Barry Metz 11/13/16
A Showdown in Corinth?
2 Corinthians 13
We’ve come to the end of our journey through the book of 2 Corinthians this morning. This is our last message. If you have your Bibles, open to 2 Corinthians 13. Follow along with me as I read…. 2 Corinthians 13….verse 1… 2 Corinthians 13, verse 1…
13This is the third time I am coming to you. Every charge must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 2I warned those who sinned before and all the others, and I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that if I come again I will not spare them— 3since you seek proof that Christ is speaking in me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. 4For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but in dealing with you we will live with him by the power of God.
5Examine 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! 6I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test. 7But 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. 8For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. 9For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for. 10For 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.
11Finally, 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. 12Greet one another with a holy kiss. 13All the saints greet you.
14The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
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By way of review and to get us started this morning, here is the simple outline we’ve been using for the book of 2 Corinthians—straight from the ESV study Bible…
You can see on the outlinethat Paul defends his apostleship in the first 7 chapters. And why did he have to defend his apostleship in the first place? Because false apostles—“super apostles” Paul calls them pejoratively-- had come to town and had turned the Corinthians against Paul. That’s the big issue in the book of 2 Corinthians. When Paul realized that church was in turmoil, he made a second visit to Corinth. It was a painful visit for him as he was rejected. After his second visit to Corinth, Paul sent the Corinthians a severe letter and many in the Corinthian church were won back to Paul’s side but it’s thought that there was still a rebellious minority. And so Paul addresses this rebellious minority in chapters 10-13. So as we pick up in 2 Corinthians 13, Paul is addressing the rebellious minority.
Butin a very real sense Paulhas beenon trial throughout the book of 2 Corinthians. He was ‘in the dock’…an idiom that means ‘on trial’. Paul was on trial and God was on trial with him.
Perhaps we could picture it like this….
You can see God and Paul ‘in the dock’ (again that idiom means ‘on trial’)and the Corinthians have put themselves in the place of the Judge. {In passinghow would you like to go to church with those guys?}
Well throughout the book of 2 Corinthians, we can hear the ‘false apostles’ making their case against Paul: “Paul lacks integrity—he always changes his plans! You can’t trust him! Paul doesn’t have the credentials of a true apostle! Paul’s apostolic ministry lacks power! Paul has way too many weaknesses. And have you heard him preach—his preaching is contemptable! And worst of all—he won’t take any pay from us…any speaker worth his weight in salt should let us pay him!” Their charges against Paul were many.
So this picture of ‘God and Paul’ on trial provides the context for the final chapter of the book. Paul has written three letters to the Corinthian church—2 Corinthians would be his fourth letter. Paul has made two visits—the founding visit when he spent 18 months evangelizing the city and what’s known as a “painful visit” where he was opposed so strongly that he withdrew in shame. As he writes 2 Corinthians he anticipates a third visit where he hopes to do three things:
1) receive the collection for the poor saints in Jerusalem,
2)address charges that have been made against him, and
3) confront those who are still living in blatant sin.[1]
Doesn’t sound like much of a vacation visit does it?
And with such an agenda in mind, Paul’s visit has all the makings of a showdown,[2] doesn’t it?
Well let’s dive in at verse 1… This is the third time I am coming to you. Every charge must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 2I warned those who sinned before and all the others, and I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that if I come again I will not spare them—
It does sound like a showdown doesn’t it? What’s going on here? We could imagine Paul saying this…
“I’m coming to you a third timeand the Old Testament rules for witnesses against a person who is accused of sinning…Deut. 19:15-21…say that we need ‘two witnesses and three’ (at least two witnesses, or more if possible)[3].
Now who’s on trial here? Is it Paul who will come to Corinth and stand before some tribunal and before literal witnesses who will be called to testify against him? The tone of the passage I think would argue against that; Paul is on the offensive in this passage, not the defensive. Well, could it be those in the Corinthian church who need church discipline and the witnesses will be called to testify against them? The problem with this idea is that the Corinthians’ sins are so blatant that Paul probably wouldn’t need to call witnesses[4].
So I think that when you consider verse 1 and 2 together,I think Paul is using the Old Testament witness requirements figuratively here.[5]
How many trips will he have made after his next visit? Three.
How many times will he have warned the Corinthians…look at verse 2? 2—he warned them in person on his second visit and he’s warning them again in this letter while away … … 3 trips, 2 warnings…I think Paul is saying “his trips and warnings bear ample witness against the guilty in Corinth”[6] We need ‘two witnesses and three’? “Got em,” Paul says…3 trips, 2 warnings.
Now look at the end of verse 2 and the first part of verse 3…if I come again, I will not spare them3since you seek proof that Christ is speaking in me.
Do you see why we say Paul’s been on trial?“Is Christ really speaking in you Paul?” “Are you really an authentic apostle?” “Aren’t you way too weak to be Christ’s apostle?” And soPaul says when he comes the third time, he won’t spare those who’ve had him on trial (and the implication is that there will be discipline)--those who have sought proof that Christ is speaking in him will be disciplined.
Now the Corinthians are used to Paul being strongin his letters when he’s absent and weak when he’s present. And so the Corinthians probably wonder why Paul’s visit will be any different this time: “Oh Paul is coming? No problem…he’s a bully in his letters but a pushover in person.”
And so anticipating that the Corinthians won’t receive him for who he really is, Paul reminds them that when he comes, ‘he is not the main person to whom they answer or with whom they interact. They ultimately answer to the Lord Christ.’[7] When he comes he will come in the power of the risen Christ.
Follow along as I read verses 3b-4……I’m going to purposely emphasize certain words as I read.
Middle of verse 3… He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. 4For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but in dealing with you we will live with him by the power of God.
It’s kind of a no brainer, but what stands out in those verses? Isn’t there a pretty clear contrast between ‘weakness’ and ‘power’ in three different movements? Right? Weak…powerful… weakness…power and so on.
Now we said several weeks back that ‘power inweakness’ or ‘strength in weakness’ is the theme of 2 Corinthians. And we came to the summit of that theme back in 2 Corinthians 12:9…9But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest (maytabernacle) upon me.
We said that the ‘power in weakness’ theme threads its way throughout 2 Corinthians. And so since this is our last message in the book, this next slide illustrates that theme moving through the book and summiting at 2 Corinthians 12:9.
On the slide, you can see the summit at the far left—2 Cor. 12:9. And you can see references for the other verses in the book of 2 Corinthians where that same theme shows up. The theme ‘power in weakness’ is like a melodic line in a piece of music that just shows up again and again in 2 Corinthians like a refrain. So what is 2 Corinthians about? Weakness makes for powerful ministry…weakness makes for powerful ministry….therefore we will boast all the more gladly of our weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on us.
Well let’s look at verse 3b and 4 again and dissect them briefly. First let’s put on one slide how Paul’s ideas about ‘weakness’ develop in the three movements…
Now what I’ve done on this slide is take only what Paul has said about weakness in verse 3b-4. Look at what’s there. Christ is not weak in dealing with them. Christ was crucified in weakness. We are weak in relationship with him. What do you see there? Paul’s weakness is Christ’s weakness and vice versa. Can Paul be faulted for his weakness? Paul can’t be faulted for his ‘weakness’ because weakness is inherent both in his relationship with Christ and in the nature of his ministry for Christ.[8] We are weak in him….Paul says…We are weak in relationship with Him. The Corinthians repeatedly faulted Paul for his weaknesses but Christ was crucified in weakness and Paul argues that he is weak in relationship with him.
Now let’s look at what Paul says about power, the second half of each of three movements.
Christ is powerful among you. ..Christ lives by the power of God…. We will live with Christ by the power of God.
“Corinthians, you think I’m weak…but in my weakness God is powerful. So that when I come, when I come to exercise discipline… Christ will deal with you powerfully! In other words, “To get me, is to get Christ working in me powerfully!”
Paul’s weakness is a ‘reflection of his fellowship with the Lord and of his participation in (the Lord’s) death and resurrection.’ What Paul knows and the Corinthians don’t know is that “Christians don’t merely imitate, follow, or feel inspired by Christ, but actually live in him, (they) are part of him, (and they) dwell supremely in a new world where the air they breathe is his Spirit”[9]
So the Corinthians have asked Paul to provide proof that he is a genuine apostle and when Paul comes he promises not to spare them. And starting in verse 5 Paul turns the tables on them, and challenges them to look for proof in their own lives that they are genuine believers. “You wonder if I’m a genuine apostle? I wonder if you’re a genuine believer? ...Paul says...the important question is not whether Christ is speaking in me but whether Christ is living in you!”[10]
{Evidently the way the Corinthians had flirted with false apostles and immoral living caused Paul to wonder about their true spiritual condition}
5Examine yourselves….Paul says in verse 5…. to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Make a critical examination of yourself to see whether you pass the test, whether you’re a genuine believer.
Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?Paul is pressing them here… when someone is a genuine believer, Jesus Christ is in them …that’s a spiritual reality… Again Paul is pressing them….don’t you realize that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed (you) fail to meet the test! … unless you prove to not be a genuine believer.
So here is the new situation…
Now theCorinthians are in the dock—they are now on trial! Paul has turned the tables on them. And God is the judge…and Paul, I guess we could say, is the prosecuting attorney.
Examine yourself…Paul says….test yourself to see if you are in the faith.
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{Now when it comes to discerning whether someone is truly saved, it’s difficult for us to discern that with 100 percent accuracy. The Holy Spirit does bear witness with a true believer’sspirit that he or she is a childof God, Romans 8:16.Butadmittedly that test is subjective.
AndMatthew 7:15-23 and James 2:14-26 give us the general rule that you can recognize a person’s true spiritual condition by the fruit in their life. People who are truly born again bear spiritual fruit. But how much good fruit is proof enough?}
The letter of I John is written to help believers examine themselves to see if they are in the faith. John, in I John, gives at least three such tests…
■Do you believe the right things about Jesus? That he was God. That he was the Son of God. That he lived a perfect life and died for your sins. That you must trust his work on the cross for your sins, to be saved? Do you believe the right things about Jesus?
Secondly…
■Is the general trajectory of your life toward righteousness? Do you practice righteousness? Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil.[11] And by this we know if we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.[12] Is the general trajectory of your life toward obedience?
And third…
■Do you love others? Anyone who does not love, does not know God.[13] Do you love others?
So God has given us ways to examine ourselves to see whether we are in the faith. If you personally have any questions about whether you are in the faith, I hope you’ll corner a deacon or elder even today and begin with God’s help to wrestle this issue to the ground. This is what church is all about…helping each other get started on the spiritual journey and helping each other grow….
Continuing on in verse 6…6I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test. How is the idea of the Corinthians passing the test as genuine believers related to Paul passing the test as a genuine apostle? Well isn’t Paul the spiritual father of the Corinthian church? Didn’t Paul betroth the Corinthians to Christ? Aren’t the Corinthians the seal of Paul’s apostleship in the Lord?[14]Aren’t the Corinthians Paul’s letter of commendation in Christ for all the world to read?[15] Do you see where all these questions are headed? If the Corinthians are authentic believers, if they examine themselves and pass the test, then Paul will be judged an authentic apostle—he will have passed the test. If they pass the test, because of their new life in Christ which came from his efforts, he will pass the test.
Look at verse 7….7But 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.
Here’s the motivational bottom line behind verse 7: “Is the minister more concerned about the spiritual condition of his flock, or how he or she is perceived in the public eye?”[16]
Let me try to explain what is going on in verse 7….we could imagine Paul saying it this way…
“Corinthians it’s not about me passing the test as a genuine apostle. I’m not out to be put on a pedestal for all to revere.[17] That’s not what’s foremost on my mind. If you pass the test as a genuine believer, then I’ll pass the test as a genuine apostle, but that’s not what’s most important to me. And even if I may seem to have failed the test, that’s not what matters to me most. What matters to me most is that you do the right thing! We pray to God that you maynot do wrong, but that you may do what is right.”