2 Corinthians 13
Daily Bread 2 Corinthians 13
Final Warnings
1This will be my third visit to you. "Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses." 2I 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, 3since you are demanding proof that Christ is speaking through me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. 4For 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.
5Examine 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? 6And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test. 7Now 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. 8For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. 9We are glad whenever we are weak but you are strong; and our prayer is for your perfection. 10This 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.
Observation:
As Paul concludes this letter to the church at Corinth, he warns them to heed his correction lest he have to use his authority to correct them in person. Paul cites the authority the Lord gave him to build up the church. Of course Paul would rather build up the church, but when certain people were threatening to tear it down, he needed to lead courageously so that the church would not be compromised.
The Corinthian’s were demanding proof he was an apostle, and Paul didn’t want to have to prove that through the discipline they would need if they didn’t turn from the things he pointed out. But what is most important to him is that Christ in is in them. This is the sense in which he uses the term “test yourselves”. The true test if anyone is a Christian is whether “Christ is in you”. And how do you know if Christ is in someone?
Only one way, how they act and behave in their lives. If someone is living outside the boundaries consistently and willingly, it raises the question if Christ is really in them. Only God knows the answer to that question, but Paul is passionate about taking as many people with him to heaven as possible. Paul is a person who seeks the truth at all possible costs. And he does this because it is the most loving thing to do for a person.
If he would have seen what was going on in the Corinthian church (incest, immorality, greed) and concluded, “Oh I guess they are still sinners after all!” It would have put the Church on very shaky ground. Paul knew these issues needed to be addressed and sooner rather than later.
Application:
Is there something in your life that someone like Paul would have to confront if he were your pastor? When is the last time you have examined yourself to see if you are in the faith? It is not by works that we are saved, but once we are saved by God’s grace, God is at work in us to make us more like His Son. He is the test! Though we will never be made perfect in this life, this is the goal once we have been made right with God through Christ. In all of Paul’s letters, he encourages us to press on for the goal to become more like Jesus for this is our heavenly call.
We don’t accomplish this by simply trying harder, but by allowing God to have more of us through the power of the Spirit. As God’s Spirit gets more us, we are able to pass the test not on our own merits, but Christ living in us the hope of glory! Someone once said, “God doesn’t grade on a curve, He grades on the cross!”
Prayer: God as we test ourselves we realize we all fall short of your glory. Thank you for providing the answer, Jesus Christ. Help us to live with the answer living inside us and becoming more like Him through the power of the Spirit. Thanks for people like Paul who care enough about others to confront lifestyles that do not lead to salvation but destruction. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Final Warnings
1This will be my third visit to you. "Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses." 2I 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, 3since you are demanding proof that Christ is speaking through me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. 4For 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.
5Examine 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? 6And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test. 7Now 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. 8For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. 9We are glad whenever we are weak but you are strong; and our prayer is for your perfection. 10This 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.
Observation:
As Paul concludes this letter to the church at Corinth, he warns them to heed his correction lest he have to use his authority to correct them in person. Paul cites the authority the Lord gave him to build up the church. Of course Paul would rather build up the church, but when certain people were threatening to tear it down, he needed to lead courageously so that the church would not be compromised.
The Corinthian’s were demanding proof he was an apostle, and Paul didn’t want to have to prove that through the discipline they would need if they didn’t turn from the things he pointed out. But what is most important to him is that Christ in is in them. This is the sense in which he uses the term “test yourselves”. The true test if anyone is a Christian is whether “Christ is in you”. And how do you know if Christ is in someone?
Only one way, how they act and behave in their lives. If someone is living outside the boundaries consistently and willingly, it raises the question if Christ is really in them. Only God knows the answer to that question, but Paul is passionate about taking as many people with him to heaven as possible. Paul is a person who seeks the truth at all possible costs. And he does this because it is the most loving thing to do for a person.
If he would have seen what was going on in the Corinthian church (incest, immorality, greed) and concluded, “Oh I guess they are still sinners after all!” It would have put the Church on very shaky ground. Paul knew these issues needed to be addressed and sooner rather than later.
Application:
Is there something in your life that someone like Paul would have to confront if he were your pastor? When is the last time you have examined yourself to see if you are in the faith? It is not by works that we are saved, but once we are saved by God’s grace, God is at work in us to make us more like His Son. He is the test! Though we will never be made perfect in this life, this is the goal once we have been made right with God through Christ. In all of Paul’s letters, he encourages us to press on for the goal to become more like Jesus for this is our heavenly call.
We don’t accomplish this by simply trying harder, but by allowing God to have more of us through the power of the Spirit. As God’s Spirit gets more us, we are able to pass the test not on our own merits, but Christ living in us the hope of glory! Someone once said, “God doesn’t grade on a curve, He grades on the cross!”
Prayer: God as we test ourselves we realize we all fall short of your glory. Thank you for providing the answer, Jesus Christ. Help us to live with the answer living inside us and becoming more like Him through the power of the Spirit. Thanks for people like Paul who care enough about others to confront lifestyles that do not lead to salvation but destruction. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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