Taking a Closer Look at 2 Corinthians 1:8–11

Suffering and Scripture Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 1:8, “For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia.” To be honest, we don’t know exactly what Paul’s affliction was. Scholars deliberate and aren’t certain. But what we know is that Paul had an uncanny knack for always getting himself into trouble. As he served the Lord, suffering always came his way. What we find in verses eight and nine is that Paul explains a little bit more about his affliction. He says, “For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death.” One of the things I love about the apostle Paul’s writings is how vulnerable and transparent he is. In fact, 2 Corinthians is Paul’s most personal and vulnerable letter. He shares about deep hurts he experienced from the Corinthian church, the very church that he planted. He led the Corinthians to faith in Christ and then he discipled them for 18 months before handing the church over to Apollos. He experienced all kinds of suffering from within and without. But here he says that his suffering absolutely shattered him. He thought he would die....