‘So then death works in us, but life in you.' A further contrast is given, that the death that works in them, crucifying their flesh with its worldly hopes, affections and desires (Galatians 5:24), results in life working in the Corinthians.
The picture of the faithful servant of Christ ministering in difficult conditions is aptly described in 2 Corinthians 4:7-11. Things can press them in, bear down on them, perplex them, almost crush them, even seem to knock them down, but always God is there to stop them from being boxed in, to stop them being crushed, to prevent despair, to enable them to get up again and carry on. And as they experience these things they may rejoice in that they are sharing the sufferings of Christ, so necessary for the ongoing of His work, and that through their dying with Christ their lives are being purified so as to ensure that their experience of ‘dying' results in life in the church.
It is noteworthy that in this section Paul refers constantly to ‘Jesus'. He is closely aligning his words with Jesus' earthly life and death. They walk as He walked.