Taking a Closer Look at 2 Corinthians 1:3–5

This article is part of the A Closer Look at the Bible series. God Is the Father of All Comfort After Paul’s greeting he moves right into his blessing. Beginning in 2 Corinthians 1:3, Paul writes, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort . . . .” Paul is going to discuss suffering in these three verses, but before he does, he praises God for who he is. He is the Father of all comfort, of all mercies. And so before we see the need to prepare our hearts and minds for suffering, we begin with worship. Paul always focuses in on worship and that vertical relationship with God. After Paul has focused in on worship, he then is going to give us the purpose for what suffering is ultimately about. In verse four he says that God “comforts us in all our affliction, [and here’s the purpose clause] so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” So Paul explains that a purpose in our suffering is that we might be able to comfort others with the comfort we’ve received from God. That word “comfort” is found throughout the letter of 2 Corinthians. In f...