2 Corinthians 13:1-14 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is 2 Corinthians 13:1-14. Let’s go!
2 Corinthians 13:1-3 (NIV)
1 This will be my third visit to you. “Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.”
2 I already gave you a warning when I was with you the second time. I now repeat it while absent: On my return I will not spare those who sinned earlier or any of the others,
3 since you are demanding proof that Christ is speaking through me…
On verses 1-3a: Paul naturally preferred to take a gentle approach with his congregation in person (see for example verse 10). However, the Christians in the church in Corinth were continuing to engage in the sinful behaviours that Paul had repeatedly warned them about in the past (see 2 Corinthians 12:20-21). In addition, people in the church in Corinth had been criticizing Paul for being strong and aggressive in his letters but weak and mild in person. They even questioned whether Christ was really speaking through Paul (v3). So with all that in mind, Paul says that he now plans to take a stern, disciplinarian approach toward the people in his church, just as he had warned them before on his second visit to them (v2). In verse 1 Paul quotes Deuteronomy 19:15 as a way to say he is getting ready to exercise some church discipline when he visits them next.
What can we learn from this? When you’re a parent, a teacher, a pastor or some other leader, warnings and eventually discipline will be necessary if the people you are leading are not doing as they should. As Proverbs 13:24 says, “Those who spare the rod of discipline hate their children. Those who love their children care enough to discipline them.” May you have wisdom to know when and how to warn and discipline those you lead when necessary.
2 Corinthians 13:3b-4 (NIV)
3 …He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you.
4 For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God’s power. Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God’s power we will live with him to serve you.
On verses 3b-4: In talking about the need to discipline his church in Corinth, Paul cites Jesus as his example. Just as Jesus was crucified in weakness but lives by God’s power, so Paul acknowledges that he is weak on his own but that God’s power will enable him to do what he needs to do.
Notice also that Paul says that “by God’s power we will live with him to serve you” (v4). Paul is saying this in the context of knowing he needs to discipline his church when he arrives in Corinth. What does that tell us? It’s that when we discipline those we lead, we need to have the attitude that through our disciplining them we are serving them and helping them. We don’t discipline to serve ourselves or as an outlet for our own anger. We discipline because it helps the ones we discipline grow into the people God made them to be. Let serving the other be your motive for disciplining them.
2 Corinthians 13:5 (NIV)
5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you–unless, of course, you fail the test?
On verse 5: Paul encourages the Christians in his church in Corinth to examine themselves first and to see if they are truly living the way they should. In what ways do they need to correct or adjust their behaviour? Are there any sinful habits they need to repent and turn from? Are they any attitudes they need to adjust? These are the kinds of questions Paul hopes that the Christians in Corinth will ask themselves so that they can make adjustments even before Paul visits them.
What can we learn from this? Self-examination is a healthy part of the Christian life. That is why David writes in Psalm 139, “Search me, O God, and know my heart. Test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.” When we examine ourselves with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can spot the issues that are bothering us, the habits we need to change and the attitudes we need to adjust.
2 Corinthians 13:6-10 (NIV)
6 And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test.
7 Now we pray to God that you will not do anything wrong. Not that people will see that we have stood the test but that you will do what is right even though we may seem to have failed.
8 For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth.
9 We are glad whenever we are weak but you are strong; and our prayer is for your perfection.
10 This is why I write these things when I am absent, that when I come I may not have to be harsh in my use of authority–the authority the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down.
On verses 6-10: Despite all the ways that people in his church in Corinth criticized Paul, Paul still loved the people in his church very much. He would rather that the people in his church make the adjustments they need to make without him having to be really bold in disciplining them when he visits them. Paul knows that by not being so bold in disciplining people in the church, some may take that as a sign of Paul being weak, but Paul would still rather that he be seen as weak if it means that his church can be seen as strong, mature and not needing their pastor Paul to discipline them before they will change. Here we see Paul’s Christ-like humility: he would rather that his church look good and he look bad than the other way around. May we live with Christ-like humility as well, putting other people’s interests ahead of our own. As Philippians 2:3-4 says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
2 Corinthians 13:11 (NIV)
11 Finally, brothers, good-by. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.
On verse 11: Christians can say that God is with them wherever they are, since Christ lives in them. But if you want to experience the presence of this God of love and peace in a tangible and personal way, it’s about four things:
– “aim for perfection” (that is, seek to please God in all that you do)
– “listen to my appeal” (that is, apply the Word of God that you hear from your church leaders as best as you can)
– “be of one mind” (that is, as much as possible agree with one another in the church and work together)
– “live in peace” (that is, as much as possible, especially when you can’t agree, seek to have healthy, peaceful relationships with one another anyway)
When you do these four things, you’ll experience much more of God’s love and peace in your relationships.
2 Corinthians 13:12-14 (NIV)
12 Greet one another with a holy kiss.
13 All the saints send their greetings.
14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
On verses 12-14: Paul ends his letter to the Corinthian church by directing the Corinthian Christians back to one another (“greet one another”), reminding them that they are part of a much bigger spiritual family (“All the saints send their greetings”), and praying a blessing that Jesus’ grace, the Father’s love, and Holy Spirit’s fellowship be with them all. Being with one another and with God – in the end that is what life is all about, made possible through Jesus Christ.
Lord Jesus, thank You for being our greatest example of how to put others’ interests ahead of our own. Since You love me just as I am and died for my sins, may I aim for perfection in all that I do, not to earn Your love, but so that Your love and peace can fill my life and relationships. Thank You for showing me that being loved by You, loving You and loving others is ultimately what this life is all about. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
