2 Corinthians 1 explained: Comfort in Trouble, Honest Plans

Greeting to Corinth (vv. 1-2)

Paul writes with his younger coworker Timothy to the church in Corinth, a busy Greek port city, and to believers across the surrounding region of southern Greece. His usual greeting pairs grace, God's undeserved kindness, with peace, the Hebrew wish for wholeness and well-being.

Comfort passed along (vv. 3-7)

Paul praises God as the source of all mercy and comfort, and says the comfort he receives is meant to be passed on to others who suffer. He sees his hardships as a share in Christ's own sufferings, and believes the Corinthians share with him in both the pain and the comfort.

Near death in Asia (vv. 8-11)

In the Roman province of Asia, in what is now western Turkey, Paul faced something so crushing that he expected to die. No one knows for sure what it was, perhaps the riot at Ephesus or a serious illness, but he says it taught him to trust the God who raises the dead and to value their prayers.

A clear conscience (vv. 12-14)

Some in Corinth seem to have doubted Paul's honesty, so he says his conscience is clear and he has dealt with them openly, not with clever self-serving tactics. His letters mean just what they say, and he hopes that when Jesus returns they will be proud of him as he is of them.

Changed plans, God's yes (vv. 15-22)

Paul had planned to visit Corinth twice but changed course, and some accused him of saying yes and no at once. He answers that every promise of God finds its yes in Jesus, and that God has marked believers as his own and given them the Spirit as a down payment on what is still to come.

Why he stayed away (vv. 23-24)

Paul solemnly calls God as his witness that he stayed away to spare them a painful confrontation, not out of carelessness. He adds that he does not want to control their faith but to work alongside them for their joy.

Key verse: 2 Corinthians 1:4

Something to think about

Has going through something hard ever changed how you are able to be with someone else who is struggling?