Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary 2 Corinthians 1:5

"For as the sufferings of Christ abound unto us, even so our comfort also aboundeth through Christ." — 2 Corinthians 1:5 (ASV)

This verse supplies the reason why suffering equips Christians to mediate God’s comfort. Whenever Christ’s sufferings were multiplied in Paul’s life, God’s comfort was also multiplied through the ministry of Christ. The greater the suffering, the greater the comfort and the greater the ability to share with others the divine sympathy. “The sufferings of Christ” (cf. Galatians 6:17) cannot refer to the atoning passion of Christ that Paul regarded as a historical fact, a completed event (Romans 5:8–10; Romans 6:10). Rather, they include sufferings that befall the “man in Christ” (12:2) engaged in his service (cf. 4:11–12). They are Christ’s sufferings not simply because they are similar to his but because they contribute to the fulfillment of the suffering destined for the body of Christ (Acts 14:22; Colossians 1:24) or because Christ continues to identify himself with his afflicted church (cf. Acts 9:4–5).