2 Corinthians 1:3 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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2 Corinthians 1:3

Comments

‘Blessed be God’, or as we would say today, ‘Praise God.’ Why, the English word ‘eulogy’ comes straight from this very Greek term ‘blessed be God,’ to speak well of. So the apostle says, ‘Praise God; speak well of God; extol his name; think of his attributes; speak much of his kindness and his glory and his greatness.’ ‘Even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ Well, of course he is, but when you read that be careful, always note that God the Father. The term father refers to one who creates something. Out of the father come the children. The father begets the son or a daughter and so on. Ah but the Father never created the Son of God, the eternal Son of God, divine and equal with the Father, yes, but he did create Christ in his humanity. Do not forget when Christ became a man he was God who entered into human flesh and personality and became the God-man and was born of Mary. So God is the Father of the God-man, Jesus Christ. The divine aspect of Christ always was eternally with the Father, so the Father is not strictly father to Christ viewed in his divinity. But of course we view Christ not only in his divinity but in his humanity because he became the God-man to be our representative and our Saviour and in that he is son of the father.And the only one. God only has one son, Christ the God-man. But when I am converted, do I not become a son of God? Yes, but I become a son of God because I am in Christ, he is the only Son. I am an adopted son, I am under the wing of the Son who is Christ. It helps us to grasp the significance of our Saviour. He is strictly speaking the only Son, and we are sons and daughters because we are in him. ‘The Father of mercies.’ What a title. Pities actually would be a better translation. Somehow it is more earthy, it gets home. He is the Father of pities – not just pity in the singular but he constantly pities his people and all people; enough to save them. He is a God of compassion. Will he not hear my cries? Will he not help me in my difficulties? He is the Father of Christ and the Father of all pities and compassions; it is his very nature. The fountain and the source of all consolation and comfort in life for his people. ‘… and the God of all comfort.’ This is tremendous language, and it is so rich. Comfort will be a word used here no fewer than ten times in just five verses.

Application

I trust everybody knows how to praise. Praise God, yes, for his attributes, for his power, for his goodness. Praise him for redemption, for what he has done and how he has gone about it and what Christ has done. Then praise him for your personal redemption, salvation. Never forget how he worked in your heart and thank him frequently. Praise him for your preservation in the faith; praise him for your future hope; praise him for specific blessings – yesterday, this last week, at great times in your life. Praise him for the privileges of service; for the Word of God; for the understanding that you have. Praise him – that great eulogy, or benediction of praise. If you lack assurance, you know the most likely reason is that you haven’t been feelingfully, intelligently praising God because if you praise him, your heart is assured, he sees to that, there is no doubt about that.

Questions

What is comfort? The word ‘comfort,’ especially in the time of our translation, was a very broad word. Today it has become in the English language a very narrow word. Who needs comfort? A child who is in pain; an adult who is in grief. Comfort soothes, whether it is the great doctrinal comfort I have been talking about, or simple friendship, comfort soothes and eases. That is about the only ingredient in the word today. But when Paul speaks of comfort, as the passage will go on to show us, he speaks almost least of all about that form of comfort. He speaks mainly about encouragement, even exhortation. It comes from the word to call a person near and help them and instruct them, person to person, sometimes warning them. Encouragement: that is the golden word to understand everything Paul is about to say about comfort.

Outline

Purpose

Introduction

2 Corinthians 1:3 Commentary and Bible Study