Final Verdict

This message is really a two-parter from last week’s and picks up in some ways where we left off in the Apostle’s Court. Kind of think of it like Avengers: Infinity War was last week. Avengers: Endgame is this week. We were left somewhat on a cliffhanger: Will the Corinthians be found wanting and guilty of abandoning their faith and side with the false apostles? Will they continue in their sin, unrepentant and defiant to Paul’s harsh words? Will Paul continued to be wronged and all his final efforts at reconciliation be in vain?

GOD

As Paul ends this letter to his beloved Corinthians, he both summarizes the main themes for his reason for writing this letter (which we already began exploring last week in the first four verses) and this week we will look at a few more. In short the themes include his commendation as an apostle, their restoration, comfort and peace. Then Paul launches into something you hear me say all the time, the benediction. Yes, the benediction I use, along with Nu 6:24-26 are most often used to conclude a service.

So if I were to summarize the big idea for this message, it would be this:

Christ will restore us in His way and by His faith as we strive to be an examining, unwavering and striving community.

Let’s take a look at our first point:

I. We examine whether Christ is in us as a community.

2 Corinthians 13:5–7 ESV

5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! 6 I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test. 7 But we pray to God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed.

Examine is an imperative. (In fact, Paul concludes generally with short snippets of commands, so pay attention when looking at letters in the future the list of actions are not advice or suggestions). Paul is commanding in humility but with authority to see if the Corinthians are in the faith. Then he says test yourself, which seems to be redundant. But the two Greek words have a slight difference. Examine is to investigate and observe to see if there’s any imperfection, faults and other qualities. Test here refers to a more active testing, almost like a scientific experiment the difference between observation and evaluation, so as to conclude whether in this case whether their faith is genuine, tested and authenticated, and how to go about doing that? The litmus test is “Jesus Christ is in you.” Remember last week we talk about how Paul would raise questions with an assumption to the answer. Here, it is in the affirmative. “Jesus Christ is in you? Yes, if you examine and test yourselves, then you will find Jesus Christ is in you.” Then verse 6, what test did Paul hope they have not failed? The Corinthians’ being in Jesus Christ ! If Jesus Christ after Paul’s initial founding of the church, subsequent visits, nurturing and caring and letters prove to be not in Christ, then Paul would have failed. While the Corinthian’s test is whether they are in Christ, Paul’s test is whether he is an authentic apostle of Christ. Here Paul becomes a bit confusing in verse 7, and the easier way to look at it is to break down the sentence looking at the you (Corinthians) and the we (Paul and company).

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But we pray to God that:

You may not do wrong… but you will do what is right.

Not that we may appear to have met the test… though we may have seem to have failed.

Now sub-in what the two different tests are, and it goes something like this:

For the Corinthians it’s simple enough, that they will do right and not wrong in their community, to no longer have factions, to be upstanding in their conduct whether it is sexual ethics, resolving dispute, matters of singleness, spiritual gifts, food sacrifice to idols, and restoring the repentant sinner.

For Paul though, recall his opponents and some Corinthians’ charge Paul he didn’t look the look of an apostle, weak in delivery, refuse to accept their financial help, and we just heard last week he warns of not sparing them in verse 3. But if they achieve the above conduct, thus being examined and tested as being genuinely IN Jesus Christ, then Paul has no need to exhibit his apostolic authority as some didn’t think he has it in him to do it, and thus failed (in their eyes) his test (when in fact Paul aced the test).

Brothers and sisters, see to it that we aced the test! With humility of course. But the test for us is same and different from Paul at the same time. Although we aren’t the founder of a church, and Paul spent long periods of time continuously building up the church of Corinth until it’s seemingly ready to move on to plant elsewhere. I only inherited English ministry from godly and faithful pastors before me, and building on what they have worked in all of you. So in some sense, we are both the Paul and Corinthians. As Paul, we spoke last week at length the responsibility of being a small group leader, a ministry team or a pastor. But as “Corinthians,” we too ought to examine ourselves to see if we are in Jesus Christ. And the easiest way for that to happen is, do we walk the walk and talk the talk? And while it’s good for us to examine ourselves, we can also bring our lives to God in prayer and sit in silent and reflection at the end of the day and recount the day: “Jesus, do I love you? Did I walk the walk and talk the talk? How did I treat my wife or husband? How did I treat my kids? My family? How am I neighbourly? How did I take an opportunity to make Jesus who is in me known in word or in deed? How about issues of justice? Do I grieve for the poor and vulnerable? What actions have I taken to advocate for their plight? How’s my giving? How AM I using the money God has given to be entrusted in my care?”

Of course the other way to examine yourself is ask the person most intimate to you. For those married, it’s probably your wife or husband. For those who aren’t, it may be your parents or your sibling. But it can be anyone else. Again, you have your small group or fellowship to go to. If you haven’t gotten to the point where you can genuinely ask one another: “Do you see Jesus Christ in me?” Start aiming for that kind of genuine, vulnerable and transparent community.

II. We are unwavering on truth even at the cost of popularity in community.

2 Corinthians 13:8–10 ESV

8 For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. 9 For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for. 10 For this reason I write these things while I am away from you, that when I come I may not have to be severe in my use of the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down.

Verse 8-10 is a continuation of the previous argument, but because 5-7 was already so long and you can’t really cut out a verse here and there so we are now going to briefly analyze it here. What truth is Paul referring to? The explicit one is verse 9: For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for. Restoration will appear again in verse 11. We will explore the richness of this word later.

We explored what it means for Paul to be weak and Corinthians to be strong last week. Explicitly, Paul is not like the false apostles he need to display his strength by outward appearances of bombastic authority, flaunting his achievements and accolades, but would rather continue to relate to the Corinthians as a caring father rather than a celebrity! But if you recall, that posture of humility and sacrifice is where God’s power can be most effectively displayed. While the Corinthians are most benefited from this strengthening through model and service to be the best version of themselves in Jesus Christ. That’s the truth Paul is not willing to compromise.

The implicit truth is what Paul has maintained for the whole letter: He cannot excuse sin, and he cannot compromise what is wrong and turn a blind eye to it. This is why he held them to account for the incestuous relationship, for taking one another to secular courts, for disunity and factions. In every way he was not willing to excuse these issues but confronted them head on in his letters at great cost to relationship.

Paul ends this part with once again affirming the authority of the apostle bestowed by God is ultimately to build up life and community, not to tear down, and if he were to come harshly on them, it would not achieve the desired result. Hence, he wrote all he wrote so that ultimately Paul’s reunion with the Corinthians will be joyful and tender as a father longs to see his children, not as an authoritarian who can’t wait to give it to the Corinthians what’s coming to them.

This is a brief reminder to us a follower of Jesus’ heart, while we can be heartbroken, disappointed, even angry at the sin that entangles those we love and care about, that you want to just grab them on the shoulder and shake them and say: “what are you doing!” Our heart is tender. But you say, then wouldn’t you be vulnerable to disappointments if you care? That’s the risk we as brothers and sisters have to take. Notice though Paul doesn’t shy away from declaring the truth, and as well said all throughout the series we too cannot shy away from it, as awkward and painful as it is at times. But after truth is tenderness, not bitterness or harshness. This is part of the art of restoration, which we will now come to unpack.

III. We strive to model grace and love in fellowship as a Jesus community

2 Corinthians 13:11–13 ESV

11 Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. 13 All the saints greet you.

Finally, we have a series of imperatives, that is five commands in verse 11.

Rejoice

Aim for restoration.

Comfort one another.

Agree with one another.

Live in peace.

The first one might be the most seemingly out of sync with the letter. After all that has happened Paul, you want us to rejoice? While we often think of the letter to the Philippians to be a letter of rejoicing, whereas 2 Corinthians is about suffering or correction, at least it’s not rejoicing, but Paul actually has slipped in this aim way early on at the beginning of the letter (which would have been last year so it’s quite understandable we would forget):

2 Corinthians 1:24 ESV

24 Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith.

2 Corinthians 2:3 ESV

3 And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, for I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all.

And further on in 2 Corinthians 7:

2 Corinthians 7:6–7 ESV

6 But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, 7 and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more.

and

2 Corinthians 7:13 ESV

13 Therefore we are comforted. And besides our own comfort, we rejoiced still more at the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all.

Despite all the challenges, all the arguments, disagreements, misunderstanding and blatant slandering and accusations, Paul wishes for the Corinthians’ joy. No, not with a gun to their head. That they would genuinely experience joy as a church community in the midst of trials and persecutions. Paul can (recall his list of calamities), and he urges them to embrace the same.

Do you also notice the third imperative, comfort one another. Comfort also appears to be a major theme.

2 Corinthians 1:4 ESV

4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

2 Corinthians 1:6 ESV

6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer.

And 2 Corinthians 7 we just saw earlier, comfort is paramount to what Paul wishes for the Corinthians, and once again displays his gentle and tender heart towards them. Rejoice and comfort goes hand in hand for us to face any trials in life. Comfort isn’t having a pain-free life, but life in Christ to help us in the midst of pain. For comfort begets comfort, or comfort gives birth to comfort. The comforter comforts the comforted, and vice versa. No one needs to or should suffer alone, whatever that suffering entail. We are called to be comforters to the suffering.

We jumped the cue with comfort one another because it’s so intricately tied to rejoicing. Now we want to briefly unpack restoration. What does it mean to aim for restoration. Looking at all the English translations, one can become pretty confused as to what the word might mean.

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NRSV Put things in order

NASB Made complete and perfect

CSB Become mature

REB Mend your ways

It is used anywhere from restoring a wall, resetting a dislocated bone, outfitting a boat, equipping a child for adulthood, or restoring someone caught in sin. So which is it? Most likely in context, it is not about being made complete and perfect, or put things in order. Mend your ways would be the most illustrative and telling and in this sense, it means they need to, like a fishing net with holes in it, mend or patch up, or restore their relationship with Paul, with God, and with one another. It’s both a command and a desire of Paul.

The fourth and fifth imperative are related, agree with one another and live in peace. It’s almost a cause and effect, if you agree with one another, then you will live in peace. Agree with one another though means in most other translations to be like-minded or be of the same mind (or attitude) which should remind us of Philippians 2:2 having the same mind and same love, then every vice listed in chapter 12:20 and 21 from last week will be a non-issue. Heck, if every church can live by these two principles alone, same mind and same love (because of the same Spirit) or always work towards this goal, on top of last week’s same spirit and same step, MCBC, or any other church would truly reflect the body of Christ. We rely on the Spirit to strive towards this goal!

Rejoice. Aim at Restoration. Comfort, agree, and be at peace with one another. These are Paul’s final words to the Corinthians church before he sets out on the journey to meet them face to face. Will he collect the rest of the collection for the church of Jersualem? Will he be warmly received as a father and founder? Will they rejoice at their mutual suffering for the sake of the gospel?

We may have one glimpse from Romans 15:26, where some argue is when Paul finished writing the letter bearing the same name, before he heads to Jerusalem. It’s almost a footnote, but this is the final verdict:

Romans 15:26 ESV

26 For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem.

Just a little glimpse, but enough for us to see the collection was successful, and the church of Corinth in the region of Achaia was please to give. And with that also we end our series with the benediction reminding us the grace, love and fellowship of the triune God. The gracious Lord Jesus Christ who for our sake became poor, leading ultimately to his sacrificial death so that we may be rich in eternal life; sent by the Heavenly Father, God, who loves us so much he was willing to part with his beloved Son in order to be reconciled to us, resulting in a common unity we all share regardless of who we are, male or female, Jew or Gentile, rich or poor, under the fellowship of the Holy Spirit for all who claim we are in Christ.

And so we lift our hands and say, may:

2 Corinthians 13:14 ESV

14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Amen.