II Corinthians 1: 1-7
Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
Paul was not one of the original twelve Apostles of Christ, but he considered himself equal to the other eleven having been taught personally by Jesus in the desert after his dramatic meeting with Him on the road to Damascus. And it was Paul who was planting God's church all over the known World.
and Timothy our brother,
Timothy is with Paul at this time, in Macedonia, where this letter was written.
To the church of God which is at Corinth
Paul is referring to God's church universal, the portion of which is in Corinth.
with all the saints who are throughout Achaia:
This letter was not to just the Corinthians, but also to all the believers in the whole area where Corinth was, including the cities of Cenchreae and Athens.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The traditional Greek and Hebrew greetings are elevated here: the "greetings," chairein, becomes charis, "grace," God's unmerited favor; and the Hebrew Shalom, "peace" is changed to eirene, the peace God gives us when we have peace with Him being justified by faith.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
"Blessed" is from eulogeo, "to speak well of (religiously)" rather than makarios, "fortunate, well-off, happy;" praising God for mercies (pity, not giving us the wrath we deserve) and comfort (solace, consolation).
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.
He comforts us so that we will know how to comfort one another. The comfort we receive, we are given so we can give it away to another who needs it. Our afflictions happen so we will learn these things.
For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.
When we have troubles and problems, we learn more of God's character, as He consoles us.
But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation;
So when we are afflicted, it is for the benefit of others.
or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort,
Whether we are afflicted or comforted, it is for our learning and giving away to others for their learning and benefit, also.
which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer;
Knowing how God will comfort and console us gives us perseverance through the trials of life, as an example to others so they also can persevere.
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.
We are secure in our trust in God to have given you the same strength and enduring He has given us in all the same hardships as well as the same solace.
O my Father, You are such a good Father to us all! You invite each of us into Your warm lap, to be enfolded in Your gentle embrace, in the midst of all the persecutions and trials and troubles and sorrows we face in life in this World. Your comfort and solace strengthens us to patiently endure through whatever we are going through at any time.
Help me, Father, to be a good example to others of how You encourage and uphold us in our hardships and trials and problems.
Father, You have already given us everything we need. Open my eyes to see, open my mind to understand, what You have already provided for me as Your child. Teach me how to show others how You comfort and console through hard times, as well as provide abundance and prosperity in the good times.
Father, strengthen all Your children to be good witnesses for You in sharing with those in our little worlds how wonderful You are and how much You Love each of us.
And every eye will see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Christ and Lord, our sovereign King, to the credit and glory of God the Father.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
