01 Suffering, Comfort & Prayer: What Paul Teaches about Ministry (2 Corinthians 1:1-11)

by Krisan Marotta | Jul 16, 2025 | 01 Podcasts, Corinthians

01 Suffering, Comfort, and Prayer (2 Corinthians 1:1-11)

When Paul opens his second letter to the Corinthians, he doesn’t start with doctrine. He starts with suffering, comfort, and prayer. This passage gives us a glimpse into the personal cost of gospel ministry and the beauty of how God uses suffering to encourage others.

Paul’s relationship with the Corinthian church was complicated. These opening verses set the tone for a letter that’s both tender and urgent.

In this week’s episode, we explore:

Why Paul refers to himself as “we” and why it matters
The complicated backstory behind Paul’s letter
How Paul sees his suffering as part of his ministry to others
What true encouragement looks like—and where it comes from
Why Paul asks for prayer, and what that reveals about Christian community
How God meets us in affliction not to remove the pain, but to strengthen our hope

By listening, you’ll gain a richer understanding of 2 Corinthians and the heart behind Paul’s words. You’ll see how his story models gospel-shaped leadership—and how our own trials can become a source of comfort to others.

Suffering, Comfort & Prayer: What Paul Teaches About Ministry (2 Corinthians 1:1-11)

Background Matters

As we go through this letter, I am going to argue that knowing the background is essential to understanding it.

You can read the letter and get a basic understanding. You can learn a lot about God, reality, and truth, and apply those truths to life.

But it is hard to see the flow of the letter from a surface reading. Knowing the relationship between Paul and the Corinthian church adds a deeper level of understanding. The flow and the argument begin to make sense if you know the history between Paul and the Corinthians.

In 2 Corinthians, Paul sometimes seems to dive into a subject out of the blue. You may find yourself wondering, “Okay, Paul, thanks for addressing that, but why now? What does this topic have to do with the rest of the letter?” If you know the background, you can see how the topic fits.

Rather than giving you a long background talk up front, I will bring most of the background in as we discuss the passages where it matters.

I have an episode on Acts 18 that details Paul’s relationship to Corinth before he wrote 1 Corinthians.

Three Key Facts

For our purposes in this series, we need three pieces of information. One is grammatical, and two are historical.

“We” means “I, Paul”

First, the grammar. Paul frequently refers to himself in the first person plural. He says “we,” and in context he usually means “I, Paul.”

We will run into that in the first chapter. In specific contexts “we” can mean “I, Paul,” or “we, Paul and Timothy,” or “we apostles,” or “we believers.” Often the distinction does not matter because the statement is true for all possible meanings. But in other places it is crucial to see that he means “I, Paul.” We saw this in 1 Corinthians, and it is even more important in 2 Corinthians.

We modern readers often read ourselves into that “we.” We think, “Yes, Paul means me too. God comforts me in my affliction.” It may be true that God comforts you, but in context Paul is not talking about you.

Often we can tell who “we” refers to by the contrasting pronoun in the text. He talks about “we,” then switches to “you.” Sometimes it is easier to figure out who “you” is, which then tells us who “we” is. In this first section, Paul clearly distinguishes “we” and “you.” As we go, we need to make sure we understand who those groups are. Sometimes it will make a big difference, and sometimes it will not.

One more point: just because Paul is referring to himself in a passage does not mean it has no application to us today. It does. But we need to understand what Paul is saying about himself before we apply it to ourselves.

This is Paul’s Fourth Letter to Corinth

Second, Paul wrote another letter to the Corinthians after 1 Corinthians and before this letter. In 2 Corinthians he is responding to how they responded to that missing letter.

We will go over the timeline more next week. For now, know that after writing 1 Corinthians. Paul sent a serious letter to Corinth. Titus carried it, then met Paul and Timothy in Macedonia. Titus reported that the Corinthians’ response was mostly positive. After hearing his report, Paul wrote this letter. Paul wants to visit Corinth again. He does not want to send letters, this one included, but he writes as an intermediate step between the missing letter and his next planned visit. The occasion that sparked this letter is Titus’s report.

See: How Many Letters did Paul write Corinth?

Paul has a troubled relationship with Corinth

Third, Paul has a troubled history with the church in Corinth. Some accept him as an apostle and trust him. Many have rejected his apostleship altogether. We saw that conflict in 1 Corinthians.

By this letter, the situation has escalated. Ultimately, 2 Corinthians is a defense of Paul’s apostleship. The way he defends himself is not only brilliant, but also gracious and loving.

Paul is writing to a mixed church, with genuine believers and those who are not. A noisy, perhaps larger, faction has rejected his authority. Those who reject Paul have gained prominence in leadership, creating discord. Many have gone so far as to reject Paul as an apostle and have challenged his authority. They would say they are Christians, and even better Christians than Paul. They argue no one should listen to him.

As we get into the letter, we will see Paul does not just disagree with them. He calls them false apostles, deceitful workers, associates of Satan. Titus brought back a report that was more positive than negative, but Paul still feels the need to make this defense. He wants to show the Corinthian Christians that he is a true apostle and that these other men are leading them astray.

Paul’s primary purpose is to defend his apostleship. This is a deeply personal letter from a man fighting for respect from a community he dearly loves.

So, keep in mind:

Paul often uses “we” to refer to himself.
He is responding to a now-lost letter sent after 1 Corinthians.
His relationship with this church is difficult. Some accept him, others reject his authority.

The Greeting: 2 Corinthians 1:1–2

2Co 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God that is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia: 2Co 1:2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

New Testament letters typically start with the author, a salutation, and a prayer. How Paul describes himself is often significant. Here he calls himself an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God.

An apostle is one sent to speak authoritatively for someone else. Paul speaks for Jesus the Messiah. He emphasizes that God decided Paul would be an apostle.

Given the situation, there is every reason to stress that. Some in Corinth view Paul with contempt and do not accept him as an apostle. Paul did not ask to be an apostle. He did not campaign for it or get elected. He was on the road to Damascus when God called him.

A significant number in Corinth do not believe Paul is an apostle. So he reminds them that God chose him.

A Rejected Ambassador

Here is an analogy for how to think about this letter.

A President launches a new branch in a distant city. The mission is good. It brings jobs, opportunity, and long-term value.

But the employees are disorganized, skeptical of leadership, and dismissive of direction.

So the President sends a trusted senior leader with full authority. He does not come with fanfare or flash. He comes to serve, guide, and align the branch with the mission.

The team does not like him. They say, He is not impressive. He does not speak like a leader. He is not the President, so why listen to him?

They claim to respect the President, but they will not listen to his ambassador. They ignore his instructions, question his credentials, and spread rumors about his motives.

Now the leader faces a difficult position. He does not want to puff himself up. He knows he is not the President. He is a servant.

Yet to reject him is to reject the President. He was chosen to speak on the President’s behalf. Ignoring him is not just a personal insult. It is rebellion against the one who sent him.

That is the tension Paul faces in 2 Corinthians. He is not defending his personal honor. He is defending the authority of the message and the authority of the One who sent him. His role as an apostle is not about ego. It is about obedience. Rejecting Paul ultimately means rejecting Christ.

Think of 2 Corinthians as a letter from a rejected ambassador. Paul even calls himself an ambassador at one point. He emphasizes that he is a man with many weaknesses. But God appointed him to speak for Jesus, the king of the universe. The Corinthians cannot dismiss Paul and expect the approval of the king who sent him.

This informs everything we will see in the letter. In 1 Corinthians Paul also dealt with other issues. In 2 Corinthians, his apostleship is the issue from beginning to end. This is a very personal letter. Paul does not enjoy defending himself. He does not want to talk about himself. But he is concerned for their eternal well-being, so he must speak.

Do not assume everyone in Corinth was against Paul. He had a difficult relationship with many in the church that left him hurting, and we can see that in the letter. But he does not view the entire church as unbelievers. At times, he speaks with confidence that there are genuine believers. There is also an influential group that has dismissed him. Sometimes he speaks negatively about “you” as a group, sometimes positively, depending on whom he has in mind.

Given the situation, I would paraphrase the salutation like this:

I, Paul, am writing this letter to you. Given our troubled history, let me remind you who I am. I have been chosen by God to be an apostle, an authoritative representative of Jesus the Messiah. Our brother Timothy is with me. We are writing to the church I founded in Corinth, and I expect this letter will reach all the churches in Achaia. May God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ grant you grace and peace.

Praise and Comfort: 2 Corinthians 1:3–11

I am going to read verses 3–11, then we will talk about them.

2Co 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 2Co 1:4 who comforts us in all our affliction, 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. 2Co 1:5 For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. 2Co 1:6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. 2Co 1:7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. 2Co 1:8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself.
2Co 1:9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 2Co 1:10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. 2Co 1:11 You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.

This passage is rightly celebrated as a beautiful description of God providing encouragement in affliction and of Christians encouraging each other. That is true. But in the historical situation, we need to understand what is going on under the surface.

This is one of those places where Paul uses “we” to talk about himself. The passage has application for all believers, which we will talk about later. But to understand what it means, realize Paul is talking about himself and his relationship to the Corinthians.

Understanding “We” and “You”

That he is talking about himself becomes clear by verse 6. Notice the contrast between “we” and “you.” Paul is “we,” the Corinthians are “you.”

2Co 1:6 …and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. 2Co 1:7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. 2Co 1:8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia…

All believers did not experience affliction in Asia. Paul did. This picture of one person being encouraged for the sake of another is Paul’s description of his being encouraged for the sake of the Corinthians.

His concern here is his relationship as a teacher and pastor to them. Paul suffers for the sake of the Corinthians’ salvation. God encourages Paul so that he can pass that encouragement on to them. They are praying for Paul’s deliverance and giving thanks when God delivers him. That is a beautiful picture of mutual concern.

In the very next verse Paul says this:

2Co 1:12 For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you.

Paul insists he conducted himself with godly sincerity. You say that when you need to defend yourself. If we read on, it becomes clear that many in Corinth do not think he has done so. Some do not think he is an apostle at all.

So his picture of mutual concern is not universal. He says his life of suffering and encouragement is for their sake, but some think Paul does not care about them and point to his actions as evidence. He pictures them as uttering grateful prayers on his behalf, but some have rejected him and are not praying at all.

Remember, Paul is a rejected ambassador for some in the church. Behind this picture of mutual encouragement, Paul is urging them to view their relationship as he views it. As a minister of the gospel, he is suffering for their sake. His ministry and suffering should mean something to them. It should inspire them to pray and be grateful when God delivers him.

This is not just a general statement about how God helps Christians encourage each other. This is a statement about Paul’s relationship to the Corinthians that he hopes they will accept.

The God of All Comfort (1:3–4)

Paul praises God as the source of good things. God gave us our Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah who brought salvation to the world. God is responsible for our having Jesus as our Savior.

God is also the one from whom we receive mercies. The great mercy is the forgiveness of sins that leads to eternal life, but here “mercies” is plural. God is the source of many compassionate acts that help his people endure, persevere, thrive, and ultimately arrive in his kingdom.

In particular, God is the source of encouragement. If you are like me, you might wish God’s mercies came in the form of avoiding trouble. I want God to mercifully steer me around it. I do not want trouble to touch me.

Paul paints a different picture. God encourages us in the midst of our afflictions. God does not necessarily remove them. He encourages us in the middle of them. Sometimes he removes afflictions, but Paul thanks God for encouragement in the midst of them.

My translation uses “comfort.” That is not a bad translation, but I prefer “encouragement.” Comfort can sound like calming someone down. I think this word is more dynamic. It urges us on. It gives us courage to keep going. It has the flavor of Do not give up. Persevere.

As an apostle, Paul has suffered many afflictions. In the midst of them, God has encouraged him to persevere. That encouragement was not just for Paul. He has learned lessons he can pass on to others. He has faced his troubles and let the truth of the gospel encourage him. He can talk about his experience to help others find the same encouragement.

Sharing in Sufferings and Comfort (1:5–7)

2Co 1:5 For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. 2Co 1:6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort… 2Co 1:7 Our hope for you is unshaken…

Just as Christ suffered, so will his followers, especially the apostles. When Paul proclaims the gospel, he receives the same reaction Jesus received. Some embrace the gospel. Many reject it and want to kill him. He suffers for it.

Proclaiming the gospel causes trouble, but it is also the source of encouragement. Following Christ is what keeps Paul going. Christ is the source of the encouragement Paul wants to pass on to others.

Both his afflictions and his encouragement are for their sake. Paul suffers because he proclaims the gospel, and he proclaims the gospel for their sake. After being beaten in one town, what motivates him to enter the next, knowing he may be beaten again? He does it for the Corinthians and others he is teaching. His ministry provides them encouragement and the message of salvation. He suffers to bring them the gospel.

Likewise, when God encourages Paul, he can pass on the lessons he has learned. His ups and downs are meant to teach and bring the gospel to other believers.

One result is that those he teaches learn to persevere in their own sufferings. Perseverance is a great goal of the Christian life. In the midst of trials, we remain steadfast to the hope of the gospel. We endure with hope.

Here Paul expresses his most hopeful thoughts about the church. If this were his only comment, you would think the church was doing great. But as we go on, it becomes clear he is far from confident about everyone in the church. Later he will say, Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith. That is a warning. You had better examine yourselves, because I have my doubts.

His hopeful comments here cannot extend to the whole church. But some take the faith seriously enough to find encouragement in their afflictions through Paul’s message.

Affliction in Asia and Deliverance (1:8–11)

2Co 1:8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia…
2Co 1:9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death…
2Co 1:10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us…
2Co 1:11 You also must help us by prayer…

Paul spent several years in Ephesus in Asia. Acts and Paul’s letters tell us there was a near riot there. In 1 Corinthians he describes himself as having wrestled with wild beasts in Ephesus (1 Corinthians 15:32). He faced many adversaries.

Here he makes clear just how difficult it was. It was so hard that he thought he was going to die. It was beyond his strength. He despaired of life itself. He had to trust the God who raises the dead. He felt so beaten down that God needed to raise him up because he could not do it himself. Paul set his hope in God, and God delivered him.

Why does he go into this detail? He wants a personal connection. He has said his sufferings are for their sake. He has been encouraged, and that too is for their sake. Implicitly, he is saying, “Make room in your hearts for me.” Understand how hard this has been, and appreciate what I have done for you.

If Paul’s teaching matters to them, if his troubles matter, they should be touched and concerned. They will cry out to God to help Paul. When God helps him, they will share in the gratitude.

It is not just Paul who has the opportunity to feel gratitude when God answers his cry. Everyone who joined in that cry has the opportunity to rejoice.

An Explanatory Paraphrase

Here is my explanatory paraphrase of 1:3–11.

In my ministry as an apostle of Christ, I suffer many troubles. I praise God, who sent Jesus our Savior and pours out compassion and encouragement, because he has greatly encouraged me in my troubles. Then I can encourage others in theirs.

The result is that my encouragement helps you persevere in faith in the midst of your troubles. This is my confident hope for you, at least for some of you.

My troubles have been great, so great that I thought I would die. It was more than I could handle. I had to trust the God who raises the dead. He delivered me, and I am confidently grateful that he will continue to deliver me.

If my ministry is important to you, then you Corinthians have the opportunity to share in my gratitude. By calling out to God to help me, when God hears your prayers, you can join me in being grateful for his response.

But Paul knows not everyone in Corinth is praying for his deliverance, because some do not think he is an apostle at all and probably wish he would go away. Behind Paul’s words is a wistful yearning. He longs for the Corinthians to see their relationship as he sees it. He will make that longing more explicit as we go through the letter.

What Encouragement Means

Let’s explore what Paul means by encouragement.

Encouragement is the process by which the good news becomes real. This is a major New Testament theme. The Christian life is the process by which God’s truths move from head to heart and will. They become more than abstract ideas. They become the principles by which we live.

That movement happens through trials. God tests the maturity of our faith through trials. As we persevere, our faith matures and those truths become real to us in a profound way.

This language about encouragement in afflictions is another way of talking about trials testing and maturing our faith. It is like strengthening muscles by working against resistance. The trials of the world push at us and weigh us down. Facing a hard choice or tragedy, we look deeply into God’s truths and ask, “Do I really trust that God is in control and I can count on him?”

Trials cause us to embrace those truths. We wrestle with them and run to God. Truth becomes something we personally apply. We grow in our belief that God is good and that the promises of eternal life in his kingdom are real and important. We recognize God’s hand at work and have tangible experience of his mercy.

Trials make the truths of the gospel real and encourage us to persevere and pursue the things of God with more vigor and sincerity.

Paul suggests we can find such encouragement not only by facing pressures ourselves but by seeing how other believers have found encouragement in theirs. Watching others turn to God in suffering can be inspiring. We can share the joy when God showers mercies.

I do not know perfect people, but I know people who have persevered under great pressure and emerged with wisdom, compassion, and strength, even though they are still sinners.

While Paul is speaking specifically about himself as an apostle, this is still true for all of us. When God gives one believer strength in the midst of life’s pressures, it can multiply to encourage many others. What is unique in this passage is the emphasis that your encouragement can become encouragement for someone else.

How Prayer Helps

Paul ends by asking for prayer, which raises a question: how do we help each other with prayer?

Here is an analogy, and I will tell you up front it is the wrong one. Suppose Paul’s car is stuck in the mud. He tries to push it out but cannot. One person comes, then a crowd. Together they push it free. Is prayer like that? Do we need a certain number of prayer warriors to secure Paul’s deliverance? Do our prayers have to reach critical mass before God acts?

Some people think this way, but I do not think the Bible teaches that.

Here is a better analogy. Think of a family. When a little child wakes from a bad dream, she runs to her parents. Her siblings gather too, not because the parents would not help without them, but because they love her. They want to say, “It was just a bad dream. You are not alone. We love you.”

That is a better picture of prayer. We turn to God because we trust him. We pray for each other because we care about each other. Our prayers do not convince God to do something he does not want to do. We do not need to reach critical mass to get God to act.

We pray together because we trust God together. We pray because we love each other enough to bring each other’s needs to him. When God answers, everyone who prayed gets to celebrate.

Look at how Paul describes his situation. He has put his trust in the God who can raise the dead. He believes that trusting God is right and sufficient. He invested his hope in God, and God delivered him.

God is not going to ignore Paul because nobody else prayed for him. The Bible never paints a picture of God waiting until enough people pray before he acts. He would act even if no one prayed. He is the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort.

Does that mean there is no point in praying for each other? No. That frames the question the wrong way.

Prayer is not like a financial transaction. We do not say, Paul, you have enough prayer credits, so you do not need mine. Or, You are short on prayer credits, so I will share mine. Prayer is not like that.

To be fair, no one explains prayer in terms of credits, but we sometimes speak as if prayer works that way. We act as if God will not respond until we pray, or as if prayer is a kind of force. The more people pray, the more force is exerted, and the more likely we get what we want. In my opinion, the Bible never describes prayer like that.

Prayer arises from our trust in God in the middle of life. Why does Paul ask God for deliverance? Because he is suffering and wants help. He trusts God and turns to him. Why do the Corinthians ask God to deliver Paul? Because they care about Paul. They see him suffering and want God to help. They trust God and think he can solve this problem. It is that simple. They pray because they are concerned. They ask because they love God and love Paul.

For Paul, it is significant that many people are praying for him, not because it makes it more likely that God will act, but because it shows that many people care about him and trust God. That is a good thing. It means they love God. It means they love Paul as God’s ambassador.

If Paul alone prays and God delivers him, then Paul experiences the gratitude of “God heard me and rescued me.” If many people pray, then many have the opportunity to experience the gratitude of “God heard us and delivered Paul.”

Prayer is our natural response to the God we believe. It is turning to God the way a toddler turns to a parent and says, “I need help. Pick me up.”

That is why Paul is thankful for the Corinthians’ prayers, not because he needed a certain number of prayer votes to tip the scales with God, but because their prayers showed that they cared about Paul and about God. Their prayers were an expression of their trust. When God answered, all of them could see it and rejoice together.

Prayer is not about building pressure. It is about building relationships with God and with each other. It is an act of love, not leverage.

Key Takeaways

Understanding the historical and relational context of 2 Corinthians is essential to grasp Paul’s argument and tone.
Paul’s suffering and God’s encouragement are not just private experiences. They are part of his ministry to others.
Paul longs for the Corinthians to understand that his ministry is sincere, sacrificial, and grounded in love. He wants them to see that he suffers not to gain their approval, but to serve them in Christ.
He wants them to know: encouragement is not just about feeling better. It’s about holding on, pressing forward, and passing on the hope we’ve received.
Paul’s apostleship was God’s choice, not man’s. That gave him both authority and humility.
Ministry often involves suffering—and that suffering can strengthen others when handled with trust in God.
True encouragement comes through trials. It becomes real when tested.
Prayer is not leverage; it’s love. We pray not to persuade God, but to stand with each other in faith and hope.