2 Corinthians chapter 1
English Standard Version
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, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5For as we share abundantly in Christ 's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. 6If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. 7Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.
8For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 10He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. 11You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.
12For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you. 13For we are not writing to you anything other than what you read and understand and I hope you will fully understand — 14just as you did partially understand us — that on the day of our Lord Jesus you will boast of us as we will boast of you.
15Because I was sure of this, I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have a second experience of grace. 16I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and to come back to you from Macedonia and have you send me on my way to Judea. 17Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I make my plans according to the flesh, ready to say "Yes, yes" and "No, no" at the same time? 18As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No. 19For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes. 20For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. 21And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, 22and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
What does 2 Corinthians chapter 1 mean?
Second Corinthians is Paul's second biblical letter to the church he helped to establish in the Greek city of Corinth. Much has happened between him and the Corinthians since he wrote 1 Corinthians from the city of Ephesus about a year earlier. He has traveled to Corinth, had a painful and likely confrontational visit there, and has written another letter—now lost—in response to that visit. This letter comes after receiving news from his co-worker Titus about a change of heart among the Corinthians regarding Paul.Paul often begins his letters by expressing his thanks to God for his readers and God's work in their lives. This time, though, he begins by praising God for His comfort to those who experience affliction. Those comforted by God can respond by giving comfort to each other. Paul connects Christian suffering to Christ's suffering and connects comfort from God in that suffering to the comfort Christ received, as well.
The Corinthians seem to have been aware of Paul's most recent experience of suffering for Christ's sake. Some apparently questioned why an apostle of Jesus should suffer so much. Shouldn't he be protected by his connection to God's power? Paul's response is that his suffering as an apostle made it possible for the Corinthians to receive the gospel. And the comfort he has received from God in his suffering has allowed him to comfort them when they experience suffering as he has (2 Corinthians 1:1–7).
Perhaps the Corinthians did not understand how severe Paul's recent suffering was. He describes himself and his companions as being burdened beyond their own strength, feeling sure they would die, and being forced to rely on the God who raises the dead. God did deliver them, and Paul stood assured that God would continue to deliver them. Paul invites the Corinthians to be part of God's victory by continuing to pray for Paul and his co-workers and to give thanks to God for their deliverance from harm (2 Corinthians 1:8–11).
Paul next defends himself from apparent accusations that he lacks integrity, transparency, and honesty. Some have frivolously charged him with selfishly changing his travel plans. Paul insists that, especially with the Corinthians, he and his team have acted with simple integrity, openness and sincerity, hiding nothing from them either in person or in his letters. He has been upright and straightforward in all circumstances (2 Corinthians 1:12–14).
He made his travel plans to visit Corinth with full intention to follow through, but he changed those plans at the leading of God's Spirit and for the good of the Corinthians themselves. Paul describes himself and his team and the Corinthians as having been established in Christ by God, who also poured out His own Spirit on them as a seal, guaranteeing their place with God in eternity. Just as Christ is the yes to all of God's promises, He has been the yes to the changes in Paul's travel arrangements (2 Corinthians 1:15–22).
More specifically, Paul says that he delayed returning to Corinth most recently to spare them, likely meaning from the discipline he would have had to bring against them for their potential sinfulness. He and his co-workers did not want to lord their authority over the Corinthians. Instead, they preferred to be able to work with them for their joy and continued faithfulness (2 Corinthians 1:23–24).
Second Corinthians returns to similar themes as those Paul mentioned in his first letter to this church. Paul is glad to hear that the church in Corinth has heeded his advice. At the same time, it is necessary for Paul to counter criticisms about his personality and legitimacy. Most of this text involves that subject. The fifth chapter, in contrast, contains comforting words which Christians have quoted often in times of hardship. Paul also details his expectations that the church in Corinth will make good on their promise to contribute to the needs of suffering believers in Jerusalem.
Second Corinthians 1 follows about a year after the end of 1 Corinthians, and much has happened between the two letters. Paul has had a painful visit with the Corinthians before traveling to Macedonia, where he wrote a painful letter. The text of which has not been kept. He writes this new letter from Macedonia, as well, after learning about a positive change of heart on their behalf. Paul begins by praising God for His comfort for those who are afflicted and defending himself against several complaints from some in the church.
