2 Corinthians 1
1
Paul’s Greeting
1From Paul to God’s called ones, his church in Corinth.
I have been chosen by Jesus Christ to be his apostle according to God’s perfect plan. Our brother Timothy joins me in writing to you and all the holy believers throughout the Roman province of Achaia. # 1:1 Although this letter was addressed primarily to the Corinthians, it was intended to be read by the churches in southern Greece (Achaia). 2May undeserved favor and endless peace be yours continually from our Father God and from our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One!
3All praises belong to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he is the Father of tender mercy and the God of endless comfort. # 1:3 Unlike Paul’s other letters, he skips over making his customary pleasant greeting to the Corinthians and begins this letter bursting with exuberant praise to God, who had delivered him from all of his painful ordeals. Tender mercy and compassion originate with God. As a kind father has compassion on his children, so God tenderly cares for each one of us. When suffering greets us, the God of mercy sustains us. His comfort is permanent and endless. See Mic. 7:18–19. 4He always comes alongside us to comfort us in every suffering so that we can come alongside those who are in any painful trial. We can bring them this same comfort that God has poured out upon us. 5And just as we experience the abundance of Christ’s own sufferings, # 1:5 That is, “the sufferings we endure because of faithfully following Christ.” even more of God’s comfort will cascade upon us through our union with Christ.
6If troubles weigh us down, that just means that we will receive even more comfort to pass on to you for your deliverance! For the comfort pouring into us empowers us to bring comfort to you. And with this comfort upholding you, you can endure victoriously the same suffering that we experience. 7Now our hope for you is unshakable, # 1:7 Or “firmly guaranteed.” because we know that just as you share in our sufferings you will also share in God’s comforting strength.
8Brothers and sisters, you need to know about the severe trials we experienced while we were in western Turkey. # 1:8 Or “Asia.” This was not the continent of Asia known today, but the Roman province of Asia comprised of western Turkey. All of the hardships we passed through crushed us beyond our ability to endure, and we were so completely overwhelmed that we were about to give up entirely. # 1:8 We are not told exactly what overwhelming suffering Paul endured that caused him to write these words with such honest emotion. Some believe he had escaped an assassination attempt or perhaps a mob who had gathered to kill him. Regardless, the sufferings Paul endured were many. See 2 Cor. 11:23–33. 9It felt like we # 1:9 The Greek text is extremely emphatic: “It felt like we ourselves, within our very beings, had received the verdict of death!” had a death sentence written upon our hearts, and we still feel it to this day. It has taught us to lose all faith in ourselves and to place all of our trust in the God who raises the dead. 10He has rescued us from terrifying encounters with death. And now we fasten our hopes on him to continue to deliver us from death yet again, 11as you labor together with us through prayer. # 1:11 Or “as you lift up your faces to God in prayer.” Paul knew that intercessory prayer has the power to change the future. Because there are so many interceding for us, our deliverance will cause even more people to give thanks to God. What a gracious gift of mercy surrounds us because of your prayers!
Apostolic Integrity
12We rejoice in saying with complete honesty and a clear conscience # 1:12 Or “indeed, our boasting and the testimony of our conscience.” that God has empowered us to conduct ourselves # 1:12 Paul regularly uses “we” and “our” in 2 Corinthians to refer to apostles and apostolic ministry. in a holy manner and with no hidden agenda. # 1:12 Or “We have behaved in the world with holiness and godly sincerity” (Aramaic, “purity”). Our boast and joy in ministry is not what we have done or how many followers we have, but that our conscience is clean and our motives unmixed. Paul is not taking credit for himself but stating clearly that God’s grace was his source of strength and purity. God’s marvelous grace enables us to minister to everyone with pure motives, not in the clever wisdom of the world. This is especially true in all of our dealings with you. 13We write to you with words that are clearly understood, and there is no need for you to try to read between the lines of what we write in hopes that you can completely and accurately understand our hearts. 14We know you have already understood us in a measure and that you will eventually come to understand us fully. # 1:14 Or “to the end.” Then you’ll be able to boast of us even as we will boast of you in the day of our Lord Jesus.
Paul Explains His Changed Plans
15-16With this confidence, I’m wanting to visit you before and after my trip to Macedonia # 1:15–16 Implied and made explicit from v. 15. so that you enjoy a second experience of grace. # 1:15–16 Or “a second pleasure.” It is possible Paul is using a figure of speech for his second trip to visit them. Afterward, I’m hoping you will be able to aid me on my journey to Israel. # 1:15–16 Or “Judea.” 17When I revised my itinerary, was I vacillating? Or do I make my plans with unprincipled motives, # 1:17 Or “according to the [ways of the] flesh.” ready to flip-flop with a “yes” and a “no” in the same breath? Of course not! # 1:17 The change of Paul’s plans was used by his detractors as a sign of him being untrustworthy. But Paul explains that his itinerary change was not an indication of a lack of concern for them, but because he didn’t want to come and have to rebuke them. He wanted to give the Holy Spirit time in their lives to help work out their issues. His longing was to come with joy and to impart his joy to them, rather than causing more pain. This is why he wrote an emotional letter to them pleading with them to change their ways. 18For as God is true to his word, my promise # 1:18 Or “my message.” to you was not a fickle “yes” when I meant “no.”
19Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and he is the one whom Timothy, Silas, and I have preached to you—and he has never been both a “yes” and a “no.” He has always been and always will be for us a resounding “YES!” 20For all of God’s promises find their “yes” of fulfillment in him. # 1:20 The Aramaic can be translated “All of the kingdoms of God are in him.” And as his “yes” and our “amen” # 1:20 The Hebrew word for “amen” means “That’s right!” ascend to God, we bring him glory! # 1:20 This elliptical sentence could imply the following: (1) It is through Christ that we hear and believe God’s promises and say the declaration of our faith, “Amen,” or (2) it is Christ who speaks through us the “Amen” (of faith).
21Now, it is God himself who has anointed us. And he is constantly strengthening both you and us in union with Christ. 22He knows we are his since he has also stamped his seal of love # 1:22 The Greek word for seal is sphragizō. God has sealed believers with a seven-fold seal: (1) a seal of security, sealed tightly and kept secure in God’s love (Deut. 32:34; Job 14:17; Matt. 27:66), (2) a seal of authentication that marks us as God’s very own (1 Kings 21:8; Est. 8:10; John 6:27), (3) a seal to certify genuineness (Est. 8:8, 10; John 3:33), (4) a seal of ownership (Neh. 10:1; Jer. 32:44; 2 Cor. 1:22), (5) a seal of approval (Eph. 1:13–14), (6) a seal of righteousness (Rom. 4:11), and (7) a seal denoting a promise to be fulfilled (2 Cor. 5:5; Eph. 1:13–14; 4:30). The mark given by the beast is upon the forehead and hand, but the “seal” of Christ is over our hearts. Jesus, our Bridegroom, invites us to place him over our hearts like a fiery seal of love, the jealous flame of God that burns continually in our hearts (Song. 8:6). We are born of the Spirit, sealed with the Spirit, indwelt by the Spirit, baptized in the Spirit, filled with the Spirit, made one (unity) in the Spirit, given gifts of the Spirit, and given ministries by the Spirit. He is a promise, a seal, and a guarantee of receiving our full inheritance. The Greek word for “down payment” is arrabōn and is used in Greek culture for “engagement ring.” Notice in vv. 21–22 that the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) is involved in bringing all this to pass. over our hearts and has given us the Holy Spirit like an engagement ring is given to a bride—a down payment of the blessings to come!
A Change in Paul’s Travel Plans
23Now, I call upon this faithful God as a witness against me if I’m not telling you the absolute truth. It was because I hold you in my heart that I decided not to return to Corinth, in order to spare you the humiliation of my rebuke. 24But I don’t want to imply that as leaders we coerce you or somehow want to rule over your faith. # 1:24 Or “dictate what you must believe.” Instead, we are your partners who are called to increase your joy. # 1:24 The Aramaic can be translated “We are helpers of your joy.” True ministry in God’s kingdom is to be coworkers with those we serve, laboring to see them overflow with joy. There is no control that leaders are to have over the people they serve; rather, they are to inspire lives to be filled with the joy of knowing Jesus. And we know that you already stand firm because of your strong faith. # 1:24 The Aramaic can be translated “For it is through faith that you stand.”
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Learn More About The Passion Translation2 Corinthians 1
1
Paul Answers Those Who Accuse Him
1From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus. I am an apostle because that is what God wanted.
Also from Timothy our brother in Christ.
To the church of God in Corinth, and to all of God’s people in the whole country of Southern Greece:
2Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul Gives Thanks to God
3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is the Father who is full of mercy. And he is the God of all comfort. 4He comforts us every time we have trouble, so that we can comfort others when they have trouble. We can comfort them with the same comfort that God gives us. 5We share in the many sufferings of Christ. In the same way, much comfort comes to us through Christ. 6If we have troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation. If we have comfort, then you also have comfort. This helps you to accept patiently the same sufferings that we have. 7Our hope for you is strong. We know that you share in our sufferings. So we know that you also share in the comfort we receive.
8Brothers, we want you to know about the trouble we suffered in the country of Asia. We had great burdens there that were greater than our own strength. We even gave up hope for life. 9Truly, in our own hearts we believed that we would die. But this happened so that we would not trust in ourselves. It happened so that we would trust in God, who raises people from death. 10God saved us from these great dangers of death. And he will continue to save us. We have put our hope in him, and he will save us again. 11And you can help us with your prayers. Then many people will give thanks for us—that God blessed us because of their many prayers.
The Change in Paul’s Plans
12This is what we are proud of, and I can say with all my heart that it is true: In all the things we have done in the world, we have done everything with an honest# Some Greek copies read “holy.” and pure heart from God. And this is even more true in what we have done with you. We did this by God’s grace, not by the kind of wisdom the world has. 13For we write to you only what you can read and understand. And I hope that 14as you have understood some things about us, you may come to know everything about us. Then you can be proud of us, as we will be proud of you on the day our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.
15I was very sure of all this. That is why I made plans to visit you first. Then you could be blessed twice. 16I planned to visit you on my way to Macedonia. Then I planned to visit you again on my way back. I wanted to get help from you for my trip to Judea. 17Do you think that I made these plans without really thinking? Or maybe you think I make plans as the world does, so that I say “Yes, yes,” and at the same time “No, no.”
18But since you can believe God, then you can believe that what we tell you is never both “Yes” and “No.” 19The Son of God, Jesus Christ, that Silas and Timothy and I preached to you, was not “Yes” and “No.” In Christ it has always been “Yes.” 20The “Yes” to all of God’s promises is in Christ. And that is why we say “Amen”# When a person says “Amen,” it means he agrees with the things that were said. through Christ to the glory of God. 21And God is the One who makes you and us strong in Christ. God made us his chosen people. 22He put his mark on us to show that we are his. And he put his Spirit in our hearts to be a guarantee for all he has promised.
23I tell you this, and I ask God to be my witness that this is true: The reason I did not come back to Corinth was that I did not want to punish or hurt you. 24I do not mean that we are trying to control your faith. You are strong in faith. But we are workers with you for your own happiness.
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