Untitled Sermon (5)
True apostleship is established by the building up of the community (1 Cor 14:3–5, 26; 2 Cor 5:13), not by how many ecstatic experiences one can claim.
Only the greatest figures of Scripture were ever snatched up to the heavens. Paul has no interest in ranking himself with these saints; he simply wants to drive pompous rivals from the ranks of the Corinthians. He therefore avoids an egocentric form of expression since he is already acutely conscious of the foolishness of self-praise
As far as he is concerned, his rapturous visions had nothing to do with their becoming Christians; therefore, visions have nothing to do with authenticating an apostle
Paul does not present himself, however, as a great apostle but simply as “a man in Christ.” As far as he is concerned, this incomparable experience does not set him apart from others as one who is now their incomparable superior. He will clarify that this episode conveyed that he remains no different from anyone else, a weak vessel of clay who can only be sustained by the grace of God.
Lincoln is probably correct that “Paul has simply taken over the term ‘third heaven’ in a formal manner as a variant designation for Paradise.
When all is said and done, Paul confides very little about what happened.
Paul will boast only of his weaknesses, like his craven flight from Damascus in which God delivered him from the hand of his enemies, so that the credit will be given to God and not to him.
The Corinthians cannot gauge his apostleship based on his tales about ecstatic visions. They can only evaluate him from what they have witnessed from his ministry among them (see 10:7, “Look at what is before your very eyes”). On the one hand, he does not want them to think too much of him because of any boasting on his part.
What is important are not the transcendent moments when he has become spiritually airborne, but his obedience in the daily chore of preaching the gospel faithfully despite “weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and difficulties” (12:10).
God gives his pride a knockout blow that makes him completely dependent on divine power, not his own. As Bruce puts it, “His prayer was indeed answered, not by his deliverance from the affliction, but by his receiving the necessary grace to bear it.” But he received more than grace to bear a vexing affliction; he received the power of Christ.
Paul learns that the stake will not hamper his calling. He can make do with the grace he has already received, and the power of Christ will become more visible as it works through his weakness
We learn from the message given to Paul that God’s grace is not just the unmerited favor that saves us but a force that also sustains us throughout our lives
The cracked clay vessel, buffeted and battered, is held together by the extraordinary power of God (4:7; see 6:7).
12:10 Paul scores his point with a memorable aphorism, “when I am weak, then I am powerful,” which is the key for interpreting all that he says in this section. The point is the same as in 4:7. The power working in Paul is most clearly seen as coming from God when he appears to be weak.
This unit (12:14–21) and the next (13:1–10) begin with a reference to Paul’s coming to them for the third time. In this unit he repeats his adamant refusal to accept their financial support while with them. He does not want their money; he wants their moral reformation and renewed commitment to Christ.
He warns them again about his fears over their factional quarrels and their immorality (12:20–21; 13:2). Finally, he explains why he has written what he has. He wants to build them up in Christ and does not want to have to be severe in using the authority given him by Christ.
He is their parent and is responsible for them, not vice versa.
Paul therefore appeals to the widely held expectations regarding the relationship between parents and children.
A true apostle of the crucified Christ is one who is willing to spend and be spent on behalf of a congregation. He serves at great cost to himself for the great benefit of others.
The problem is the more he loves them and sacrifices for them, even trying to avoid painful visits, the less they seem to love him in return.
If his coworkers are not guilty of some kind of financial intrigue, then how could they think that he was? Why, after preaching the gospel for free and refusing to become a burden to them, would he now try to take advantage of them in some underhanded way?
His theological clarifications about boasting in the Lord (10:17–18), God’s grace being sufficient, and God’s power being made perfect in weakness (12:9) should lead to their upbuilding—the principle governing all of apostolic ministry (10:8; 13:10).
Most fear being judged by other humans; Paul feared God more. Most are only willing to take responsibility for their own conduct and, even then, will try to pin any blame on someone or something else. Paul accepted responsibility before God for the Corinthians’ conduct. No wonder he spent many a sleepless night burdened by anxiety over his churches (11:28).
Paul does not lash out against their sins with righteous indignation but with mourning (see 1 Cor 5:2). They remain his “beloved ones”; and like a loving, responsible parent, he feels guilt and shame for the sins that his children commit. Paul hopes that in sharing such misgivings the Corinthians will be chastened and seek to put their house in order to present themselves as spiritually mature to both Paul and God.
This frank criticism is fitting for Paul’s role as their apostle and guardian who must preserve their purity for Christ (11:2). Paul still has qualms about whether they have completely submitted to Christ and writes again in this reproachful vein to insure their obedience. His goal is to build them up in Christ.
Harvey points to the citation of the rule elsewhere in the New Testament (Matt 18:16; 1 Tim 5:19; John 8:17) and claims that it “marks the point at which a private dispute becomes a matter for public arbitration: from now on strict rules of evidence will apply.” This is how Paul uses it here. Paul is saying: “My next visit will be the occasion for our dispute to be settled publicly.”
The Corinthians’ confusion about Paul comes from their failure to see proof that the crucified and resurrected Christ is working in him in his weaknesses (5:20; Rom 15:18). They find his weakness distasteful. But Paul’s weakness fits the paradigm of Christ’s crucifixion. If this displeases or mystifies them, then there is some serious flaw in their faith. They do not understand the full implications of the cross and resurrection.
They have demanded proof that Paul is sufficient for his task as an apostle, but Paul will turn the tables on them and demand proof that they are truly in the faith. The important question is not whether Christ is speaking in Paul but whether Christ is living in them.
Yet they already have plenty of proof that Christ speaks through him if they would only reflect on what Christ has done among them already.
This verse exposes the key difference between Paul and the Corinthians: they do not perceive power in the same way
The crucifixion displayed an apparent helplessness that caused the spectators to taunt Jesus to show them some miraculous display of power or to pull off some miraculous escape that would finally convince them that he was the Son of God.
Unlike the Corinthians, Paul recognizes that God does not allow Christ’s followers, and especially apostles, to bypass Christ’s way of weakness that seems so foolish to the world.
What he knows and they do not is that “Christians do not merely imitate, follow or feel inspired by Christ, but actually live in him, are part of him, dwell supernaturally in a new world where the air they breathe is his Spirit.”
If he is weak in Christ, he is powerful, because God’s power is made perfect in weakness and because God has already shown that power in Christ. Consequently, Paul wears his weakness as “a badge of honor” because it becomes “the platform from which the power of God is exhibited in the world.”
Betz ties the parallel challenge in Gal 6:4, “Each one should test his own actions,” to the famous Delphic maxim, “know yourself.” He comments that “self-examination meant the scrutinizing of one’s own conduct of life … exclusively, not a comparison with others.” This is Paul’s answer to those who dare to commend themselves by comparing themselves to others. They are to know themselves in Christ and to examine themselves by the faith.
Paul does not give them a checklist of items to inspect to ascertain whether they are approved or in the faith.
The summons to test themselves will therefore authenticate Paul’s ministry to them when they conclude that Christ is in them. This conclusion should lead them to recognize that just as they belong to Christ, so does Paul (10:7). Barnett is correct, “their verdict about themselves will likewise be their verdict about him.” If they approve themselves, they must also approve Paul who brought the gospel to them. If Christ is in them, it was Paul who first preached Christ crucified to them.
If they recognize his genuineness, they will respond accordingly to what he demands. If they do not, they call into question their genuineness and their own spiritual discernment.
All he wants, however, is their obedience. He has no desire to demonstrate through some kind of apostolic showdown that Christ speaks in him.
If they are the mirror image of the pagan world surrounding them, what good are they to God? A church riddled by factions and chasing after falsehood is hardly fit for ministry to the world. Like worthless (adokimos) land that produces only thorns and thistles, it will be scorched (Heb 6:8).
This truth cannot be changed even if it may be unpalatable to the Corinthians’ tastes. Paul will not tamper with the truth (2:17; 4:2; 6:7)
Paul therefore prays that they not do wrong (13:7) and for their “perfection.”
The noun katartismos appears in Eph 4:12 for equipping the saints for the work of ministry. The verb form also appears in the New Testament with the sense of restoring something that is damaged, such as fishing nets (Matt 4:21; Mark 1:19), supplying what is lacking in a church’s faith (1 Thess 3:10), restoring those who have suffered from persecution in this world (1 Pet 5:10), and restoring a church member who is caught in a sin (Gal 6:1). This last usage best fits the context of Corinthians. Paul is not talking about their “perfection” but their “reclamation.” The use of this word here assumes that something is not right. The Corinthians need reconditioning, restoring (see the use of the verb in 13:11, “mend your ways” REB). They need to re-knit their relationship with Paul, their relationship with one another, and their relationship with the crucified and resurrected Christ.
Moreover, these last two sections of Paul’s letter, both of which are introduced by a reference to his third visit (12:14; 13:1), do not introduce new material but conclude Paul’s letter by recalling earlier discussions. In doing so, Paul highlights what he considers the central issues in the conflict.
Now that the majority has repented in response to his “tearful letter” (2:4, 9; 7:4–16), the apostle will return to solidify the faithful (6:14–7:1; 7:2), complete the collection as evidence of their repentance (chs. 8–9), and sift out those still in rebellion against him (cf. 10:1–6; 13:1–4). Accordingly, the paragraphs before us are Paul’s last attempt to keep this rebellious minority from the judgment of God to come.
In stark contrast to the false apostles, Paul does not lord his authority and status over the Corinthians for his own material benefit. Instead, as their slave, he works to support himself because he desires their welfare (cf. 4:5).
As their father in the faith, Paul “gladly spends” himself for the Corinthians (12:15a).
The Corinthians are not Paul’s patron; rather, he is their parent in the faith.
By recalling his earlier argument in 2:17, in 12:19b Paul reaffirms that, as one “in Christ,” he “has been speaking in the sight of God,” a reference to the fact that God is the judge of his proclamation, not the Corinthians (cf. 5:10). Furthermore, the apostle is confident of God’s approval (cf. 3:1–6; 4:1–6; 6:3–10; 10:12–18)!
Thus, in defending himself, Paul has not been seeking the approval of the Corinthians but fighting to strengthen their faith (12:19c).
Conversely, given the identity in his life between the message and the messenger, to reject him is to reject the gospel and hence to be rejected by God himself.
That Paul mentions these sins for the first time at the end of his argument indicates that such sins were not the direct problem, but symptomatic of the larger issue still facing the church: the continuing rejection of Paul’s apostolic gospel for a different Jesus and Spirit (cf. 11:4).
In writing this final warning, he is aware that as an apostle he is the instrument of both life and death (cf. 2:14–16a). He is also aware that how the Corinthians react to him will consequently reveal the condition of their hearts.
Paul’s promise to fulfill this legal mandate is his final scriptural word to the Corinthians. When he arrives, he will make his case against his opponents and those who follow them, which, as an application of 6:14–7:1, will be verified by multiple witnesses from within the congregation itself, and all those found guilty will be punished.
The theological foundation of Paul’s warning, unfolded throughout chapters 10–13, is crystallized in 13:3–4. When he arrives, Paul will not spare the Corinthians, “since [they] are demanding proof that Christ is speaking through [him]” (cf. 2:17; 5:20). Believing that Christ was not “weak” but “powerful” among them, the Corinthians insisted that Christ’s apostles should manifest such power as well (13:3b)
Most likely, this reference to Christ’s power among the Corinthians is a quote from Paul’s opponents, who have portrayed the believer’s relationship to the risen Christ in a triumphalistic way.
If they want to see the power of Christ, then it will come in judgment, even as the return of the risen Christ will mean the judgment of the world.
Paul grounds his reference to Christ’s power among the Corinthians in 13:3 (cf. “for,” gar, in v. 4) by portraying Christ’s cross as the counterpoint to the resurrection in 13:4: Christ is powerful among the Corinthians because “he was crucified in [Gk. ek, “out of” or “because of”] weakness, yet he lives by God’s power.” For Christ too, as for Paul, his “weakness” is the platform for God’s power, culminating in the resurrection.
His primary purpose as an apostle is to mediate through his suffering in Christ the knowledge of God and the transforming power of the life-giving Spirit (2:14–3:18; 4:1–15). This is the way in which Paul usually mediates the power of Christ’s resurrection. But toward those who reject the cross and power of Christ as embodied in his suffering and endurance, the resurrection power of Christ will be made known through his acts of judgment within the church.
The goal of the test is to make it clear that Christ is indeed in them (cf. 7:11–12; 8:7–8).
To accept Paul’s message of reconciliation is to accept God’s message of reconciliation (cf. 5:18–20).
His call for repentance is therefore based on the assumption that those in whom God is at work by his Spirit will recognize that Paul’s holiness, sincerity, and way of life all derive from the same grace of God that Paul is now calling them to accept (cf. 1:12 with 6:1–2).
This assumption also means that those in whom Christ is present will not continue in the lifestyles of rebellion characterized in 12:21. Where Christ is, there is a life of growing holiness.
Paul’s confidence in 13:6 and his corresponding prayer for the Corinthians in 13:7 are both buttressed by the conviction that the truth of the gospel will prevail over all contenders (13:8; cf. 4:2; 7:14; 11:10; 12:6).
At the same time, Paul makes it clear that God’s act of deliverance in Christ includes both the salvation of the righteous and the judgment of the wicked (2:14–16a; 4:1–6; 6:14–17; 10:4–6; 11:15). The message of the cross is the power of God to those being saved, but it is foolishness to those who are perishing (1 Cor. 1:18–25). Hence, if judge he must, then in this way too Paul will be acting “for the truth” of the gospel (2 Cor. 13:8).
Even in his closing Paul wants to make it clear yet again that the blessing of God’s presence is contingent on the obedience of his people.
Keeping the commands of 13:11 does not make one a Christian; rather, being a Christian means that one will keep these commands. The obedience of the believer is the link between the reality of God’s presence that he or she already enjoys, as a matter of grace, and the continuing reality of God’s presence in the future.
To bring this passage from Paul’s day to our own, we need to recapture his confidence in the authority of his writings and in the power of the Spirit.
In other words, when everything is said and done, Paul’s final desire for the Corinthians is that God himself might be with them. Paul’s theology was driven by the reality of the presence of the living God.
The authority of the Scriptures and of Christ himself, not Paul’s spiritual experiences per se, drive his exercise of his own authority, to which his letters now belong. As a continuation of this scriptural and Christological authority, Paul’s own writing now becomes an instrument by which Jeremiah’s promise is to be fulfilled (cf. 13:10).
The urgency and passion of his writing reveal that his theology and authority derive from a burning love for his people. Paul does not write as the Corinthians’ boss but as a parent who is willing to spend his very life for their welfare (12:14–15).
Paul’s conviction is that, “in Christ,” the consequences of humanity’s fall into sin (Gen. 3) and of Israel’s idolatry with the golden calf (Ex. 32–34) are both being reversed in the lives of those who are truly members of the “new covenant” (cf. 2:14–3:18; 6:14–7:1). If “Christ Jesus is in [them]” (13:5), he will make himself known in their repentance and growing obedience, since they are now a “new creation” (5:17) and the “temple of the living God” (6:16; cf. 3:3; 7:2–16).
The call to test one’s faith, like the call to reaffirm one’s allegiance to Paul (5:20–6:1; 6:11–13; 7:2; 10:1–7), to separate from unbelievers (6:14–15 and 7:1), and to participate in the collection (chs. 8–9), is grounded in the reality of what God has done for his people in establishing the new covenant in Christ.
The commands of God—from the command to be reconciled to God in Christ (5:20) to the commands to forgive others (2:7) and to give away one’s money (8:7, 11)—are nothing other than explications and applications of what the grace of God has brought about and continues to bring about in the lives of God’s people.
FOR PAUL, THE reality of “Christ Jesus [being] in you” (13:5) means that there is no cheap grace in the gospel, no easy believism in the biblical definition of faith, no repentant-less forgiveness in the cross, no powerlessness in the Spirit, and no absence of judgment in the future. Put positively, those in whom Christ is present will pass the “test”; those who claim Christ without the repentance-and obedience-producing power of the Spirit in their lives will not.
Paul’s conviction that the power of God is being unleashed in the gospel seems abstract and utopian when confronted with the diluted nature of what it means to be “Christian” in our post-Christian culture.
Yet the fact that 2 Corinthians is written in preparation for Paul’s third visit, in which he plans to judge those who continue in rebellion against him, reveals that eventually patience comes to an end.
(3) The sober nature of Paul’s conclusion to 2 Corinthians does not derive from a religious moralism or a belief in human potential, but from the life-transforming reality of Christ that Paul himself had experienced (3:4–6; 4:6; 5:16–6:2; cf. Phil. 2:12–13; 2 Thess. 2:14–15).
Real sin, real redemption, real prayer. Inherent in Paul’s closing admonitions, therefore, is the recognition of real sin and the promise of a real redemption. We must recover this recognition and promise if we are to remain faithful to the witness of the gospel in the modern-postmodern world.
the unifying purpose of the whole letter is to prepare the Corinthians for his forthcoming visit so that it might prove mutually beneficial and enjoyable, not painful.
From 12:14 to 13:10 we learn that some Corinthians needed to prepare by repentance (12:20–21; 13:2), and all by self-examination (13:1, 5, 11), so that Paul could avoid fulfilling his threat to exercise severe discipline (13:2, 10). For his part Paul would be preparing by praying for their restoration (κατάρτισις, 13:9) to total devotion to Christ (cf. 11:3) and to himself (cf. 6:12–13; 10:6b; 12:15), knowing that in that process of divine restoration the Corinthians themselves needed to cooperate (καταρτίζεσθε, 13:11).
So we conclude that, as is sometimes the case with Paul’s οὐ(κ) … ἀλλά contrasts, the antithesis in v. 14b is not absolute but relative: “it is not normally (or principally) that children must provide for their parents, but parents for their children.”
It was the validity of his apostleship that was being questioned.
Let us summarize the thrust of this verse. When, on his third visit, Paul exercised discipline against those who persisted in sin, he would be providing proof—in a way the Corinthians were not expecting or wanting (cf. 12:20)—not only that Christ was using him as his agent (that is, was “speaking” through him) but also that Christ was powerfully active in their congregation. When they received punishment at Paul’s hand, perhaps by being “consigned to Satan for the destruction of the flesh” (cf. 1 Cor. 5:5), they would in fact be undergoing the Lord’s discipline (cf. 1 Cor. 11:30, 32).
If 13:1–4 is basically a warning about impending discipline, 13:5–10 is essentially an exhortation to avoid that discipline. By indicating in v. 10 the purpose of his writing, Paul shows the intensity of his desire that the Corinthians should make his punishment unnecessary through their repentance and restoration.
If in fact Paul found it necessary to act harshly against the Corinthians, he knew that such action would still be in keeping with his apostolic authority and its primary aim of οἰκοδομή.
Here the apostle is repeating almost verbatim what he said in 10:8. Our discussion of these two passages at 10:8 arrived at the following conclusions: the ἐξουσία is apostolic authority given to Paul personally at the time of his conversion; ὁ κύριος is the Lord Jesus; οἰκοδομή refers to the act or process of building, involving individuals as well as churches; and—a conclusion particularly relevant in the present context—καθαίρεσις sometimes necessarily precedes οἰκοδομή, so that “destruction” and “upbuilding” are not mutually exclusive categories.
From 13:5–10, then, we sense that as Paul writes the present letter and anticipates his next visit to Corinth, he experiences the same two emotions he felt when he wrote the “severe letter,” sent it off to Corinth with Titus, and anticipated Titus’s report on the situation—hope for the Corinthians’ repentance and restoration (cf. 7:9–11), yet fear that they would not respond favorably to his pleas for action (cf. 7:5, 14).