Beloved, I am glad to share with you today the above theme from 2 Co 1:2 and following. Indeed, his first epistle, Paul had not written it to the Corinthians as a censor or a harsh judge. He himself had been humiliated and upset by the news received from this assembly. Especially since they had come to him at a time when he was going through extreme affliction in this city of Ephesus in Asia, where there were many adversaries (1 Kos 16:5-9). But even such a sum of suffering can be a subject of recognition, because it entails a double and precious consequence. First, it causes the believer to lose all confidence in himself (2 Co 2:9). Second, it brings him into the depth of the Lord’s sympathies.
The abundance of suffering thus revealed to the dear apostle the abundance of consolation (2 Co 2:5). A consolation is always personal, but it allows the one who has experienced it to enter into the sorrows of others and to express a real sympathy for them. To have gone through the trial with the lord’s support qualifies a Christian to address the afflicted and direct their gaze to “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation.”
It was not Paul’s habit to say yes when he thought no (2 Co 2:17). The Corinthians could trust him: he had no ulterior motives and showed the same sincerity in his actions and decisions of everyday life as when he had proclaimed to them an unfulified gospel (2 Corinthians 2:14-17; 2 Corinthians 4:1-4). How important it is! If a child of God is lacking in relation to the truth, he exposes those who observe him to also question the Word of which he is such an insecure witness. Paul showed perfect righteousness, whether in his dealings with the world or with other Christians (2 Co 2:12). Was he not the messenger of the One who is “the Amen, the faithful and true witness,” the Guarantor that all of God’s promises will be fulfilled (Rev 3:14-22)?
Let us note that verses 21 and 22 remind us of three aspects of the gift of the Holy Spirit: first, through Him God anointed us, that is, consecrated for Him and made us able to enter into His thoughts. Then He sealed us, in other words designated as His. Finally, He has put us in possession of the deposit of our heavenly possessions, giving us both a first proof of their reality and the way to taste them now “in our hearts”.
The apostle addresses all the saints of Achaia, as well as those of the city of Corinth, which was the capital of this land; and led by the Holy Spirit to write according to the true feelings that this Spirit produced in him, he immediately placed himself in the midst of the consolations that filled his heart, to recognize in them the God who poured them into his soul tested and exercised.
Nothing is more touching than the work of the Spirit in the heart of the apostle. The mixture of gratitude and adoration to God, joy in Christ’s consolations, and affection for those for whom he now rejoiced, is of a beauty that the spirit of man can absolutely not imitate. Its simplicity and truth only enhance the excellence and elevation of this divine work in a human heart.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, who consoles us with regard to all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction, by the consolation of which we ourselves are consoled by God. For as Christ’s sufferings abound towards us, so through Christ, our consolation also abounds. And be it that we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is operated in that you endure the same sufferings that we too suffer (and our hope for you is firm); or that we be consoled, it is for your consolation and salvation.” Blessing God for the consolations he had received, content to suffer, because his participation in the sufferings, by showing them God’s ordained way for the most excellent, encouraged the faith of the suffering Corinthians, Paul pours into their hearts his own consolations as soon as the encouragement comes to him from God. His first thought, and this is what always takes place in a soul that realizes its dependence on God and stands in his presence (Gen 24), is to bless God and recognize Him as the source of all consolation. Christ, whom he has found, and in sufferings and consolations, immediately turns his heart to the beloved members of his body.
But, in the first place, the glory of God is that of the One who always glorifies Himself in His ways of sovereign grace towards us; for it is in these ways that he deploys and shows what he is. Therefore, the “yes and amen” of God’s promises, the fulfillment and fulfillment of God’s promises, for His own glory through us, is all in Christ.
But how can we participate if everything is in Christ and in Christ? It is here that the Holy Spirit presents the second part of the ways of grace. We are in Christ, and we are in Him, not according to the instability of man’s will and the weakness that characterizes him in his transient and mutable works: For he who has established us firmly in Christ is God himself. The fulfillment of all promises is in Him. Under the law and under conditions the fulfillment of which depended on the stability of man, the effect of the promise was never attained; for the promised thing escaped the pursuit of man, because man must be in a state capable of attaining it by justice, and he was not in that state.
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped together for your better understanding.
- God’s Grace
-Granted freely Ps 84:12 For Jehovah God is a sun and a shield, Jehovah gives grace and glory, He does not deny any good to those who walk in integrity. Acts 11:23 When he arrived, and saw God’s grace, he rejoiced in it, and he exhorted them all to remain with a firm heart attached to the Lord. Acts 13:43, and at the end of the assembly many Jews and pious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke with them, and exhorted them to remain attached to God’s grace.
-Give men the power to serve 1 Co 3:10 According to the grace of God given to me, I laid the foundation as a wise architect, and another built on it. But let everyone be careful about how they build on it. 1 Co 15:10 By the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me has not been in vain; far from it, I have worked more than all of them, not me, but the grace of God who is with me.
-Makes men capable of leading a simple life 2 Co 1:12 For what makes our glory is this witness of our conscience, that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially towards you, with holiness and purity before God, not with carnal wisdom, but with the grace of God.
-May lose its effectiveness 2 Co 6:1 Since we work with God, we exhort you not to receive God’s grace in vain. Gal 2:21 I do not reject God’s grace; for if righteousness is obtained by law, then Christ died in vain. Eph 3:7 of which I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was granted to me by the effectiveness of his power. He he 2:9 But he who has been lowered for a little time below the angels, Jesus, we see him crowned with glory and honor because of the death he suffered, so that, by the grace of God, he may suffer death for all. John 4:6 He grants, on the contrary, a more excellent grace; that is why Scripture says: God resists the proud, but he gives grace to the humble.
-Is not granted for selfish use 1 P 4:10 As good dispensers of the various graces of God, let each of you put at the service of others the gift he has received,
-Promised to the humble 1 Heart 5:5 Likely, you who are young, be submissive to the elders. And all of you, in your mutual relations, clothe yourselves in humility; for God resists the proud, but he thanks the humble.
- God is the One Who Gives Consolation Ps 71:21 Raise my greatness, Console me again!
Ps 86:17 Makes a sign in my favor! Let my enemies see it and be confused! For you help me and console me, O Lord! Is 12:1 Thou shat say on that day: I praise you, O Lord! For you have been angered against me, Your anger has subsided, and you have comforted me. Is 51:3:12 So jehovah has mercy on Zion, He has mercy on all its ruins; He will make his desert like an Eden, and his arid land to a garden of the Lord. Joy and joy will be found in her midst, Thanksgiving and the song of hymns. 12 It is I, it is I who console you. Who are you, to be afraid of mortal man, and of the son of man, like grass? Isa 66:13 Like a man whom his mother consoles, So I will console you; You will be consoled in Jerusalem. 2 Co 1:3 Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation;2 Co 7:6 But God, who consoles those who are dejected, has consoled us with the arrival of Titus,
- Glorifying God, examples:
1 Ch 29:11 To you, Jehovah, greatness, strength and magnificence, eternity and glory, for all that is in heaven and on earth belongs to you; to you, Jehovah, the kingdom, for you rise sovereignly above all! Isa 6:3 They cried out to one another, and said: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts! all the earth is full of his glory! Mt 15:31 so that the crowd was in awe that the dumb were speaking, that the crippled were healed, that the lame walked, that the blind saw; and it glorified the God of Israel. Acts 4:21
They made new threats to them, and released them, not knowing how to punish them, because of the people, because all glorified God for what had happened. Rev 4:11 You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power; for you have created all things, and it is by your will that they exist and were created. Rev 7:10 And they cried out in a loud voice, saying, “Salvation is to our God who sits on the throne, and to the lamb. Rev 15:4 Who would not fear, Lord, and glorify your name? For only you are holy. And all nations will come, and bow down before you, because your judgments have been manifested. Rev 19.1 After that, I heard in heaven as a loud voice of a large crowd that said: Hallelujah! Salvation, glory, and power are our God’s,
- Examples of Trust in God
Nb 14:8 If the Lord is favorable to us, He will lead us into this land, and give it to us: it is a land where milk and honey flow. Ps 3:7 I do not fear the myriad peoples who besiege me from all sides. Ps 20.8 These rely on their chariots, these on their horses; We invoke the name of Jehovah, our God. Ps 23:4 When I walk in the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for you are with me: Your leadership and your staff reassure me. Ps 27:3 If an army were to stand against me, My heart would have no fear; If a war were to be against me, I would still be full of confidence. Ps 46:3 That is why we are fearless when the earth is turned upside down, and the mountains toss in the heart of the seas; Isa 12:2 Behold, God is my deliverance, I will be full of trust, and I will fear nothing; For the Lord, the Lord is my strength and the subject of my praises; He was the one who saved me. Ha 3:18 However, I want to rejoice in the Lord, I want to rejoice in the God of my salvation.
From all the above, we note that thefulfilment of the promise therefore still remained pending; it would have had its effect if!( but the if was not fulfilled, and the yes and the amen did not arrive. But all that God has promised is in Christ). The second point is that this glory is “by us”, and to what extent we enjoy it. God has established us firmly in Christ, in whom all promises subsist, so that all that is promised, we surely possess in Him. But we don’t enjoy it as if we were holding it in our own hands. Moreover, God Himself has anointed us. Through Jesus, we received the Holy Spirit. God has taken care that we understand through the Spirit what is freely given to us in Christ. But the Spirit is given to us, according to God’s counsel, for other things than simply understanding His gifts in Christ. The one who received it is sealed. God marked him with his seal as he marked Jesus with his seal when he anointed it after his baptism by John. In addition, the Spirit becomes in our hearts the deposit of what we will fully possess in Christ later. We therefore understand the things given to us in glory; we are marked with the seal of God to enjoy it; we have the deposit in our hearts, our affections are committed to it. Established in Christ, we have the Holy Spirit who seals us when we believe, to make us already enjoy here on earth what is in Christ. Our prayers accompany you all, in the name of Jesus.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite every person who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I admit to having sinned against you and ask your forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as Lord and personal Savior. I recognize that you died on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me every day to the eternal life that you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal yourself to me and strengthen my heart and faith, so that your light may be shining in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus for accepting me into your divine family, so that I may also contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby watering point to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All adoration, power and glory are yours, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to respond to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow on “forgiving the repentant culprit.”
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.