2 Corinthians 1
1
1This letter comes from Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ according to the will of God, and from Timothy, our brother. It is sent to the church of God in Corinth, together with all of God's people throughout Achaia. 2May you have grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3Praise be to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! He is the compassionate Father and the God of all comfort. 4He comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those who are also in trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5The more we share in Christ's sufferings, the more we receive the abundant comfort of Christ. 6If we are in distress, it is for your comfort and salvation. If we are being comforted, it is for your comfort, which results in you patiently bearing the same sufferings that we suffer. 7We have great confidence in you,#1:7. Literally, “our hope in you is firm.” knowing that as you share in our sufferings you also share in our comfort.
8Brothers and sisters, we won't keep you in the dark about the trouble we had in Asia. We were so overwhelmed that we were afraid we wouldn't have the strength to continue—so much so we doubted we would live through it. 9In fact it was like a death sentence inside us. This was to stop us relying on ourselves and to trust in God who raises the dead. 10He saved us from a terrible death, and he will do so again. We have total confidence in God that he will continue to save us. 11You help us by praying for us. In this way many will thank God for us because of the blessing that God will give us in response to the prayers of many.
12We take pride in the fact—and our conscience confirms it—that we have acted properly towards people, and especially to you. We have followed God's principles of holiness and sincerity, not according to worldly wisdom but through the grace of God. 13For we are not writing anything complicated that you can't read and understand. I hope you'll understand in the end, 14even if you only understand part of it now, so that when the Lord comes you will be proud of us, just as we are of you.
15Because I was so sure of your confidence in me I planned to come and visit you first. That way you could have benefited twice, 16as I would go on from you to Macedonia, and then return from Macedonia to you. Then I would have had you send me on my way to Judea. 17Why did I change my original plan? Do you think I make my decisions lightly? Do you think that when I plan I'm like some worldly person who says Yes and No at the same time? 18Just as God can be trusted, when we give you our word it's not both Yes and No. 19The truth of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, was announced to you by us—me, Silvanus, and Timothy—and it wasn't both Yes and No. In Christ the answer is absolutely Yes! 20However many promises God has made, in Christ the answer is always Yes. Through him we respond, saying Yes#1:20. Literally, “Amen,” which means “Yes,” or “I agree.” to the glory of God.
21God has given both us and you the inner strength to stand firm in Christ. God has anointed us, 22placed his stamp of approval on us, and given us the guarantee of the Spirit to convince us. 23I call God as my witness that it was to avoid causing you pain that I chose not to come to Corinth. 24This isn't because we want to dictate how you relate to God, but because we want to help you have a joyful experience—for it's by trusting God that you stand firm.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com
2 Corinthians 1
1
1Greetings from Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus. I am an apostle because that is what God wanted. Greetings also from Timothy our brother in Christ.
To God’s church in Corinth and to all of God’s holy people throughout Achaia.
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. He is the Father who is full of mercy, the God of all comfort. 4He comforts us every time we have trouble so that when others have trouble, we can comfort them with the same comfort 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 are comforted, it is so that we can comfort you. And this helps you patiently accept the same sufferings we have. 7Our hope for you is strong. We know that you share in our sufferings. So we know that you also share in our comfort.
8Brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the trouble we suffered in Asia. We had great burdens there, which were greater than our own strength. We even gave up hope for life. 9In fact, it seems like God has been telling us we are going to die. But this is so that we will not trust in ourselves but in God, who raises people from death. 10He saved us from these great dangers of death, and he will continue to save us. We feel sure he will always save us. 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 a clear conscience that it is true: In everything we have done in the world, we have done it with an honest and pure heart from God. And this is even truer in what we have done with you. We did this by God’s grace, not by the kind of wisdom the world has. 13We write to you only what you can read and understand. And I hope you will fully understand, 14just as you already understand many things about us. I hope you will understand that you can be proud of us, just as we will be proud of you on the day when 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 and 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, saying yes and no at the same time.
18But if 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, the one that Silas, Timothy, and I told you about 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” through Christ to the glory of God. 21And God is the one who makes you and us strong in Christ. God is also the one who chose us for his work.#1:21 chose us for his work Literally, “anointed us.” In Greek this word is related to the title “Christ,” which means “anointed one.” See “anoint” and “Christ” in the Word List. 22He put his mark on us to show that we are his. Yes, he put his Spirit in our hearts as the first payment that guarantees all that he will give us.
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 don’t 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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