2 Corinthians 1:1-7

1: Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God which is at Corinth with all the saints who are throughout Achaia:
2: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

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 affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
5: For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.
6: But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer;
7: and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort.

*** 

Paul wrote this epistle after Pentecost, in the autumn of 57 A.D. from Macedonia. He had left Ephesus where he wrote 1 Corinthians but had not yet made his visit to the Corinthians which he had promised in his first letter (1 Corinthians 4:19, 16:5). He was with Timothy when he wrote this letter and addressed it, not just to the church at Corinth, but to all the churches throughout Achaia.

He began by blessing them with grace and peace from the Father and Lord Jesus. He blessed the Father as well, calling Him the Father of mercies and God of all comfort. He spoke about this comfort for a bit saying that our heavenly Father comforts us in all afflictions. As a result, we are able to comfort others with the same comfort we receive from Him. When troubles abound, receive His comfort. By doing so you are receiving something which not only helps you but enables you to help others.

Paul explained that just as they shared in the sufferings of Christ, which were abundant, they also shared in His abundant comfort. Paul, and all the apostles, suffered much in bringing them the gospel. This suffering affected the Corinthians, and all the churches. Whether it was because of his delay in coming, and the effects of that, or whatever else it might be, their troubles affected them in one way or another.

Sometimes the actions, inactions, or circumstances of others will affect you. It could range from minor inconveniences to major suffering, but what others go through plays a part in your life. However, when you patiently endure through these times, you effectively bring about the desired relief and the comfort needed to recover and heal from their effect. Paul’s sufferings affected the Corinthians, as well as his own comfort, but he told when they patiently endured through these sufferings, their times of comfort would come. This is a firmly grounded hope, and one which we can all stand on. God is faithful to bring comfort, but we must patiently endure through any times of discomfort or suffering.



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