2. Korinther 1:3 Kommentar

After the introduction (Co2 1:1, Co2 1:2) the apostle begins with the narrative of his troubles and God's goodness, which he had met with in Asia, by way of thanksgiving to God (Co2 1:3-6), and for the edification of the Corinthians (Co2 1:7-11). Then he attests his and his fellow-labourers' integrity (Co2 1:12-14), and afterwards vindicates himself from the imputation of levity and inconstancy (Co2 1:15-24).

After the foregoing preface, the apostle begins with the narrative of God's goodness to him and his fellow-labourers in their manifold tribulations, which he speaks of by way of thanksgiving to God, and to advance the divine glory (Co2 1:3-6); and it is fit that in all things, and in the first place, God be glorified. Observe, I. The object of the apostle's thanksgiving, to whom he offers up blessing and praise, namely, the blessed God, who only is to be praised, whom he describes by several glorious and amiable titles. 1. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ: ho Theos kai patēr kuriou hēmōn Iēsou Christou. God is the Father of Christ's divine nature by eternal generation, of his human nature by miraculous conception in the womb of the virgin, and of Christ as God-man, and our Redeemer, by covenant-relation, and in and through him as Mediator our God and our Father, Joh 20:17. In the Old Testament we often meet with this title, The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, to denote God's covenant-relation to them and their seed; and in the New Testament God is styled the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to denote his covenant-relation to the Mediator and his spiritual seed. Gal 3:16. 2. The Father of mercies. There is a multitude of tender mercies in God essentially, and all mercies are from God originally: mercy in his genuine offspring and his delight. He delighteth in mercy, Mic 7:18. 3. The God of all comfort; from his proceedeth the COMFORTER, Joh 15:26. He giveth the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts, Co2 1:22. All our comforts come from God, and our sweetest comforts are in him. II. The reasons of the apostle's thanksgivings, which are these: - 1. The benefits that he himself and his companions had received from God; for God had comforted them in all their tribulations, Co2 1:4. In the world they had trouble, but in Christ they had peace. The apostles met with many tribulations, but they found comfort in them all: their sufferings (which are called the sufferings of Christ, Co2 1:5, because Christ sympathized with his members when suffering for his sake) did abound, but their consolation by Christ did abound also. Note, (1.) Then are we qualified to receive the comfort of God's mercies when we set ourselves to give him the glory of them. (2.) Then we speak best of God and his goodness when we speak from our own experience, and, in telling others, tell God also what he has done for our souls. 2. The advantage which others might receive; for God intended that they should be able to comfort others in trouble (Co2 1:4), by communicating to them their experiences of the divine goodness and mercy; and the sufferings of good men have a tendency to this good end (Co2 1:6) when they are endued with faith and patience. Note, (1.) What favours God bestows on us are intended not only to make us cheerful ourselves, but also that we may be useful to others. (2.) If we do imitate the faith and patience of good men in their afflictions, we may hope to partake of their consolations here and their salvation hereafter.

This chapter contains the inscription of the epistle, the salutation of the persons to whom it is written, the preface to it, and the first part of it, in which is the apostle's defence of himself from the charge of fickleness and inconstancy. The inscription is in Co2 1:1, in which an account is given of the person, the writer of this epistle, by his name Paul, and by his office, an apostle of Jesus Christ, which is ascribed to the will of God as the spring and cause of it; and with himself he joins Timothy, whom he calls a brother: also an account is given of the persons to whom the epistle is inscribed, who are both the church at Corinth, and all the saints throughout the region of Achaia, of which Corinth was the chief city: the salutation, and which is common to all the epistles of the Apostle Paul, is in Co2 1:2, and the preface begins Co2 1:3, with a thanksgiving to God, who is described by the relation he stands in to Christ, as his Father, by the manifold mercies and blessings he is the author and donor of, and by the consolation he administers; an instance of which is given, Co2 1:4, in the apostle and his companions, who had been comforted by him; the end of which was, that they might be instruments of comforting others in like troubles with the same consolations; the great goodness of God in which is illustrated by proportioning their consolation by Christ to their sufferings for him, Co2 1:5, and the end both of their afflictions and their comforts is repeated and explained; and by a dilemma it is shown, that both were for the good of the saints at Corinth, Co2 1:6, and a strong assurance is given, that as they shared in sufferings for Christ, they would partake of consolation by him as they had done, Co2 1:7. Next the apostle, in proof of what he had said, gives an instance of the trouble he had been in, and of the comfort and deliverance he had received, which he would not have the Corinthians ignorant of: he mentions the place where it was, in Asia, and gives an account of the nature of the affliction, how great it was; it was out of measure, above the strength of man, and induced despair of life, Co2 1:8, so that the apostle, and those that were with him in it, expected nothing but death, and were under the sentence of it in their own apprehensions; the end of God in suffering which, was to take them off of all self-confidence, and to engage their trust in God, to which the consideration of his power in raising the dead is a strong argument, Co2 1:9. And indeed this deliverance, which God wrought, for the apostle, and his friends, was a deliverance as it were from death, and a very great one; and which had this effect upon them, the designed and desired end, trust and confidence in God for future deliverance, having had an experience of past and present, Co2 1:10, which deliverance the apostle acknowledges, was owing to the prayers of the Corinthians, as a means or helping cause of it; and which favour was bestowed thereby for this end, that as it came by the means of many, thanks might be returned by many for it, Co2 1:11. And the reason why the apostle, and his fellow ministers, had such an interest in the prayers of the Corinthians, was their agreeable conversation in the world, and particularly at Corinth, which their consciences bore witness to, and they could reflect upon with pleasure; it being through the grace of God with great simplicity and sincerity, and not with carnal craft and subtlety: or this is mentioned by the apostle to remove the charge of levity, and to vindicate himself and others from it, Co2 1:12, which he next enters upon, premising that the constant course of their lives was such as before described, and which there was no reason to doubt would always continue such; for the truth of which he appeals to what they had seen, and owned to be in them, Co2 1:13, and that it was acknowledged, at least in part, that the apostles were their rejoicing, or of whom they boasted as to their conduct and conversation, even as they were persuaded they would be matter of rejoicing in the day of Christ to them, Co2 1:14. And then the apostle acknowledges his intention and promise of coming to them, which was in confidence of their value for him, and of their being real Christians and persevering ones; and for this end, that he might establish them in the grace which they had received, Co2 1:15, and also, after he had passed by them into Macedonia, and was returned from thence to them again, that he might be helped on by them in his journey to Jerusalem, with the collection for the poor saints there, Co2 1:16. But then he denies that he used levity, or carnal policy and purposes, or was guilty of any contradiction; all which expresses by certain interrogations, Co2 1:17, which confirms by the ministration of the Gospel among them, which was all of apiece, without contradiction for the truth of which he calls God to witness; and so argues from the uniformity of his ministry, to the constancy of his word of promise, Co2 1:18. Which argument he amplifies and enlarges on, by observing the subject matter of the Gospel ministry, which is Jesus Christ the Son of God; and which, though preached by different ministers, himself, Silvanus, and Timothy, yet was the same, had no contrariety in it, as preached by the one, and by the other, Co2 1:19, and therefore there was no reason to conclude that he was fickle and inconstant in his promise to them, when he was so invariable in his ministry among them: besides, as all the promises of God are sure and certain, being made by the God of truth, and being in Christ, and the performance of them being for the glory of God by the saints; so the promises of every good man, in imitation of God and Christ, are firmly and constantly observed, as much as can be by frail and finite creatures, Co2 1:20; and that the apostle, and his fellow ministers, were not so fickle and changeable as they were represented, neither in their principles, nor in their practices, the apostle takes notice of some blessings of grace, which they enjoyed in common with other saints, and with the Corinthians; such as stability in Christ, the unction of divine grace, the seal and earnest of the Spirit in their hearts; all which they had from God, and which kept them close to God, and preserved them in his grace, and from a fickle variable temper of mind, and from changeableness either in doctrine or conduct, Co2 1:21. And then the apostle proceeds to give the true reason why he had not as yet come to Corinth, according to his promise, which was on their account, and not his own, that they might not come under that severe discipline and correction, which their faults required; and for the truth of this he calls God to witness, Co2 1:23. But lest it should be objected that this was assuming a dominion over them, a lording it over God's heritage, he observes, that he and his fellow ministers did not pretend to have dominion over their faith, only to be helpers of their joy, Co2 1:24.

If, owing to the fault of human error, the word God has become a common name (since in the world there are said and believed to be "gods many" ), yet "the blessed God," (who is "the Father) of our Lord Jesus Christ," will be understood to be no other God than the Creator, who both blessed all things (that He had made), as you find in Genesis, and is Himself "blessed by all things," as Daniel tells us.

Now, if the title of Father may be claimed for (Marcion's) sterile god, how much more for the Creator? To none other than Him is it suitable, who is also "the Father of mercies," and (in the prophets) has been described as "full of compassion, and gracious, and plenteous in mercy.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort." Do you ask, how is this aptly to the purpose in hand? I reply, Very much so; for observe, they were greatly vexed and troubled that the Apostle had not come to them, and that, though he had promised, but had spent the whole time in Macedonia; preferring as it seemed others to themselves. Setting himself then to meet this feeling against him, he declares the cause of his absence; not however directly stating it, as thus; "I know, indeed, I promised to come, but since I was hindered by afflictions forgive me, nor judge me guilty of any sort of contempt or neglect towards you:" but after another manner he invests the subject at once with more dignity and trustworthiness, and gives it greatness by the nature of the consolation, so that thereafter they might not so much as ask the reason of his delay. Just as if one, having promised to come to one he longed for, at length arriving after dangers innumerable, should say, "Glory to Thee, O God, for letting me see the sight so longed for of his dear countenance! Blessed be Thou, O God, from what perils hast Thou delivered me!" for such a doxology is an answer to him who was preparing to find fault, and will not let him so much as complain of the delay; for one that is thanking God for deliverance from such great calamities he cannot for shame drag to the bar, and bid clear himself of loitering. Whence Paul thus begins, "Blessed be the God of mercies," implying by the very words that he had been both brought into and delivered from mighty perils. For as David also doth not address God every where in one way or with the same titles; but when he is upon battle and victory, "I will love Thee, he saith, O Lord my strength; the Lord is my buckler:" when again upon delivery from affliction and the darkness which overwhelmed him, "The Lord is my light and my salvation;" and as the immediate occasion suggests, he names Him now from His loving-kindness, now from His justice, now from His righteous judgment:-in like way Paul also here at the beginning describeth Him by His loving-kindness, calling Him "the God of mercies," that is, "Who hath showed me so great mercies as to bring me up from the very gates of death." And thus to have mercy is the peculiar and excellent attribute of God, and the most inherent in His nature; whence he calleth Him the "God of mercies."

Paul always speaks in this way, indicating the personhood of the Father and the Son, even though they are of one substance. Now he is giving much relief to people who had been grieved by his rebuke, for when they hear that God is not just the Father of creation but the Father of mercies as well, they will have hope and be assured that they have been rebuked so that they may find the mercy of God, once they have mended their ways. Through repentance they were being born again and made anew, which was not just a pardon but a restoration of their previous state of existence. He puts “mercies” in the plural because of their many sins, his aim being to console those who have been grieved on account of their faults.

O Thou the great Being, O Lord God Almighty, who alone art unbegotten, and ruled over by none; who always art, and wast before the world; who standest in need of nothing, and art above all cause and beginning; who only art true, who only art wise; who alone art the most high; who art by nature invisible; whose knowledge is without beginning; who only art good, and beyond compare; who knowest all things before they are; who art acquainted with the most secret things; who art inaccessible, and without a superior; the God and Father of Thy only begotten Son, of our God and Saviour; the Creator of the whole world by Him; whose providence provides for and takes the care of all; the Father of mercies, and God of all consolation; who dwellest in the highest heavens, and yet lookest down on things below...

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” For in the thought of God, let the thought of Father be included, so that the glory which we ascribe to the Father and the Son with the Holy Spirit may be perfectly free from difference. For the Father has not one glory and the Son another, but their glory is one and the same, since the Son is the Father’s sole-begotten. When the Father is glorified, the Son shares in enjoyment of his glory, because the Son draws his glory from the honoring of the Father. Again, whenever the Son is glorified, the Father of so excellent a Son is greatly honored.

Christ himself teaches us that God is his Father..

God alone is holy and good, sanctifying others and making them good. He alone is blessed, because he gives blessing and does not receive it from someone else. Likewise, he is the Father of mercies by nature, because he is the source of all mercy and not because he has acquired this from anyone else.

Paul does not begin with suffering but with comfort, giving thanks for that before going on to explain that it came about through suffering.

In the first epistle he promised to come to them, but since he did not come, he supposed that he had greatly grieved them with the thought that he had preferred others over them. So, wishing to justify himself and show that many temptations that had befallen him had delayed him, he offers a fine explanation in his defense. I give thanks, he says, to God who saved me from dangers; through this thanksgiving he hints that there were certain great obstacles holding him back, for deliverance from which he also gives thanks. Place a punctuation mark after the word "God," then begin: "and Father of the Lord." But if you understand this jointly—God and Father of the Lord—there will be nothing novel in it, for He is of one and the same Christ: by His humanity, God, and by His divinity, Father. That is, He showed such great mercies that He brought us out from the very gates of death and deemed us worthy of every consolation in afflictions. It was the custom of the saints to name God according to the benefits received from Him. Thus, on the occasion of victory in war, David says: "I will love You, O Lord, my strength" (Ps. 18:1), and again: "The Lord is the strength of my life" (Ps. 27:1); on the occasion of deliverance from the darkening and eclipsing of the mind and from grief: "The Lord is my light" (Ps. 27:1). So now Paul calls God the Father of mercies and the God of consolation as a result of what happened to him. Notice his humility: having received deliverance from trials for the sake of the Gospel, he does not say that the deliverance was according to merit, but according to the mercies of God.

Here begins the message, in which the Apostle does two things: first, he excuses himself for not visiting them as he had promised; secondly, he begins to follow out his intention (chap. 3). In regard to the first he does two things: first, he wins their good will; secondly, he presents his excuse (v. 15). In regard to the first he does two things: first, he wins their good will by citing some general facts; secondly, some special ones (v. 8). The Apostle wins their good will by showing that whatever he does, it is all for their benefit. In regard to this he does two things: first, he mentions the profit others have obtained from him; secondly, the reason (v. 5). In regard to the first he does three things: first, he gives thanks; secondly, the manner of the thanks (v. 4); thirdly, the cause (v. 4b). He gives thanks, therefore, to the entire Trinity, the source of every good; hence he says, Blessed be the God, i.e., the entire Trinity; and to the person of the Father when he says, and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the Father has given us all things. It should be noted that we bless God and God blesses us, but in different ways. For when God speaks, he accomplishes: "He spoke and they were made" (Ps. 148:5). Hence, for God to bless is to produce something good, and to infuse something good, and so to be a cause: "I will indeed bless you and multiply your descendants" (Gen. 22:17). But our speech does not cause things, but acknowledges or expresses them; hence, our blessing is the same as recognizing good. Therefore, when we thank God, we bless him, i.e., acknowledge that he is good and the giver of all good: "Bless God and acknowledge him in the presence of all the living for the good things he has done for you" (Tob. 12:6); "Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord; praise and exalt him above all for ever" (Dan. 3:57). It is fitting that he thank the Father, because he is merciful; hence he says, the Father of mercies: and because he is a comforter he says, and God of all comfort. He thanks God for the two things men especially need: first, to have evil removed from them, and this is done by mercy which takes away misery, for it is characteristic of a father to have compassion: "As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear him" (Ps. 103:13). Secondly, they need to be supported in the face of evils which occur, and that is to receive comfort. Because unless a man had something in which his heart could rest, he would not stand firm when evils come upon him. Therefore a person comforts another by affording him something refreshing, in which he can rest in evil times. And although a man might be comforted by something and find rest and be supported by it in the case of some evils, it is God alone who comforts us in all evils; hence he says, the God of all comfort. For if you sin, God comforts you, because he is merciful; if you are afflicted, he comforts you either by rooting out the affliction by his power or by judging justly; if you labor, he comforts you with a reward: "I am your shield; your reward shall be very great" (Gen. 15:1). Therefore, it says in Matthew (5:4): "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."

St. Paul encourages them to trust in God in all adversities, from a consideration of the support which he had granted them already in times of afflictions; and expresses his strong confidence of their fidelity, Co2 1:1-7. Mentions the heavy tribulation which he had passed through in Asia; as also his deliverance, Co2 1:8-11. Shows in what the exultation of a genuine Christian consists, Co2 1:12. Appeals to their own knowledge of the truth of the things which he wrote to them, Co2 1:13, Co2 1:14. Mentions his purpose of visiting them; and how sincere he was in forming it; and the reason why he did not come, as he had purposed, Co2 1:15-24.

Blessed be God - Let God have universal and eternal praise: 1. Because he is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the gift of his endless love to man, Joh 1:16. 2. Because he is the Father of mercies, ὁ Πατηρ των οικτιρμων, the source whence all mercy flows, whether it respect the body or the soul, time or eternity; the source of tender mercy; for so the word implies. See on Rom 12:1 (note). And, 3. Because he is the God of all comfort - the Fountain whence all consolation, happiness, and bliss flow to angels and to men.

THE HEADING; PAUL'S CONSOLATIONS IN RECENT TRIALS IN ASIA; HIS SINCERITY TOWARDS THE CORINTHIANS; EXPLANATION OF HIS NOT HAVING VISITED THEM AS HE HAD PURPOSED. (2Co. 1:1-24) Timothy our brother--When writing to Timothy himself, he calls him "my son" (Ti1 1:18). Writing of him, "brother," and "my beloved son" (Co1 4:17). He had been sent before to Macedonia, and had met Paul at Philippi, when the apostle passed over from Troas to Macedonia (compare Co2 2:12-13; see on Co1 16:10-11). in all Achaia--comprising Hellas and the Peloponnese. The Gentiles themselves, and AnnÃ&brvbrus Gallio, the proconsul (Act 18:12-16), strongly testified their disapproval of the accusation brought by the Jews against Paul. Hence, the apostle was enabled to labor in the whole province of Achaia with such success as to establish several churches there (Th1 1:8; Th2 1:4), where, writing from Corinth, he speaks of the "churches," namely, not only the Corinthian, but others also--Athens, Cenchrea, and, perhaps, Sicyon, Argos, &c. He addresses "the Church in Corinth," directly, and all "the saints" in the province, indirectly. In Gal 1:2 all the "churches" are addressed directly in the same circular Epistle. Hence, here he does not say, all the churches, but "all the saints."

This thanksgiving for his late deliverance forms a suitable introduction for conciliating their favorable reception of his reasons for not having fulfilled his promise of visiting them (Co2 1:15-24). Father of mercies--that is, the SOURCE of all mercies (compare Jam 1:17; Rom 12:1). comfort--which flows from His "mercies" experienced. Like a true man of faith, he mentions "mercies" and "comfort," before he proceeds to speak of afflictions (Co2 1:4-6). The "tribulation" of believers is not inconsistent with God's mercy, and does not beget in them suspicion of it; nay, in the end they feel that He is "the God of ALL comfort," that is, who imparts the only true and perfect comfort in every instance (Psa 146:3, Psa 146:5, Psa 146:8; Jam 5:11).