2 Corinthians is a letter to the proud and vocal minority that continuously cause division. As the title indicates, it is a follow-up to a prior letter. It is a letter urging reconciliation. Chapter 1 reminds me of keeping the Owner’s Manual on file. Even years later it can be used to guide us in fixing common problems. Paul begins by stating his qualification, “an apostle of Christ Jesus”. Not all instruction is competent instruction. As someone once said, be careful about taking financial advice from people that are broke. Paul adds his familiar greeting, “Grace and peace to you”. Grace is God’s forgiveness, and peace is the result. “Praise be to the God… the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort”. Note that compassion and comfort are two different things. The truly compassionate are those that have overcome adversity and have found healing. In contrast, the miserable tend to invite company to join in their misery. Paul will go on to compassionately warn those heading toward ruin to stop. Paul adds, God “comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God”. In other words, our past sorrows give us unique insights to help others dealing with the same pain. True comfort seeks to restore. Within the family of faith, we do not walk alone; “just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort”. Paul’s message is unity under God’s instruction.
Perhaps as an example, Paul proceeds to open up about his own burdens. Too often we hide our own struggles to paint a pretty picture, as if people of faith have no problems. Paul says he does “not want you to be uninformed… about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia”. He says they “despaired of life itself… we felt we had received the sentence of death”. Although we do not know exactly what he was referring to, we know Paul was under constant death threats and had been arrested and beaten multiple times. Paul declares that God “has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us again”. Paul adds that one of the many important benefits intercessory prayer; we are encouraged by the results! “Many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers”. We are always drawn closer to those we cover in prayer. Do you pray for those with whom you disagree? It is impossible to hate someone you regularly lift up in prayer.
The chapter closes with the start of Paul’s correction. Very often we project motives onto other people by making assumptions about an action. Paul says “we have conducted ourselves in the world… with integrity… relying not on worldly wisdom but on God’s grace”. None of us are perfect, but we can strive to avoid the appearance of impropriety to avoid tarnishing Christ. He adds, “we do not write you anything you cannot read or understand”. People may twist our words, but we should be measured in everything we write. Today, anything digital is forever. Finally, Paul addresses the central complaint. The Corinthian church was disappointed that Paul broke his promise to return, and some used that to discredit his entire message. Paul first returns to the basics, “the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us”. Though the human vessel communicating God’s truth may be imperfect, “no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ”. God’s promises never fail. Paul is clear, God “anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts”. That is, God does the work and changes hearts. Finally, Paul explains, “it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth”. Correcting in anger can be destructive. His desire was to build them up, not tear down, “we work with you for your joy, because it is by faith you stand firm”. Is it time to review God’s Instruction Manual again?