11 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, through the will of God, and Timotheus the brother, to the assembly of God that is in Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ!
3 Blessed 'is' God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of the mercies, and God of all comfort, 4 who is comforting us in all our tribulation, for our being able to comfort those in any tribulation through the comfort with which we are comforted ourselves by God; 5 because, as the sufferings of the Christ do abound to us, so through the Christ doth abound also our comfort; 6 and whether we be in tribulation, 'it is' for your comfort and salvation, that is wrought in the enduring of the same sufferings that we also suffer; whether we are comforted, 'it is' for your comfort and salvation;
7 and our hope 'is' stedfast for you, knowing that even as ye are partakers of the sufferings—so also of the comfort. 8 For we do not wish you to be ignorant, brethren, of our tribulation that happened to us in Asia, that we were exceedingly burdened above 'our' power, so that we despaired even of life; 9 but we ourselves in ourselves the sentence of the death have had, that we may not be trusting on ourselves, but on God, who is raising the dead, 10 who out of so great a death did deliver us, and doth deliver, in whom we have hoped that even yet He will deliver; 11 ye working together also for us by your supplication, that the gift through many persons to us, through many may be thankfully acknowledged for us.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on 2 Corinthians 1:1-11
Commentary on 2 Corinthians 1:1-11
(Read 2 Corinthians 1:1-11)
We are encouraged to come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. The Lord is able to give peace to the troubled conscience, and to calm the raging passions of the soul. These blessings are given by him, as the Father of his redeemed family. It is our Saviour who says, Let not your heart be troubled. All comforts come from God, and our sweetest comforts are in him. He speaks peace to souls by granting the free remission of sins; and he comforts them by the enlivening influences of the Holy Spirit, and by the rich mercies of his grace. He is able to bind up the broken-hearted, to heal the most painful wounds, and also to give hope and joy under the heaviest sorrows. The favours God bestows on us, are not only to make us cheerful, but also that we may be useful to others. He sends comforts enough to support such as simply trust in and serve him. If we should be brought so low as to despair even of life, yet we may then trust God, who can bring back even from death. Their hope and trust were not in vain; nor shall any be ashamed who trust in the Lord. Past experiences encourage faith and hope, and lay us under obligation to trust in God for time to come. And it is our duty, not only to help one another with prayer, but in praise and thanksgiving, and thereby to make suitable returns for benefits received. Thus both trials and mercies will end in good to ourselves and others.