2 Corinthians 13:1-14
1 This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.
2 I told you before, and foretell you, as if I were present, the second time; and being absent now I write to them which heretofore have sinned, and to all other, that, if I come again, I will not spare:
3 Since ye seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, which to you-ward is not weak, but is mighty in you.
4 For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him,a but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you.
5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
6 But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates.
7 Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates.
8 For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.
9 For we are glad, when we are weak, and ye are strong: and this also we wish, even your perfection.b
10 Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the power which the Lord hath given me to edification, and not to destruction.
11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.
12 Greet one another with an holy kiss.
13 All the saints salute you.
14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.
God shows his Power when we are Weak
2 Corinthians
Philip Smith
Chapter 13
v1 This will be my third visit to you. If you accuse anyone, two or three witnesses must speak in evidence. v2 I said this to you when I was with you the second time. I repeat it now that I am away. ‘I warn those who have *sinned in the past. And I warn everyone else. If I return, I shall punish them.’ v3 Then you will know that Christ speaks by me. He is not weak when he directs you. He shows his power among you. v4 Yes, he died on the *cross in weakness, but now he lives by the power of God. We who share his weakness will, by the power of God, live with him to serve you.
Paul warns them that he is coming to them. Two or three witnesses must prove that someone has done wrong things. During the ‘painful’ visit, he said this: He would punish those who had done wrong things. Now he says that he will do this. This will happen when he comes for the third time. His purpose was to make them better people. This would prove to them that he comes in the power of the *risen Jesus. Christ appeared to be weak while he was on earth and especially on the *cross. His followers share that weakness. Now he is alive in the power of God. The Christians at Corinth will see that power in Paul’s life.
v5 Test yourselves. Make sure that you still believe. Check yourselves. Know that Jesus Christ lives in you. That is, unless you fail the test. v6 I hope that you do not think that we have failed. v7 We pray to God that you will not do any wrong thing. This is not to show that we have passed the test. We want you to do what is right. This is even if we may seem to have failed. v8 We cannot do anything against the truth but only for it. v9 We are happy to be weak if you are strong. Therefore, we pray that you will become perfect. v10 That is why I write this when I am away from you. When I come, I shall not have to use my authority in a severe way. The *Lord gave me this authority to encourage you, not to punish you. v11 Finally, brothers, goodbye. Work hard to become perfect. Listen to my appeals. Agree with one another. Live in peace. Then, the God of love and peace will be with you. v12 Greet each other with a *holy kiss. v13 All God’s people send you greetings.
v14 I pray that the kindness of the *Lord Jesus Christ will be with you all. And I pray that the love of God and the *fellowship of the *Holy Spirit will be with you all.
He ends with a final warning. They have been testing him. Now they should test themselves. They should see that Christ is in them. That is unless they fail the test. But no real Christian would fail this test.
Paul had not failed the test. The proof of that was that they had become Christians. They must do what was right. Then Paul would not need to show his authority or to punish them. He did not need to do anything against what was true (right and proper). He wanted the Christians at Corinth to do the right things. Then he would be glad to be weak (not to have to show his power). He would be glad that they were strong. He prays that they may be perfect. The word ‘perfect’ here has a special meaning. It describes how people repair an object. Then they can use it again. The word often referred to *fishermen who mended their nets. He hoped that by warning them he would not need to be severe with them. He wanted to encourage them, not to punish them.
So he says goodbye to them. He encourages them to change their ways. They should listen to his appeal. They should live in peace (that is, calm) and greet one another in a friendly way.
His final prayer is that they may know the power of the Trinity. (The Trinity is God the Father, God the Son, and God the *Holy Spirit. God describes himself in this way. But there is only one God.) He refers to it in the order that we know about it. We first know the kindness of Jesus by the *cross. This leads us to the love of God. This results in the *fellowship of the *Holy Spirit. So we can have *fellowship with God and with each other.
sin ~ an evil deed; or what is in us that causes us to do sins; to sin means to do evil deeds.cross ~ two pieces of wood that someone has fixed together. The Romans killed people by fixing them to a cross to die. Jesus died on a cross.
Roman ~ Rome was the capital city of the rulers at that time. That which belonged to Rome was Roman.'risen Jesus ~ Jesus, after he died and became alive again.
Lord ~ a name that we call God or Jesus; we call God or Jesus Lord when we obey them.
holy ~ all good with no bad in it; separate from sin; suitable for God.
sin ~ an evil deed; or what is in us that causes us to do sins; to sin means to do evil deeds.
fellowship ~ when people share friendship and help. The fellowship of the Holy Spirit means that the Holy Spirit comes with us all to help us.
holy ~ all good with no bad in it; separate from sin; suitable for God.
sin ~ an evil deed; or what is in us that causes us to do sins; to sin means to do evil deeds.
holy ~ all good with no bad in it; separate from sin; suitable for God.
sin ~ an evil deed; or what is in us that causes us to do sins; to sin means to do evil deeds.
fishermen ~ people whose work is to catch fish.