2 Corinthians 1:1-11 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs,
Now onto today’s GAME passage. Today we begin the book of 2 Corinthians, which Paul wrote to the church in Corinth in approximately 56 AD. We start today with 2 Corinthians 1:1-11. Let’s go!
2 Corinthians 1:1-2 (NIV)
1 Paul, 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:
2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
On verses 1-2: Though it is called “2 Corinthians”, scholars believe that this letter is actually the fourth letter that Paul wrote to the church in Corinth. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians has never been found. His second letter has become known as “1 Corinthians” and was written to address a number of problems happening in the church. After writing the letter known as 1 Corinthians, Paul would make a “painful visit” (2 Corinthians 2:1) to the church in Corinth, probably to reprimand the church because the problems he wrote about in 1 Corinthians had not been adequately dealt with. Paul would then write a couple more letters to the church in Corinth, with 2 Corinthians being the last of these letters. As shown in verse 1, Paul wrote 2 Corinthians with the help of Timothy, Paul’s apprentice, who was likely writing down Paul’s words as he dictated them. Paul would make one more visit to the church in Corinth after writing this letter.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV)
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,
4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
On verses 3-4: Highlight the words “in all our troubles“. God makes His comfort available to us in all our troubles, no matter how big or how small. So in your discomfort, run to God for comfort. He is the God of all comfort. And remember this: the reason He comforts us is not for our benefit alone, but so that we can comfort others who are troubled (v4). Who better to comfort those going through the pain of losing a child than someone who has lost a child and found hope in Jesus Christ? Who better to help those going through the pain of divorce, or cancer, or abuse, than someone who went through that same pain but has experienced new hope in Jesus Christ? You may find that your greatest ministry will have something to do with the greatest pain you’ve experienced in life. Praise God! He never wastes a hurt!
2 Corinthians 1:5-7 (NIV)
5 For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.
6 If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer.
7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.
On verses 5-7: When like Paul you make it your life mission to let others know about Jesus, there will be a measure of suffering you experience, for the life of a missionary is not easy. That is the suffering Paul writes about in verses 5 and 6. But beyond the suffering, there will also be an overflowing measure of comfort you experience in Christ too (v5b). This comfort ultimately doesn’t just help you but will, if you let it, help those you serve, encouraging them to patiently endure their troubles (v6b-7).
2 Corinthians 1:8-9 (NIV)
8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.
9 Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.
On verses 8-9: What were the hardships Paul and his team suffered in Asia? We don’t know exactly. We do know that these hardships caused Paul and his team to be “under great pressure, far beyond their ability to endure” such that they “despaired even of life” (v8). But Paul concludes that these hardships happened for a purpose: that they would not rely on themselves but on God, who raises the dead (v9).
Are you going through hardship today? Are you under great pressure? Are you feeling like the situation is more than you can bear, even to the point that you feel like you’re going to die or want to die? May the Holy Spirit use today’s passage to comfort you, to remind you that God allows great hardship in your life not to be cruel to you and not because He doesn’t care, but so that like Paul you can learn to rely on God in a new way and experience the power of Him “who raises the dead”.
2 Corinthians 1:10 (NIV)
10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us…
On verse 10: “Because He has…He will”. Because Paul experienced God’s deliverance from great hardship in the past, Paul had confidence that God would continue to deliver him in the future. In the same way, when you’re uncertain and fearful about tomorrow, think back to God’s faithfulness in the past to give you confidence today about the future. Satan wants us to forget all the ways God has helped us in the past so that we will wallow in joylessness, hopelessness and despair today. It’s no wonder David writes in Psalm 103:2, “Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.” When you remind yourself of God’s faithfulness in the past, it encourages you to put your faith and confidence in Him today, that He will deliver you from every trial you face now and in the future.
What hardships has God delivered you from in the past? Think of one and pray: “God, just as you delivered me from that past hardship, thank You that You will deliver me from this hardship I face today.”
2 Corinthians 1:11 (NIV)
11 as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.
On verse 11: Paul believed in the power of prayer. He coveted the prayers of his church in Corinth to help him through his struggles. He believed that God answers prayers and that a church that prays will be full of miracles and thanksgiving.
What can we learn from this? Prayer is a game-changer. When we pray, we give God room to do what we cannot do ourselves. Prayer has this way of filling a church with miracles and thanksgiving. Be a person of prayer who prays often both privately and with others. There are people waiting to be helped and thanksgiving that’s waiting to be given because of your prayers!
Here’s a prayer for you today: May you experience God’s surpassing comfort in your pain, God’s surpassing strength in your weakness, and God’s surpassing power in and through your prayers. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
