2 Corinthians 13
Chuck Smith on 2 Corinthians 13
Verse by verse, taught on Sunday nights: the C2000 series, 1979 to 1985, and the C3000 series, 1985 to 1999. Permission granted by The Word For Today.
Sunday Nights, 1979 to 1985 (C2000)
Verses 1–2
Now he said,
This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. [For] I told you before, and foretell you [I'm telling you again], as if I were present [with you], 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 (13:1-2):
"I'm going to be really hard on you this next time."
Verses 3–5
Since ye seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, which to you-ward is not weak, but is mighty in you. For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth 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. [So you better] Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith (13:3-5);
I mean, Paul is saying, "Look, I'm going to come, and it's going to be heavy. I'm going to come, not in weakness, but in the power of God's Spirit to deal with the issues that are there in Corinth. And so you better examine yourselves, because this is going to be a heavy-duty thing when I arrive."
You remember when Paul was on the isle and ministering to the governor Sergius Paulus, and the guy was listening and very interested, and this sorcerer Elymas started to say things against Paul. And God turned and said, or Paul turned and said, "God smite you with blindness, man!" And immediately the guy was blind and everybody feared, you know. They said, "Wow, what kind of a preacher is this?" You know. And they gave greater attendance to the Lord.
But Paul says, "Hey, when I'm coming, I'm coming in power. Even Christ was crucified in weakness, but He was raised in power. And I'm weak in Christ, but hey, I'm coming in the power. And so you better examine yourself to see if you be in the faith and,"
Verses 5–7
prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be [unless you're] reprobates? But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates. 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 (13:5-7).
Or, "you consider us as reprobates."
Verses 8–9
For we can do nothing against the truth, but [only] for the truth. For we are glad, when we are weak, and ye are strong: and this also we wish, even your perfection (13:8-9).
Isn't that glorious? Here the guys are giving Paul a bad time speaking against him and all, and yet his heart towards them is that they might be perfected. He's longing, he said, "I wish that you were strong and I was weak. I would, I desire your perfection."
Verse 10
Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being [when I am] present I should use sharpness, according to the power which the Lord hath given me to edification, and not to destruction (13:10).
"I don't want to come with the power of destruction. I want to come and build you up."
Verse 11
Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect [Okay, the word there is fully mature, grow up], be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you (13:11).
So these beautiful exhortations of Paul: be fully matured, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace.
Verse 12
Greet one another with a holy kiss (13:12).
In some of the churches in the eastern part of the world, in Greece and all, they, Italy, you know, you go in, and the guys would kiss you in each cheek, you know. They still practice that in the church, of greeting one another with a holy kiss. You walk in, Arrividerci, brother. I can't quite handle it, but . . .
Verses 13–14
All the saints salute you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all (13:13-14).
Notice the Trinity here in Paul's benediction. "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all." So Paul joins the Father, Son and Spirit in this benediction to the Corinthian epistle.
Thank You, Father, for Your word, a lamp to our feet, a light to our path. May we walk in its truth. Help us, Father, help us to grow, help us to become fully matured. Help us, Lord, to walk in unity, to walk in love, to live in peace. Help us, Father, to experience Your all-sufficient grace so that we will learn, Lord, to rejoice in tribulation. For we know that it works patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope. Lord, that we might realize that You are in control of those circumstances by which we are surrounded. And so we just commit the keeping of our souls to You through Jesus. Amen.
Next week, the first two chapters of Galatians. As we move along, it just gets gooder and gooder. So do your homework. Read Galatians this week. Get your background, so that as we gather together again next Sunday night, we might again be enriched through the word of God, the love of Christ, the power of the Spirit. That we might grow up in all things in Christ Jesus, becoming matured in our walk with Him. May the Lord be with you and may His hand be upon you to bless you through this week as you experience more and more His love, His grace working in your life. In Jesus' name.
Sunday Nights, 1985 to 1999 (C3000)
Verse 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:
Now, I’m warning you! When I come, I’m not going to spare you that are sinning. We are going to deal with these issues head on.
Verses 3–4
Since ye seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, which to you-ward is not weak, but is mighty in you.
For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth 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.
So Paul is sort of giving them a warning, these that are creating the problems. These that are living lives of sin and are trying to excuse them. I’m coming. I’m coming in the power of the Spirit. I’m not going to spare.
Verses 5–6
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?
But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates.
And so he is saying, now look, examine yourselves. Prove yourself if you are in the faith. What an important thing that is! There are so many people who are living lives of sin and yet they feel they are all right. They feel that somehow they have a special dispensation from God, that they can somehow engage in the world and in the things of the world and in the worldly practices and still be saved.
And Paul is challenging them, examining yourselves to see if you are truly in the faith. Don’t you realize that Jesus Christ is in you? He wrote earlier and said, you know, if you join yourself to a harlot and Christ is in you, you’re bringing Him into that relationship. You become one with that. But you are one with Christ and so he is really warning them to check it out. Examine yourself. It’s not what you say, your actions speak louder than your words. We trust that you will realize that we are not reprobates.
Verses 7–8
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.
(in your minds)
For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.
The truth is going to stand! The truth will stand. That is always to me a comforting thing. The truth will stand. We can’t do anything against the truth, only for the truth.
Verse 9
For we are glad, when we are weak, and ye are strong: and this also we wish, even your perfection.
I’m glad for your strength! And I desire your perfection.
Verse 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.
Paul wants to use the gifts of God to build them up, not to destroy them. He wants to see the power of God in their lives, building them up, not destroying them.
It’s an interesting thing. The Bible speaks of God as a consuming fire. It actually speaks of God as a fire. The Greek word is eremacasus. It is the slow burning fire of nature, everywhere. This slow burning fire of nature is gradually destroying everything. Put a piece of metal out on the ground. Leave it there for a few days and you see little spots of brown on it. What’s happening—eremacasus, the slow burning fire of nature is starting to destroy it, gradually in time. It’s everywhere, eremacasus. You cannot escape it. It’s throughout the whole universe. The universe is winding down. The second law of thermodynamics—eremacasus.
Fire is interesting in that we use fire to temper steel. That is heating it up to a point, thus, making it permanent by the fire. Some things are hardened and made more or less permanent by the tempering of the fire, while other things are consumed and destroyed by the fire. The same fire transmits something into permanency and other things it destroys.
In the time of Hezekiah (Isaiah 37), when Isaiah was ministering to him, the city of Jerusalem had been surrounded by the Assyrian army. And Isaiah had comforted Hezekiah, telling him that God was going to deliver the Assyrians into the hand of the Jews.
One morning as they looked out at the camp of the Assyrians, they saw that there was nothing but dead corpses. In the night an angel of the Lord went through the camp and wiped out a hundred and eighty-five thousand of the Assyrians. There were just dead bodies all over the place. And it said, fear gripped the hearts of the sinners in Zion, for they said who amongst us can dwell in the midst of the devouring fire? They saw God as the fire, that they say the results of God's fire on the Assyrians. Fear gripped the hearts of the sinners and the hypocrites. They said, oh, wait a minute, look at what the fire of God has done. Who amongst us can dwell in the midst of that devouring fire?
God's Spirit in your life, in a person’s life, can be transmitting them into eternal, building up. But also the power of the Spirit can be used in destruction! Paul said, I don’t want that. I want to use the gifts to build you up. I don’t want to see you destroyed. So I am writing these things to you. I hope that the issues are all settled before I get there. I don’t want to have a showdown when I arrive.
Verse 11
Finally, brethren, farewell.
Be perfect, (Now the word perfect is not as we use it today, without flaw. The word in the Greek, means to grow up, be mature. And it always speaks of full age or maturity. Just grow up!)
Verse 12
be of good comfort, be of one mind, (Quit the division.) live in peace (Don’t have the factions.); and the God of love and peace shall be with you.
Greet one another with an holy kiss.
Verse 13
All the saints salute (Greet. The word salute doesn’t mean you know, a Boy Scout Salute. They used to say that at the end of weddings, you may salute your bride, you know. I was actually at a wedding, where a guy in the military was getting married. The guy said you may salute you bride. He saluted her!) you.
Verse 14
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, (Here you have the three in One. This is why I couldn’t agree with that guy in Tucson. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit. There are three persons of the One God. One God manifested in three persons. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, the fellowship or communion of the Holy Spirit) be with you all. Amen.
So Paul’s benediction, dealing with the threefold nature of God—the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Thank You, Father, for the instruction. May we give heed. Lord, we do pray that we might take to heart these warnings of Paul’s to the church of Corinth. That we might live holy lives before You, that we might forsake the world and the things that are in the world. That we might grow up spiritually, that we might be mature, that we might walk in peace, walk in love. That we might be everything that You want us to be, dedicated, committed, unspotted by the things of the world, walking in purity, walking in holiness, because You are holy. Lord, we commit our lives afresh to You tonight. We want to be everything that You want us to be. We want to be fully committed and submitted, Lord, to You. Guide us. Help us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.