2 Coríntios 1
John Calvin · Citado em PreceptAustin
2 Coríntios 1
Calvin - We are not brought to real submission until we have been laid low by the crushing hand of God. “God does not comfort us to make us comfortable, but to make us comforters.” --- John Henry Jowett Brian Bell on if we are comforted, it is for your comfort - I’m listening to the audiobook Kel gave me for Father’s day by Philip Yancey called Prayer. 1. Slide#11 He was interviewing a lady who goes ever day into the most violent prison in South Africa. Her efforts there have shown remarkable results in calming the violence. Twice prompting the BBC to do a documentary on her. In trying to explain the results Joanna said to him, “well of course Philip, God was already present in the prison, I just had to make Him visible!” a) Slide#12 When you come alongside to share comfort w/someone, remember this 1 thing. God is already present in that situation, & you just had to make Him visible! M. When it comes to suffering, you can choose to have “Me-centered suffering” or “Others-centered suffering”! “God’s comfort is not given; it is loaned, & you are expected to pass it on to others.” (quoting Wiersbe) God seeks chain reaction comfort…pass it on! 2. Here is a ministry all Christians can(& should) possess! [the giving comfort ministry!] a) Yet, it is a very costly ministry! O. Remember, comfort is given by someone called alongside to help. Little children have to deal with monsters or bad guys “under the bed.” a) A child’s fears are not to be laughed at but to be worked through. (1) I used to check for sure! (under beds, in closets, make my rounds b4 bed) b) And so, you alleviate those fears by “looking under the bed” for them! When you suffer, avoid self-pity, because self-pity will turn you into a reservoir instead of a channel. 1. If you don’t share the comfort God gave you, your experience in the fire will be wasted. - Don’t waste your sufferings! Have you gone through any sufferings? How have you used them? 4. When you know someone around you is suffering, how do you respond? Do you agonize with them, or does it give you 5 minutes of concern? :( If we want to bring comfort to others, we must have an intimate relationship with the Lord and experience His comfort. “You must live with people to know their problems, and live with God In order to solve them.” --- P. T. Forsyth Afflicted (distressed, suffer affliction) (2346) thlibo rom tribos = wear away, rub, break in pieces; NIDNTT says thlibo is from the root thlao = squash, crush) (See study of related word thlipsis) literally means to press, squeeze, crush, squash, hem in and then to be narrow. Thlibo used literally pictures putting pressure upon or pressing in upon or pressing hard upon a person as when when Jesus was forced to get in the boat to keep from crowding Him (Mark 3:9). While some uses of thlibo refers to physical affliction, other uses are figurative and refer to emotional or spiritual affliction (e.g., "conflicts without, fears within" in 2Cor 7:5) And so in Paul’s letters thlibo usually refers to the hardships he and his fellow workers experienced during their missionary journeys (2Cor 1:6; 4:8; 7:5; 1Th 3:4; 2Th 1:1-7). Salvation (4991)(soteria) from soter = Savior in turn from sozo = save, rescue, deliver) describes the rescue or deliverance from danger, destruction and peril. Salvation (soteria) is mentioned twom more times in 2 Cor 6:2 and 2 Cor 7:10. Effective (1754) energeo from en = in + érgon = work. English = energetic) means to work effectively to cause something to happen. To energize, to operate, to work effectually in. It means power in exercise, and is used only of superhuman power. To work energetically, effectively and/or efficiently. To put forth energy. To be at work. To produce results. Patient enduring (5281) hupomone from hupo = under + meno = stay, remain, abide) literally means abiding under and has to do with CIRCUMSTANCES more than with people (but of course people are often integrally involved with our circumstances). The root idea of hupomone is to remain under some discipline, subjecting one’s self to something which demands the submission of one's will to something against which one naturally would rebel. It portrays a picture of steadfastly and unflinchingly bearing up under a heavy load and describes that quality of character which does not allow one to surrender to circumstances or succumb under trial. The picture is that of steadfastness, constancy and endurance. It has in it a forward look, the ability to focus on what is beyond the current pressures (eg Jesus "Who for the joy set before Him endured [verb form hupomeno] the Cross despising the shame" see notes on Hebrews 12:2). And so hupomone does not describe a grim resignation or a passive "grin and bear" attitude but a triumphant facing of difficult circumstances knowing that even out of evil God guarantees good. It is courageous gallantry which accepts suffering and hardship and turns them into grace and glory. For believers, it is a steadfastness, especially as God enables us to "remain under" (or endure) whatever challenges, trials, tests, afflictions, etc, He providentially allows in our life. Perseverance is that spiritual staying power that will die before it gives in. It is the virtue which can endure, not simply with resignation, but with a vibrant hope. Brian Bell on PASSING (COMFORT) IT ON - Enduring = not bleak acceptance of trouble, but triumph. Don’t just except suffering, but triumph over it. Often we start well in our sufferings, often holding on to our “pat” scriptures (i.e. not fresh). Yet after “a whole day” we fizzle fast! The cheetah survives by running down its prey. The big cat can sprint 70mph. But the cheetah cannot sustain that pace for long. Within its long, sleek body is a disproportionately small heart, which causes the cheetah to tire quickly. Unless the cheetah catches its prey in the first flurry, it must abandon the chase. Sometimes Christians seem to have the cheetah's approach to suffering. We lack the heart for sustained effort, we fizzle before we finish. We vow to start faster and run harder, when what we need may be not more speed but more staying power - stamina that comes only from a bigger heart. Motion and busyness, no matter how great, yield nothing unless we allow God to give us the heart. So, How do I share this comfort? Well, How do you seek to be comforted & supported by others? What Do I Do? What Do I Say? 1. Do be a good listener. Answer briefly any questions. 2. Do show extreme sensitivity. 3. Do remember words aren’t always necessary (in giving comfort). 4. Do acknowledge the grieving person’s pain. 5. Do allow them to express whatever emotion they are comfortable with. 6. Do give a squeeze of the hand, or hand on the shoulder (depending on its appropriateness, or familiarity with the individual). 7. Do remember the others who are grieving also. 8. Do help them to put off any decisions that don’t have to be made right away (often they start worrying about the future, this obviously isn’t the right time to make any “life” decisions at such an emotional time). 9. Do give brief & simple explanations w/children. Use concrete & familiar examples. 10. Do give assurances, and extend hope (“You will be ok”, “You will get through this.” What I Shouldn’t Do. What I Shouldn’t Say? 1. Don’t avoid the grieving person. 2. Don’t wait for them to reach out to you, reach out to them. 3. Don’t be critical of the bereaved person’s actions. 4. Don’t ask countless loaded questions. 5. Don’t encourage flights of fantasy, help them in the process of accepting the realities of death. 6. Don’t say, “I know what you are going through.” Everyone’s grief is unique. 7. Don’t try to answer when they ask “Why?” 8. Don’t try to have “all” the answers. 9. Don’t give platitudes, cliches or trite expressions, such as, “At least he didn’t suffer”, “Time heals all wounds”, “The Lord knows best”, God doesn’t make mistakes.” (These are true, but they don’t necessarily bring comfort at this time) 10. Don’t minimize the loss of a baby through a miscarriage, or still-birth. 11. Don’t tell them about similar incidents or accidents!!! READ Job 2:11-13 then Job 16:1-5. Streams in the Desert - (2 Cor. 1:6, 7.) ARE there not some in your circle to whom you naturally betake yourself in times of trial and sorrow? They always seem to speak the right word, to give the very counsel you are longing for; you do not realize, how ever the cost which they had to pay ere they became so skillful in binding up the gaping wounds and drying tears. But if you were to investigate their past history you would find that they have suffered more than most. They have watched the slow untwisting of some silver cord on which the lamp of life hung. They have seen the golden bowl of joy dashed to their feet, and its contents spilt. They have stood by ebbing tides, and drooping gourds, and noon sunsets; but all this has been necessary to make them the nurses, the physicians, the priests of men. The boxes that come from foreign climes are clumsy enough; but they contain spices which scent the air with the fragrance of the Orient. So suffering is rough and hard to bear; but it hides beneath it discipline, education, possibilities, which not only leave us nobler, but perfect us to help others. Do not fret, or set your teeth, or wait doggedly for the suffering to pass; but get out of it all you can, both for yourself and for your service to your generation, according to the will of God.—Selected. Once I heard a song of sweetness, As it cleft the morning air, Sounding in its blest completeness, Like a tender, pleading prayer; And I sought to find the singer, Whence the wondrous song was borne; And I found a bird, sore wounded, Pinioned by a cruel thorn. I have seen a soul in sadness, While its wings with pain were furl’d, Giving hope, and cheer and gladness That should bless a weeping world; And I knew that life of sweetness, Was of pain and sorrow borne, And a stricken soul was singing, With its heart against a thorn. Ye are told of One who loved you, Of a Saviour crucified, Ye are told of nails that pinioned, And a spear that pierced His side; Ye are told of cruel scourging, Of a Saviour bearing scorn, And He died for your salvation, With His brow against a thorn. Ye “are not above the Master.” Will you breathe a sweet refrain? And His grace will be sufficient, When your heart is pierced with pain. Will you live to bless His loved ones, Tho’ your life be bruised and torn, Like the bird that sang so sweetly, With its heart against a thorn? —Selected. 2 Corinthians 1:7 and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort. KJV 2 Corinthians 1:7 And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation. NET 2 Corinthians 1:7 And our hope for you is steadfast because we know that as you share in our sufferings, so also you will share in our comfort. BGT 2 Corinthians 1:7 καὶ ἡ ἐλπὶς ἡμῶν βεβαία ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν εἰδότες ὅτι ὡς κοινωνοί ἐστε τῶν παθημάτων, οὕτως καὶ τῆς παρακλήσεως. NLT 2 Corinthians 1:7 We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us. ESV 2 Corinthians 1:7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. NIV 2 Corinthians 1:7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort. GNT 2 Corinthians 1:7 καὶ ἡ ἐλπὶς ἡμῶν βεβαία ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν εἰδότες ὅτι ὡς κοινωνοί ἐστε τῶν παθημάτων, οὕτως καὶ τῆς παρακλήσεως. YLT 2 Corinthians 1:7 and our hope is stedfast for you, knowing that even as ye are partakers of the sufferings -- so also of the comfort. ASV 2 Corinthians 1:7 and our hope for you is stedfast; knowing that, as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so also are ye of the comfort. CSB 2 Corinthians 1:7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know that as you share in the sufferings, so you will share in the comfort. MIT 2 Corinthians 1:7 Thus our hope concerning you is indefatigable, knowing that as you are partners with me in the sufferings, there is commensurate encouragement for you. NEB 2 Corinthians 1:7 And our hope for you is firmly grounded;for we know that if you have part in the suffering, you have part also in the divine consolation. our: 2Co 1:14 2Cor 7:9 2Cor 12:20 Php 1:6,7 1Th 1:3,4 as : Mt 5:11-12 Lu 22:28-30 Ro 8:17-18 1Co 10:13 2Th 1:4-7 2Ti 2:12 Jas 1:2-4,12 2 Corinthians 1 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: 1 Peter 5:9+ But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. 10 After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, Who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. Romans 8:17-18+ and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. 18For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 2 Timothy 2:12+ If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us; And our hope (our joyful and confident expectation of good for you) for you is firmly grounded (unwavering, assured, unshaken), knowing that as you are sharers (fellowship) of our sufferings pathema), so also you are sharers of our comfort - What is Paul's hope (confidence) in this context? That just as he had suffered and been delivered, so too they would be delivered. Sharers of sufferings of Christ are a mark of a true believer which is why Paul's hope (hope sure, not hope so) in the Corinthian saints is unshakable and unwavering. Paul knew that as they shared Christ's sufferings, they also share the Father's comfort. Paul Apple labels this passage "Confidence in the Certainty of Sufferings and the Sufficiency of God’s Comfort." Gromacki – Paul believed that what God had done for him He would do for others. He had a steadfast “hope,” a firm conviction that the Corinthians would have victory through their sufferings. He knew that they would be “partakers” of suffering in the will of God along with Christ and Paul. With equal confidence, he knew that they would also share in the “consolation.” Biblical consolation involves more than just feeling sorry for someone who is in difficulty; it connotes active encouragement and help to see the person through his trouble. God never promised to keep us out of the furnace of trials. Rather, He has pledged to be with us in the fire and lead us out of the oppressive flames....No believer is alone in hard times; God is there beside him. (2 Corinthians - Stand Firm in the Faith) Mike Andrus - Paul seems quite optimistic about the ultimate outcome of the faith of the Corinthian believers. Right now they are showing a lot of immaturity and making life difficult for him, but his hope for them is firm. Hope (1680) elpis is an absolute certainty of future good. Hope is the desire of some good with the expectation of obtaining it. Hope is always an expectation of something good as well as descriptive of something for which we must wait. Hope is the opposite of despair. And the opposite of a "living hope" is a "dead hope." Elpis in 2 Cor - 2 Cor 1:7, 2 Cor 3:12, 2 Cor 10:15 Related Resources: Christ Jesus Our Hope Are You Looking for the Blessed Hope? The Blessed Hope: Part 1 The Blessed Hope: Part 2 Firmly grounded (949) (bebaios from baino = to walk where it is solid) describes that which is solid, fixed, stable, sure (sure enough to walk on), attested to, frim unshakable, absolutely dependable, giving guaranteed support (security, surety)..It is something which is unwavering and persistent and thus can be relied on or depended on. It is worthy of confidence because on "solid footing." It pertains to that which is known with certainty. It refers to something that has validity over a period of time (e.g., the promise made to Abraham remained valid to NT believers in Ro 4:16+). Figuratively bebaios refers to that upon which one may build, rely or trust. Bebaios is something that can be relied on not to cause disappointment for it is reliable and unshifting. Bebaios is used in ancient legal texts for "what is valid (assured)," i.e. anchored to a solid foundation. Sharer (2844) koinonos from koinos = common, shared by all) is one who participates with another in an enterprise or matter of joint concern. It is one who fellowships and shares something in common with another. He or she takes part in something with someone else. Koinonos is a participant who mutually belongs and shares fellowship; a "joint-participant." While koinonia (feminine noun) stresses the relational aspect of the fellowship, koinōnós (masculine noun) focuses more on the participant himself. Koinonos - 10v - Matt. 23:30; Lk. 5:10; 1 Co. 10:18; 1 Co. 10:20; 2 Co. 1:7; 2 Co. 8:23 ("Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you"); Phlm. 1:17; Heb. 10:33; 1 Pet. 5:1; 2 Pet. 1:4 (partakers of the divine nature) Pass It On I’ve noticed through the years that those who have suffered are quick to comfort other sufferers. When a young couple suffers the loss of a child, another couple who also lost a child in the past asks if they can help. If a couple loses their main income, almost immediately another couple steps forward to offer their aid, remembering their own journey through foreclosure years earlier. Again and again we see the body of Christ supporting and encouraging one another. These Christians have learned that they can use the trials they’ve been through to reach out to others going through similar difficulties. Have you been sick? Lost a loved one? Been imprisoned? Unfairly treated? In all of our trials, God promises to bring something good out of even our darkest moments (James 1:2-4). One key way this takes place is when we share the comfort He offered us with those who are now going through trials. As Paul points out in 2 Corinthians 1:3-7, we are comforted by a Savior who knows our suffering, and we honor Him when we pass His comfort on to still others. May we never leave someone to suffer alone. If we know the trail another is on, God will help us to guide that person to His presence—the surest comfort of all.— by Randy Kilgore Dear Lord, help us to step forward when others around us are suffering trials similar to what we’ve been through. Enable us to be a comfort, as You have been to us in the past. David Jeremiah - WHAT, LORD? 2 CORINTHIANS 1:7 During stormy weather, when the strong winds blow, the roots of plants actually dig down deeper. Then when the calm days return, the new roots provide a deeper foundation for new growth. That is the way it should be with us. What we receive from disruptive moments depends upon how we respond. The right question is never, “Why, Lord?” It is always, “What, Lord? What do You want to teach me through this disruptive moment? Take me around and through the bend in the road as my Teacher. Don’t let me miss anything that You want me to see and learn.” Dear friend, if you face a disruptive moment with any other perspective than that, it will just be a bump in the road that bounces you all over the highway. When it is over you will just be sore, and you won’t be any better. Purpose now, before you get to the bends in the road, that you will respond in a way that produces more of God’s will in your life. (Sanctuary) Sharing a Cup of Comfort Our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort. 2 Corinthians 1:7 Today's Scripture & Insight: 2 Corinthians 1:3–11 A friend mailed me some of her homemade pottery. Upon opening the box, I discovered the precious items had been damaged during their journey. One of the cups had shattered into a few large pieces, a jumble of shards, and clumps of clay dust. After my husband glued the broken mess back together, I displayed the beautifully blemished cup on a shelf. Like that pieced-together pottery, I have scars that prove I can still stand strong after the difficult times God’s brought me through. That cup of comfort reminds me that sharing how the Lord has worked in and through my life can help others during their times of suffering. The apostle Paul praises God because He is the “Father of compassion and the God of all comfort” (2 Cor. 1:3). The Lord uses our trials and sufferings to make us more like Him. His comfort in our troubles equips us to encourage others as we share what He did for us during our time of need (v. 4). Lord, thank You for using us to provide comfort, encouragement, and hope to others who are suffering. We praise You for all You’ve done, are doing, and will continue to do to comfort us through our own afflictions. God comforts others as we share how He comforted us. While riding on a train through a small town in Georgia, my friend E. Schuyler English observed a large sign painted on the side of a fix-it shop. It read, "We can mend everything but a broken heart." That may be a bit of an exaggeration, but it is also clever advertising. That sign raises a vital question—is there anything that can mend a broken heart? When sadness darkens each day and grief overwhelms us, where do we turn for comfort and help? Can the human wisdom of friends, family, or business associates—as well-meaning as they may be—offer effective healing prescriptions? We soon discover that they don't have the answer. WHEN GOD ALLOWS EXTRAORDINARY TRIALS, HE GIVES EXTRAORDINARY COMFORT. 2 Corinthians 1:8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; KJV 2 Corinthians 1:8 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: NET 2 Corinthians 1:8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, regarding the affliction that happened to us in the province of Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of living. BGT 2 Corinthians 1:8 Οὐ γὰρ θέλομεν ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, ἀδελφοί, ὑπὲρ τῆς θλίψεως ἡμῶν τῆς γενομένης ἐν τῇ Ἀσίᾳ, ὅτι καθ᾽ ὑπερβολὴν ὑπὲρ δύναμιν ἐβαρήθημεν ὥστε ἐξαπορηθῆναι ἡμᾶς καὶ τοῦ ζῆν· NLT 2 Corinthians 1:8 We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. ESV 2 Corinthians 1:8 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. NIV 2 Corinthians 1:8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. GNT 2 Corinthians 1:8 Οὐ γὰρ θέλομεν ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, ἀδελφοί, ὑπὲρ τῆς θλίψεως ἡμῶν τῆς γενομένης ἐν τῇ Ἀσίᾳ, ὅτι καθ᾽ ὑπερβολὴν ὑπὲρ δύναμιν ἐβαρήθημεν ὥστε ἐξαπορηθῆναι ἡμᾶς καὶ τοῦ ζῆν· YLT 2 Corinthians 1:8 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; ASV 2 Corinthians 1:8 For we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning our affliction which befell us in Asia, that we were weighed down exceedingly, beyond our power, insomuch that we despaired even of life: CSB 2 Corinthians 1:8 For we don't want you to be unaware, brothers, of our affliction that took place in Asia: we were completely overwhelmed-- beyond our strength-- so that we even despaired of life. MIT 2 Corinthians 1:8 For we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about our ordeal in Roman Asia. To the greatest extreme, even beyond our strength, we were put under immense pressure. It was such that we had serious doubts we would live through it. of our: 2Co 4:7-12 Ac 19:23-35 1Co 15:32 16:9 so that we despaired: 1Co 4:8 1Sa 20:3 27:1 2 Corinthians 1 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia - While the Corinthians may have known Paul was persecuted, here he wants them to know how intense the affliction had been. Paul addresses the saints at Corinth as brethren (adelphos literally those "from the same womb" figuratively the same new birth). We do not know exactly which experience this was (see Guzik below). He may have been referring to the riot in Ephesus (Acts 19:23-35+), which he did not attend when encouraged by other saints and after which he departed for Macedonia (Acts 20:1+). This was after he had written the epistle of First Corinthians and before he wrote Second Corinthians from Macedonia (presumably from Philippi). Guzik suggests "There are at least five suggestions for this trouble: (1) Fighting with “wild beasts” in Ephesus (1 Cor 15:32+), (2) Suffering 39 stripes after being brought before a Jewish court (2 Cor 11:24) (3) The riot at Ephesus (Acts 19:23–41+), (4) A particular persecution shortly before Paul left for Troas (Acts 20:19 and 1 Cor 16:9), (5) A recurring physical malady (2 Corinthians 1)
2 Coríntios 1
Calvin says faith "acknowledges no subjection except to the Word of God and is not at all liable to the rule of men”.