Paul Greets the Corinthians
(Acts 18:1–11; 1 Corinthians 1:1–3)

1Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the divine appointment, and Timothy our brother, to the church of God, which is at Corinth, with all the christians throughout Achaia: favour,

2and peace be to you from God our father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

The God of All Comfort

3Blessed be the God, and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of mercies, and the God of all consolation: 4who comforteth me in all my tribulations, that I may be able to comfort them who are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith I myself am comforted of God. 5for as I have greatly suffered for Christ, so I have been greatly comforted thro' Christ. 6but whether I am afflicted, it is for your consolation and relief, which is effected by your perseverance, patiently enduring the same sufferings which I also undergo: or whether I am comforted, it is for your consolation and relief. 7and the hopes I had of you continue still the same, knowing that as you have had your share of suffering, so you will likewise have of consolation.

8For I would not, brethren, have you ignorant of that insupportable weight of affliction that over-whelm'd me so in Asia that I despaired even of life: 9nay, I abandon'd my self to death, that I might not rely upon my self for deliverance, but on God who raiseth the dead. 10and he did deliver me from so terrible a death, and on him I have relied for further deliverance: especially, 11being assisted by your prayers for me, so that thanks may be returned by many, for the gracious deliverance procur'd me by their prayers.

Paul’s Change of Plans

12for this is to me matter of glorying, the testimony of my conscience, that without artifice, and with religious sincerity, not by worldly wisdom, but by God's favourable assistance I have behaved my self towards all men, but more particularly to you. 13In reality, we writ nothing to you, but what you may perceive by the reading, and I trust you ever will perceive. 14as some of you have already own'd, that I am matter of joy to you, as you will be to me in the day of the Lord Jesus Christ:

15in this confidence I purposed to visit you before now, (that you might have again the like satisfaction) 16not to call upon you as I pass into Macedonia, but in my return from thence, to be conducted by you toward Judea. 17was this design therefore the effect of levity? or do I design first one thing, and then another, as it best suits my worldly interest? 18God is my witness, I never prevaricated with you. 19for what I, and Timothy, and Silvanus preached concerning Jesus Christ, the son of God, is not inconsistent, but invariably the same. 20for all the promises of God do center in him, and are verifyed by him to the glory of God by our preaching. 21now it is God who keeps you fix'd in the doctrine of Christ; who has appointed me, 22and mark'd me with his seal, and given me the earnest of the spirit in my heart.

23I call God to witness, and may I die if it is not true, that the reason of my not coming yet to Corinth, was to avoid using any severity towards you. 24not that I would arbitrarily prescribe what you should believe, but rather encourage you to go on: for 'tis by faith you have stood.