⁵For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.

That the sufferings of Christ are abundant in terms of their benefits to us is clear in the NT Scripture. Paul wrote in another place:

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” (Rom. 5:8–10)

Christ met the Father’s condemnation that we rightfully deserved. That is abundant help to us who had no recourse for dealing with our guilt. He provided the way through His suffering on the cross. To grasp why God would require the death of God’s own Son requires an understanding of the severity of the condemnation we were under (see John 3:18). His abundant love answered that dilemma. So now we have been justified, saved from God’s wrath, and reconciled. Yet there is more. Paul goes on to say that if Christ has gone through suffering like the death on the cross and all it accomplished, then we shall be saved by His life.

So the abundant sufferings of Christ are inextricably connected to the abundant comfort we have through Christ. Both are ours because they are His. The help (or comfort) we provide to others must come out of a deep well that was first experienced in Christ and His suffering on the cross, and now in our sufferings and the comfort we experience in Christ in the midst of them.

So practically thinking about this, when I find myself in a distressing circumstance of suffering, I can relate to what Christ went through. That is one level of truth. But it becomes operative in and through us when we see this like Christ saw His sufferings, as a means to an end, namely helping others in their sufferings. So our predicament is transformed from something from which we ask God to extract us, to something He uses to train us in our ability to turn around and help others who suffer. So the comfort (or help) we receive from Christ is more abundant than just our relief—it also serves to enhance the comfort we can give others.

Lord, only You can turn our difficulties into a spiritual boot camp to build up our ability to serve others.