After a formal greeting and introduction Paul opens his letter on a note of praise. What particular aspects of God’s character does Paul give praise for? Why do you think these should be particularly singled out in this letter? Can we learn from Paul’s experiences any new lessons about the Christian in his personal relationships with God? Answer: This one is above my head. I can see that Paul is talking here about the comfort and strength of God. One thing I found interesting is when researching this a bit one person more or less said to replace comfort with strength. It reads a bit different yet the same.
What reasons does Paul give in this passage for wanting the Corinthians to be fully aware of the extent of his sufferings? What spiritual gain would they get from his sufferings (v6)? What part are they to play, and with what result (v11)? How faithful are we in our support of those whose Christian lives entail more than a usual amount of sufferings? Answer: Paul suffered, and relayed this to the Corinthians so they could better understand that in times of great hardship that reliance on God is the only way. V6; If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. In other words what Paul has suffered he hopes that the Corinthians will learn from that situation that God is with them. Paul’s comfort is their strength.
Compare the formal greetings of this letter with similar ones in the other epistles (e.g. Gal 1:1). ON what grounds does Paul rest his claim to apostleship? How does he describe the church in Corinth in spite of its defects? What blessings does he ask for its members? How far are these blessings real to you? Answer: He rests his claims of apostleship on God; God said it and it is true. I am missing the description of the church in Corinth.
Note: V8-10. ‘To be uninformed’: in the sense of ‘to underrate’. The Corinthians knew of the affliction, but not of its gravity. ‘I absolutely despaired of life. Yes, and when I asked, what shall be the end? The whispered answer of my heart was Death. This taught me to rely no more on my own strength, but upon God alone, for He can raise up men actually dead’ (Way).
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