{"id":55595,"date":"2006-11-07T14:29:00","date_gmt":"2006-11-07T20:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=55595"},"modified":"2022-11-07T14:31:31","modified_gmt":"2022-11-07T20:31:31","slug":"comfort","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/comfort\/","title":{"rendered":"Comfort"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\tby Gilbert Alexander\n

\"\"Comfort, or consolation, is a promise from God for certain distressed ones. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted<\/em>” (Matthew 5:4). Paul urged faithful obedience upon the condition, “Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy…<\/em>” (Philippians 2:1). Speaking to the Thessalonian saints concerning physical death and the fate of those who “sleep in Jesus” Paul said, “Therefore comfort one another with these words<\/em>” (I Thessalonians 4:13-18). When an erring brother repents, the saints are charged to forgive and comfort him (II Corinthians 2:7). God is called the “God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God<\/em>” (II Corinthians 1:3,4).<\/p>\n

Because of their life and state of disobedience, some people do not have the comfort of God. We cannot properly give them comfort, for to comfort one in his sins is to remove any incentive to repent and be saved. Lazarus was comforted, but the rich man who died in his selfish disobedient way of life was not comforted (Luke 16:25). It is difficult for gospel preachers to speak at funerals of those who have died in disobedience to God or those who have killed themselves through dissipation because there are no words of comfort or reassurance concerning such individuals. There was no comfort for Isaiah when Israel was destroying itself, rebelling against the Will of God (Isaiah 22:1-5). False comfort promotes sin and its ruin (Zechariah. 10:2).<\/p>\n

If we would have the comfort of God, we must be submissive to God. If we desire the comfort of the saints, we must sanctify ourselves through obedience to the truth so that we can have spiritual fellowship with the saints. If we do not have the comfort of God, it is because we have denied ourselves the privilege that is offered to all who will come in obedience to the Lord (Matthew 11:28-30). We exhort all who seek the comfort of God to obey the gospel of Christ in faith, repentance, confession of faith, and baptism; and then to live as obedient children of God, fully submissive to His instructions.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Gilbert Alexander Comfort, or consolation, is a promise from God for certain distressed ones. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4). Paul urged faithful obedience upon the condition, “Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[359],"class_list":["post-55595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-comfort"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":65352,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/jesus-heals-the-hurting\/","url_meta":{"origin":55595,"position":0},"title":"Jesus Heals the Hurting","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 4, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer The world in which we live is filled with heartache and pain. This is part of the corruption experienced by humanity due to the problem of sin (Genesis 3). Things in this world are not as they were initially created to be, and we know things need\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":16156,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-do-i-say-to-people-who-are-suffering-great-grief\/","url_meta":{"origin":55595,"position":1},"title":"What do I say to people who are suffering great grief?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 24, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: What do I say to people who are suffering great grief? Answer: Much of what you or I would like to say seems so empty or inadequate. How do you tell someone who has just lost a child you know how she feels when you haven't experienced such grief?\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":55600,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/comfort-for-the-depressed\/","url_meta":{"origin":55595,"position":2},"title":"Comfort for the Depressed","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 7, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"by Johnny Felker In II Corinthians 1, Paul discusses what must have been one of the lowest points in his life, a time filled with deep feelings of anxiety and despair. He reports that in Asia he was \"burdened excessively, beyond... strength\" so that he \"despaired even of life\", having\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/11\/depressed.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":42577,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/isnt-it-divisive-to-claim-all-denominations-are-wrong\/","url_meta":{"origin":55595,"position":3},"title":"Isn’t it divisive to claim all denominations are wrong?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 17, 2001","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I just read the article about why you left the Nazarene denomination. On the latter point of baptism, I will not comment now, but I think your first listed reason is a rational mistake. You said, \"yet the Nazarene Church exists, as does any denomination, because man disregards the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":42420,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-god-of-all-comfort\/","url_meta":{"origin":55595,"position":4},"title":"The God of All Comfort","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 27, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"by Matthew W. Bassford There are all too many people who want to hold God to promises He's never made. They get sick, and they blame Him for not keeping them healthy. They run into financial hardship, and they grumble because He hasn't helped them prosper. They're single and unhappy,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/comfort-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":45966,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/do-the-righteous-leave-this-world\/","url_meta":{"origin":55595,"position":5},"title":"Do the righteous leave this world?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 13, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I had a study with someone and this was his explanation of these Scriptures. In I Thessalonians 4:13-17, Verse 13: Paul doesn't want us to be ignorant concerning where are the dead. That's the subject. Verse 14: God will bring those that have died back with him. 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