2 Corinthians

Route 66 2 Corinthians 1:1-11

2 Corinthians 1:1–11

Comforted to comfort

(The Lutheran Study Bible, pages 1981–1982)

Look

After wishing the Corinthians grace and peace, Paul praised God for comforting his people in tribulation so they could bring God’s comfort to others. The content of this section is not difficult. But it is difficult to determine why Paul began his letter this way. But it will become clear when Paul begins to speak of his love and care for the Corinthians.

Verse 8 “The affliction we experienced in Asia”—Paul is probably referring to the riot incited by Demetrius the silversmith. (See Acts 19:23–41.)

Notes

From the outset Paul is attempting to restore the now-strained relationships with the Corinthians

Such is the intended spiritual unity between apostle and messianic people that, just as his comfort by God was for them, so, in response, their prayers are for him

His expectation and concern is that the Corinthians will understand and take pride in him, as, indeed, he will take pride in them on the “day of Christ” (1:14). He reminds them that their experience of the Spirit of God resulted from his preaching of the Son of God among them (1:19, 22). He knows of the possibility that Satan will get the better of them, separating him from them (2:11). This mutuality between him and them depends in turn on a reestablished confidence in his integrity (1:12–14). The restoration of unity between him and them is a major theme not only in this opening section of the letter but throughout his exposition of his new covenant ministry (2:14–7:4) and the passionate final chapters of the letter (chaps. 10–13)

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Typically, letters from the Greco-Roman period begin: A to B: greeting, followed by C, either a prayer or thanksgiving to God/the gods for the addressee. For example:

Ptolemaios to Kassianos his brother, very many greetings. Before everything I pray you are in good health.2

Paul follows this basic A, B, C format but also states (1) his office (“an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God”) and the fact and name of a co-sender,3 titled (“and Timothy the brother”), and (2) modifies the prayer along the lines of salutations found in Jewish letters.

Timothy is mentioned as a co-sender because he is likely the performer of the letter in Corinth and Paul wants to cover him with his apostolic authority as a preacher but not as an apostle (see Canvas page)

Earlier doubts about Paul’s apostleship by some of the Corinthians10 have apparently now hardened into opposition. This is attributable to the recent arrival of self-professed “ministers” or “apostles” (11:23, 13) who have launched a countermission against Paul (2:17–3:1; 11:4, 12) and who are, according to them, “superior” in ministry to Paul (11:5, 23; 12:11). By his opening words “Paul, an apostle … by the will of God,” he pointedly reminds the Corinthians that he is not an apostle by self-appointment but by divine appointment

The very phrase “the church of God in Corinth” is laden with irony, intended or unintended. How could the church of God be in such a godless city18 and be so divided a community of professed believers? It seems likely that there were a series of splinter groups with points of difference as great if not greater than points of agreement. One group was interested in the “judaizing” message of the “false apostles” (11:4), while another was involved in sexual immorality (12:21) and probably in worship in the local cults (6:14–7:1).

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As the repetition of the “sufferings-comfort” vocabulary from this passage in later passages7 indicates, this benediction anticipates in particular (1) the recent deliverance from the “deadly peril” in Asia (1:8–11), and (2) the good news brought by Titus that the Corinthians had responded to his (lost) “Painful Letter” with genuine repentance (7:5–11)

References to sufferings, too, are prominent in this opening benediction. Is this because the Corinthians are urgently questioning why the apostle Paul sustains such a degree of pain and difficulty in the course of his ministry? Do his references to their sufferings (“the same suffering we suffer”—v. 6) suggest that these, too, were an issue for them? Paul’s immediate introduction of the theme of suffering may be to put sufferings—his and theirs—into divine perspective.9 This is hinted at in the phrase “the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives” (v. 5). The apostle’s sufferings listed in the letter (2:14; 4:7–12; 6:3–10; 11:23–12:10) should be seen as replicating the “sufferings of Christ,” by—as it were—a principle of divine inevitability. Just as the One whom God sent suffered in and for a world alienated from God (cf. 5:14–21), so, too, the apostle of the Sent One and the community of the Sent One experience the pain of rejection in that same world as they bear witness to Christ

In the hands of the now-converted Paul the “God of our fathers” is identified as “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The “promises to the fathers” have been kept (1:20), and the hoped-for “redeemer” has been proclaimed in Corinth (1:19).

The opening verse of the benediction (vv. 3–7) commences with “praise be,”15 an ascription often made to the God of Israel in the OT,16 and within the Jewish liturgical tradition.17 Strikingly, however, Paul directs this blessing to “the God” who is at the same time (1) “the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”18 and (2) “the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort.” The latter establishes continuity with the known character of the God of the OT as currently worshiped in the synagogues (see below), but the former expresses the recent historic revelation of the inner being of God as Father of his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

This “God, even the Father of Christ,” is the divine source from whom flow down his “compassion and all comfort.” Such a conceptual model—which rests on the notion of the Father as source and the Lord Jesus Christ as channel—is found elsewhere in Paul’s writings. For example,

there is but one God, the Father,

from whom all things came …

and … one Lord, Jesus Christ,

through whom all things came. (1 Cor 8:6)

Paul’s is a vertical model, the Father being at the top—as it were—the blessings of “compassion and comfort,” as well as of divine self-disclosure, flowing from him through and in his Son, our Lord, to his people. The prepositions “from” (ek) and “through” (dia), though unstated in our passage,24 are implicit in the imagery of God as the “Father [i.e., source] of compassion … comfort.”

The Lord Jesus Christ does not stand next to the Father as a co-regent, but beneath him as mediator to humankind of the blessings of God, and at the same time revelator of that God. The Lord who came to us and who is now over us put a human face to God, brought God to us as One whom we could readily recognize. The glory of God shines on the face of Jesus Christ (4:6).25 Whatever else, the “great, mighty and fearful God” of the Jewish synagogue is forever to be known as “the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Paul is setting a contrast between Comfort and affliction. “Afflictions” are the portion of the messianic people, but so too, is the divine “comfort.” Just as the sufferings of Christ overflow to him, so, too—he is quick to say—the comfort of God overflows through Christ to him. Christ is the channel to the apostle not only of sufferings but also of divine comfort.

Isaiah’s report of God’s command to him, “Comfort, comfort my people,” with which Isaiah 40–55 commences (a passage upon which Paul depends heavily throughout the letter30) appears to be in Paul’s mind. As noted in v. 3, the notion of “comfort” (paraklēsis) implies both (1) the sufferings of God’s people in an alien environment, and (2) the hope of God’s deliverance from those sufferings.

The corporate character of the messianic fellowship (= those who are “in Christ”) clearly emerges from this. God comforted Paul by Titus, who had been comforted by the Corinthians (7:6–7), enabling Paul in turn (by means of these words in this letter) to comfort the Corinthians—and indeed members of other churches—with the comfort of God. The Corinthians had sustained pain through Paul’s “Severe Letter” to them (7:7–11); now he comforts them. Thus God’s “comfort” comes full circle among his people. The closeness and reciprocity of fellowship within, and between, congregations34 as expressed here by Paul is rather pointed, given the Corinthians’ coolness to him at that time. It also calls into question the individualism of modern Christianity and the sense of remoteness within and among many contemporary churches.

Basing their views on passages in the OT, Jews of the NT era believed that the triumphal messianic age would be preceded by “woes” or sufferings.41 The “sufferings of Christ,”42 therefore, “are not sufferings personally borne by the Messiah … but sufferings associated with him, ‘messianic sufferings’ ushering in the messianic age in a period of woe preceding eternal bliss.”43 The Messiah, when he appeared, however, would be a powerful and victorious figure.44 Accordingly, a “suffering” Messiah—crucified, no less (and by the Gentiles!)—was, according to Paul, a “stumbling block to Jews” (1 Cor 1:23; cf. Mark 8:31–33), and presumably to the views of those other “ministers of Christ,” the “false apostles” (11:13, 23). It may be that, in part, for this reason, Paul introduces “the sufferings of Christ/the Messiah” so early in the letter to rebut an alternative, Christ-triumphal theology of his newly arrived opponents. During the course of the letter Paul will expand upon the “sufferings of Christ” as the One who was “made … to be sin,” in whom “we become the righteousness of God” (5:14–21).45 Moreover, and closely connected with this, we note Paul’s portrayal of his own ministry as an “ambassador” of Christ (5:20; 6:3–10) and a “minister” of Christ (11:23–12:10) in antitriumphalist and indeed explicitly suffering terms (2:14; cf. 4:7–11).

The Theology of the Cross

Not only does God limit us to his self-revelation in Scripture, Scripture limits us by virtue of its unique message. Seeking God in the limitations that he establishes is often called the theology of the cross. God is not to be sought in displays of almighty and glorious power, nor in miracles and signs. Though he does have this power, and though he has and does reveal himself miraculously at times, God directs us to another place. He reveals himself in the suffering and death of Christ alone. Where God appears most “defeated” is in fact the place of his victory and the place of faith’s power and certainty. To look for God’s blessing other than in the person and work of the crucified Savior is to look for life and salvation where it is not to be found. In seeking the true revelation of God one must always remember, as the Bible reminds us, that there are things that appear religious and true, but are in fact false and empty (Philippians 2:8; Colossians 2:23).

The theology of the cross and the theology of glory in worship

In worship, Christians often praise and thank God for a variety of reasons. We may exalt his mighty acts, rejoice in the gifts that he gives, celebrate his creation, or praise his power, greatness, and might. These things may be part of the work or attributes of God, but taken in isolation, such praises may reflect a theology of glory.

Evaluation of worship materials should ask whether they are true to God’s specific revelation in Scripture. Do they present Christ not only in power, but in the weakness that secured humanity’s salvation? Do they focus only on our praise and neglect to present his work? Certainly Christians should praise God for the many things that he has done for us, but we should always center our praises in his gracious gifts through Christ Jesus.

It is evident that Jesus foresaw not only his own sufferings but also those of his disciples, in particular the Twelve. Jesus’ thinking appears to have been influenced, on the one hand, by the passages in Isaiah that were prophetic of the sufferings of the “Servant” (Isa 42:1–4; 49:1–6; 50:4–9; 52:13–53:12) and, on the other, by the sufferings of “saints of the Most High” with whom the “Son of Man” is closely connected (Dan 7:21–22, 25). Jesus spoke prophetically of the suffering that awaited both him and them (Mark 8:31, 34–38; 9:31; 10:30, 32–34, 39 pars.). Using the images of shepherd/sheep (Mark 14:27; Zech 13:7–9) and vine/branches (John 15:1–16:5), Jesus described their closeness to him and the suffering he and they were to share. Jesus’ teaching about his own “sufferings” has probably influenced Paul (Phil 3:10; Col 1:24) as well as other NT writers (1 Pet 1:11; 4:13; 5:1; Heb 2:9, 10).

“The sufferings of Christ,” as suffered by Paul, in this context are to be identified with “all our afflictions … in every affliction” (v. 4), “we are afflicted” (v. 6), and “the same sufferings we also suffer” (v. 6). These “afflictions” arise directly from his missionary message and lifestyle, so abundantly set forth in this letter. Just as Christ suffered in his ministry and death from forces hostile to God, so, too, the apostle, in continuity with Christ, suffered in the course of his ministry and proclamation.46

The line of thought is “cause and effect.” “Affliction” to Paul, as in the first half of the sentence, brings “comfort and salvation” to them. But this is because, in his “affliction,” Paul would be “comforted” by God, as in the second half of the sentence. Through his ministry to them—now by letter (see particularly 1:8–11; 7:5–16), later in person—Paul would mediate to the Corinthians the “comfort” that he had himself received from God (cf. v. 3).

A dynamic relationship exists between these “sufferings” and this “comfort,” both of which the Corinthians and Paul “share.” They, the people, and he, the apostle, are “sharers”69 of the “same sufferings” (i.e., “the sufferings of Christ”—vv. 6, 5) on account of their confession of Christ in a hostile culture, that is, to the “world” alienated from God, in need of “reconciliation” to him (5:19).

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The main themes of the benediction (vv. 3–7) are carried forward into this passage: (1) the immediate repetition of “affliction” (thlipsis) (v. 8), which Paul applies to his near-death experience in Asia. (2) God as Father and comforter in the benediction appears now as deliverer of Paul from the thlipsis in Asia. (3) The firm “hope” he expressed for their continuance (v. 7) is repeated as his “hope” that God will deliver him from the perils that await him, ultimately by resurrection from the dead (“our hope,” v. 7; “we have set our hope,” v. 10).

As noted above, the benediction (1:3–7) is Paul’s christianized adaptation of the first of the Nineteen Benedictions, or perhaps of an earlier form of that benediction. It is noteworthy that the passage now following bears some similarity to the second of the Nineteen Benedictions:

Lord, you are almighty, making the dead alive. You are mighty to help, sustaining the living out of grace, making the dead alive out of great mercy, supporting those who fall, healing the sick, freeing the captive and keeping your word to them who sleep in the dust. And who is like you, Lord of mighty deeds, and who is comparable to you, King, who causes death and life and help to spring forth? And you are faithful to make the dead alive. Blessed are you, Lord, who makes the dead alive.5

The echoes of “God, who raises the dead, [who] has delivered from such a death … and will deliver” (vv. 9–10) are striking. It is possible that Paul has deliberately alluded to these consecutive Synagogue Benedictions, (1) on the one hand to establish his continuity with the faith of his fathers, and yet (2) in such a way as to indicate fulfillment—and therefore discontinuity—through the Messiah Jesus, whom God raised from the dead (cf. 4:14).

Perhaps his account of the impact on him of this dreadful experience will mollify the Corinthian criticism that he had not come to them directly from Ephesus (see on vv. 15–17).

Although he gives no further details of this “affliction,” Paul is most likely referring to the city-wide commotion in Ephesus12 that brought to an end his (two-to three-year) ministry there.13 While some scholars doubt that Paul is here referring to the disturbance described in Acts 19:23–20:1,14 the conjunction of sequence and place (Asia … Macedonia—2 Cor 1:8; 2:13; Ephesus … Macedonia—Acts 19:1; 20:1) makes it likely that the two passages point to the one event. The silence of the Acts about the gravity of the occasion does not logically require these verses to refer to another incident. Given the well-known passion of the Ephesians for their goddess Artemis, it is likely that the Acts incident was extremely dangerous to Paul.15

Remember 1 Corinthians 16:9 “for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.”

The furor in Ephesus, which arose from the silversmith Demetrius’s complaint that Paul’s message that “man-made gods are not gods at all” (Acts 19:26) had discredited the goddess Artemis, the pride of Asia,18 and diminished the trade in cult artifacts, is readily identifiable with Paul’s grim account in these verses.

Paul begins this verse by referring to the “sentence of death” that, he felt within himself, he had received. But this was for a purpose, that he might now rely on the God who raises the dead rather than on himself

The power to raise the dead was, and remains, the supreme demonstration of divine power (cf. Heb 11:19; Deut 32:39; LXX 1 Sam 2:6). Paul employs the present tense, “raises,”34 because while God displayed that irresistible power when he raised Jesus from the dead (cf. 4:14), he continues to display that power—as seen in the deliverance of his servants from impossible circumstances (4:8–9; cf. v. 10)—and he will finally reveal that power in the resurrection of the end time (cf. 4:14; 5:1–10). Raising the dead is no abstract attribute but what God typically does (4:14; Rom 4:17; 2 Kings 5:7).

The God who raises the dead at the great eschatological “moments” of Easter and the Parousia is not, in the meantime, remote and removed from his servants in the day-to-day circumstances within mundane history. Chrysostom comments that “when God raises up again a man whose life is despaired of, and who has been brought to the very gates of hell, He shows nothing other than a resurrection, snatching from the very jaws of death the one who had fallen into them.”42 God must be seen as active within history both to “comfort” (v. 4) and to “deliver,” overlapping realities to which Paul gives eloquent testimony elsewhere in 2 Corinthians (4:8–10; 11:23–32). Paul’s escape from grave danger in Asia dramatizes the experience of God’s “comfort,” which, through his present words, he is sharing with the Corinthians

Because God raises the dead and delivers his people, he is to be prayed to for continued deliverance; because he graciously answers prayer for such deliverance, he will be thanked by those who pray. Paul’s twofold reference to “many [Corinthians]” acknowledges that, while problems exist between Paul and the Corinthians, a majority have now declared their support for him against his aggressor (2:6; 7:12)

Having secured his unity with the Corinthians in God their Father by appeal to shared benediction and intercession followed by thanksgiving, the apostle now moves into the delicate matter of their criticisms of him.

Discuss

1. How many times do you find a form of the word comfort in these verses?

This is to get the class thinking about this section. Comfort is found ten times in these verses.

2. God allowed great distress to come into Paul’s life. What was the purpose of this suffering

Paul also gives a number of divine reasons for suffering. Suffering is a nursery for the growth (1) of compassion (v. 4), (2) of encouragement, and (3) of intensified hope (vv. 9–10).

• in regard to the spiritual lives of the Corinthians? (verses 4–7)

Paul could comfort the Corinthians with the comfort God gave him.

• in regard to Paul’s own spiritual life?

Paul would continue to learn to put his trust in God alone.

3. To what extent did Paul suffer? Can you find in these verses an allusion to God’s role in Jesus’ resurrection? How did this comfort Paul?

Paul felt he was being sentenced to death. Yet he remembered that God had raised his Son, Jesus, from the dead. Paul could be sure his sins were paid for and that God will always raise his people from death—either from figurative death or from literal death.

4. Paul never seemed to do anything without keeping the entire church in mind. What important role could the Corinthians play when Paul was undergoing persecution? How would Christians from other places become involved in a circle of spiritual blessings? (verses 10b, 11)

When the Corinthians prayed for Paul, God would help him. When God helped Paul, many others who were dependent on him for spiritual leadership and support would give thanks to God for the blessings God poured out on Paul because of the Corinthians’ prayers (in addition to the prayers of Christians everywhere).

Apply

5. When has someone been able to comfort you because of how God comforted them?

Answers will vary.

6. Agree or disagree. God is more likely to help a person who is being supported by the prayers of his fellow Christians.

Agree. According to Paul’s words, he could expect God’s help in response to the prayers of his fellow Christians.

Paul rejoiced in the comfort God gave him, and he saw it as a source of blessing to himself, the Corinthians, and all Christians.