Bible Commentaries
2 Corinthians 13

Verse 1

2Co 13:1

2 Corinthians 13:1

This is the third time I am coming to you.—We have no record of but one visit to Corinth. (Acts 18:1-18). But this, with 12: 14, makes it clear that he made a visit of which we have no record.

At the mouth of two witnesses or three shall every word be established.—Moses gave the law that no man should be put to death or punished except on the testimony of two or three witnesses. (Numbers 35:30; Deuteronomy 17:6; Deuteronomy 19:15). This law re­ceived a fresh prominence from our Lord’s reproduction of it in giving directions for the discipline of his disciples (Matthew 18:16), and what was more natural than that Paul should conform to this law? The things to be established were the sins of which they had been guilty in opposing him, pervert­ing the gospel, and corrupting the church.

Verse 2

2Co 13:2

2 Corinthians 13:2

I have said beforehand, and I do say beforehand, as when I was present the second time, so now, being absent, to them that have sinned heretofore, and to all the rest, that, if I come again, I will not spare;—When he was with them the second time, he dealt gently with them, but then warned them, if they persisted in their course, when he returned again, he would deal severely with them. He now repeats that he will not spare them if he still finds them obdurate in their sins. [The repeated warning includes those to whom it was first and who since then had similarly sinned.]

Verse 3

2Co 13:3

2 Corinthians 13:3

seeing that ye seek a proof of Christ that speaketh in me;—They had lightly spoken of his humble manner, and lack of apostolic power and authority, and challenged him to show his power by miraculous gifts, the presence of Christ in him by exhibition of power.

who to you-ward is not weak, but is powerful in you:—The powers had been manifested with might toward them. Paul had both worked miracles before them, and had bestowed gifts upon them. [There had been evidences enough, even in the church at Corinth, that God’s power was unmistakably in Christ. These evidences were chiefly those of Christian char­acter, developed by the power of the gospel.]

Verse 4

2Co 13:4

2 Corinthians 13:4

for he was crucified through weakness,—The crucifixion of Christ was the result of human weakness. He meekly sub­mitted to wrong, patiently bore suffering unto death. And the dread reality of these words must not be set aside lightly. The weakness of Christ here is the same that Paul has attrib­uted to himself—the weakness of passive endurance, and hum­ble service; the weakness of human condition, subjected to the power of his enemies. [We must conceive therefore the Word taking on himself and dwelling among men (John 1:14) in a mode inconceivable to us, but divine, for a time and for our salvation, real human weakness; and as being in his dying moments forsaken by God (Matthew 27:46), and power­less in the hands of his enemies. The ridicule of the chief priests mocking him and the scribes and the elders—“He saved others; himself he cannot save” (Matthew 27:42)—is sol­emn truth. So in the garden the only way of deliverance is prayer to the Father—“If thou be willing, remove this cup from me.” (Luke 22:41-42). Thus in all things he was made like unto his brethren. (Hebrews 2:17).]

yet he liveth through the power of God.—By the power of God he was raised from the dead and liveth at God’s right hand. [The resurrection is ever attributed to the power of God. (2 Corinthians 4:14; 1 Corinthians 15:15; Romans 4:24; Romans 6:4; Romans 8:11; 1 Peter 1:21). He who was so weak that he could not save himself from the cross now lives by the outstretched arm of Jehovah. And the power thus manifested is proof that (verse 3) Christ is powerful in his church to save and to punish.]

For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him through the power of God toward you.—So Paul was weak, patient under sufferings and wrongs inflicted upon him, but by the power God gave him he lived toward them in correct­ing their wrongs, and punishing their sins. What and how the punishment was which he threatened to inflict on the false teachers is not clear. Some think he proposed by the exercise of miraculous power to punish them with bodily affliction as he did Bar-Jesus. (Acts 13:6-12). Others think he intended to humiliate them by the exhibition of spiritual powers, and expose them before the multitude, and exclude them from the association of these in Christ. Whatever it was, the patience of Paul in bearing with their wrong course when present with them and his efforts then and through his epistles to turn them away from evil are manifest.

Verse 5

2Co 13:5

2 Corinthians 13:5

Try your own selves, whether ye are in the faith; prove your own selves.—They had demanded proof that Paul was an apostle. He had furnished it, and he now admonishes them to try themselves so as to make sure that they are in the faith. He had already said unto them: “If any man thinketh himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him take knowledge of the things which I write unto you, that they are the com­mandment of the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 14:37). That is, they were to test their lives, with an earnest desire to conform them­selves unto its directions. To be in the faith is to be faithful to the Lord.

Or know ye not as to your own selves, that Jesus Christ is in you? unless indeed ye be reprobate.—Jesus Christ was in them if they did his will; and he was in them unless they had turned away from the faith and become reprobates.

Verse 6

2Co 13:6

2 Corinthians 13:6

But I hope that ye shall know that we are not reprobate.—His power and faithfulness would be tested, as well as theirs, and he hoped that they would know that he would stand the test and not become a reprobate.

Verse 7

2Co 13:7

2 Corinthians 13:7

Now we pray to God that ye do no evil;—He seems to apprehend that they might think his anxiety for their faithful­ness was that they might approve him.

not that we may appear approved, but that ye may do that which is honorable, though we be as reprobate.—So while he prays that they do no evil, not that he should appear ap­proved, but that they might be approved of God, even should he be condemned. Their salvation was his object, not the ap­proval of himself.

Verse 8

2Co 13:8

2 Corinthians 13:8

For we can do nothing against the truth,—As an apostle of Christ, it was impossible for him to desire or wish to find any occasion for punishing them merely to demonstrate his own authority and power. To rejoice in evil because it gave him an advantage of any kind would have been impossible for him.

but for the truth.—[Should those who had fallen away “from the simplicity and the purity that is toward Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3) re­turn, should those who had violated the obligations of love (2 Corinthians 12:20) and purity (2 Corinthians 12:21) repent, the cause of truth would thus be reestablished and his power of chastening would be nullified, because it is, in its very nature, being applied only for and never against the truth.]

Verse 9

2Co 13:9

2 Corinthians 13:9

For we rejoice, when we are weak, and ye are strong: this we also pray for, even your perfecting.—He was not only will­ing to have no opportunity of displaying his power in inflict­ing punishment, but he delighted in such a condition, for it meant that they were strong in their spiritual life, and in their steadfastness in the faith.

Verse 10

2Co 13:10

2 Corinthians 13:10

For this cause I write these things while absent, that I may not when present deal sharply,—While he was absent he wrote these things, lest, when he comes, he should find them in an evil way which would require him to use with severity the power the Lord had given him to build up and strengthen them.

according to the authority which the Lord gave me for building up, and not for casting down.—The powers were given for their good, but if they refused to place themselves in such condition that they could be used for their good, then the powers would be used for their destruction. This refers to spiritual powers. Jesus came to save. But those who refused to be saved by him were condemned the more deeply. The gospel is “to the one a savor from death unto death; to the other a savor from life unto life.” (2 Corinthians 2:15-16). What blesses the obedient punishes the disobedient. [If he should be com­pelled to act sharply, it would be more like pulling down than building up, and so at least an apparent contravention of the spirit of that authority with which he had been entrusted by Christ.]

Verse 11

2Co 13:11

2 Corinthians 13:11

Finally,—[The conclusion is brief and in a mild tone. There are no words wasted; no personal greetings; no names are mentioned. But it is not lacking in friendliness and affec­tion. It is a fitting close.]

brethren,—[The term is used only four times in this epistle (2 Corinthians 1:8; 2 Corinthians 8:1; 2 Corinthians 8:23; 2 Corinthians 13:11), indicating here the importance of what he was saying and the affectionate spirit in which he spoke.]

farewell.—[Literally rejoice, or, joy to you. On account of what follows the word here, it is better to take it as an exhor­tation to spiritual joy. Rejoicing in our union and commu­nion with the Lord is one of our highest duties. Blessings so infinite as these should not be received with indifference. Joy is the atmosphere of heaven, and the more we have of it on earth, the more heavenly shall we be in character and tem­per.]

Be perfected;—Strive to be perfect before God. [There was much to be amended; many grave faults had been com­mitted; there were many deficiencies to be made good.]

be comforted;—[Be consoled by the promises and supports of the gospel. To receive consolation by exhortation.]

be of the same mind;—Be of one mind by walking by the same rule.

live in peace:—Be at peace by each seeking the good of oth­ers, and all seeking to walk by the directions of the word of God. [He seeks the restoration of unity of purpose, and with that of inward and outward peace. If these conditions should be fulfilled, the God of love and peace would assuredly be with them, for peace rests upon the sons of peace. (Luke 10:6.]

and the God of love and peace shall be with you.—The God that is full of love and peace will dwell with them and fill their hearts with the same love and peace that he possesses.

Verse 12

2Co 13:12

2 Corinthians 13:12

Salute one another with a holy kiss.—I think, beyond all doubt, that the object of the Holy Spirit in referring to the kiss was to regulate a social custom, and not to institute an ordinance. It was customary to greet with a kiss, and the Holy Spirit said it should be a holy one. The ordinances were instituted and observed by Jesus and recorded in his life and teachings as part of his work. Note how baptism and the Lord’s Supper were ordained by Jesus, practiced by the apos­tles and churches as set forth in Acts of Apostles, and then urged in the epistles by specific direction for observing them. Jesus said nothing of it, never kissed or was kissed, save by Judas, so far as we are told. There is no account in Acts of any such custom by the apostles or churches, and it is only mentioned in the concluding salutations of four epistles. (Romans 16:16; 1 Corinthians 16:20; 2 Corinthians 13:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:26). Institutions and practices ordained by God, to be observed by his people, are never treated in this way. It was mentioned only when the apostle was sending salutations to others, being thereby reminded of their method of salutation. If it was intended as an ordinance of God, I do not see why it was treated so differently from his other ordinances and com­mands.

Verse 13

2Co 13:13

2 Corinthians 13:13

All the saints salute you.—The saints joining in the salu­tation can only mean those who were present with Paul in Macedonia at the time of writing.

Verse 14

2Co 13:14

2 Corinthians 13:14

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,—[Paul said to the Corinthians: “Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might become rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9). His grace was a devotion to the good of man which knew no thought for self, which counted no sacrifice too great to attain it, not even the death of the cross. Grace, then, is an attribute of God seen in Jesus Christ who died for man. “God commendeth his own love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8). It was by the grace of God that Jesus tasted death for every man, and it is to the same grace every man owes his salvation. It begins in grace, is continued in grace, and perfected in grace. But grace passes from an attribute of the divine character to an active energy in the soul. At “the throne of grace, that we may re­ceive mercy, and may find grace to help us in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). The heart is “established by grace” (Hebrews 13:9), and by grace “offer service well-pleasing to God” (Hebrews 12:28). It is “in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” that we find our strength, and we are assured of its sufficiency for en­durance as well as for service. “My grace is sufficient for thee.” (2 Corinthians 12:9). We are commanded to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:18). These passages all speak of the divine influence in the soul as the operation of grace, and regard that which has its source in the grace of God as the working power of salvation. Grace pardons the guilty, restores the fallen, delivers the cap­tive, sanctifies the sinner, sustains and supports the believer.]

and the love of God,—[The fountain from which grace flows is the love of the Father, for it is said: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, neither shadow that is cast by turning.” (James 1:17). This love for man becomes through faith and obedience the joyful sense of comfort that we are his children, and that one day “we shall be like him; for we shall see him even as he is.” (1 John 5:2).]

and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.—The fellowship or companionship which the Spirit of the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:17-18) makes possible for Christians to have with God, with Christ, and with his fellow Christians; hence, Christian fellowship. The “unity of the Spirit” (Ephesians 4:3) is the unity of fellowship which binds the church as the body of Christ.