God of all Comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3-7)

Today, one of the main concerns of people is how to live a comfortable life. In order for this to happen, they are interested in their health, they save to have a decent pension, they take their full holidays, they have hobbies and interests, and they try and avoid stressful situations. There is nothing wrong with those aims provided God is not left out of them.

The Bible has a great deal to say about comfort. Isaiah was told by God to comfort his people. Paul told the Thessalonians to comfort one another by speaking about the second coming of Jesus. Luke mentions that the churches in Judea walked in the comfort of the Holy Spirit. Paul writes in 2 Thessalonians about eternal comfort. We can assume safely that this kind of comfort is very different from the earthly comfort that most people want today. 

One passage that highlights the existence of divine comfort is 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 – the word ‘comfort’ occurs ten times in it. We can see from it that knowing God’s grace in the past and the promises of his help in the future is one way of having comfort in the present. Here, the title is that of the Father; elsewhere, Jesus is called the Consolation of Israel and the Holy Spirit is called the Comforter.

When we think of comfort from a spiritual point of view, what areas of our existence come into focus? Here are some examples. We need comfort because we know we are going to die, we need comfort because we have committed mistakes and sins, we need comfort because of the onslaught of the devil, we need comfort because of the unpredictability of life, and we need the comfort that is connected to the assurance that we will get to heaven. 

Comfort in the face of death

Everyone at some stage thinks of death. Maybe we read an obituary in the paper, or attend a funeral of a neighbour, or hear about the passing of someone we knew in the past. What comfort does the Bible offer to a believer who is aware that he or she is going to die? The Bible says we belong to Jesus Christ. Paul writing in Romans 14:8 says, ‘For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.’

The comfort in belonging to Jesus is that he is responsible for what he owns. By his death, he purchased his people, so they now belong to him for ever. As the best owner, he will ensure that all of his people remain his property through life and through death and into eternity. He is responsible to be with them in life, when they die, and after they die. And he will be. He is their Shepherd who leads them through life, through the valley, to glory when they die, to the resurrection when he returns, to the new heavens and new earth that he will create.

It looks as if there had been a spiritual crisis in the church in Thessalonica after some of the members had died. Those left alive wondered if their dead friends would miss out on the blessings connected to the second coming of Jesus. So Paul reminded them of the resurrection of those who had died and the glorification of all the people of God, and urged the Thessalonians to comfort one another by repeating his words among themselves (1 Thess. 4:13ff). 

It is a great comfort to know that Jesus will take care of his possessions. Since his most precious possessions, his jewels, are his people, they are safe wherever they are. Security is an essential aspect of a comfortable life, and the only ones who are fully secure are those who trust in Jesus.

Comfort although we are sinners

Some people try to deal with the bad consequences of sin by engaging in forms of self-improvement. Among them at times are those who should know better, Christians. That is not the way to deal with a guilty conscience or disturbing memories of sinful actions. Instead, we are to focus on the atoning death of Jesus. On the cross of Calvary Jesus paid the penalty for sin. We find comfort by travelling there and focusing on Jesus paying the penalty for our sins.

John Owen commented as he imagined a believer at the cross speaking: ‘Here I give up my sins to him that is able to bear them, to undergo them. He requires it of my hands, that I should be content that he should undertake for them; and that I heartily consent unto.’ Owen then says, ‘This is every day’s work; I know not how any peace can be maintained with God without it.’

In addition to casting our eyes on the cross and observing what Jesus did there in the past with our sins, we are to look up and see what Jesus does now when we sin. The apostle John writes that when believers sin they have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is our advocate because we are sinners. When he represents us, he does not minimise our guilt, but neither does he ignore the efficacy of his atoning death. In heaven, his wounds declare that we should be pardoned. Although the sin of a Christian may be big and awful, it is sin that has already been punished. Surely that current ongoing activity of Jesus should bring us great comfort as well as us obtaining comfort from what happened at the cross.

Comfort despite the devil’s onslaughts

The middle of a battlefield is not usually regarded as a place where comfort can be experienced. Yet the Christian life is a spiritual battlefield, with the devil being the main opponent. What is the comfort there for believers? 

A weapon used by the devil against Christians is accusation. Indeed, he is called the accuser of the brothers and he accuses them to God. The answer is that Jesus has already defeated him at the cross. Sometimes, the accusations will be true, but Jesus paid the penalty for the sins about which he accuses us.

What though the accuser roar

Of ills that I have done;

I know them well, and thousands more;

Jehovah findeth none.

Another weapon that the devil uses is temptation and he often gears his temptations according to our interests. Primarily, his aim is to discredit our witness by getting us to sin. Temptations are going to be allowed by God, so we cannot hope that they will not occur. The comfort is that at the moment of temptation we have immediate access to the throne of grace, which we are instructed to use as often as we should. It is important to note that, while the devil is powerful, God is omnipotent. And he answers prayer for his help.

Comfort in the ups and downs of life

Many people regard life as a lottery, with events out of control and haphazard. Sometimes, life can become very perplexing, even for the most experienced of Christians. What can we do in the apparent uncertainties of life? We cannot just hope that somehow we will always avoid the negatives in life. In them, we need to consider the statements in the Bible about the faithfulness of God and the many promises found in the Bible about his reliability. 

First, we need to remind ourselves that God is in control and that without his permission not even a hair of our head can fall to the ground. Have we ever spotted the moment when a hair gets detached from our head? Probably not, unless we have odd viewing habits. Yet God noticed it, even allowed it.

Second, we must think about promises that indicate that life has a purpose. In Romans 8:28, Paul stated that all things work together for the good of his people. Everything that is occurring today will be used by God to bring spiritual and eternal good to his people. He does not exclude anything. Even persecution of the church brings good to the church, as Tertullian observed when he said that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. 

In the Bible we read of people who discovered that God can work all things together for good. One person frequently considered is Joseph – his brothers hated him, he was falsely accused, those he helped forgot about him, eventually he became second-in command in Egypt. He saw his brothers bow to him as God had predicted. Yet all the adversity led to a position where he could help thousands, including his family. Those Bible stories are told for our encouragement, that God can turn the blackest of situations into paths of blessing.

Another biblical character whose story is told is that of Job, who went through a range of experiences that baffled his understanding and that of his friends. Still, he clung to God through it all and eventually he came through the range and became a source of blessing to others. Indeed, the Bible is full of accounts of people whose lives had a wide range of experiences.

Elizabeth Elliott once said, ‘If you believe in a God who controls the big things, you have to believe in a God who controls the little things. It is we, of course, to whom things look “little” or “big”.’ He must be able to control it all or not be able to control it at all.

Comfort from the work of the Spirit

It is wise to prepare for when we are older, but it is not wise only to prepare for when we are older. We must remember that we exist after we die, and that we will exist eternally. Therefore we must ensure that our destiny is the right one. Some people, including Christians, say that we cannot be certain, but that is not what the Bible teaches. It is possible for us to have real assurance, and such comfort comes to us by the Spirit, usually in response to prayer for it and searching the Bible for God’s promises and asking him to enable us to feel their power.

Applications

First, the name ‘the God of all comfort’ indicates that God possesses plenty comfort to give to his people, as well as a wide variety of comforts for them to have, in the circumstances he ordains for them. 

Second, the church to whom Paul mentioned this possibility was one composed of great failures as a scan of the contents of the letter will reveal. It is hard for us to imagine a worse kind of church.

Third, Paul shared his spiritual comforts with others and we should do the same. This is one way of speaking about God, his promises and his ways. We have examples of this in the psalms as the different writers tell others of what they discovered the Lord to be and do in their lives.

Fourth, the first step in obtaining comfort is believing the gospel and coming to know Jesus as the Saviour. At the moment, we have the comfort of forgiveness, family membership and hope for the future.