Bible Study - 2 Corinthians Chapter 1
Bible Study - 2 Corinthians Chapter 1
| 1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, |
Apostle, apostolos in Greek, means messenger. It also refers to the office in the early church. 2 Corinthians has the best explanation of the office of apostle, and addresses false apostles, pseudapostoloi. Paul's office is by the will of God, as evidenced by the many miracles that he performed. Timothy is also in the "from" line of this letter. Paul refers to him as brother here, rather than as his son or child. This elevates Timothy to a coworker status. |
| To the church of God which is at Corinth with all the saints who are throughout Achaia: | The letter is addressed to the church of God that is at Corinth. This emphasis in identity points to it belonging to God first, and it's location being a secondary matter. Sectarian attitudes take the opposite attitude. It is also addressed to the saints, hagios, in Achaia. This was the Roman province that covered southern Greece, and the Roman city of Corinth was it's capital. Saint is another term for Christian, not some special designation for elite Christians. The term hagios literally means the holy. Just as Israel was to be a people chosen by the grace of God and marked by living lives that set them apart from the pagan culture around them, Christians are saved by the grace of God and ought to be noticeably different from the pagan culture. |
| 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. | Paul's greeting is a prayer for God's favor, or grace, which is undeserved, and His peace. |
| 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, |
This is thanksgiving to God. Using blessed is a Jewish way of putting it rather than a gentile wording of thanks. And the phrase "Father of mercies" is Jewish prayer. However, the Corinthian church is mostly gentile, as Paul was aware having founded it. This wording is deliberate. Some translations end this verse with the word encouragement, which is the more common meaning of paraklesis. However, considering the trials and deliverance in the context, the word comfort is appropriate, although more of an emphasis than the complete definition of the word. |
| 4 who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. |
Some translations use the word trouble. However, this does not convey the sense of trial and affliction that believers were experiencing. This persecution was because of their faith. The formula is clear. We are encouraged/comforted by God. And because of that and by that example, we are an encouragement/comfort to other Christians who are also afflicted |
| 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. |
Just as Christ was persecuted and suffered at the hands of the Jewish and Roman leaders, so Christians suffer because of their identification with Christ. While this is not a literal suffering exactly as Christ, it has the same root cause; the world rejects Christ. And while comforter is usually a term used for the Holy Spirit, this verse makes it clear that our "abundant" comfort is through Jesus Christ. |
| 6 But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer; |
The affliction is the trials in verse 4. Salvation here does not mean the saving of their souls. (Paul is not claiming the role of Christ.) The word also can mean protection or preservation. Paul is saying that the trials he and the other missionaries suffer is for their good. Translating parakalesis as comfort is concisely accurate for this verse. However, the word can also mean to urge or exhort. We would probably say encourage. The concepts are connected in this Greek word, even if one or the other is more concisely accurate in a particular verse. When Paul is comforted/encouraged, they are also comforted/encouraged. The implication is that this is a divine comfort. When the Corinthians are comforted it has the benefit of making a way for them to endure the sufferings they are going through. That they are not alone in their suffering, but it is shared by Paul and the others is in itself encouraging. |
| 7 and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort. |
Paul's critics argued that Paul cannot be an apostle because he suffered. An underlying argument of Paul is that to reject him for this reason is as non-sensical as rejecting Jesus Christ. One of the arguments against Jesus being the messiah was that he suffered. To non-Christian Jews, this was contrary to their picture of the messiah. They had a false picture because they focused on the conquering messiah parts of prophecy and ignored the parts on the suffering messiah. We should take this as a warning of the danger of picking and choosing scripture instead of accepting all of it. The main point of this verse is that suffering and comfort is a corporate experience for the church. |
| 8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; |
The first part of the verse is a little awkward in English when rendered directly from the stylistic phrasing in Greek. "We want you to be aware" would be a way to translate it, but without the emphasis of the negative that implies a correction to a misconception or some such. This is a confession. Paul is making an extreme emphasis with his choice of words and the use of multiple descriptors of how bad the trial they went through was. Clearly, this was beyond what any mere human could possibly endure on their own. |
| 9 indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; |
This verse is awkward in English, and it is easy to read into the verse what isn't there, both in Greek and English. Essentially, the trial was so bad that they accepted untimely death to the point they no longer struggled against it. In other words, they felt that death was inevitable and near, without any hope of survival. In the natural they accepted death, giving up on life. But they got through it because they put their trust in God in the sure knowledge that God raises people from the dead. What this trial was is not defined. And any attempt to connect this to a specific part of Acts is futile. Most likely this was due to some break down in law and order, or some local government breaking the law themselves to persecute Paul and Timothy. These things occurred in several places in Acts, and it is likely there were others that weren't recorded in scripture. This does not mean that it was God's will that they go through this. It doesn't mean it wasn't. This was God turning what evil men meant for evil towards men of God into an ultimate good. It is is a parallel to Joseph's speech to his brothers in Genesis 50:20. |
| 10 who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us, |
God delivered them from this insurmountable trial. Because God rescued them then, Paul can confidently say that God will rescue them in the future. Faith is like a muscle in that it grows with use. Stressing the muscle with greater weight builds it up. Taking on weight that is far beyond the development of the muscle is discouraging, can damage the motivation, and can cause physical damage. This can be overcome by miraculous means. But miracles are the exception not the rule, or else they would be commonplace and cease to be miracles. It is a good thing for a Christian to test their faith in little ways, building up for the time when it will be needed for the great trial. David did not face Goliath with an untested faith. He built up from little things like defending his flock from dogs and hyenas, then to taking on bears and lions, and then to the giant. The reason for being able to trust in God even to death is that God raises the dead. This is both an Old Testament creed, (Isaiah 26:19, 1 Samuel 2:6, Ezekiel 37,) and the gospel of Christ's resurrection, not to mention Lazarus. Thus, if we put our faith in God, we have hope no matter the circumstances or the results. |
| 11 you also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many. |
The Greek word sunupourgounton literally means "working together to support." Prayer is so powerful that those far away in Corinth and other churches are working hand in glove with Paul and Timothy in their trials and, also their missionary work. Plainly, all those that prayed for Paul and Timothy have reason to give thanks that their prayers were answered. Our faith is encouraged when we learn the outcome of our prayers like this. Implied is that they share in the rewards for the work that was accomplished. There is parallel in 1 Samuel 30:21-25, where those who stayed behind with the baggage were entitled to an equal share of the reward as those who had gone into battle. Those who support missionaries in prayer and funding are rewarded the same as those who actually go. Also implied is that those that did not support Paul were a minority faction, and that the majority were praying and supporting him. |
| That they were delivered from this trial that was beyond their own ability to endure is not evidence against Paul being an apostle as some of his critics were arguing. False preachers who teach an anti-biblical prosperity gospel were present then and are not just a modern phenomenon. In fact, deliverance by the grace of God attests to the divine nature of Paul's ministry and his office of an apostle. | |
| 12 For our proud confidence is this: the testimony of our conscience, that in holiness and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you. |
Paul is responding to the attack against him in verses 12-14. However, this response is a very positive and even friendly defense. The first defense is that Paul's conscience is clear. This is his own internal awareness, not a divine conviction. That he operated in the grace of God and not in his own ability is the basis of his knowledge that his conduct was moral and correct. His actions are in alignment with God's will, and therefore able to stand up to divine scrutiny. This is in contrast to the world's view that our own conscience is our only guide. The world says that anything is permissible as long as our own conscience says it's okay. But this is a lie. Our heart lies to us and leads us to harm. Paul correctly makes God as the standard, and ones conscience is only right when it views we are within God's directions that are most clearly stated in scripture. |
| 13 For we write nothing else to you than what you read and understand, and I hope you will understand until the end; |
The second defense is that Paul's letters were transparent. He said what he meant. In other words, they not meant to deceive, but to convey the gospel, theology, instruction, and guidance. He meant for them to understand what he was trying to teach, not double-talk to confuse them. (This is expanded on in verse 17.) Paul hopes that they will fully understand. |
| 14 just as you also partially did understand us, that we are your reason to be proud as you also are ours, in the day of our Lord Jesus. |
The wording here is awkward and difficult. This is the third defense, that teaching and leading is serious business and he takes it as such. And there are difficulties to be overcome. For him, it is finding a way to lead them to the true gospel and to becoming what they should be. For them the difficulty is in understanding things for which their experience has not provided any frame of reference. In essence, Paul hopes they will understand why he said and did what he did. And that when Jesus returns, ("the day of our Lord Jesus".) they will mutually be proud of each other. In contrast, there are many false preachers who will not be able to have that result. While God it the God who will do what he is going to do, and some will truly find God despite the efforts to mislead, there will not be this reciprocal pride and joy at the second coming. |
| 15 In this confidence I intended at first to come to you, so that you might twice receive a blessing; | Paul did visit Corinth twice, and planned to come a third time, (2 Corinthians 12:14 & 13:1-2.) It seems that the second visit was in sorrow, (2 Corinthians 2:1,) because of what he found going on and what happened while he was there. Thus his original plan was for his third visit to be a second blessing on the Church. |
| 16 that is, to pass your way into Macedonia, and again from Macedonia to come to you, and by you to be helped on my journey to Judea. |
Paul supported himself on his first time in Corinth because it was necessary that no one be able to claim he was in it for the money. This was his normal approach. And once the church was firmly established and Paul had moved on he allowed a church in right relationship with him and God to participate in his evangelism by supporting him. It was his intent was that they would help him financially with his missionary journey to Judea on his second visit to Corinth. (Corinth would have been an ideal place to obtain passage to Judea by ship.) This could also refer to the plan for Corinthian delegates to accompany Paul with the money that had been raised for the support of the church in Judea. But what was going on in Corinth when he arrived required that he again not take any money, (at least for himself,) as it appears to have been a visit of rebuke and confrontation with the things that were going on in the church. In the end, it appears that Paul never allowed financial support by the Corinthians, unlike the churches in Philippi, Thessalonica, and others. |
| 17 Therefore, I was not vacillating when I intended to do this, was I? Or what I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, so that with me there will be yes, yes and no, no at the same time? | This is a defense against accusations of duplicity. Paul's second trip to Corinth was supposed to be a joyous occasion reveling in the accomplishments of a church and its planter. But the situation required it have a very different character. Also, Paul wrote of coming a third time but delayed or cancelled that trip. These were ammunition his critics used to say he was operating in the flesh and being double-minded. |
| 18 But as God is faithful, our word to you is not yes and no. | As certain as God is trustworthy, so was Paul's teaching and rebuke. God keeps his promises and covenants. The word Paul gave was from God, and that is reliable. It is like God is the co-signer on the loan. There is nothing more sure. |
| 19 For the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was preached among you by us - by me and Silvanus and Timothy - was not yes and no, but is yes in Him. |
Paul was always consistent in that he taught Christ, and Him crucified. He was not peddling the gospel like those he mentioned in 2 Corinthians 2:17, he was teaching the authentic Jesus and was living by the words he spoke. The different approaches and different applications are due to the hearer's duplicity, not God's or Paul's. That the gospel both encourages and convicts is not a contradiction. The same message applied to those operating in the Spirit and those in the flesh will have different results. To see that as a contradiction is to misunderstand the gospel. Silvanus is the Latin version of the name Silas, who accompanied Paul on his second missionary journey. It is almost certain that there were others as well. That Paul lists three preaching the gospel may be a connection to the two or three witnesses in Mosaic law. |
| 20 For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us. |
God keeps his promises. God is always a yes to His promises without fail. This is more sure than gravity. The yes in Christ is reflected when we say "amen". We are saying we agree, that what was said is truth, or that we do believe what was said. It is our affirmation reflecting the sure faithfulness of Christ and is a praise of God. When Paul would make plans for the future, he always acknowledged that God may have different plans. And a Christian should have the attitude that God's will trumps ours and not insist that man-made plans go forward. But just because man's plans don't necessarily happen doesn't reflect on God's promises. God keeps His promises. |
| 21 Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, | This is double defense of Paul's apostleship. The anointed one, Christ, anointed Paul. And through Paul the Corinthians were also anointed. And the establishment of the Corinthian church itself is evidence of Paul's office. The signs and wonders that occurred when Paul was there and after he left are a testament to the truth of the gospel and to Paul being the messenger of Christ to them. |
| 22 who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge. |
That they received the Spirit in their innermost being is the experiential evidence they can easily see. This is actually more of a confirmation than miracles. The Israelites during the exodus saw tremendous miracles we can only see in CGI in a theater. Yet they turned away so quickly it was embarrassing. Seal here means the claiming of property by its owner, like a land title. God claimed us as His own in the new covenant. However, as the one who made us, we were rightly His already. This is like the closest relative redeeming the property of a relative that died as Boaz did with the property of Ruth's husband in Ruth chapter 4. The same word is used in Romans 4:11 to refer to the circumcision, which was the seal of the old covenant. Some try to use this to mean that salvation cannot be lost, taking the seal to mean a permanent condition. But this seal does not refer to salvation or the end times at all. And a seal can be broken. |
| Paul's defense of himself is not for selfish reasons. If doubt can be sown about him, then that doubt would certainly transfer to the gospel he preached. Thus, the Corinthian church could easily be turned to a false gospel with little hope of returning to the true. | |
| 23 But I call God as witness to my soul, that to spare you I did not come again to Corinth. |
While the beginning of this verse is an appeal to Paul's honesty in what follows, what underlies it is Paul's repeated teaching that our lives are an open book to God both now and at the day of judgement. This is the reason Paul changed his travel plans and did not go to Corinth a third time. He wanted to spare them from his coming in a spirit of correction and discipline against the things that were going wrong in the church. It could be that he thought that they would not perceive his correction to be in love, (Ephesians 4:25,) or to be gentle, (2 Timothy 2:23-26.) Proverbs 13:24 makes it clear that discipline is an act of love. But in the case of the Corinthian church, a letter would be easier to receive. |
| 24 Not that we lord it over your faith, but are workers with you for your joy; for in your faith you are standing firm. |
Paul is saying he is not a dictator or king over them. He is a fellow worker. While Paul is the founder of their church and an apostle, scripture teaches a servant leadership. The primary role of the apostles was to teach, and part of teaching is correction of errors. However, Paul felt that his next visit ought to be one of joy, and there was a great deal to be joyful about. However, his coming with discipline would make a joyful reunion difficult. And if he came and did not confront the serious problems of the church it could be viewed as being permissive or even as approval. That was not an option. |
| Verses 23-24 are more connected to chapter 2 than the verses before. The chapter division was probably put where it is because these were viewed as a transition between these two sections of the letter. |
Scripture quotations taken from the NASB © The Lockman Foundation.