2 Corinthians 13:1
Τρίτον τοῦτο ἔρχομαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς. Ἐπὶ στόματος δύο μαρτύρων καὶ τριῶν, σταθήσεται πᾶν ῥῆμα.
This third, I come to you. In the mouth of two witnesses or three, each word will be established.
Paraphrase: I am now making plans to visit you again. Recall that this is the third visit I will have made to you. The first time I visited the city was on my second mission journey. (Acts 18:1-18; 1 Corinthians 2:1-3) The second time I visited you was the painful visit where we had difficult business to attend to. Now I’m getting ready to make a third visit; and this time, I intend to ensure that, just as our Master taught us, every word will be corroborated by two or three witnesses. (Matthew 18:16)
Comments:
See footnote 199 on p32. Wallace rehearses the contacts and correspondence between Paul and the Corinthians in toto.
2 Corinthians 13:2
Προείρηκα καὶ προλέγω, ὡς παρὼν τὸ δεύτερον, καὶ ἀπὼν νῦν τοῖς προημαρτηκόσιν, καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς πᾶσιν, ὅτι ἐὰν ἔλθω εἰς τὸ πάλιν, οὐ φείσομαι,
I have said before, and I say before as being present the second time and being absent now, to the ones who sinned previously and to all the others that if I come again, I will not spare.
Paraphrase: On my second visit (2 Corinthians 2:1), I made it clear that I will not tolerate such sinful behavior in the church of God. (1 Corinthians 5:1-2) I am not present with you now, but be assured that my approach to these issues had not changed. If I do pay you a third visit, I will come in the same spirit as the first. I will not show any leniency towards such wickedness and the persons who practice it. Our Master taught us how to deal with such sins in our own lives and in the church of God (Matthew 18:9) and that is the approach I will take. You can be sure of it.
Comments:
2 Corinthians 13:3
ἐπεὶ δοκιμὴν ζητεῖτε, τοῦ ἐν ἐμοὶ λαλοῦντος Χριστοῦ, ὃς εἰς ὑμᾶς οὐκ ἀσθενεῖ, ἀλλὰ δυνατεῖ ἐν ὑμῖν.
Since you are seeking proof of Christ speaking in me, who in you is not weak but powerful in you.
Paraphrase: There are those among you who demand proof that I am really speaking for Christ. Why are you asking for this? Isn’t the power of Christ working in you and the others proof enough? I have taught you that every Christian is joined to Christ in a saving union. Well what is this union? Does it make any difference? Does it work any change in the life of those who have it? Or is it an idle and vain thing that accomplishes nothing?
Comments:
2 Corinthians 13:4
καὶ γὰρ ἐσταυρώθη ἐξ ἀσθενείας, ἀλλὰ ζῇ ἐκ δυνάμεως Θεοῦ. καὶ γὰρ ἡμεῖς ἀσθενοῦμεν ἐν αὐτῷ, ἀλλὰ ζήσομεν σὺν αὐτῷ ἐκ δυνάμεως Θεοῦ εἰς ὑμᾶς.
For even He was crucified by weakness but lives by the power of God. For even we are weak in Him but live with Him by the power of God in us.
Paraphrase: Our first impression of Christ is that He was weak and powerless. After all, He was arrested by the Romans and crucified. Where was His great power? Could He not have resisted this and thrown them off with ease? The real extent of His power, however, was seen three days later when He rose out of the grave by the power of almighty God. Now it is clear who Jesus was and who He continues to be today at the right hand of the Father. In the same way, we Christians are also weak; but for all that, we have the power of God within us just as Jesus did. Don’t think for a minute that my physical weakness will make me cowardly in the face of evil. Within me is the power of almighty God, and He will enable me to take a bold stand against it.
Comments:
2 Corinthians 13:5
Ἑαυτοὺς πειράζετε εἰ ἐστὲ ἐν τῇ πίστει· ἑαυτοὺς δοκιμάζετε. ἢ οὐκ ἐπιγινώσκετε ἑαυτοὺς ὅτι Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς ἐν ὑμῖν, εἰ μήτι ἀδόκιμοί ἐστε;
Test yourselves if you are in the faith; prove yourselves, or do you yourselves not know that Jesus Christ in you, unless you are a failure.
Paraphrase: Furthermore, while you are busy challenging me and demanding my credentials, let me ask you for yours. What is your status before God? Put yourself to the test and make a good faith inquiry whether you are a true believer. Ask yourself whether you have a true saving faith in Christ or perhaps you are as the five foolish virgins who assumed they would be welcomed into the wedding feast but were dreadfully mistaken. Perhaps you wonder how one can answer these questions; how does one pass this test? Well, that question is answered by knowing and experiencing the presence of Christ within us. I mentioned before (2 Corinthians 13:3) that the union between a believer and Christ is an active, powerful thing. It works such a radical, deep seated change in the life of the person that our Savior called it a new birth. Well then, if you have this power working within you, you can be certain that you are in a saving union with Christ. If not, then you fail the test and must repent and fly to the mercy of God for forgiveness.
Comments:
See Trench (p278) on δοκιμαζω and πειραζω.
On εἰ μήτι, see §10 upper left corner of p172.
Alford (p317): Whether you maintain your Christian place and standing in Christ, which will be shewn by the power of Christ’s Spirit present and energizing among you.
2 Corinthians 13:6
ἐλπίζω δὲ ὅτι γνώσεσθε ὅτι ἡμεῖς οὐκ ἐσμὲν ἀδόκιμοι.
Now I hope that you know that we are not failures.
Paraphrase: Now, brothers and sisters, I have every confidence that you will pass this test. (Hebrews 6:9) It is my earnest hope and prayer that you have this well grounded assurance knowing the life and power of Christ in your heart and life. When once you see this power working in your life, then you will also have the assurance that Christ is speaking through me. Then you will know that I do not speak on my own authority, but on the authority of Jesus Christ, who called me to be an apostle and set me apart for the proclamation of the gospel of God. (Romans 1:1) This is how the power of Christ came to dwell within you.
Comments:
2 Corinthians 13:7
Εὐχόμεθα δὲ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, μὴ ποιῆσαι ὑμᾶς κακὸν μηδέν, οὐχ ἵνα ἡμεῖς δόκιμοι φανῶμεν, ἀλλ’ ἵνα ὑμεῖς τὸ καλὸν ποιῆτε· ἡμεῖς δὲ ὡς ἀδόκιμοι ὦμεν.
But we pray to God, you not to do nothing evil, not in order that we might be shown approved but in order that you might do good, and we as failures might be.
Paraphrase: But now, I just keep on praying for you. My earnest desire is that you would not do anything foolish or evil which would require me to pay you another painful visit. (2 Corinthians 2:1) Neither am I saying this to protect my own reputation. My only concern is that you would know the transformation that comes from being in union with Christ and having the power of the Holy Spirit working and operating in your soul. This is my only goal. (1 Thessalonians 4:3) If this means that I am dismissed as weak and cowardly, then I can live with that too.
Comments:
2 Corinthians 13:8
οὐ γὰρ δυνάμεθά τι κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας, ἀλλὰ ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀληθείας.
2 Corinthians 13:9
χαίρομεν γὰρ ὅταν ἡμεῖς ἀσθενῶμεν, ὑμεῖς δὲ δυνατοὶ ἦτε. τοῦτο καὶ· εὐχόμεθα τὴν ὑμῶν κατάρτισιν.
2 Corinthians 13:10
Διὰ τοῦτο ταῦτα, ἀπὼν γράφω, ἵνα παρὼν, μὴ ἀποτόμως χρήσωμαι, κατὰ τὴν ἐξουσίαν ἣν ὁ Κύριος ἔδωκέν μοι, εἰς οἰκοδομὴν καὶ οὐκ εἰς καθαίρεσιν.
2 Corinthians 13:11
Λοιπόν, ἀδελφοί, χαίρετε! καταρτίζεσθε, παρακαλεῖσθε, τὸ αὐτὸ φρονεῖτε, εἰρηνεύετε. καὶ ὁ Θεὸς τῆς ἀγάπης καὶ εἰρήνης ἔσται μεθ’ ὑμῶν.
2 Corinthians 13:12
Ἀσπάσασθε ἀλλήλους ἐν ἁγίῳ φιλήματι.
2 Corinthians 13:13
Ἀσπάζονται ὑμᾶς, οἱ ἅγιοι πάντες.
2 Corinthians 13:14
Ἡ χάρις τοῦ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ἡ κοινωνία τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος, μετὰ πάντων ὑμῶν.