Reflections on 2 Corinthians 1

2 Corinthians 01 (Contemporary English Version)


1. From Paul, chosen by God to be an apostle of Jesus Christ, and from Timothy, who is also a follower. To God's church in Corinth and to all of God's people in Achaia.
2. I pray that God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you and will bless you with peace!
3. Praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! The Father is a merciful God, who always gives us comfort.
4. He comforts us when we are in trouble, so that we can share that same comfort with others in trouble.
5. We share in the terrible sufferings of Christ, but also in the wonderful comfort he gives.
6. We suffer in the hope that you will be comforted and saved. And because we are comforted, you will also be comforted, as you patiently endure suffering like ours.
7. You never disappoint us. You suffered as much as we did, and we know that you will be comforted as we were.
8. My friends, I want you to know what a hard time we had in Asia. Our sufferings were so horrible and so unbearable that death seemed certain.
9. In fact, we felt sure that we were going to die. But this made us stop trusting in ourselves and start trusting God, who raises the dead to life.
10. God saved us from the threat of death, and we are sure that he will do it again and again.
11. Please help us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks for the blessings we receive in answer to all these prayers.
12. We can be proud of our clear conscience. We have always lived honestly and sincerely, especially when we were with you. And we were guided by God's wonderful kindness instead of by the wisdom of this world.
13. I am not writing anything you cannot read and understand. I hope you will understand it completely,
14. just as you already partly understand us. Then when our Lord Jesus returns, you can be as proud of us as we are of you.
15. I was so sure of your pride in us that I had planned to visit you first of all. In this way you would have the blessing of two visits from me.
16. Once on my way to Macedonia and again on my return from there. Then you could send me on to Judea.
17. Do you think I couldn't make up my mind about what to do? Or do I seem like someone who says "Yes" or "No" simply to please others?
18. God can be trusted, and so can I, when I say that our answer to you has always been "Yes" and never "No."
19. This is because Jesus Christ the Son of God is always "Yes" and never "No." And he is the one that Silas, Timothy, and I told you about.
20. Christ says "Yes" to all of God's promises. That's why we have Christ to say "Amen" for us to the glory of God.
21. And so God makes it possible for you and us to stand firmly together with Christ. God is also the one who chose us
22. and put his Spirit in our hearts to show that we belong only to him.
23. God is my witness that I stayed away from Corinth, just to keep from being hard on you.
24. We are not bosses who tell you what to believe. We are working with you to make you glad, because your faith is strong.
    
    

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    In Paul's second letter to the Corinthians he is especially concerned with defending his apostleship against challenges by persons in the church at Corinth. This defense becomes apparent in the latter verses of chapter 1 (15-24).  With awareness of Paul's defense of himself, one can also recognize it behind his greetings in the first part of the chapter. In these verses Paul speaks of his affliction for the cause of Christ and of the resulting comfort he received from Christ, both experiences which were "for your comfort and salvation." (1:6) He might also have asked if those accusing him had suffered for the cause of Christ and on their behalf, but he instead allowed that question to come to them naturally.
    
    Paul addresses the issue more directly in verse 15 and following. In his first letter to the Corinthians he told of his plans to come to them on his way to Macedonia and spend the winter with them. But those plans had changed and now his accusers charged him with being unreliable. So Paul asks, "when I planned this, was I irresponsible?" (1:17) Furthermore, he asked, "do I plan in a purely human way so that I say 'Yes, yes' and 'No, no' simultaneously? " (1:17) In other words, did he speak out of both sides of his mouth saying one thing at one minute and another the next, contradicting himself? The inferred answer was 'no.' Then he gives the reason for his change of plans: "it was to spare you that I did not come to Corinth." (1:23) If he had gone to Corinth as planned, it would have been to exercise discipline, thus he spared them by delaying his plans. This truth he stated emphatically, invoking God as his witness. But even if he were to discipline them, he had no control of their faith. His relationship with them was not that of an overlord who exercised control over them, but instead that of a coworker who sought their joy.