2 Corinthians 13:1 - Meaning and Application

In these verses, notice first that the apostle warns he will deal sharply with stubborn sinners when he comes to Corinth. He had already sent them a first and second letter, with strong warnings and appeals, to correct what was wrong among them. He was careful in how he corrected them, and he did not rush into harsh measures. Some understand his words, “This is the third time I am coming to you” (2 Corinthians 13:1), as referring to those two letters, which served as repeated warnings, as if he had been present with them even while absent in body (2 Corinthians 13:2). In that view, the two letters are the “witnesses” he mentions, more in line with Christ’s instruction about dealing with an offending brother (Matthew 17:16) than with the civil law about judges in criminal cases (Deuteronomy 17:6; Deuteronomy 19:15). We should go to our brother, or write to him, once and again, and tell him his fault.

So the apostle had already warned these Corinthians in his earlier letter, and now he warns them again. He was giving notice to those who had sinned, and to everyone else, before he came the third time in person, that he would exercise severity against scandalous offenders. Others think Paul had planned twice before to make the trip to Corinth, but God had kept him from going, and now he tells them a third time that he intends to come. Whatever view we take, it is clear that he kept careful account of how often he labored for their good. We can be sure that heaven keeps such an account too, and one day we will answer for the help we received for our souls, and how we used it.

Paul also gives the reason he would act so firmly, namely, to show Christ speaking in him, which some were demanding to see (2 Corinthians 13:3). The truth of his apostleship was important for the credit, support, and success of the gospel he preached. So those who denied it were rightly exposed and corrected. False teachers had tried to make the Corinthians doubt this, though Paul had given them strong evidence, not weak evidence, of his calling (2 Corinthians 13:3). This was true even though he looked unimpressive in the eyes of the world and was despised by some.

Just as Christ himself was crucified through weakness, that is, he seemed weak and contemptible in his death, yet he lives by the power of God, showing divine power in his resurrection and life (2 Corinthians 13:4), so the apostles also, though they seemed low and unimportant to the world, displayed God’s power as his instruments. In particular, they showed the power of his grace in bringing the world to faith in Christ. So, as proof to those who wanted proof that Christ was speaking in Paul, he tells them to test themselves first (2 Corinthians 13:5): “Examine yourselves.” If they could prove that they were truly Christians, that would also prove his apostleship, because if they were in the faith and Christ was in them, then Christ had spoken through Paul, since they had believed through his ministry. Paul had not only taught them, he had been like a father to them. He had brought them to life through the gospel of Christ. It would be hard to think that God’s power would work through his ministry if he had not been sent from above.

If they could show that they were not rejected by Christ, he trusted they would also see that he was not rejected by Christ either (2 Corinthians 13:6). What Paul says here about the Corinthians examining themselves, with this particular purpose in mind, applies to all who call themselves Christians. We should examine whether we are in the faith, because this is something we can easily get wrong, and the mistake is dangerous. We must test ourselves and ask our own souls whether Christ is in us. If Christ is in us, then we are not rejected, so we are either true Christians or serious deceivers. It is a shameful thing for a person not to know himself, and not to know his own heart.