Pastors Jim and Marie Watt
(From: 2 CORINTHIANS #1 - 1:1-14)
2 CORINTHIANS SUMMARY: PAUL'S DEFENSE OF HIS APOSTOLIC MINISTRY
A. 1:1-2 APOSTOLIC GREETINGS
PAUlos, aPOsto-los [652] ChrisTOU IeSOU diA theLEma-tos [2307] TheOU, kai TiMOthe-os ho a-delPHOS,
Paul, apostle of Christ Jesus through God's will, and Timothy the brother,
te ek-kleSIa tou TheOU te OUse en KoRINtho,
to the church of :God which is in Corinth,
sun tois haGIois [40] PAsin tois OUsin en HOle te A-CHAIa:
with all the saints that are in the whole ofAchaia:
CHAris [5485]huMIN kai eiREne[1515] aPO TheOU paTROS heMON kai KuRIou IeSOU ChrisTOU.
2Grace to you and peace from God our Father and theLord Jesus Christ.
B. 1:3-11 WHO COMFORTS - MUST FIRST BE COMFORTED
a. 1:3-4 GOD: THE GOD OF ALL COMFORT
Eu-lo-geTOS [2128] ho TheOS kai paTER tou KuRIou heMON IeSOU ChrisTOU,
Blessed the God and Father of our :Lord Jesus Christ,
ho paTER ton oik-tirMON [3628] kai TheOS PAses pa-raKLEse-os [3874];
the Father of :mercies and God of all comfort;
ho pa-ra-kaLON [3870] heMAS ePI PAse te THLIpsei [2347] heMON,
4who comforts us in all our :affliction,
eis to DUnas-thai heMAS pa-ra-kaLEIN tous en PAseTHLIpsei,
that we be able to comfort those in any :affliction,
diA tes pa-raKLEse-os hes pa-ra-kaLOUme-tha auTOI huPO tou TheOU.
through the comfort by which we ourselves are comforted of :God.
b. 1:5 SUFFERING AND COMFORT: ALL THROUGH CHRIST
HOti kaTHOS pe-risSEUei [4052] ta paTHEma-ta [3804] tou ChrisTOU eis heMAS,
Because as the sufferings of the Christ abound unto us,
HOUtos diA tou ChrisTOU pe-risSEUei kai he paRAkle-sis [3804] heMON.
even so our :comfort also abounds through the Christ.
c. 1:6-7. SUFFERING OF LEADERS: FOR COMFORT OF HEARERS
EIte de thliBOme-tha [2346], huPER tes huMON pa-raKLEse-os kai so-teRIas [4992];
But whether we are afflicted, it is for your :comfort and salvation;
EIte pa-ra-kaLOUme-tha, huPER tes huMON pa-raKLEse-os, tes e-ner-gouMEnes [1754] en hu-po-moNE [5281]
whether we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which works in endurance
ton auTON pa-theMAton [3804] hon kai heMEIS PAScho-men [3958]:
of the same sufferings which we also suffer:
kai he elPIS [1680] heMON beBAIa [949] huPER huMON; eiDOtes HOti,
7and our :hope for you is stedfast; knowing that,
hos koi-noNOI [2844] es-te ton pa-theMAton [3804], HOUtos kai tes pa-raKLEse-os.
as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also of the comfort.
d. 1:8-11 SUFFERING OF PAUL AND FELLOW-LEADERS: ALMOST UNTO DEATH
Ou gar THElo-men huMAS ag-noEIN [50], a-delPHOI,
For we would not have you ignorant, brethren,
huPER tes THLIpse-os [2347] heMON tes ge-noMEnes en te A-SIa,
concerning our :affliction which befell us in :Asia,
HOti kath' hu-per-boLEN [5236], huPER DUna-min, e-baREthe-men [1820],
that we were weighed down exceedingly, beyond our power,
HOSte e-xa-po-reTHEnai heMAS kai tou zen:
insomuch that we despaired even of life:
alLA auTOI en he-auTOIS to aPOkri-ma [610] tou thaNAtou [2288] esCHEka-men,
9but ourselves have had the sentence of :death within ourselves,
HIna mepe-poiTHOtes [3962] Omen eph' he-auTOIS, all' ePI toTheOtoeGEIron-ti [1453] tous neKROUS:
that we should not be trusting in ourselves, but in :God who raises the dead:
hos ek teliKOUtou [5082] thaNAtou [2288]eRUsa-to [4506] heMAS, kai 'RUse-tai:
10who delivered us out of so great a death, and will deliver:
eis hon elPIka-men [1679] HOti kai Eti 'RUse-tai;
on whom we have hoped that he will also still deliver us;
su-nu-pourGOUNton [4943] kai huMON huPER heMON tedeEsei [1162];
11 YOU also helping together on our behalf by the supplication;
HIna, ek polLON proSOpon [4383] to eis heMAS CHAris-ma [5486],
that, for the gift bestowedupon us by means of many,
diA polLON eu-cha-ris-teTHE[2168] huPER heMON.
thanks be given by many persons on our behalf.
C. 1:12-14 THE AGREEMENT OF TEACHING AND BEHAVIOR IN PAUL
a. 1:12 PAUL'S BEHAVIOR: FLOWED FORTH FROM GOD'S GRACE
He gar KAUche-sis [2746] heMON HAUte esTIN, to marTUri-on [3142] tes su-neiDEse-os [4893] heMON,
For our :glorying is this, the testimony of our conscience,
HOti en ha-giOte-ti [572] kai ei-li-kriNIa [1505] tou TheOU, kai ouk en soPHIa sar-kiKE all' en CHAri-ti TheOU,
that in holiness and sincerity of :God, and not in fleshly wisdom but in God's grace,
a-neSTRAphe-men en to KOSmo, pe-ris-soTEros de pros huMAS.
we behaved in the world, and more abundantly toward you.
b. 1:13-14 LEADERS: INTENDED FOR THE GLORYING OF THE SAINTS
ou gar ALla GRApho-men huMIN, all' e ha a-na-giNOSke-te [314] e kai e-pi-giNOSke-te [1921],
For we write you no other things, than what you read or even acknowledge,
elPIzo de HOti HEos TElous [5056] e-pigNOses-the: kaTHOS kai ePEGno-te heMAS aPO MErous,
and I hope you will acknowledge unto theend: 14 even as also you did acknowledge us in part,
HOti KAUche-ma [2745] huMON es-men, kaTHAper kai huMEIS heMON,
that we are your glorying, just as you also areours,
en teheMEra tou KuRIou heMON IeSOU.
in the day of our :Lord Jesus.
NOTE: 2 Corinthians 1:3-11 is perhaps the greatest portion of Scripture on “Comfort” that we can find. By the Spirit, Paul places God the Father as the Father of merciesand God of all comfort! And, He comforts us- that we may in turn be able to comfort others. Comfort - is to be passed along. It is not to be hoarded. There is nothing we possess so fully, as that which we share and give away. Jesus iscorrect - “It ismore blessed to give than to receive!”
We all know of that blessed book, “The God of All Comfort.” How it has ministered to so many through the years.
For me, the whole letter of 2 Corinthians has opened up to me because of these opening nine verses.
And - it is allbecause of Christ's “Finished Work” on the Cross, that this great comfort flows out to all of the Redeemed. Oswald Chambers sees the “Redemption”of the Christ as the key doctrine to understand - for out of itflows all the blessings of Grace.
In this passage we learn that all true ministers of Christ, according to His example, also follow in a train almost unto death. This whole epistle points out how futile it is for false apostles, prophets and teachers to set themselves up in a non-suffering life!
It is good for all saints to understand what they owe to true ministers and followers of Christ. They can glory in such ministers, even as these same ministers find such converts their glorying! - J.A.W.