Chapter 1
Turning back to the beginning of the First Epistle for comparison with the Second, we note how much wider it is in the scope of its address, taking in “all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord”; thus it embraces the entire Christian profession in the whole world. The divine reason for this breadth of address is not difficult to see: much of the sad departure from God's written Word that is now found in Christendom was already in essence at Corinth, and stands exposed and condemned in the First Epistle. But many nowadays do not appear to read the Bible with earnest desire to learn from it, else would they not give up what it condemns?
The Second Epistle, its address limited to “the Assembly of God which is in Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia,” differs much in character from the First. The Corinthians had, in considerable measure, judged themselves on account of the various things brought to their attention by the First Epistle, and Paul was now filled with comfort of which he must tell not them only, but also all the Christians in that country of which Corinth was a large and important city.
The second verse brings before us the changeless love and favor of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ for us who have heard and heeded the Word of God: grace and peace without measure.
Verses 3-5. The apostle's heart overflows in praise to God.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassions and God of all encouragement. Who encourages us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to encourage those who are in any tribulation whatever, through the encouragement with which we ourselves are encouraged of God; because even as the sufferings of the Christ abound toward us, so through the Christ does our encouragement also abound.” (N.T.)
Verse 3 in the better translation quoted from and Eph. 1:33Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: (Ephesians 1:3) and 1 Peter 1:3, are alike in their opening words, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,” but in 2 Cor. 1:33Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; (2 Corinthians 1:3), the outburst of praise is on account of encouragement in trial; in Eph. 1:33Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: (Ephesians 1:3), it is in acknowledgment of every spiritual blessing bestowed, and in 1 Peter 1:33Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (1 Peter 1:3) it is in view of His great mercy to the Jews who believed. So it is that the Christian's heart is drawn out in praise as he passes through the world, recognizing the hand of God in the very circumstances of his life; or as he surveys the many sided grace that has given us so rich a portion for time and eternity; or again, as he considers the depth of divine mercy meted out to poor sinners, whether Jews or Gentiles, without measure and free.
“I ascend to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.” As another has said.
“Christ stands in two relationships with God, His Father. He is a perfect man before His God, and He is a Son with His Father. We are to share both these relationships.” God “is the God of Christ, when Christ is looked at as man; the Father of Christ, when Christ is looked at as the Son of His Love. In the first character the nature of God is revealed; in the second we see the intimate relationship which we enjoy to Him who bears this character of Father, and that according to the excellence of Christ's own relationship to Him.”
This line of truth is prominent in the Epistle to the Ephesians.
It is God so known through our Lord Jesus—as His God and Father—Himself having once passed through this world as a man, that fills the heart of the apostle. Moreover as Father He is the Father of compassions; as God He is the God of all encouragement—fit names to be applied to Him who makes Himself known—better known—in the circumstances of trial often found in a believer's life.
Then the practical working of this divinely given encouragement or cheer, in trial is,
“That we may be able to encourage those who are in any tribulation whatever, through the encouragement with which we ourselves are encouraged of God.”
This is what should be the common experience of God's children, but there was suffering out of the ordinary in the path of this devoted servant, and it is in view of this that he can add,
“Because, even as the sufferings of the Christ abound toward us, so through the Christ does our encouragement also abound.”
“Now, I rejoice in sufferings for you, and I fill up that which is behind of the tribulations of Christ in my flesh, for His body which is the assembly, of which I became minister.”
Verses 6, 7. The apostle thinks of his tribulations as well as his encouragement, as for the encouragement and salvation of the Corinthian believers, wrought in the endurance of the same sufferings as he, “Knowing,” as he says, “that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so ye shall also be of the encouragement.”
The believers at Corinth suffered for Christ's sake; it could not have been otherwise at that time, even though they were going on badly; in due season they would find encouragement that Paul had been given, having put away the sin so dishonoring to the Lord which was a hindrance to their blessing.
Verses 8-11. That the Acts do not record all of the apostle's persecutions and sufferings is evident both from chapter 11:23-27, and from verse 8 now before us. The brief word about having fought with (human) beasts at Ephesus in 1 Cor. 15:3232If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die. (1 Corinthians 15:32), joined with verse 8 gives us all we know of how near death Paul was at Ephesus some time before the end of his stay there, of which Acts 1932Some therefore cried one thing, and some another: for the assembly was confused; and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together. (Acts 19:32) tells. It may have resulted from Satanic rage over the effect of the preaching as in Acts 19:18-2018And many that believed came, and confessed, and showed their deeds. 19Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed. (Acts 19:18‑20).
It was not God's way of dealing with His servant to spare him in some miraculous way from suffering, and He allowed him to get into such a position that he despaired even of living. But, as he says, (verse 9)
“We had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead.”
Verses 10, 11. God had delivered Paul from so great a death, and continued to deliver him; in Him he confided that He would also yet deliver. In the eleventh verse the apostle refers to the part in prayer that all the saints had in the gift toward himself, i.e., the sparing of his life that he might continue in service as Christ's apostle-the gift thus becoming the subject of the thanksgiving of many for him.
In verse 12 no doubt the saints at Corinth were particularly in view, for they had much to learn and to unlearn in attaining ways suitable in a Christian. These were Paul's ways in Christ, not his by nature; what he had been he speaks of in 1 Tim. 1:1313Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. (1 Timothy 1:13) (“who before was a blasphemer, and persecutor, and an insolent, overbearing man.”) (N. T.) But the twelfth verse was written at the Holy Spirit's direction for the Corinthians, and many others beside them, even for Christians today; it shows the character all the Lord's servants should have, and surely all of us may learn from this verse.
In verse 13 the sense in English is made clearer by substituting “what ye well know and recognize” for the words in the middle of the verse. Truth they had heard when the apostle was among them was what he was continuing to press upon them.
Verse 14. They had acknowledged or recognized Paul “in part” that he was their boast; this partial thing was to their shame, for God had used him in bringing them out of heathen darkness into the light of His truth; but the apostle only says, “even as ye also are our boast in the day of the Lord Jesus”; he is thinking of the day in glory when the saints as the trophies of God's grace will be displayed; when we are with and like our Lord.
Verses 15-18. Paul had purposed to go from Ephesus directly across the Aegean Sea to Corinth, and thence northward through Greece or along its coast to Macedonia; from there he would have returned to Corinth to start on his expected journey toward Judea. Because of the bad state in the Corinthian Assembly he did not go to them, but instead wrote his First Epistle, sending it by Titus. Was his decision not to go to Corinth a token that his word could not be depended upon? Some would have thought so, but it was not true; Paul however turns to the certainty there is in Christ, according to the preaching, (verse 19).
Verse 20. All the promises of God, whatever they are, and to whomsoever uttered, in Christ they are yea and amen; believers are the objects of these counsels of God; they are to His glory by us. How can this be? The answer is indicated in verses 21 and 22.
The doer of the work is God. He has established us in Christ; then we are secure for eternity; He has anointed us, given us energy of communion with His revealed mind (1 John 2:20-2720But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. 21I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. 22Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. 23Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. 24Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. 25And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life. 26These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. 27But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. (1 John 2:20‑27)). He has, moreover, sealed us (Eph. 1:1313In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, (Ephesians 1:13) and 4:30), having completely delivered us from Satan's slavery, made us His children by the new birth, washed us from our sins, and condemned sin in the flesh; and finally He has given the earnest or pledge of the Spirit in our hearts,—the pledge of the inheritance we have in and with Christ. What a wonderful place of blessing, both now and for eternity, the child of God is given!
Verses 23, 24. The apostle begins to explain why he had not come to Corinth; he hoped that their consciences would be reached by means of a letter, rather than himself to go there with a rod. It was not that he ruled over their faith, but was a fellow-workman of their joy; by faith they stood.