How do Christians share in the sufferings of Christ? (2 Corinthians 1:5)
5 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ,(J) so also our comfort abounds through Christ. (NIV bible online on biblegateway.com)
2 Corinthians 1:3 - 7
ESV - 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort. 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.
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Asked February 25 2021
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Jack Gutknecht
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For follow-up discussion and general commentary on the topic. Comments are sorted chronologically.
Jack Gutknecht
So what gets lost when we receive comfort but never pass it on?
I will start by suggesting just one thing. The very purpose of the comfort itself is thwarted, frustrated. God does not give comfort as a private possession to be hoarded but as a stewardship to be shared. He comforts us "in all our affliction, so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction" (2 Corinthians 1:4). The divine design is not a dead-end reservoir but a living channel. It's like the difference between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. The Sea of Galilee has an outlet, the Jordan River. Thus, it thrives with fish and beauty. But the Dead Sea has no outlet, and everything in it dies (fish, etc.).
When we keep it to ourselves, we turn a means of grace into self-centered relief and rob it of its God-intended destination—the encouragement of others. Paul makes this explicit: his afflictions and comforts were not for his own benefit alone but "for your comfort and salvation" (2 Corinthians 1:6). To receive without giving is to thwart the very reason the comfort was bestowed.