Untitled Sermon (4)

What is the Christian individual and Community going to be treated in this world?

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God that is in Corinth, together with all the saints throughout Achaia:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, 4 who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ are abundant for us, so also our consolation is abundant

Overview: In his customary fashion, the apostle Paul begins his letter by greeting the church in Corinth and extending to them God’s grace and peace. Reformation commentators recognize that Paul has good reasons to assert his apostolic authority at the outset, given the accusations of the false teachers in Corinth who ridicule Paul’s person and dismiss his gospel message. Paul has been faithful in executing the duties of his apostolic office that he received from Christ—something these false apostles cannot claim for themselves. The fact that Paul addresses the

Corinthian church with its many problems as “the church of God” also invites comment from several Protestant exegetes, who note that (contrary to the claims of some Anabaptists) Christ’s church in this world will never be perfect, free from all error and sin. And yet, Christian believers continue to receive the abundant riches of God’s grace and peace, the two most illustrious benefits of the gospel that come from God the…

New Revised Standard Version: Updated Edition (Friendship Press, 2021), 2 Co 1:1.