2 Corinthians 1:8-14
8: For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life;
9: indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead;
10: who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us,
11: you also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many.
12: For our proud confidence is this: the testimony of our conscience, that in holiness and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you.
13: For we write nothing else to you than what you read and understand, and I hope you will understand until the end;
14: just as you also partially did understand us, that we are your reason to be proud as you also are ours, in the day of our Lord Jesus.
Paul continued the thought that because of his sufferings they had suffered. In other words, because he had not yet come to visit them, they suffered disappointment, especially since there were issues to be addressed. So, he wanted them to understand the severity of the troubles he had experienced in Asia.
In Ephesus, a disturbance arose when a crowd became enraged after being stirred up by Demetrius, a silversmith idol-maker who was losing money because of the preaching of the gospel (Acts 19:23). Paul said they were in danger of being killed but trusted in God who delivered them, and would continue to deliver them, with the Corinthians joining to help them through their prayers.
If there was anything Paul and Co. could be happily confident about, it was the testimony of their conscience which was that their conduct had been holy and in godly sincerity—not in fleshly wisdom but the grace of God. Everywhere they’d gone they had behaved this way, especially toward the readers of the epistle. Paul assured them that he wrote nothing else to them other than what they were to read openly and understand as apostolic rule. He hoped they would understand and hold fast to it until the end.
Some of them had understood this and knew that rather than criticize each other they could be proud of Paul, and Paul of them--rejoicing in each other until the Lord's return. There were some who criticized Paul and took his delay in coming as verification of those criticisms. He wanted them to understand what he had been going through, and that he was sincere and unblameable in his actions. We must not jump to conclusions when people disappoint us. Sometimes people are going through troubles—even severe troubles—that we have no idea of.
9: indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead;
10: who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us,
11: you also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many.
12: For our proud confidence is this: the testimony of our conscience, that in holiness and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you.
13: For we write nothing else to you than what you read and understand, and I hope you will understand until the end;
14: just as you also partially did understand us, that we are your reason to be proud as you also are ours, in the day of our Lord Jesus.
***
Paul continued the thought that because of his sufferings they had suffered. In other words, because he had not yet come to visit them, they suffered disappointment, especially since there were issues to be addressed. So, he wanted them to understand the severity of the troubles he had experienced in Asia.
In Ephesus, a disturbance arose when a crowd became enraged after being stirred up by Demetrius, a silversmith idol-maker who was losing money because of the preaching of the gospel (Acts 19:23). Paul said they were in danger of being killed but trusted in God who delivered them, and would continue to deliver them, with the Corinthians joining to help them through their prayers.
If there was anything Paul and Co. could be happily confident about, it was the testimony of their conscience which was that their conduct had been holy and in godly sincerity—not in fleshly wisdom but the grace of God. Everywhere they’d gone they had behaved this way, especially toward the readers of the epistle. Paul assured them that he wrote nothing else to them other than what they were to read openly and understand as apostolic rule. He hoped they would understand and hold fast to it until the end.
Some of them had understood this and knew that rather than criticize each other they could be proud of Paul, and Paul of them--rejoicing in each other until the Lord's return. There were some who criticized Paul and took his delay in coming as verification of those criticisms. He wanted them to understand what he had been going through, and that he was sincere and unblameable in his actions. We must not jump to conclusions when people disappoint us. Sometimes people are going through troubles—even severe troubles—that we have no idea of.
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