 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
To the church of God that is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. God of All Comfort 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. 6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. 7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. 8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. 11 You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many. Paul's Change of Plans 12 For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you. 13 For we are not writing to you anything other than what you read and understand and I hope you will fully understand— 14 just as you did partially understand us—that on the day of our Lord Jesus you will boast of us as we will boast of you. 15 Because I was sure of this, I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have a second experience of grace. 16 I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and to come back to you from Macedonia and have you send me on my way to Judea. 17 Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I make my plans according to the flesh, ready to say “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time? 18 As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No.19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes. 20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. 21 And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us,22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. 23 But I call God to witness against me—it was to spare you that I refrained from coming again to Corinth. 24 Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith. Meditation The fullness of God’s faithfulness is found in the person and work of Jesus Christ. From God’s first gospel promise in Genesis 3:15 to His victorious return as our faithful and true conquering King (Revelation 19:11), Jesus delivers on everything God promises. “The promises of God are “Yes” in Jesus,” so believers live from victory and for His glory (20). The faithfulness of God comforts us in afflictions, so we can demonstrate God’s faithfulness by comforting others in their afflictions (1-7). God is faithful and believers know they will be delivered from afflictions, fueling power for prayer and dependency on Him (8-11). Plans will change but believers trust God to establish and work even when they do not understand (12-19). God seals us with His Spirit as a guarantee of His faithfulness (21-22), the only sure foundation in every season of life, every situation, and for every person. Jesus is the fullness of God’s faithfulness because He followed the Father’s plan, delivered into affliction to bear our sins on the cross and die in our place. Jesus rose from the grave so through His victory we find security in God’s faithfulness, our only comfort in life and death (Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 1). Sun beams break through the dark storm clouds, reminding us storms are not forever and the sun will shine tomorrow. Jesus is the light of hope for believers living with burdens in a broken world. God is faithful and He who did not spare His own Son will deliver on all His promises, giving everything you need. Richly Dwelling -What stands out to you from today’s reading? Why? -Do you trust God’s faithfulness in every situation, at every time, and in every way? Why or why not? -How can you rely more on Jesus as the light of hope, specifically trusting His promises and His purposes in every struggle or surprise of life? Key Verse 20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. Comments are closed.
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