Read the Passage: 2 Corinthians 13

Listen to the Redeemed Mind Podcast: 2 Corinthians 13

Exhortation (13:1–6)

Paul covers much material in his two letters to Corinth. Indeed, 1 & 2 Corinthians are two of Paul’s three longest epistles (Romans is Paul’s second longest letter), and if these two letters are combined, they contain six times as many words as Paul wrote, on average, in any one of his epistles. Indeed, the volume of his writing, the length of his stay, and the number of his visits all highlight Paul’s love for the believers in Corinth, as well as the strategic importance of this church. Paul begins this chapter by reminding the church, for the second time (cf. 2 Cor. 12:14), of his intended third visit to Corinth (cf. 2 Cor. 13:1). Note Paul cities Num. 35:30, perhaps somewhat out of context, to emphasize that his coming visit would be with apostolic authority. Of course, this does not mean that Paul’s earlier visits were not authorized. Rather, Paul’s reminder about authority here is meant as an admonition to the church.

In 2 Cor. 13:2 Paul warned the church, “If I come again, I will not spare.” Not only was this statement intended as a caution to the false teachers, but also as an admonition to those in the church who were sympathetic to the false teachers. After defending himself throughout this epistle, Paul finally summarized the charge against him at 2 Cor. 13:3, “You seek a proof of Christ speaking in me.” Said differently, on account of the false teachers, the believers in Corinth were questioning the authenticity of Paul’s ministry. Therefore, in a similar manner to his argument in 2 Cor. 3:1–3, here at 2 Cor. 13:3, Paul defends his ministry by pointing out that “Christ . . . is not weak in you, but mighty in you.” In other words, the work of Jesus in the Corinthian church was proof of Paul’s ministry among them. Next, in 2 Cor. 13:4 Paul correlates the weakness and power of Jesus with that of his own ministry.

In 2 Cor. 13:5 Paul gives one of the most important and applicable exhortations in all of Scripture, as he writes, “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith.” As is often the case in the modern church, so in the Corinthian church there was an assumption that a claim of faith, along with one’s physical presence in the church, was a sure sign of redemption. Yet, as Jesus taught regarding the authenticity of faith, “By their fruits you will know them” (Matt. 7:20). The idea that genuine faith produces spiritual fruit in one’s life, on account of the indwelling of Christ, is what Paul meant as he asked the church, “Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?” (2 Cor. 13:5). The main reason why Paul wanted the believers in Corinth to test themselves is that although they claimed to be redeemed, they were questioning the gospel message, as well as the messenger of Christ.

Prayer (13:7–10)

In 2 Cor. 13:7–10 Paul reports two specific prayers that he was praying for the believers in Corinth. First, Paul declared, “I pray to God that you do no evil . . . but that you should do what is honorable” (2 Cor. 13:7). This broad request was simply an expression of Paul’s desire that the Corinthians would live godly lives, forsaking their own sin. Observe that a very similar petition is part of the Lord’s Prayer (cf. Matt. 6:13). Second, Paul wrote, “This also we pray, that you may be made complete” (2 Cor. 13:9). This broad request was just another way of Paul communicating his desire for the sanctification of the church. In this passage Paul states that his desire for the spiritual growth of those in Corinth was not about approval of his ministry, but about the edification of the church. Indeed, it is clear that Paul did not want to discipline the believers in Corinth when he arrived.

Benediction (13:11–14)

The conclusion to this epistle is very similar to the way in which Paul ends most of his letters. In this passage Paul gives an exhortation, a greeting, and bestows a benediction upon the church. In his exhortation, Paul encourages sanctification, comfort, unity, and peace. Here Paul refers to the Lord as being “the God of love” (2 Cor. 13:11), which is the only time in the New Testament that this specific phrase is applied to God (cf. 1 John 4:8). In his greeting, Paul encourages mutual love in the church, and he records, “All the saints greet you” (2 Cor. 13:13). In general, this would have included all of the believers in all of the churches under Paul’s purview, but more specifically, it included Christians in the church from which Paul was writing—perhaps in Philippi or Ephesus. Finally, in his benediction, Paul made a Trinitarian reference as he blessed the church by referring to grace, love, and fellowship.

Application Questions:

1. What was the purpose of the Old Testament law requiring two or three witnesses to establish truth and authority?
2. How is the authority of an apostle similar to and/or different from that of a pastor or other church leader?
3. How can we distinguish between spiritual fruit, and the results of human efforts and ingenuity (cf. Matt. 7:15–23; 13:1–23)?
4. When is it appropriate to pray for specific things, as compared to making general requests as Paul does in 2 Cor. 13:7–10?
5. Do most Christians give enough thought to being part of the world-wide, historical, growing Body of Christ?