INTRODUCTION

There is a basic spiritual dilemma that confronts everyone who accepts the truth of the Christian message. If is the case that there are only two final destinies for human beings—for the saved and the lost—and if it is also true that these two kinds of people are also found within the ranks of baptized Christian people, then the question is this. “How can I be sure that I am among the saved?” To that question, the Pauline exhortation here is often applied—examine yourselves. Yes, indeed, examine yourselves. But by what standard?

THE TEXT

“This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. 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: 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. 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. 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. For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. For we are glad, when we are weak, and ye are strong: and this also we wish, even your perfection. 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. Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you. Greet one another with an holy kiss. 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. Amen” (2 Corinthians 13:1-14).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

Paul founded the church. His second visit was the one where he ran into the opposition of the false apostles. This will be his third visit (v. 1). When he comes, he will bring judgment, and he will apply the biblical standards of justice (v. 1). He warns them solemnly now that unless there is repentance, his discipline will be strict (v. 2). He will do this to prove the strength of Christ in him, applied to them (v. 3). The strength of Christ is a death and resurrection kind of strength (v. 4), and Paul follows that pattern. Paul tells them to examine themselves before he comes and has to do it (v. 5). Christ is within those who pass the test, and is not within the reprobates (v. 5). And he is confident that they will recognize that Paul’s group is not reprobate (v. 6). Paul wants them to pass the test, to do no evil, and not for the sake of his reputation (v. 7). What matters above all is the truth (v. 8). Paul is glad to be weak and the Corinthians strong (v. 9). Paul’s hope is that he might get the sharp things out of the way in the letter, and then when he is with them, he might give himself to edification, not demolition (v. 10). He then gives a cluster of charges in his farewell—be mature, be comforted, be likeminded, be at peace, and may the God of love and peace crown it all (v. 11). Greet one another with an holy kiss (v. 12). The saints send their greetings (v. 13). He then concludes with a glorious benediction (v. 14).

EXAMINE YOURSELVES

Before you set yourself to “examine yourself to see if you are in the faith,” you must settle two other things first. First, what are you testing for, and second, what are you testing with? You are testing whether or not Christ is within you. That is the first thing. Second, you are testing with the standards set by the Scriptures, and not by standards invented by your Victorian great-grandmother.

What do you make of Jesus? What do you think of Him? You should not be looking for certain ecstatic emotions, or sentimental turbulence. We are talking about Christ the Messiah. What do you make of Him?

And what standards can we take from the Scriptures? We know Christ is in us because we have believed in the name of Jesus (1 Jn. 5:13; Rom. 10:9). We know that Christ is in us because the Spirit was given us (1 John 4:13). And how do we know that? He grows things (Gal. 5:22-23; Eph. 5:9), and He kills things (Rom. 8:13). We know Christ is in us if we love the brethren (1 John 3:14). We know Christ is in us and we are converted if we have humility of mind, like that of a little child (Matt. 18:3). We know Christ is in us if we are hungry for the Scriptures (1 Pet. 2:2-3). We know Christ is in us if the sacrifice of Christ on the cross makes sense to us as the power of God (1 Cor. 1:18). We know Christ is in us because of our growth in obedience (1 John 2:3). We know Christ is in us because of what happens when we disobey (Heb. 12:6). We know Christ is in us.

A GLORIOUS BENEDICTION

Paul concludes this epistle with a wonderful benediction. The order of the persons named is a little different. He begins with the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our starting point is with the one who first came to us as Immanuel, God with us. Christ is the one who brings us to the Father, and this Father is the one who loved us. And so it is that the love of God is mentioned second. And then, after we have encountered Christ, and have been brought to the Father, we find that we are in koinonia-fellowship with all of God’s people everywhere. And amen.

Read Full Article

INTRODUCTION

As we are coming near to the end of this epistle, we see here a good summary of Paul’s idea of what constitutes the apostolic insignia. There are three elements that can be seen here. The first would be apostolic signs, works of power and authority. The second would be apostolic sacrifice, where Paul was willing to spend himself for the Corinthians. And the third element would be his apostolic fears—his concern for their spiritual well-being.

THE TEXT

“I am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me: for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing. Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds. For what is it wherein ye were inferior to other churches, except it be that I myself was not burdensome to you? forgive me this wrong. Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you; and I will not be burdensome to you: for I seek not yours, but you: for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children. And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved. But be it so, I did not burden you: nevertheless, being crafty, I caught you with guile. Did I make a gain of you by any of them whom I sent unto you? I desired Titus, and with him I sent a brother. Did Titus make a gain of you? walked we not in the same spirit? walked we not in the same steps? Again, think ye that we excuse ourselves unto you? we speak before God in Christ: but we do all things, dearly beloved, for your edifying. For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults: And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed” (2 Corinthians 12:11–21).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

It was acting the part of a fool for Paul to commend himself to them, because by rights they should have been his letter of commendation (2 Cor. 3:2) (v. 11). And although Paul is a zero, at least he was ahead of his adversaries (v. 11). Paul reminds of the miracles he did in their midst, true marks of a true apostle, and the fact that he did them in true perseverance (v. 12)—these are the signs. And how had he wronged them? Was it the fact that he had not taken any support from them? If so, please let me apologize (v. 13). Paul then reminds them again of his sacrifices for them. He is their father, and parents lay up for their kids (v. 14). He would gladly lay out for them (v. 15)—but the more he loves, the less he is loved in return. He then steps into what the false apostles would say. “Sure, Paul took no money, but that is because he is so slick” (v. 16). But Paul retorts—did I take anything from you through my messengers (v. 17)? He sent Titus and the respected brother (v. 18). Did they take anything? Not a bit of it (v. 18). Paul is not defending himself; he is defending the ministry of their edification (v. 19)—he swears it. We then come to the third mark of his apostolic insignia—his fear that they have fallen backward into all manner of quarrelsome tumults (v. 20). Notice that if Paul has to exercise church discipline, which he is willing to do, this would simultaneously be an act of authority, and an additional humiliation (v. 21). But then notice what Paul tags as the underlying cause of all the quarrels of v. 20—it is sexual sin. He mentions uncleanness, fornication, and lasciviousness (v. 21).

SIGNS, WONDERS, AND MIGHTY WORKS

This passage contains a passing comment that helps us sort through whether or not miraculous gifts are still extant in the church. And please note the question is not whether God still has the power to work miracles—of course He does. The issue is whether He vests that power in certain individuals—it is the difference between healing and the gift of healing. Paul says here that the power to work miracles in this way were authenticating marks of a true apostle. And if someone is a true apostle (in the Peter, James, John, and Paul sense), then they have the authority to speak for God, and to write Scripture. But since the canon of Scripture is closed, that means no more authentication as though it were not closed.

A MAINSPRING OF QUARRELS AND TUMULTS

Paul does something very curious as he expresses his fears about all the Corinthian disputes. Remember that these disputes could have been about anything—doctrinal, financial, privilege and honor, and so on. He mentions “debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, and tumults.” That about covers the waterfront. But when Paul comes to address it, he flips over the flat rock in the garden and discovers the problem is in another area entirely. The Samaritan woman wanted to talk which was the true mountain of God, and so the Lord brought up how many men she had been with (John 4 ).

TO SPEND AND BE SPENT

Paul’s love for the Corinthians was truly a Christ-like love. Remember what he had told us about what Christ had done, back a few chapters.

“For 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 be rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).

Here Paul, following in the Lord’s footsteps, says that he would gladly “spend and be spent” for them (v. 15). The life of Christ was a life of giving, not taking. “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45). The gospel message of this Christ must therefore walk in that same path. The ministry of grace is all about giving, not taking.

“Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.” (2 Corinthians 9:15).

Read Full Article

INTRODUCTION

The previous section of this letter ended with Paul being lowered from a city wall in a basket, a humiliating departure. In this next section Paul describes being carried up into the highest heaven, providing a stark contrast indeed. This boast was necessary because apparently the false apostles were trumpeting some of their ecstatic experiences, and this required a response.

THE TEXT

“It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities. For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me. And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong” (2 Corinthians 12:1–10).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

All this boasting is no good, so here’s a little more of it (v. 1). Let us talk about visions and revelations. This is embarrassing, so Paul shifts to the third person (although he comes back to the first person in v. 7). He knew a man who fourteen years before was caught up into the third heaven (v. 2), but he was not sure if it was in the body or not. Fourteen years prior would have been around A.D. 42, prior to the first missionary journey. Only God knows if it was in the body or not (v. 3). This man in paradise heard things there that would not be lawful for him to repeat (v. 4). I will boast of third-person me, but if it comes to first-person me, the only thing I can brag about are my infirmities (v. 5). Even if Paul wanted to boast, which he doesn’t, he will not go too far into that folly. He is going to lay off, in case anyone thinks more highly of Paul than what they can see or hear (v. 6). The vision of paradise was so exalted that God gave him a thorn in the flesh to keep him centered and steady (v. 7). Paul sought the Lord three times for that thorn’s removal (v. 8)—as the Lord Himself had done in Gethsemane. God, in His severe mercy, said no. The reason was that God’s grace is perfected in weakness (v. 9). Our infirmities are the kiln in which God solidifies the final gloss. In submission to this decision, Paul says that he will gladly glory in his infirmities, so that the power of Christ might rest upon him (v. 9). He says it another way. He takes pleasure in . . . in what? Infirmities, reproaches, necessities, persecutions, and distresses—these are all leaves in his laurel crown. All this is for Christ’s sake—because when he is weak, in that moment he is strong (v. 10).

DIFFERENT HEAVENS

This reference to paradise here is one of three references in the New Testament. In Revelation 2:7, it is the location of the tree of life. In Luke 23:43, Christ tells the thief on the cross that they will be together that day in paradise. And in this place, Paul equates paradise with the third heaven (vv. 2, 4).

But Jesus also said that He was going to spend three days and three nights in the heart of the earth (Matt. 12:40), which would make paradise subterranean, like Abraham’s bosom (Luke 16:22). So I take the Lord’s resurrection and ascension as the time when He transferred paradise up to the heavenly realms (Matt. 27:52; Eph. 4:8-10).

THAT MYSTERY THORN

Calvin once said that the apostle Paul had “troubles hard enough to break a thousand hearts.” This exalted experience had happened before a lot of those troubles had occurred, and it was such an ecstatic event that God gave Paul a thorn in the flesh to keep him from getting exalted “above measure.” Always keep one eye on the false apostles. If Paul needed a great trial to keep him from getting conceited, what could be done for those false brothers who were already conceited?

We cannot say for sure what that thorn was. My supposition is that it was failing eyesight, which would have been a great grief to a scholar like Paul—to whom certain manuscripts were precious (2 Tim. 4:13). Paul says that the Galatians had loved him so much they would have donated their eyes to him (Gal. 4:15). He signed that letter in large letters (Gal. 6:11). When he was on trial in the Sanhedrin, he could not see or identify the high priest (Acts 23:5).

WATER TO WINE, WEAKNESS TO STRENGTH

Power in weakness is one of Paul’s great themes in his instruction of the Corinthian church. They had despaired of life itself one time (2 Cor. 1:8-9). We have our treasure in jars of clay, Paul had said earlier, in reference to a hornet’s nest of troubles. Death was at work in him, but life in the Corinthians (2 Cor. 4:7-12). Then there was that long litany of abuse earlier (2 Cor. 6:4-10), and we have not forgotten what we just learned in the previous chapter (2 Cor. 11:23-33).

And what is Paul’s response to his request to have the thorn removed? If it was his eyesight, he was asking to be able to see his troubles better. When God said no, after the third request, Paul says several remarkable things. He says that he boasts in his infirmities, and that he does so gladly (v. 9). Doing this is so that the power of Christ might rest upon him. This is not just admirable stoicism. He is pursuing glory. Whatever else this infirmity can do, it bears the weight of the power of Christ. And this is why Paul takes pleasure in his troubles—not out of masochism, but rather as someone who knew how to read the story he was in.

Read Full Article

INTRODUCTION

Paul asks us to excuse him while he speaks as a fool, but he does not consistently get into that character. He keeps breaking voice to remind us that he is being sarcastic—because he really doesn’t want us to think that he is actually taking any glory for himself. There are parallel lines of boasting here. In the first instance, he indicates that he fully able to meet the false apostles on their own ground. But secondly, he itemizes all the ways in which he trounces them with accomplishments that they never aspired to at all—to their shame. “As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ” (Galatians 6:12).

THE TEXT

“I say again, Let no man think me a fool; if otherwise, yet as a fool receive me, that I may boast myself a little. That which I speak, I speak it not after the Lord, but as it were foolishly, in this confidence of boasting. Seeing that many glory after the flesh, I will glory also. For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise. For ye suffer, if a man bring you into bondage, if a man devour you, if a man take of you, if a man exalt himself, if a man smite you on the face . . . If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not. In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me: And through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall, and escaped his hands” (2 Corinthians 11:16–33).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

No one should take Paul for a fool, but he begs leave to act like one for a minute (v. 16). He is not following the explicit example of Christ, but rather as an artificial boast (v. 17). Since everybody around here is plumping their resume, Paul has decided to do the same (v. 18). Since the Corinthians tolerate fools so readily, perhaps this will get them to tolerate Paul (v. 19). If a teacher abuses them, the Corinthians eat it up. Maybe Paul should slap them in the face to win their affections (v. 20). Paul is embarrassed that he was too weak an apostle to treat them like that (v. 21). But where they are bold enough to brag, Paul can keep pace with them (v. 21). In all their checklist shine, Paul is their equal (v. 22). But then Paul gets onto his alternative resume, listing the things they would never think to put on theirs (v. 23). Paul gotten beaten, jailed, and threatened many more times than they have (v. 23). He then decides to itemize. He was flogged by the Jews, 195 strokes (v. 24), three times beaten with rods (v. 25), stoned once, three shipwrecks, and adrift at sea once (v. 25). He was always on the road, and endangered by water, robbers, Jews, Gentiles, in the city, in the country, at sea, and among false brothers (v. 26). Then came the afflictions that were the result of his own vigilance—his watch-care, fasting, and going without normal comforts (v. 27). On top of everything else, Paul had the constant pastoral anxiety of how his children in Christ were doing (vv. 28-29). Being a pastor means watching people make bad choices for a living. So if Paul is forced into a boasting glory, he is going to do it with regard to all his scars and frailties (v. 30). Paul may have experienced them as infirmities, but for us, we should regard him as one of the toughest men who ever lived. Paul then takes a solemn oath as he signs the bottom of his resume (v. 31)—God is witness.  And then he says, P.S. I almost forgot the time that the ethnarch at Damascus had a garrison hunting for Paul (v. 32). But Paul successfully evaded arrest as he was lowered from the city wall in a basket (v. 33). For the sake of convenience, we will call this his Romans 13 basket.

SURFACE VIRTUES AND ACTUAL VIRTUES

When Paul says that he can stay with the false apostles on their own ground, step-for-step, he is talking about things that nobody should ever be proud of. “For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). Paul was a Hebrew too. He was an Israelite also. He was a son of Abraham. This was like being proud of having two kidneys and ten toes.

When it came to Paul’s endurance for the gospel, boasting in that kind of thing at least makes some kind of sense on the surface because it involved choices he continuously would make. But even here, there is no room for boasting. “For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16). Paul is in the same bind that Jeremiah was. Whenever he spoke in the name of the Lord, abuse was heaped on him. So he would resolve to shut up. But when he did that, God’s Word was a burning fire in his bones (Jer. 20:9). Not possibleto shut up.

And this is why Paul would regularly ask his people to pray for his deliverance and/or boldness, that he would maintain his courage when it came to preaching the gospel (Rom. 15:30-32; 2 Cor. 1:10-11; Eph. 6:18-20; Phil. 1:19; Col. 4:2-4; 1 Thess. 5:25; 2 Thess. 3:1-2). Paul was not overcoming stage fright, or wrestling with his butterflies. He was wrestling with principalities and powers.

A BASIC REMINDER

A few times in this litany of affliction, Paul mentions dangers from the side, as it were—shipwreck, or from robbers. Robbers are actual bad guys. But the overwhelming number of strokes applied to the back of the man who wrote Romans 13 were applied to him by the established and respected authorities. Paul was not, shall we say, on their good side. When it came to dealing with him, the authorities found him angular. What was it to be lowered in a basket from the city walls, when the governor there had search parties out looking for you, and had check points at the gates to keep you from leaving? It is called evading arrest. It is called running a road block. It is called not turning yourself in at the police station. And it is also called fully consistent with Romans 13.

We are Christians, and this means that we confess that Christ is Lord. This confession entails the corollary that Caesar is not Lord. Caesar is to be respected and honored as Caesar, but never as Lord. Sooner die than confess him as Lord. Christ is the one who rose from the dead, and so all eyes turn to Him. Christ is the risen Lord.

Read Full Article