2 Corinthians 1:3-11 - Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

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Bible Comments

God Both Afflicts And Comforts All Who Are His For Their Salvation (2 Corinthians 1:3-11).

The verses that follow lay the foundation of what he will say throughout the letter. At first sight they might appear to contain simply a message of comfort and strengthening in the face of suffering. And if it were so it would be an important message. And it would especially bring out that Paul and his fellow-workers were appointed as strengtheners of the churches. But deeper consideration brings out that it very much has reference to the ‘salvation' that God has brought in ‘the last days' (that is, the days following the coming and death and resurrection of Jesus, which were seen as the final days before the end), and the need in the light of it to share in the sufferings of Christ for the fulfilling of His purposes, and to be kept by God in the right way to the end.

In LXX ‘comfort' (encourage, strengthen) is a word directly connected with the coming in of the last days, and of God's deliverance. When those come God will comfort (encourage, strengthen) His people (LXX - Isaiah 35:4; Isaiah 40:1-2; Isaiah 40:11; Isaiah 41:27; Isaiah 49:10; Isaiah 49:13; Isaiah 51:3; Isaiah 51:12; Isaiah 61:2; Isaiah 66:12-13 compare Exodus 15:13; Psalms 126:1). This is why Jesus called the Holy Spirit ‘the Comforter' (John 14:16; John 14:26; John 15:26; John 16:7). And His ‘mercies' as mentioned here very much have in mind His great salvation (2 Corinthians 1:6) and deliverance (2 Corinthians 1:10), the resurrection from the dead (2 Corinthians 1:9), and the coming day of our Lord Jesus (2 Corinthians 1:14). And these constantly lie in the background to this passage. So all he says here has these ideas in mind and leads up to them. His final concern for the Corinthians is not so much their comfort in suffering, although that is important to him, but their salvation through it, although their comfort and encouragement play an important part within that. It is about comfort and encouragement and strengthening with a view to final deliverance.

Related Commentaries of 2 Corinthians 1:3

2 Corinthians 1:3-11

3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;

4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.

6 And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectuala in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.

7 And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.

8 For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:

9 But we had the sentenceb of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:

10 Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;

11 Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf.