Lesson for October 4, 2023
The Book of II Corinthians
Chapter 13:1-14
“This is the third time I am coming to you. Every fact is to be confirmed by the testimony of two or three witnesses. I have previously said when present the second time, and though now absent I say in advance to those who have sinned in the past and to all the rest as well, that if I come again I will not spare anyone, since you are seeking for proof of the Christ who speaks in me, and who is not weak toward you, but mighty in you. For indeed He was crucified because of weakness, yet He lives because of the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, yet we will live with Him because of the power of God directed toward you. Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test? But I trust that you will realize that we ourselves do not fail the test.”
Now, for the third time Paul was going to try to visit Corinth. Every fact is to be confirmed by thetestimony of two or three witnesses was a quote from Deuteronomy 19:15. Paul, Titus, and Timothy had witnessed the condition of the church in Corinth, which confirms the truth of it.
Paul was saying, what I am writing in these epistles is like being there in person. In other words, when he wrote I Corinthians, it was as if he was there. Now that he was writing II Corinthians, it was like being there again. It was accurate doctrine from God’s Word they needed, and Paul was going to communicate it either face-to-face or by letter. He would say what was necessary in an attempt to get them back on track spiritually (if I come again, I will not spare anyone).
Paul was speaking from his knowledge of Christ and had demonstrated his authority to teach this knowledge by performing miracles when he had been among them. Paul was the greatest teacher of all of the apostles. Paul used the power of the Holy Spirit to evangelize and teach, like Christ had done.
For indeed He was crucified because of weakness, yet He lives because of the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, yet we will live with Him because of the power of God directed toward you. Christ had no spiritual weaknesses because He lived by the power of the Holy Spirit. But in His humanity, He could be killed. Believers are spiritually weak without the power of God the Holy Spirit and Bible doctrine in their souls.
Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test? But I trust that you will realize that we ourselves do not fail the test. See if you are in the faith does not refer to salvation. It is referring to an examination to see if Christ is being formed in their lives by means of Bible doctrine (the faith). Jesus Christ is in you is a reference to His character being formed in you. Is Christ being formed in my life or not was the examine question Paul posed to these believers. If Christ was being formed in them, then they would not have been in a state of reversionism (which they were). Paul wanted them to recognize their spiritual condition and recover from their reversionism. Paul and his team certainly passed the test, and their desire is for these believers to do the same. The Greek word for test is “dokimazo,” meaning to test for the purpose of graduating, giving a reward, recognition, or approval.
Verses 7-14
“Now we pray to God that you do no wrong; not that we ourselves may appear approved, but that you may do what is right, even though we may appear unapproved. For we can do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth. For we rejoice when we ourselves are weak, but you are strong; this we also pray for, that you be made complete. For this reason, I am writing these things while absent, so that when present I need not use severity, in accordance with the authority which the Lord gave me for building up and not for tearing down. Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.”
The pastor doesn’t teach the congregation in order to be approved by them. His approval comes from God when he teaches the Word of God accurately. The communication of Bible doctrine should always be about the message and not about the messenger (even if he appears “weak”).
For we rejoice when we ourselves are weak, but you are strong; this we also pray for, that you be made complete. The “weakness” of Paul and the other apostles was the fact that they needed the supernatural power of God the Holy Spirit to teach these believers the Word of God.
Weakness means total dependence upon what God. The teacher of doctrine and believers in the congregation must be totally dependent upon the filling of the Holy Spirit in order to reach spiritual maturity.
For this reason, I am writing these things while absent, so that when present I need not use severity, in accordance with the authority which the Lord gave me for building up and not for tearing down. The purpose of this epistle was to wake the Corinthians up who had become reversionistic. Paul was hopeful that they would recover from reversionism so that when he came back to Corinth, he could spend his time teaching doctrine to a positive group of believers and not have to spend time admonishing them (use severity).
Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. There are five commands related to the spiritual life of believers in verse 11: 1) Rejoice means to share the happiness of God. Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” 2) Be made complete means to finish building your spiritual building and reach spiritual maturity. Colossians 2:10, “And in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over every ruler and authority.” 3) Be comforted means believers are to receive comfort from the Bible doctrine which they possess in their soul. II Corinthians 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort.” 4) Be like-minded means the only way believers can be of the same mind is through accurate Bible doctrine. Philippians 2:2, “Make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.” 5) Live in peace means to live in tranquility with others by properly applying Bible doctrine. Romans 12:18, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all people.”
Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. This command must be interpreted in the time in which it was written. We are 2000 years from this custom and therefore we portray this custom in a very simple way: impersonal love. However, in our society, we do not have the “holy kiss” any longer. The command to greet each other with a holy kiss is simply a command to express impersonal love for our fellow believers.