Introduction
This morning we begin a study of 2 Corinthians (read 1:1,2). The author is Paul, one of the leaders of the early Christian movement. The audience is the church in Corinth (a port city in southern Greece – MAP) which Paul had started 6-8 years earlier. They have had a conflicted relationship – and although there has been a recent breakthrough, there are still important unresolved issues that this letter addresses.
This is one of the most personally vulnerable of Paul's letters to his churches – not only relating frankly what is going on and its impact on him, but also how his relationship with Christ sustains him despite his many personal weaknesses. We can see these themes in this opening passage (read 1:3-7).
The theme: God's comfort
This is obvious, isn't it? Paul uses the noun or verb form 10 times in 1:3-7 (UNDERLINE).
I'm going to use "comfort" during this teaching because all of the translations have it – but it is not a great translation. Paraklesis/parakaleo literally means "called alongside." It was used by one ancient Greek historian to describe military reinforcements in a battle. It means, then, not primarily to comfort (i.e., soothe; console), but to strengthen, to fortify, to en-courage (most common translation). It presumes an environment of difficulty, adversity, suffering (7 times in 1:3-7 – UNDERLINE).
Although Paul does not mention the Holy Spirit, he is describing His activity. Jesus called the Holy Spirit the paraklesis – the Encourager (Jn. 14:16,18). The moment you entrust yourself to Jesus as your Savior/Lord, He sends His Spirit to take up residence in your soul. The essence of His work in your life is to communicate God's personal encouragement to you, so that you know that He is with you and for you as you follow Him in this poor dark world.
What does God's comfort look like? Ajith Fernando, A Christian leader from Sri Lanka, calls this being "affirmed by God." Listen to his examples of God's comfort from his excellent book, Jesus-Driven Ministry (read section on p. 54).
This is one of the most precious benefits of having a personal relationship with Jesus. I certainly would not be here teaching this passage were it not for the Spirit's comfort/encouragement in my life over the past 5+ decades.
Paul has recently had a powerful experience of God's comfort in the midst of great suffering (more on this later). So he begins this letter by praising God for His comfort, and by communicating certain insights about His comfort. These insights would be helpful to the Corinthians – and they are also helpful to us.
Insights into God's comfort
God's comfort is an expression of His mercy (1:3). The God of the Bible is not absent, cold, aloof, or harsh – as perhaps many of our parents were. Rather, He is a Father who is full of mercy (read Ps. 103:13,14). Our "fear of" (reverent trust in) God is not what inclines Him to comfort us; it is what enables us to receive and enjoy the comfort He is already inclined to give us because He is merciful. (More on this below.)
God's comfort is available for all kinds of suffering (1:4a – "in all our afflictions"), and is fully adequate for all kinds of sufferings (1:5). God doesn't always deliver us from suffering (which we prefer), but He is always willing and able to comfort us in our suffering. Paul uses two different Greek words here to emphasize this truth:
Thlipsis, which refers generally to all forms of adversity (e.g., physical, emotional, relational, spiritual; undeserved or as a consequence of our poor choices; etc.). The child of God may go to Him in any and every adversity with the expectation that he will receive a comfort that will fully compensate for/outweigh the suffering.
"The sufferings (pathema) of Christ" refers specifically to the sufferings we undergo because we are following Christ (e.g., persecution from a society that is hostile to Jesus and His teaching; relational pain related to trying to help other Christians mature spiritually [E.G., PAUL WITH THE CORINTHIANS]); material/financial sacrifices we make to help the poor and needy; etc.).
Because of this promise, we can grow in our relationship with God to the point that when we encounter suffering, we have a sense of anticipation: "I wonder how God will come through this time!"
Receiving God's comfort enables us to give His comfort to others (1:4,6a). Paul emphasizes this quite strongly. This is not the only reason God comforts us (see 1:3,5), but it is a very important one. God doesn't waste any of our sufferings. He wants to redeem all of our sufferings – both by having us receive His comfort, and by having us become instruments of His comfort to others. There are a couple of important implications of this truth:
Deep spiritual impact on others requires a history of suffering and experiencing God's comfort (SANDERS OVERHEARING 2 OLDER LADIES). Many of us desire to be effective in Christian ministry – to impart the life of Christ to others in ways that draw them to Him and build them up in Him. Bible knowledge, spiritual gifting, and practical training all have their proper place – but they are not sufficient. The life of Christ is imparted most potently through people who have suffered much with Him – and who, by recurrently experiencing His comfort, have found Him to be utterly reliable. All of us can have this kind of spiritual depth and impact – but we must be willing to go down this path.
God often decides to comfort us through other Christians. Later in 2 Corinthians, Paul describes suffering in his relationship with the Corinthians. Read 7:5,6. God comforted Paul in his affliction and depression "by the coming of Titus" – through Titus' presence as a faithful friend and brother in Christ. When you are suffering and discouraged, do not shun fellowship! Though you may feel like just withdrawing and isolating to lick your wounds or distract yourself, that is the very time to be with God's people (Eccles. 4:9,10; LUTHER'S WIFE). God can also send His comfort to us in answer to others' intercessory prayers (read 1:11). Do you ask people to pray for you for God's comfort? Do you pray for God's comfort for others (vs. just praying for deliverance from circumstances)?
God's comfort is effective in the patient endurance of sufferings (1:6b). Our different Bible translations interpret this phrase in two ways:
God's comfort enables us to patiently endure sufferings (NIV; NLT). This is certainly true, and it is possible that Paul is elaborating on 1:5 (see above).
God's comfort comes to us as we patiently endure our sufferings (NASB; ESV). In other words, when we respond to difficulties by continuing to trust that God will see us through, we can count on His Spirit communicating His comfort in the right way and in the right time (read and explain Rom. 15:13). We don't withdraw from God when we suffer (though we may pour out our pain to Him, as per Job). Neither do we demand that He comfort us in a certain way/by a certain time – or we will quit. Rather, we stay at our posts, continuing to thank Him for His goodness and faithfulness, and to serve Him while we await His comfort. Those who "wait upon the Lord" in this way will not be disappointed (Isa. 40:28-31)!
Paul ends this passage by relating some of the details of his recent experience, which gives us our final insight into God's comfort (read 1:8-10). We don't know the exact nature of his affliction – maybe it was a "perfect storm" of severe persecution, physical sickness, and the pain of his distressed relationship with the Corinthians. But he sees now in retrospect that God worked great good through it. Namely, he learned that: Suffering can displace self-reliance and lead to deeper confidence in God's future faithfulness. Let's look more carefully at both elements of this insight.
Through this "perfect storm," God broke some kind of deeply-ingrained self-trust (even in the Apostle Paul!), and replaced it with a much deeper trust in God as His only Deliverer (1:8,9). The first part certainly rings true to me. I would never have chosen the most painful sufferings I have endured over the years, and I don't believe that God sent them to punish me. But He has worked through them to expose and break my own strategies for making my life work. He worked through these "redemptive earthquakes" to shift the tectonic plates of my heart toward deeper trust in Him. And ironically, this has resulted in deep healing in my life.
And this gave him great hope as he looked to the future (1:10) – no matter what may afflict him (even death itself), he knew that God would be with Him to deliver through the affliction and (ultimately) to his eternal home. The second part also rings true. On the other side of these storms is a deep comfort: "If God has brought me through this storm and worked through it for my good, then He will also be with me through all future storms." The happiest people in this fallen world are not those who do not suffer, but those who do not live in fear of suffering (Ps. 112:7).
Conclusion
NEXT WEEK: 2 Cor. 1:12 – 2:3
QUESTIONS & COMMENTS (WITH SUMMARY OF INSIGHTS)