2 Corinthians — Chapter 1
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1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God in Corinth, together with all the saints throughout Achaia:
2Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,
4who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
5For just as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.
6If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which accomplishes in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we experience.
7And our hope for you is sure, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you will share in our comfort.
8We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the hardships we encountered in the province of Asia. We were under a burden far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.
9Indeed, we felt we were under the sentence of death, in order that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God, who raises the dead.
10He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us. In Him we have placed our hope that He will yet again deliver us,
11as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the favor shown us in answer to their prayers.
12For this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in relation to you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God—not in worldly wisdom, but in the grace of God.
13For we do not write you anything that is beyond your ability to read and understand. And I hope that you will understand us completely,
14as you have already understood us in part, that you may boast of us just as we will boast of you in the day of our Lord Jesus.
15Confident of this, I planned to visit you first, so that you might receive a double blessing.
16I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and to return to you from Macedonia, and then to have you help me on my way to Judea.
17When I planned this, did I do it carelessly? Or do I make my plans by human standards, so as to say “Yes, yes” and also “No, no”?
18But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.”
19For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was proclaimed among you by me and Silvanus and Timothy, was not “Yes” and “No,” but in Him it has always been “Yes.”
20For all the promises of God are “Yes” in Christ. And so through Him, our “Amen” is spoken to the glory of God.
21Now it is God who establishes both us and you in Christ. He anointed us,
22placed His seal on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a pledge of what is to come.
23I call God as my witness that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth.
24Not that we lord it over your faith, but we are fellow workers with you for your joy, because it is by faith that you stand firm.
1Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia:
2Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
3Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;
4Who 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.
5For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.
6And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.
7And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.
8For 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:
9But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:
10Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;
11Ye 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.
12For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.
13For we write none other things unto you, than what ye read or acknowledge; and I trust ye shall acknowledge even to the end;
14As also ye have acknowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as ye also are ours in the day of the Lord Jesus.
15And in this confidence I was minded to come unto you before, that ye might have a second benefit;
16And to pass by you into Macedonia, and to come again out of Macedonia unto you, and of you to be brought on my way toward Judaea.
17When I therefore was thus minded, did I use lightness? or the things that I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, that with me there should be yea yea, and nay nay?
18But as God is true, our word toward you was not yea and nay.
19For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea.
20For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.
21Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;
22Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
23Moreover I call God for a record upon my soul, that to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth.
24Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.
1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints that are in the whole of Achaia:
2Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort;
4who comforteth us in all our affliction, that we may be able to comfort them that are in any affliction, through the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
5For as the sufferings of Christ abound unto us, even so our comfort also aboundeth through Christ.
6But whether we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or whether we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which worketh in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer:
7and our hope for you is stedfast; knowing that, as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so also are ye of the comfort.
8For we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning our affliction which befell [us] in Asia, that we were weighed down exceedingly, beyond our power, insomuch that we despaired even of life:
9yea, we ourselves have had the sentence of death within ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raiseth the dead:
10who delivered us out of so great a death, and will deliver: on whom we have set our hope that he will also still deliver us;
11ye also helping together on our behalf by your supplication; that, for the gift bestowed upon us by means of many, thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf.
12For our glorifying is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in holiness and sincerity of God, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we behaved ourselves in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.
13For we write no other things unto you, than what ye read or even acknowledge, and I hope ye will acknowledge unto the end:
14as also ye did acknowledge us in part, that we are your glorying, even as ye also are ours, in the day of our Lord Jesus.
15And in this confidence I was minded to come first unto you, that ye might have a second benefit;
16and by you to pass into Macedonia, and again from Macedonia to come unto you, and of you to be set forward on my journey unto Judaea.
17When I therefore was thus minded, did I show fickleness? or the things that I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, that with me there should be the yea yea and the nay nay?
18But as God is faithful, our word toward you is not yea and nay.
19For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, [even] by me and Silvanus and Timothy, was not yea and nay, but in him is yea.
20For how many soever be the promises of God, in him is the yea: wherefore also through him is the Amen, unto the glory of God through us.
21Now he that establisheth us with you in Christ, and anointed us, is God;
22who also sealed us, and gave [us] the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
23But I call God for a witness upon my soul, that to spare you I forbare to come unto Corinth.
24Not that we have lordship over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for in faith ye stand fast.
1From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the church of God that is in Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia.
2Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
3Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
4who comforts us in all our troubles so that we may be able to comfort those experiencing any trouble with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
5For just as the sufferings of Christ overflow toward us, so also our comfort through Christ overflows to you.
6But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort that you experience in your patient endurance of the same sufferings that we also suffer.
7And our hope for you is steadfast because we know that as you share in our sufferings, so also you will share in our comfort.
8For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, regarding the affliction that happened to us in the province of Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of living.
9Indeed we felt as if the sentence of death had been passed against us, so that we would not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead.
10He delivered us from so great a risk of death, and he will deliver us. We have set our hope on him that he will deliver us yet again,
11as you also join in helping us by prayer, so that many people may give thanks to God on our behalf for the gracious gift given to us through the help of many.
12For our reason for confidence is this: The testimony of our conscience, that with pure motives and sincerity which are from God—not by human wisdom but by the grace of God—we conducted ourselves in the world, and all the more toward you.
13For we do not write you anything other than what you can read and also understand. But I hope that you will understand completely
14just as also you have partly understood us, that we are your source of pride just as you also are ours in the day of the Lord Jesus.
15And with this confidence I intended to come to you first so that you would get a second opportunity to see us,
16and through your help to go on into Macedonia and then from Macedonia to come back to you and be helped on our way into Judea by you.
17Therefore when I was planning to do this, I did not do so without thinking about what I was doing, did I? Or do I make my plans according to mere human standards so that I would be saying both “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time?
18But as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.”
19For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the one who was proclaimed among you by us—by me and Silvanus and Timothy—was not “Yes” and “No,” but it has always been “Yes” in him.
20For every one of God’s promises are “Yes” in him; therefore also through him the “Amen” is spoken, to the glory we give to God.
21But it is God who establishes us together with you in Christ and who anointed us,
22who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a down payment.
23Now I appeal to God as my witness, that to spare you I did not come again to Corinth.
24I do not mean that we rule over your faith, but we are workers with you for your joy, because by faith you stand firm.
1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the assembly of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia:
2Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort;
4who comforts us in all our affliction, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, through the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
5For as the sufferings of Christ abound to us, even so our comfort also abounds through Christ.
6But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer.
7Our hope for you is steadfast, knowing that, since you are partakers of the sufferings, so also are you of the comfort.
8For we don’t desire to have you uninformed, brothers, concerning our affliction which happened to us in Asia, that we were weighed down exceedingly, beyond our power, so much that we despaired even of life.
9Yes, we ourselves have had the sentence of death within ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead,
10who delivered us out of so great a death, and does deliver; on whom we have set our hope that he will also still deliver us;
11you also helping together on our behalf by your supplication; that, for the gift given to us by means of many, thanks may be given by many persons on your behalf.
12For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience, that in holiness and sincerity of God, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God we behaved ourselves in the world, and more abundantly toward you.
13For we write no other things to you, than what you read or even acknowledge, and I hope you will acknowledge to the end;
14as also you acknowledged us in part, that we are your boasting, even as you also are ours, in the day of our Lord Jesus.
15In this confidence, I was determined to come first to you, that you might have a second benefit;
16and by you to pass into Macedonia, and again from Macedonia to come to you, and to be sent forward by you on my journey to Judea.
17When I therefore was thus determined, did I show fickleness? Or the things that I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, that with me there should be the “Yes, yes” and the “No, no?”
18But as God is faithful, our word toward you was not “Yes and no.”
19For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, by me, Silvanus, and Timothy, was not “Yes and no,” but in him is “Yes.”
20For however many are the promises of God, in him is the “Yes.” Therefore also through him is the “Amen”, to the glory of God through us.
21Now he who establishes us with you in Christ, and anointed us, is God;
22who also sealed us, and gave us the down payment of the Spirit in our hearts.
23But I call God for a witness to my soul, that I didn’t come to Corinth to spare you.
24Not that we control your faith, but are fellow workers with you for your joy. For you stand firm in faith.
Summary
Paul, writing with Timothy to the church at Corinth and all the saints in Achaia, opens by praising God as the Father of mercies who comforts believers in every trouble so they can comfort others facing the same (vv. 1-7). He recalls a severe affliction in Asia that pressed him beyond his own strength, teaching him to rely on God who raises the dead rather than on himself, and thanks the Corinthians for their prayers on his behalf (vv. 8-11). He defends the sincerity of his conduct and his reason for changing travel plans, explaining he delayed visiting to spare them another painful encounter (vv. 12-17, 23-24). Paul closes the chapter by affirming that God's promises are never uncertain, since every promise finds its "Yes" in Christ, and that God has sealed believers with the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of what is to come (vv. 18-22).
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- Corinth (v.1, v.23): Greek port city known for commerce and immorality; Paul planted a church there.
Places on this map
- CorinthAncient Corinth, GreeceOn the four-mile isthmus joining the Peloponnese to mainland Greece, with a harbor on each side. Cargo was hauled overland between them to avoid the dangerous voyage round the cape, so the city was rich, transient and famously loose. Wikipedia
Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.
Deep Dive
Setting: Paul writes from Macedonia (northern Greece) in about AD 55–56, a year or so after 1 Corinthians. A lot has happened in between, and most of it has to be pieced together from hints in this letter. In 1 Corinthians 16:5 Paul planned to come through Macedonia and then on to Corinth. Instead he made a sudden "painful visit" (2:1) that went badly, and someone in the church publicly wronged him. He went back to Ephesus and wrote a "tearful" letter of rebuke, now lost (2:4; 7:8), and sent it with Titus. Then he faced a crisis in Asia so severe he expected to die (vv8–9). Finally he met Titus in Macedonia and heard that most of the church had repented (7:5–7). This is the most personal of Paul's letters. His critics in Corinth said he was fickle, weak and unimpressive. Paul answers by laying his heart open, and he starts not with a defense but with praise.
Greeting (vv1–2)
- "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God" (v1). In this letter Paul's apostleship is under attack (chs 10–13). He grounds it at the start where it belongs: God called him, not human approval.
- "Timothy our brother" (v1). Timothy had been to Corinth (1 Cor 16:10) and is now back with Paul. To Timothy himself Paul writes "my son" (1 Tim 1:2). To the church he presents him as a brother and equal.
- "With all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia" (v1). Achaia was the Roman province of southern Greece, with Corinth as its capital. The letter was meant to be passed around to believers in nearby towns such as Cenchreae (Rom 16:1).
- "Grace to you and peace" (v2). The ordinary Greek letter opened with chairein, "greetings." Paul turns it into charis, "grace," and adds the Hebrew blessing of peace (shalom). Every one of his letters begins this way.
God of All Comfort (vv3–11)
- "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" (v3). Paul's other letters usually open with thanks for the readers. Here he praises God for what God has done for Paul himself. This was a Jewish form of prayer, "Blessed are you, O Lord," now prayed to the Father of Jesus.
- "The Father of mercies and God of all comfort" (v3). "Father of mercies" is a Hebrew way of saying the source of all mercies, the one mercy comes from. Comfort (paraklēsis) and the verb "to comfort" (parakaleō) appear about ten times in five verses. The word means to call someone to one's side, and so to encourage, urge or console. It is related to Paraklētos, the name Jesus gave the Holy Spirit, "the Helper" (John 14:16). God's comfort is not only soothing but strengthening, and it comes alongside.
- "Who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction" (v4). Comfort is not meant to stop with the one who receives it. It flows on. What God gives in one person's trouble becomes something to give in another's. Isaiah's "Comfort, comfort my people" (Isa 40:1) is the background.
- "Affliction" (v4). Thlipsis means pressure, being squeezed or crushed. It is the main word for trouble in this letter (vv4, 8; 4:17; 7:4).
- "As we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings" (v5). Paul does not mean he adds anything to Christ's atoning death. He means that those who belong to Christ share in the opposition and hardship he met in the world (Phil 3:10; Col 1:24). Christ counts his people's sufferings as his own (Acts 9:4: "why are you persecuting me?"). And as the suffering overflows, so does the comfort.
- "It is for your comfort and salvation" (v6). Even Paul's suffering is for the church. When he suffers, they gain. When he is comforted, they gain. "Which you experience when you patiently endure": "endure" (hypomonē) is the strength to remain under a load without giving way.
- "Our hope for you is unshaken" (v7). After a painful year, Paul says he is sure of them. Those who share suffering will share comfort too.
- "The affliction we experienced in Asia" (v8). Asia was the Roman province around Ephesus. We don't know what happened. Suggestions include the riot in Ephesus (Acts 19:23–41), though Paul seems to have escaped that easily; an arrest and trial that could have ended in execution; the "beasts at Ephesus" of 1 Corinthians 15:32; or a severe illness. The Tyndale notes think illness less likely. Paul doesn't say, because the point is not the details but what God did.
- "So utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself" (v8). A great apostle admits he hit the end of himself. "Despaired" means he saw no way out.
- "We felt that we had received the sentence of death" (v9). The word is apokrima, an official verdict. In his own mind the verdict was in, and it was death. "But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead." Here is the reason. God let Paul come to the end of his resources so that he would lean his whole weight on God. The "God who raises the dead" is the resurrection God of 1 Corinthians 15, and Abraham's God too (Rom 4:17; Heb 11:19).
- "He delivered us… and he will deliver us… he will deliver us again" (v10). Past, future, and further future. What God has done becomes the ground for trusting him with what is coming. Some later manuscripts read "and does deliver," as the King James has it. The oldest read "will deliver."
- "You also must help us by prayer" (v11). Paul believed the Corinthians' prayers had a real part in his rescue. "So that many will give thanks": the Greek says "from many faces," perhaps picturing the upturned faces of a praying congregation. Prayer from many leads to thanks from many.
- Commentators: Henry: "All comforts come from God, and our sweetest comforts are in him." On v4: "The favours God bestows on us, are not only to make us cheerful, but also that we may be useful to others." On v10: "Past experiences encourage faith and hope." JFB says "Father of mercies" means "the SOURCE of all mercies," and that Christ "calls His people's sufferings His own." It pictures Paul's and the Corinthians' hearts as "mirrors reflecting the likenesses of each other." Guzik takes comfort as strengthening, not just sympathy. Part of his support is the Latin root of the English word "comfort," "with strength," which tells us about English rather than Greek, though the Greek word does include encouragement. On the trouble in Asia, Guzik leans toward a lasting illness, while JFB points to danger in Ephesus. Guzik adds that comfort for suffering "for Christ" is not a promise of comfort in trouble we bring on ourselves by sin (1 Pet 4:15–16).
Paul's Change of Plans (vv12–24)
- "For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience" (v12). Paul's critics said he was sly and self-serving. His answer is a clear conscience: he has dealt with them "with simplicity and godly sincerity." Haplotēs means openness, singleness of heart, nothing hidden. Eilikrineia means unmixed, pure, like metal with no alloy. Some manuscripts read "holiness" instead of "simplicity." In Greek the two words differ by only a few letters, and the ESV notes the other reading.
- "Not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God" (v12). "Earthly wisdom" is the clever, calculating worldly wisdom of 1 Corinthians 1–2, the very thing Corinth admired.
- "We are not writing to you anything other than what you read and understand" (v13). No hidden meanings, no reading between the lines. "On the day of our Lord Jesus you will boast of us as we will boast of you" (v14). On the day of Christ's return, Paul and the Corinthians will be each other's joy (1 Thess 2:19–20). That future day puts today's quarrel in perspective.
- "I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have a second experience of grace" (v15). Paul had changed from the plan in 1 Corinthians 16:5–7 to a better one, visiting them twice: on the way north to Macedonia and again on the way back (v16). It would have been a double blessing. Then the painful visit happened, and he dropped the second visit.
- "Was I vacillating?" (v17). Elaphria means lightness, fickleness, treating promises as if they don't weigh anything. "Do I make my plans according to the flesh, ready to say 'Yes, yes' and 'No, no' at the same time?" That is, saying whatever suits me at the moment. The charge hurt, because if Paul's word could not be trusted, why trust his gospel?
- "As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No" (v18). Paul moves straight from his travel plans to God's faithfulness. His message about Jesus was not unreliable, and neither is he.
- "Silvanus and Timothy and I" (v19). Silvanus is the Silas of Acts (15:40; 18:5). These three founded the church in Corinth (Acts 18). "In him it is always Yes." Jesus is not a maybe.
- "All the promises of God find their Yes in him" (v20). One of the great verses on how the Old Testament fits together. Every promise, to Abraham, to David, through the prophets, is kept in Christ. "Through him that we utter our Amen." God says Yes in Christ, and the church answers Amen, "so be it, it is true," in its worship. Amen is Hebrew for something firm and reliable. Revelation 3:14 even calls Jesus "the Amen."
- "It is God who establishes us with you in Christ" (v21). Four business and legal words follow. Establishes (bebaioō) was a legal term for guaranteeing a sale. Anointed (chriō) is the root of Christos, "Christ," the Anointed One. Paul makes a wordplay: God establishes us "in Christ" and has "christed" us, set us apart and equipped us with the Spirit as kings, priests and prophets once were. This is the only place the New Testament uses this verb for believers.
- "Put his seal on us" (v22). A seal marked ownership and protected the contents (Eph 1:13; 4:30). "Given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee." Arrabōn was a merchant's word for a down payment, the first installment that commits the buyer to pay the rest (5:5; Eph 1:14). In modern Greek the same word means an engagement ring. The Spirit now is the first part of the life to come, and God's pledge that the rest is coming.
- Father, Son and Spirit (vv21–22). Notice the pattern: God establishes us in Christ and gives us his Spirit. Paul is not writing a doctrine of the Trinity here, but it is woven into how he speaks.
- "I call God to witness against me" (v23). A solemn oath, the kind found often in the Old Testament (1 Sam 12:5). Jesus' teaching against oaths (Matt 5:33–37) targets oaths used to dodge the truth, and Paul uses one here to tell it. "It was to spare you that I refrained from coming again." The real reason for the change: another visit would have meant another painful confrontation (2:1). He stayed away out of love, not fickleness.
- "Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy" (v24). Even as an apostle, Paul refuses to act like a master over their consciences. He is a fellow worker (synergos) for their joy. "For you stand firm in your faith." Their faith rests on Christ, not on Paul.
- Commentators: Henry: "Conscience witnesses concerning the steady course and tenor of the life," meaning a whole pattern, not one act. On v20: "Nothing can render God's promises more certain." On v24: "our comfort and joy must flow from faith." JFB glosses v17 as "Was I guilty of levity?" and v19 as "The Son of God, though preached by different preachers, was one and the same, unchangeable." It connects "anointed" to Christ's name, and calls the Spirit "a first instalment." Guzik says the Corinthians, used to slick and self-serving teachers, had grown cynical and assumed Paul was the same. He likens the down payment to a store's layaway plan: God has paid too much to walk away from the purchase. He also stresses that leaders are helpers of a church's joy, not lords over its faith.
Pointing to Christ
The chapter's center is v20: "All the promises of God find their Yes in him." Paul's plans changed, and people doubted him. But God's word in Christ has never been Yes and No. The God who raised Jesus from the dead is the same God who raises people out of despair, keeps every promise in his Son, and gives his Spirit now as the down payment on everything still to come.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik examines the theology of comfort, Paul's near-death experience, the faithfulness of God's promises, and Paul's changed plans.
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
- Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.
Videos
Articles
- Crossway: crossway.org Why Paul admits he was burdened beyond his strength, and what that does to the idea that God never gives us more than we can handle.
- GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of 2 Corinthians -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.
Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.
Reflection
- Comfort With a Purpose (v.4) — God comforts us in affliction not just for our own relief but so we can comfort others facing the same kind of trouble. What past pain has equipped you to help someone else, and are you offering that comfort or keeping it to yourself?
- Trusting the God Who Raises the Dead (v.9) — Paul's brush with death left him so overwhelmed that he stopped relying on himself and learned to trust God alone. What situation is stripping away your self-reliance right now, and how is God using it to deepen your trust?
- The Power of Prayed-For Partnership (v.11) — Paul asked the Corinthians to join him in prayer, believing that many people praying together would result in greater thanksgiving to God. Who is interceding for you, and whose burdens are you carrying in prayer?
- Every Promise Finds Its Yes in Christ (v.20) — No matter how many promises God has made, Paul says they are all fulfilled and guaranteed in Jesus. Which promise of God do you most need to lean on today?
- Serving Joy, Not Ruling Faith (v.24) — Paul makes clear he has no desire to dominate the Corinthians' faith but wants to be a partner in their joy. When you have influence over someone, do you use it to control them or to serve their joy?