October 8 Click on verses for Full Scripture

previous - - - - - - - - - - next

Today's Pathway: II Corinthians 1:6-10 And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation. For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;

In verse 6 Paul expands on his teaching from verse 5. He writes that whatever is happening in his life is for the benefit of the Corinthian believers. He starts by saying that if he and his fellow laborers were suffering trials this would bring comfort and salvation to the Corinthians. It could be said that Paul was going through these afflictions because of his desire to see men saved. Were it not for his goal of bringing others to Christ he would not have had to deal with many of the conflicts that he did. However, I think his emphasis here is not on eternal salvation, but rather on the emotional and spiritual deliverance that comes from receiving the comfort necessary to handle life's catastrophes.

This would occur for several reasons. First, as we saw yesterday, when we suffer and receive God's strength to endure it, we can turn around and assist others when they go through similar problems. Second, when the Corinthians saw that the Lord could deliver Paul it would encourage them to trust Him to deliver them as well. Paul's faithfulness in serving the Lord in spite of everything that he went through should certainly motivate them to continue serving in spite of their circumstances. A third reason might be that the troubles that Paul experienced drew him closer to the Lord. The closer he got to God, the more effective a minister he would be, and he could have a greater influence on others. For these reasons Paul writes that his sufferings could produce comfort for the Corinthians that would allow them to endure their sufferings. Likewise, as Paul writes at the end of the verse, when he receives comfort, the Corinthians benefit from that as well. And in verse 7 Paul states that he has assurance that in no matter what trials the Corinthian church members are facing, they too will receive comfort and encouragement from the Lord.

In verses 8-10 Paul writes that he wanted the church to know about the troubles that he faced. One reason would be that the Corinthians needed to understand what Paul was willing to go through for the sake of the Gospel. Remember that there were people in the church there who opposed Paul and questioned his apostolic authority. He wants people to know that the sacrifices he has made so that they will realize his sincerity and be more willing to accept his teaching. A second reason would be that unless the Corinthians knew the extent of Paul's afflictions they would never understand the depth of the Lord's consolation. I am reminded of Satan's accusations against Job. In essence he said that Job only served God because he had it easy in this life, but if troubles came he would curse the Lord. When God allowed the heartaches to come, Job continued to serve Him, which is why today everyone knows about the "patience of Job" (James 5:11). Paul's readers need to know how much he had gone through so that they would understand how much comfort God could give. Charles Spurgeon describes Paul's statements in verses 8-9 this way,

"'We were pressed' he says. The word is such as you would use if you were speaking of a cart loaded with sheaves, till it could not bear up under the weight: it is over-loaded, and threatens to break down and fall by the way. To strengthen the language he adds, 'out of measure.' He was pressed out of measure; he could convey no idea of the degree of pressure put upon him. Then he adds another word, 'above strength,' because a man may be pressed out of measure, and yet he may have such remarkable strength that he may bear up under all. Paul says that the pressure put upon him was beyond his strength, he was quite unable to cope with it, and his spirits so failed him that he adds, 'insomuch that we despaired even of life.' He gave himself up for a dead man, for no way of escape was visible to him".

The tribulations that Paul faced were enormous. Yet God brought him through them. We will look at the in depth tomorrow.