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2
Corinthians Chapter Thirteen
I.
Content of the Chapter
The Final Exhortation
A. Not spare those who commit sins (v.1
B. Be weak to live with Christ (v.3b-4);
C. Examine oneself (v.5-6);
D. Expect to be perfect (v.7-10);
E. Final words (v.11);
F. Greetings (v.12-13);
G. Blessings (v.14);
II.
Verse by Verse Commentary
2Cor. 13:1 “This will be the third time
I am coming to you. "By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word
shall be established."”
YLT: “This third time do I come unto you; on the mouth of two
witnesses or three shall every saying be established;”
Meaning of Words: “establish”: stand firm, hold up;
Literal
Meaning: “this will be the third time
I am coming to you”. “The
third time”, it repeats the
words in 12:14. Paul had been there twice before.
“By the mouth of two or three witnesses”, according to the law
of the Jews, the witness in the court can be effective only when there should
be two or three witnesses (see Deut. 19:15). Not everyone can be “the” witness
in the Scriptures. The word “witness” in the original sometimes can be
interpreted as “martyr” (Acts 22:20; Rev. 2:13; 17:6). Therefore, the witness
should have the spirit of self-sacrifice to stand up for the truth.
“Every word shall be established.” Every word of the witness should be true.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) If there are not two or three witnesses, we
shall not believe the words of others without consideration (see Matt. 18:16;
1Tim. 5:19).
2) If we want to bear witness to Christ, we
shall ask other brothers or sisters to work together. Therefore, the witness
will be powerful.
2Cor. 13:2 “I have told you before, and
foretell as if I were present the second time, and now being absent I write to
those who have sinned before, and to all the rest, that if I come again I will
not spare--”
YLT: “I have said before, and I say before, as being present,
the second time, and being absent, now, do I write to those having sinned
before, and to all the rest, that if I come again, I will not spare,”
Meaning of Words: “spare”: forbear, treat leniently;
Literal
Meaning: “I have told you before … and now being absent I write”, “told you before”,
it has a warning hue.
“And foretell as if I were present the second time”, “the second time”:
it refers to the previous unpleasant visitation. We can infer that
before Paul leaving them the second time he had warned them.
“To those who have sinned before, and to all the rest”, “who have sinned”: those who are mentioned in verse 21,
chapter twelve. “All
the rest”: those who are
mentioned in verse twenty, chapter twelve.
“That if I come again I will not spare--”, Paul had spared them when he visited them
the second time, or perhaps he had no chance to deal with these things because
of the particular condition of the church in Corinth at that time, for the
false apostles rose up against Paul. Therefore, many believers doubted Paul’s
spiritual authority.
2Cor. 13:3 “since you seek a proof of
Christ speaking in me, who is not weak toward you, but mighty in you.”
YLT: “since a proof ye seek of the Christ speaking in me, who
to you is not infirm, but is powerful in you,”
Meaning of Words: “proof”: trial, trustiness; “mighty”:
powerful, efficient;
Literal
Meaning: “since you seek a proof of
Christ speaking in me”, at that time, since believers in
“Who is not weak toward you, but mighty in you”, when the apostle Paul speaks to or works
among believers in
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) When believers in
2) When Christ speaks in His servants, He is
mighty in believers who have heard His words and touches them. Therefore,
believers can subjectively test whether Christ is speaking in His servant by
touching Christ in them.
2Cor. 13:4 “For though He was crucified
in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but
we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you.”
YLT: “for even if he was crucified from infirmity, yet he
doth live from the power of God; for we also are weak in him, but we shall live
with him from the power of God toward you.”
Meaning of Words: “power”: strength, mighty work, force;
Literal
Meaning: “for though He was crucified
in weakness”, such “weakness” is not the weakness in spirit, but
the infirmity in the physical body. Christ is power in his divine nature, and
yet he is willing to be incarnated and limited in the flesh in order to fulfill
the redemption ---- this is His weakness. He was crucified because of this
weakness.
“Yet He lives by the power of God”. Christ
rises up from the dead according to the working of the might of God’s strength
(see Eph. 1:20). Now He still lives by the power of God.
“For we also are weak in Him”,
“weak in Him”:
follow the example of Christ who is weak in the flesh and be willing to take up
the cross and thus live the life of the cross with Him;
“But we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you.” Apparently, the apostle Paul is weak to
believers in
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Since men do not know that the Lord Jesus
has to die for men on the cross in a weak human form (see Phil. 2:8), they mock
him that he saves others and yet cannot save himself (see Matt. 27:39-42).
Actually, Christ seems weak and yet mighty in fact. If a man seems weak in the
sight of others for the purpose of obeying the will of God, he is powerful in
fact. However, if we have disobeyed the will of God, though we seem powerful,
we are weak in fact.
2) “For though He was crucified in weakness”, it indicates that
Christ is so faithful that he receives all the restrictions in humanity
arranged by God. Therefore, He “lives” “by the power of God” so absolutely and
completely. Many times, we are unwilling to obey the guidance of God that makes
us weak and be weak with Him and be united with the death of Christ. Therefore,
we can hardly experience “the power of God shown to us” and “live with Him” and
be united with the glory of the resurrection of Christ.
3) The apostle Paul has shown his extreme
endurance (see 12:12) and also his absolute might ---- “shall not spare” (see
v.2) to believers in
4) The strength of the Lord is made perfect in weakness (see 12:9). If we are unwilling to “be
weak” with Him, we cannot experience the power of God and “live with Him”.
Therefore, we Christians can experience the power of God by boasting of our
infirmity (see 12:9).
5) If we can be weak as the Lord, we have found
the secret of obtaining power.
2Cor. 13:5 “Examine yourselves as to
whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that
Jesus Christ is in you?--unless indeed you are disqualified.”
YLT: “Your ownselves try ye, if ye are in the faith; your
ownselves prove ye; do ye not know your ownselves, that Jesus Christ is in you,
if ye be not in some respect disapproved of?”
Meaning of Words: “examine”: prove, test; “test”:
distinguish, discern, try; “disqualified”:;
Literal
Meaning: “examine yourselves as to
whether you are in the faith”. “Examine”: judge whether it owns something after
test. Whether we have faith or not can be examined by ourselves. Faith is not
imaginary or untouchable, but can be examined.
“Test yourselves”. “Test”: whether it is qualified or accepted after discernment and authentication. Whether our
faith is right can be tested.
“Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in
you?--unless indeed you are disqualified.” “Disqualified”:
cannot bear scrutiny or test and be judged as disqualification and
worthlessness and thus regarded as reprobates; it indicates that if one is sure
that Christ is in him, he has passed the examination and has part in the body
of Christ ---- the church.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Since Believers in
2) Note that Paul asks them to “examine
themselves” and “test themselves”. Therefore, whether one has faith or not is
difficult to be judged by others, for we are not God and we can only see the
appearance but not search out the inner reality. Therefore, no wonder the Lord
asks us not gather the tares flippantly (see Matt. 13:24-30).
3) Once we have believed the Lord, we are
accepted by God through the precious blood of the Lord and we have the Lord
Jesus who abides in us and never departs. We should be assuredly confident that
this is the center of our being favored.
4) The Lord said, “And him that comes to me I
will not at all cast out.” (John 6:37). Since we believers have already come to
the Lord, we have obtained the Lord Jesus and will never be cast out.
5) That we can be accepted by God is not
because of our own merits but is because that Christ lives in us. As long as
Christ are in us, we will never be cast out by God at all. We should not
believer the lies of Satan, but believer the word of God.
2Cor. 13:6 “But I trust that you will
know that we are not disqualified.”
YLT: “and I hope that ye shall know that we -- we are not
disapproved of;”
Meaning of Words: “trust”: expect, confide;
“know”: be aware of, understand; “disqualified”: unapproved, rejected, castaway;
Literal
Meaning: “but I trust that you will
know”, the apostle Paul
earnestly expects believers in Corinth to know one thing clearly, that is, he
and his companions are those who have passed the examination of faith.
“That we are not disqualified”, “we” refer to Paul and his fellow workers.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) It is a common fault that one who has
problem himself always digs over problems of others. We Christians are those
who have “light” and are the light of the world, so we are supposed not to
commit the same mistakes with those who are in the world.
2) It does profit believers by the assurance
that the leaders who have spoken to them the word of God are true servants of
God, thus believers shall not be carried away with various and strange
doctrines (see Heb. 13:7-9).
2Cor. 13:7 “Now I pray to God that you
do no evil, not that we should appear approved, but that you should do what is
honorable, though we may seem disqualified.”
YLT: “and I pray before God that ye do no evil, not that we may
appear approved, but that ye may do that which is right, and we may be as
disapproved;”
Meaning of Words: “evil”: bad, wicked, worthless; “appear”:
seem, be seen, shine; “approved”: tried, acceptable; “honorable”: good, fair; “disqualified”: disapproved, rejected;
Literal
Meaning: “not that we should appear
approved”, “approved”, be proved
acceptable after trial; Paul does not intend to show whether he can bear the
trial, for what he cares for is the condition of believers in
“But that you should do what is honorable”, “do what is honorable”, it points that the
purpose of Paul’s writing to rebuke and exhort believers in Corinth is
encouraging them to do what is honorable instead of justifying himself.
“Though we may seem disqualified”, it means that as long as you are in a good
condition, you will not care about how others see us. Even though they
criticize us and condemn us, it does not matter.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) That we do not “do evil” is not due to our
cautiousness, but needs careful prayer before the Lord and needs intercessions
of one another.
2) Paul would rather let himself be seemed
disqualified in order to let others be favored. This is the spirit of Christ on
the cross. Since he cried on that day, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” (Mark
15:34), we can cry “Abba, Father” (Gal. 4:6).
3) What the Lord’s servants ask before God is
the normal spiritual condition of the believers whom they serve. The estimation
in the sight of others to them is not what matters.
2Cor. 13:8 “For we can do nothing
against the truth, but for the truth.”
YLT: “for we are not able to do anything against the truth,
but for the truth;”
Meaning of Words: “against”: ; “for”: in order to, for the
purpose of;
Literal
Meaning: “for we can do nothing
against the truth”, “truth”: the real content of faith; this verse
explains what is mentioned in the previous verse. If what Paul cares for is
whether he is accepted, not whether believers in
“But for the truth”,
“for the truth”, it means that the truth shall be practiced among believers or
believers can all walk according to the truth.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) If the Lord’s worker walks for the purpose
of showing off himself so as to become popular among believers, he is “against
the truth”. However, if he walks in everything for the purpose of building up
the church and perfecting the saints, he is “for the truth”.
2) If we walk according to the words of God
spoken to us, we are for the truth. To the words of God spoken to us, if we
avoid the important and dwell on the trivial or even keep in a roundabout way,
we are just against the truth.
3) He who is against the truth may not oppose
the truth directly. All that decrease the position of the truth in believers’
hearts or cause misunderstanding about the truth are against the truth.
4) Christians can not show partiality or cover
up sins to oppose the truth, and we can only support those who stand on the
side of the truth.
5) Many servants of God and the elders of the
church often put aside the truth for the sake of human relationship when their
own family members are stumbled. They help those who commit sins to cover what
have happened and even use the words in the Scriptures to put down the saints
who know the fact and show disapproval. Such conditions are against the truth.
2Cor. 13:9 “For we are glad when we are
weak and you are strong. And this also we pray, that you may be made complete.”
YLT: “for we rejoice when we may be infirm, and ye may be
powerful; and this also we pray for -- your perfection!”
Meaning of Words: “strong”: powerful, mighty; “be made complete”: thorough equipment, perfection;
Literal
Meaning: “for we are glad when we are
weak and you are strong”. “weak” here means disqualified; “strong” means qualified;
Paul here is glad when believers are strong, even though he himself seems weak
in the sight of others.
“And this also we pray, that you may be made complete.” “Be made complete”: mend, prepare, restore to the orderly and
perfect condition, be perfect and be built up; what Paul prays for believers in
2Cor. 13:10 “Therefore I write these
things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to
the authority which the Lord has given me for edification and not for
destruction.”
YLT: “because of this, these things -- being absent -- I
write, that being present, I may not treat sharply, according to the authority
that the Lord did give me for building up, and not for casting down.”
Meaning of Words: “authority”: power,
jurisdiction; “sharpness”: peremptorily; “edification”: building up;
“destruction”: pulling down, extinction, demolition;
Literal
Meaning: “therefore I write these
things being absent”, it means that I write to you before coming to you.
“Lest being present I should use sharpness according to the authority which the Lord has given me”, it explains the
previous words in this verse
the purpose of Paul’s writing this epistle
is to let believers in Corinth repent early and be restored to perfection so
that he needs not to use
sharpness according to the authority
which the Lord has given him.
“For edification and not for destruction”, it gives the reason why he does not use
the authority ---- for the Lord gives the spiritual authority for the purpose
of positive usage, not for negative punishment or domination.
2Cor. 13:11 “Finally, brethren, farewell.
Become
complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love
and peace will be with you.”
YLT: “Henceforth, brethren, rejoice; be made perfect, be
comforted, be of the same mind, be at peace, and the God of the love and peace
shall be with you;”
Meaning of Words: “complete”: be perfected, be
filled;
Literal
Meaning: “finally”, mention something
not covered before or emphasize what has been mentioned previously;
“Brethren, farewell”, “farewell”: the joy of farewell is not out of
man’s natural life, nor any environmental elements, but is “in the Lord” (Phil.
3:1; 4:4; 1Tehss. 5:16). Therefore, Paul expects the spiritual condition of
believers in
“Become complete”; “complete”: it shares the same etymon and meaning
with the words “be
made complete” in verse nine.
“Be of good comfort”,
it means to experience the encouragement of
God is of all comfort (see 1:3-6); “of good comfort”: be encouraged and
exhorted in the original; therefore, Paul may also encourage believers in
“Be of one mind”, the worst weakness of believers in
“Live in peace”:
live in peace with each other without contentions;
“And the God of love and peace will be with you.” The divisions and contentions among
believers in
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Both “farewell” and “be of good comfort” are “rejoice”, and “be of one mind”
and “live in peace”
relate to love. If a Christian desires to be perfect, joy and love are
indispensible.
2) When the Lord Jesus brought His disciples to
have the final supper, He had ever issued two commandments: a) you love one
another (John 13:34); b) Let not your heart be troubled (John 14:1). These two
commandments also talk about love and joy.
3) Joy is not obtained forcibly by us. We can
rejoice only when we transcend the environment. Therefore, the secret of
believer’s joy is “by the Lord” and “in the Lord” (Phil. 4:4).
4) The more we draw near the Lord, the more we
will rejoice. The deeper our relation with the Lord is, the deeper our joy will
be.
5) Christians should not be self-satisfied nor
stand still, but shall seek “to be perfected”. Christians should seek “more
abundant” life (see John 10:10) and seek the increase in spiritual virtues (see
2Pet. 1:5-7) and seek to be more “faithful” in service (see 1Cor. 4:1-2).
6) When we are troubled, we shall learn to be
comforted by God or others so that we can also comfort others (see 1:3-6).
7) God asks us to consider one another for
provoking to love and good works, and also asks us to encourage one another,
and by so much the more as we see the day of the Lord’s second coming drawing
near in the last days (see Heb. 10:24-25).
8) The real difficulty of the oneness of the
church is not in our spirit, but in our minds ---- be of the different minds.
9) Only when believers let the mind of Christ
in them can they be of the same mind. Therefore, we shall not attempt to
persuade anyone to agree with our own opinions. What is really important is to
seek the will of the Lord with one accord.
10) Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for
brethren to dwell together in unity (Ps. 133:1)! The church bears witness
before men in the world by loving one another, not by knowledge. If we have
love among ourselves, all shall know that we are the Lord’s disciples (see John
13:35).
11) Our God is a God of love and a God of peace.
The reverse side of love and peace is hatred and conflict. Where there is love,
there is peace. Where there is hatred, there must be conflicts. If the church
is full of the presence of God, there will be naturally filled with love and
peace.
12) Many Christians seek the mighty God, and
here Paul emphasizes that what the church really needs is the God who is love
and peace, which may be least known among the common believers. Unless we have
enjoyed the love and peace of God, what we have built will be far less than
what we have destroyed.
13) Farewell, and become complete and be of good comfort are individual. Be of one mind and live in peace
are corporate. No matter it is individual or corporate, we both need the grace
of God as well as the love and peace of God.
2Cor. 13:12 “Greet one another with a
holy kiss.”
YLT: “salute one another in an holy kiss;”
Meaning of Words: “greet”: salute, welcome; “holy”: sacred,
blameless;
The Background: the Westerners often greet by “kisses”, especially
the regions of the
Literal
Meaning: “greet one another
with a kiss”, in the early church time, the custom of men at that time might be
applied ---- they greeted each other with earnest kisses. To the people at that
time, kisses were more intimate than handshakes (see Gal. 2:9).
“A holy kiss”, “holy”: blameless without any defilement. What Paul
emphasizes here is holy not kiss. The manners of greeting to believers differ
because of different times and regions. However, what is mostly important is
“holy”.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Believers should be kindly affectioned
towards one another (see Rom. 12:10), and should also keep holy.
2) Holy is not coolly impersonal. Today, a lot
of men misunderstand “what is spiritual” and think that the spiritual should be
indifferent without expressing his affection.
2Cor. 13:13 “All the saints greet you.”
YLT: “salute you do all the saints;”
Literal
Meaning: the saints everywhere
at that time also entrusted the apostles or others to greet one another (see
Rom. 16:16, 21-24).
2Cor. 13:14 “The grace of the Lord Jesus
Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you
all. Amen.”
YLT: “the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of
God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, with you all! Amen.”
Meaning of Words: “communion”: fellowship,
communication;
Literal
Meaning: “the grace of the Lord Jesus
Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit”, “the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ”, it refers to the salvation of Christ,
which is the foundation of believers’ enjoying all grace of God. “The love of God”, it indicates that the love of God is the
source of the redemption of Christ (see
Here, it mentions the Lord Jesus firstly, which does not mean He is the
head of the Holy Trinity, but that the redemption He has perfected is the
foundation of God’s granting grace. If there is not the great redemption of
Christ, there will also not the enjoyment of God’s grace.
“The communion of the Holy Spirit”, the love and God and the grace of Christ are
both substantiated into us by the Holy Spirit so that we can enjoy them.
“Be with you all. Amen.” They are with us according to the truth. However,
according to our feeling and experience, they may be interrupted (see Song 3:1;
5:6) and are influenced by our spiritual condition before God. Therefore, we
are responsible to maintain such presence.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The love of God the Father is the source.
The grace of Christ is the content. And the fellowship of the Holy Spirit is
the reality. Oh, the fullness of the Holy Trinity is filled in the minister and
is also the persistent provision to the church.
2) The love of God the Father, the grace of the
Son and the fellowship of the Spirit are three blessings of God. Love is the
origin and grace is channel and fellowship is shedding into us. The church
needs none other than the presence of the Holy Trinity.
3) In the fellowship of the Spirit, the love of
God and the grace of Christ become the real enjoyment of Christians. Therefore,
keep the good fellowship with the Spirit is the precondition of having
fellowship with all the fullness of the Holy Trinity. Therefore, we should walk
in the Spirit (see
4) All the true Christians are willing to obey
the inspiration and guidance of the Spirit in them. Therefore, they will taste
the love of God and the grace of Christ and thus manifest the beauty of the
Holy Trinity in their life.
III.
Outlines of the Spiritual Lessons
Three
Groups of Men in the Church
in
A. Witness ---- believers who have spiritual
knowledge and burden (v.1 see the commentary);
B. Those who have committed sins (v
C. The rest of them (v.2b);
Weakness and
Strength
A. The weakness and strength of Christ:
1. He was crucified in weakness (v
2. Christ is not weak toward you (v.3) ---- mighty in the spirit;
B. The weakness and strength of believers:
1. We also are weak in Him (v.4b) ---- weak in the flesh;
2. We shall live with Him by the power of God (v
C. The weakness and strength of the workers:
1. Even though we are weak (v
2. We are glad that you are strong (v.9b) ----
hope that believers are mighty in spirit;
Three Main Tasks in
Christians’ Life
A. Faith (v.5);
B. Virtues (v.7);
C. Knowledge (v.8) ---- in your faith have also
virtue, in virtue knowledge (2Pet. 1:5);
Become Perfect
A. The condition of the perfect one ---- Jesus Christ is in him (v.5);
B. The hindrance of the perfect one ---- do any
evil (v
C. The qualification of the perfect one ---- do what is honorable (v.7b);
D. The help of the perfect one ---- the
intercession of the Lord’s servant (v.9);
E. The motivation of the perfect one ---- with
the aim of becoming complete (v.11b);
F. The manifestation of the perfect one ---- be of one mind, live in
peace, be holy (v.11-12);
G. The power of the perfect one ---- the presence
of the Holy Trinity (v
H. The result of the perfect one ---- farewell,
rejoice (v
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Mary Zhou