Bible Commentaries
2 Corinthians 13

Verses 1-10

Paul Executes His Authority In 2 Corinthians 12:14 to 2 Corinthians 13:10 Paul executes the authority of his office as an apostle to the Gentiles. Having boasted enough in his credentials (2 Corinthians 11:1 to 2 Corinthians 12:21) Paul now turns the topic to his upcoming visit in which exercise whatever divine authority was necessary to put things in order. He promises not to become a financial burden to them, but rather, to edify them (2 Corinthians 12:14-19). On this trip he expects those who have sinned to have repented, lest he use the power that the Lord entrusted him with for destruction rather than edification (2 Corinthians 12:20 to 2 Corinthians 13:10).

2 Corinthians 13:4 Scripture Reference - Note a similar verse:

Romans 6:4, “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”

2 Corinthians 13:5 Comments - The entire context of this second epistle to the church at Corinth was to prove Paul’s apostleship. He told of his sufferings for Christ as proof and of the signs of an apostle that were wrought in him (2 Corinthians 12:12). He now says that the real test is for the members of the Corinthian to examine themselves to see if they are genuine. Goodspeed brings out this contrast well:

Goodspeed, “It is yourselves you must test, to see whether you are holding to the faith. It is yourselves you must examine. Do you not know that Jesus Christ is within you? Unless you fail to stand the test!”

Since Paul has boasted that he has passed the test of a true apostle, in sufferings and working of miracles, it is left to the believers at Corinth to now pass their test. Their test is to determine if Christ is dwelling within them.

2 Corinthians 13:9-10 Comments - The Purpose of Paul’s Second Epistle to the Corinthians In 2 Corinthians 13:9-10 Paul tells the Corinthians the reason why he is writing to them. He wants them to be made perfect. The theme of this epistle is mature sanctification, which is the office of the Holy Spirit. It is Paul’s desire that they reach this maturity, which he describes as perfection in 2 Corinthians 13:9 and 2 Corinthians 13:11. He has given them an example of Christian maturity has he narratives his lifestyle of sacrifice and suffering for Christ, and the grace of God imparted into his life.

Verses 11-14

Conclusion In 2 Corinthians 13:11-14 Paul concludes his Epistle with his customary exhortation, greetings and benediction.

2 Corinthians 13:12 Comments - The Oriental custom of greeting with a kiss was practiced within the Jewish culture and the early Church. [228] Paul’s charge to salute, or greet, the brethren with a holy kiss is also found in the closing remarks of three other Pauline epistles as well as 1 Peter, where it is called a “kiss of love.”

[228] James D. G. Dunn, Romans 1-8, in Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 38A (Dallas, Texas: Word, Incorporated, 2002), in Libronix Digital Library System, v. 2.1c [CD-ROM] (Bellingham, WA: Libronix Corp., 2000-2004), comments on Romans 16:16.

Romans 16:16, “Salute one another with an holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute you.”

1 Corinthians 16:20, “All the brethren greet you. Greet ye one another with an holy kiss.”

2 Corinthians 13:12, “Greet one another with an holy kiss.”

1 Thessalonians 5:26, “Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss.”

2 Corinthians 13:14 “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all”- Comments (1) - The Holy Spirit is a person in the Godhead. He is not an “it” or a “force” or a “thing”; for you cannot have communion or fellowship with a thing. You can only have fellowship with a living person. The Holy Spirit is a person and we are to learn how to have fellowship with Him. We find a similar statement in Philippians 2:1 referring to having fellowship with the Holy Spirit.

Philippians 2:1, “If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit , if any bowels and mercies,”

The Scriptures also tell us that the Holy Spirit is a person of many feelings and emotions. He fills love for the saints.

Romans 15:30, “Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit , that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me;”

He can be vexed, blasphemed, lied to, grieved and quenched.

Isaiah 63:10, “But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit : therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them.”

Mark 3:29, “But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation:”

Acts 5:3, “But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost , and to keep back part of the price of the land?”

Ephesians 4:30, “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God , whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”

1 Thessalonians 5:19, “ Quench not the Spirit .”

Hebrews 10:29, “Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace ?”

Comments (2) - We see in 2 Corinthians 13:14 that Paul closes this epistle by speaking a blessing upon the Corinthians. This particular blessing relates to the three-fold office of the Trinity in our sanctification to becoming mature, or perfect, which is the foundational theme of 2 Corinthians. These particular roles of the Trinity are what allow us to walk in the level of mature sanctification that Paul obtained, which involves sacrifice and suffering for Christ, and which will bring the Corinthians to maturity. Jesus - We recognize the role of Jesus in our sanctification by the grace that is continually given to us despite our failures and sins. As Jesus Christ serves as our Great High priest, our sins are cleanses so that we daily are qualified to receive God’s grace. The Father - The role of the Father in sanctification is to pour His love within our hearts by sending the Holy Spirit to dwell in us. We can actually sense the love of God towards a lost and dying world the moment we are saved. The Holy Spirit - In the realm of the Holy Spirit, we know his presence at work in our lives because we can communicate with Him and He with us. God speaks to us when the Holy Spirit speaks to us. This communication is a part of the process of our sanctification. The Holy Spirit will never leave us nor forsake us because of God’s love upon us. Jesus is our source of God’s grace and forgiveness through His offering of blood and His role as our High Priest. This access to His grace by our faith in Him is how we maintain fellowship with God despite our failures and sins. Thus, God is continually at work in our lives in a recognizable way by His grace, His love and His presence in our lives. It is through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that we can experience the grace of Jesus Christ, the love of the Father and the fellowship with the Holy Spirit.

In summary, the outward manifestation of mature sanctification is a believe walking in the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost.

In contrast, we see in 1 Peter 1:2 the three-fold office of the Trinity as it relates to our perseverance towards eternal redemption.

1 Peter 1:2, “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.”

According to 1 Peter 1:2 the office of God the Father is to plan and thus foreknow all things. The purpose of His plan is to redeem all things unto Himself. The office of Jesus Christ His Son has been to shed His blood so that all people and nations can have the opportunity to find obedience to God’s divine plan for their life. The office of the Holy Spirit is to sanctify and bring to maturity each believer.

In 2 Corinthians 13:14, we now see the means by which each of the Godhead accomplishes their work. God the Father is moved by His boundless love for mankind, which moves Him to intervene in the affairs of men. It is through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ that His blood daily cleanses us from our sins. It is through the believer’s fellowship with the Holy Spirit that he is brought to maturity and finds God’s plan for his life.

Since the theme of Paul’s two letters to the church at Corinth is to bring about maturity in the life of these believers, he closes this second epistle with a prayer for the work of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit to be active in their lives; for this is the only way by which they will reach maturity.

Comments (3) - In a similar way that the early apostles were instructed by Jesus to let their peace come upon the home of their host (Matthew 10:13), so did Paul the apostle open every one of his thirteen New Testament epistles with a blessing of God’s peace and grace upon his readers. Matthew 10:13 shows that you can bless a house by speaking God's peace upon it.

Matthew 10:13, “And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.”

This practice of speaking blessings upon God’s children may have its roots in the Priestly blessing of Numbers 6:22-27, where God instructed Moses to have the priests speak a blessing upon the children of Israel. Now Paul closes his second epistle to the Corinthians by restating the blessing that he opened his epistle with in 2 Corinthians 1:2.

Comments (4) - In 2 Corinthians 13:14 Paul basically commends them into the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ, in much the same way that he did in the book of Acts. We find this statement at the end of all of Paul’s epistles.

Acts 14:23, “And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.”

Acts 20:32, “And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.”

2 Corinthians 13:14 “Amen” Comments - In the Textus Receptus the word “Amen” is attached to the end of all thirteen of Paul’s epistles, as well as to the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, and to the General Epistles of Hebrews , 1 and 2 Peter , 1 and 2 John, and to the book of Revelation. However, because “Amen” is not supported in more ancient manuscripts many scholars believe that this word is a later liturgical addition. For example, these Pauline benedictions could have been used by the early churches with the added “Amen.”