolster our resolve and not give up in the battle.  Paul knew that his readers would understand this and his hope in them was a steadfast hope in their faith given and sustained by the Lord as they suffered and were consoled by God as reminded of by the apostle’s words.  He then reminded them of his own suffering that seemed to completely overwhelm him and his fellow laborers in the gospel such as Timothy.  They were so overwhelmed that they sometimes even despaired of life its as the end seemed imminent, yet that death sentence only affirmed the love of God in Christ’s resurrection as their hope after death.  That assurance drove them into hope while facing tribulations and possible death!  They trusted the Lord over the pressing circumstances (1 Corinthians 16:9-10) with trust in their deliverance to continue in serving the risen Lord.  He also thanked them for their prayers in their ministry to sustain them and keep them safe and secure in this work of the gospel and admonished them to give God thanks as well for His work of delivering them from suffering and death.  We are in this calling together as a body in Christ with Him as our head who calls, enables, and uses each of us in different ways to reach the lost who have been chosen and will be called out as we preach and teach the good news (Romans 10:14-15) of deliverance from sin’s just due and the free grace of mercy to set them free from the bondage of sin and into relationship with Him whom we serve against all opposition and odds of rejection.  This calling is our necessary suffering and promised comfort of divine hope that never fails.