Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort…
2 Corinthians 1:1-11
Paul faced much opposition from false apostles and a stubborn Corinthian congregation. The Apostle calls this second letter to the church in Corinth his “painful visit” in 2 Corinthians 2:1. Paul, the Apostle, was born and raised a Jew, and his Jewish heritage comes out in today’s passage. The Apostle’s opening benediction is similar in form to the benedictions used in the Jewish synagogues during the first century. These benedictions, like the one Paul pronounces, offered blessings to God for His great mercy. The Old Testament frequently highlights the merciful nature of God. Paul makes his benediction distinctively Christian, referring to God as the “Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul also speaks of the Lord as the “God of all comfort.” The idea of comfort from God appears frequently throughout this letter, intentionally. Isaiah takes 27 chapters highlighting the comfort that the Lord will provide when He inaugurates the Messianic age. So, Paul’s stress here on divine comfort is a subtle reminder that believers are living in the Messianic age. Although the fullness of this age awaits the return of Christ to bring the new heavens and earth, we are in the era of His salvation even now and should expect to receive great comfort from the hand of God. Paul says that the comfort of God comes to us “in all our afflictions.” Here, “afflictions” refers to the inner turmoil and trouble we feel from external difficulties that we face from a world that is hostile to Christ. False apostles troubled the church at Corinth, calling Paul’s Apostleship into question because of his suffering for the sake of Jesus. Paul, later, expands the idea that suffering actually demonstrates the validity of his Apostolic call. The comfort promised is for the inner turmoil we experience when we suffer. God never promises to free us from suffering entirely. Instead, He promises to be with us in our suffering to comfort us and to give us the grace to endure. Suffering is a gift from God. As we share in Christ’s sufferings, we are granted the privilege of sharing in God’s comfort. This, in turn, allows us to comfort others. The riches of the Holy Spirit are not to be kept by us to ourselves, but everyone must communicate to others what he has received. God allows us to suffer for Christ so that we may encourage others who are suffering for Christ. This means that our suffering can actually be used for the benefit of others.
Source: S C Ball November 21, 2023
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