◄ 2 Corinthians 1 Devotional Commentary ►
2 Corinthians 1:2
"Grace and peace to you from God and from the Lord Jesus Christ," is a well-loved and oft-used greeting that the apostles used throughout their letters. No doubt, they were also the chosen words that fell from the lips of many Christians in those early days of the Church, when they gathered together for worship, teaching, the breaking of bread, and prayer.
"Grace and peace to you from God and from the Lord Jesus read more...
2 Corinthians 1:3
Following his introductory greeting to the saints at Corinth, where the amazing grace and abundant peace of Almighty God is the heavenly blessing that Paul bestows in great measure on all the congregation there, He turns his rapt attention and deep affection upon our great God and Father in heaven: "Blessed be GOD the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; Blessed be the GOD and Father of all mercies and Blessed be our Father in heaven Who is the God of all read more...
2 Corinthians 1:4
Our Father in heaven has a wondrous array of divine qualities, eternal attributes, and godly characteristics that rejoice our heart and calm our soul, but perhaps one of His essential elements is that He is our God of all comfort; our Source of all consolation.
He Who walked this earth and Who learned obedience by the things that He Himself suffered, is more than adequate to identify with our hurt and pain and to empathise with read more...
2 Corinthians 1:5
Paul was a man that was beset by troubles and trials, and had to face many dangers and disappointments in his Christian life.
The catalogue of pressures and distresses he faced were probably greater than most of us will ever have to go through in our lifetime, but we discover in his discomfort and distress a godly attitude that we should all seek to emulate.
Paul never forgot his Damascus Road read more...
2 Corinthians 1:6
Jesus suffered and was afflicted for the sake of righteousness, and He warned that in this world we too would suffer tribulation. But He also gave us great comfort and encouragement with the words, "but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world."
Paul was a man who followed in his Masters footsteps. He too experienced much pain and suffering because he was faithful to his calling, sharing the good news of read more...
2 Corinthians 1:9
Paul was a man who was equipped to comfort and encourage other Christians through the difficulties and dangers of life, because Paul was a man who understood the significance of suffering for the sake of Christ. Paul was also a man that received gracious comfort from the God of all comforts (Who comforts each one of us so that we may be used by Him to comfort other people, who may cross our life-path).
Paul was a man who was read more...
2 Corinthians 1:10
Despite the division, defilement and ungodly behaviour that was identified in so many believers in the Corinthians church, they were nonetheless a called-out, holy people who were set apart to God. They were identified as 'saints' who were sanctified of God: set apart for Him and called to be holy even as our Father in heaven is holy.
In his writings to the church at Corinth, there were many issues that Paul wanted to emphasise read more...
2 Corinthians 1:12
Paul did not boast in himself but only in the Cross of Christ, his Saviour. Paul's whole heart was that he himself would decrease to nothing, while the Lord Jesus must increase in every part of his life until he could say: "It is not I that live, but Christ that lives in me." And so, Paul could say with utter confidence that he had not lived his life by the fleshly wisdom of the world, but by means of the gift of grace that he received from the read more...
2 Corinthians 1:20
Paul had a deep spiritual burden for the believers in Corinth, and this letter was written soon after he wrote his first, disciplinary epistle, where petty arguments, sexual immorality, spiritual immaturity, worldly carnality and an absence of godly love were vigorously addressed.
He had planned to visit these believers, following his earlier, forthright epistle, for he wanted to rebuild their trust in him, by restating his read more...
2 Corinthians 1:21
We are positioned in Christ, and identified with Him by the Spirit of God, the moment we trust the Lord Jesus as Saviour. He baptises us into the body of Christ, for it is by the power of one Spirit that we have all been baptised into one body, whether Jew or Gentile, whether bondmen or free, and we have all been given to drink of one Spirit.
Once we have been born again and saved by grace through faith in Christ, we are to be read more...
2 Corinthians 1:22
The Bible lists over 200 things that are true of all believers who have been saved by grace through faith in the death, burial, and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. And in this verse we discover two amazing things that are the birthright of all God's children.
Firstly, we have been sealed by the Holy Spirit of God as His children. Secondly, we have been given the indwelling Holy Spirit of promise in our heart, as a pledge read more...
2 Corinthians 1:23
The more we come to understand the interchange that took place the moment we trusted Christ for salvation, the more mindful we are of our privileges in Him. The more we are aware of God's work in our lives, the more we marvel at the innumerable gifts and immeasurable graces He showers on each of His blood-bought children.
The gospel is simple enough for a child to understand; that Christ died for our sins and paid a debt we read more...