Set Things Right I. Base Text: 2 Corinthians 13:1-13/14 II. Context A. From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the church of God that is in Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia (2 Corinthians 1:1) 1. Corinth: ancient Greek city destroyed by the Romans in 146 BCE, rebuilt in 44 BCE as a Roman colony; major economic hub and made capital of Roman province of Achaia 2. Church in Corinth established through work of Paul ca. 50-52 CE (Acts 18:1-18) 3. Church in Corinth had a lot of challenges: Paul would communicate with the Corinthians through letter correspondence and group conversations 4. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians written ca. 55 from Ephesus, addressing development of parties among the Corinthians; sexual transgressions and appropriate sexuality; how to live among idolaters without honoring idols; spiritual gifts within the community; the resurrection; among others 5. It would seem Paul had visited the Corinthian Christians again at some point between writing First and Second Corinthians (the "painful visit") which required a later "severe letter" and Titus to be sent B. 2 Corinthians 1:2-2:13, 7:5-16: Paul explained the "severe letter" and his change of plans, dramatized all he endured in Ephesus, Troy, and Macedonia regarding the Corinthian Christians, commended them for how they responded to Titus and the "severe letter" C. 2 Corinthians 2:14-7:4: Paul defended his ministry as authentic and faithful in Jesus, well representing distress, grief, pain, yet enduring in the hope and confidence in deliverance from God and the resurrection from the dead D. 2 Corinthians 8:1-9:15: Paul exhorted the Corinthian Christians to give liberally and cheerfully to the collection for the poor Christians of Jerusalem E. In 2 Corinthians 10:1-13:13, Paul would go on to address three other matters of concern in Corinth, grounded upon principles established throughout the letter 1. 2 Corinthians 10:1-11: "internal" critique of Paul as lacking in physical presentation while forward in correspondence 2. 2 Corinthians 10:12-12:13: "external" critique of the "super-apostles," Jewish Christians from Jerusalem seeking to undermine Paul's standing in their sight 3. 2 Corinthians 12:14-13:13/14: warnings against those who had not fully repented of sexual immorality and other forms of immorality; conclusion III. Interpretation A. This is the third time I am coming to visit you. By the testimony of two or three witnesses every matter will be established. I said before when I was present the second time and now, though absent, I say again to those who sinned previously and to all the rest, that if I come again, I will not spare anyone, since you are demanding proof that Christ is speaking through me. He is not weak toward you but is powerful among you. For indeed he was crucified by reason of weakness, but he lives because of God's power. For we also are weak in him, but we will live together with him, because of God's power toward you (2 Corinthians 13:1-4) 1. Paul continued and intensified his exhortation begun around 2 Corinthians 12:14 and certainly by 2 Corinthians 12:20: he would be coming soon for the third time, and this time he would prove far sharper in his speech and conduct than in previous visits 2. As in 2 Corinthians 12:14, so again in 2 Corinthians 13:1: Paul spoke of coming to visit the Corinthian Christians for a third time, and it sounded as much of a threat and warning as it might a promise 3. He then quoted Deuteronomy 19:15 regarding the importance of having two or three witnesses to confirm every matter (2 Corinthians 13:1) a. In original context with legal matters, especially capital cases, in view: you need at least a couple of witnesses to establish the truth of a matter before you execute someone b. In this context, the ultimate aim is sufficient witness in order to enact some kind of church discipline regarding those persisting in various transgressions c. But how we get there is not exactly clear; the way Paul phrases it, it would seem he is reckoning visits as witnesses, with his second visit being the first witness, and now his third visit as the second witness (or perhaps the third witness, with this letter as the second witness?) 4. Paul reaffirmed what he had told them beforehand: he would not "spare anyone" this time around, even if he had proven more patient in his second visit (2 Corinthians 13:2) a. We have no other witness to what Paul is saying b. Ostensibly when Paul made his second visit to the Corinthians, the "painful visit" of 2 Corinthians 2:1, he testified to many ways in which some of the Corinthian Christians were transgressing, and warned them he would not spare any when he would return, and now was about to make good on those promises 5. And Paul would prove diligent in doing so now that the Corinthian Christians were challenging him, seeking proof Christ was speaking through Paul; Paul then meditated on Jesus' weakness, displayed in His crucifixion, but now He lives, and His power will be manifest among them, and he and the Corinthian Christians had life in Him in and through that power (2 Corinthians 13:3-4) a. These challenges were particularly manifest in the accusation of hypocrisy in 2 Corinthians 10:1-11, and implicitly in granting credence to the aspersions cast against Paul by the opposing Jewish Christians from Jerusalem (cf. 2 Corinthians 10:12-12:13) b. Paul warned them how they would quickly be disabused of the notion he was mild and ineffective in speech and presence but lofty and mighty only in word; he could prove quite powerful and mighty in speech and presence c. Yes, Paul had just borne witness to being strong when weak (cf. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10); but the power of Christ was now manifest in His resurrection and lordship, the means by which they all shared in life, and Paul insinuated that power would be exercised in their midst d. For all the power of Jesus' message of His grace being sufficient for Paul and His power made perfect in weakness in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, what stood behind that message was left unexplicated there; Paul here made the connection with His crucifixion manifest, even though it was presumed beforehand 6. That lack of explication tends to be a theme here: Paul used all kinds of ominous, threatening language, but in all of it there is no explicit identification of precisely what Paul was going to come and do a. He was concerned they would not be as he would wish; he feared lest God would humiliate him and he would have to grieve the unrepentant sexual immorality among them (2 Corinthians 12:20-21) b. He reaffirmed his previous warning that he would not "spare" those still in sin (2 Corinthians 13:2) c. He spoke of how Christ was powerful among them, insinuating there would be some kind of exercise of this power against those in sin (2 Corinthians 13:3) d. In a moment, he would explain himself somewhat more: he said these things so he would not have to deal harshly/sharply with them and use his authority in their midst (2 Corinthians 13:10) e. While Paul certainly made it fairly apparent how he felt about it all, and what he might experience in the process, none of this presents any explicit notion of specific consequences: would he rebuke them? Enact discipline in their midst? Would he invoke the power of Christ against them in ways which would lead to them experiencing some kind of harm? f. In truth, the lack of any such presentation of explicit notions of consequences was probably deliberate: Paul did not want to limit himself and was more than content to allow the imagination of the Corinthian Christians to run wild, hoping the threat was sufficiently concerning enough to stimulate the transgressors toward repentance g. For, as Paul has made known and will continue to make known again, he has no actual desire to deal with any of this, but would rather spend his time encouraging them (e.g. 2 Corinthians 12:14-19, 2 Corinthians 13:10) B. Put yourselves to the test to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize regarding yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you – unless, indeed, you fail the test! And I hope that you will realize that we have not failed the test! Now we pray to God that you may not do anything wrong, not so that we may appear to have passed the test, but so that you may do what is right even if we may appear to have failed the test. For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the sake of the truth. For we rejoice whenever we are weak, but you are strong. And we pray for this: that you may become fully qualified. Because of this I am writing these things while absent, so that when I arrive I may not have to deal harshly with you by using my authority – the Lord gave it to me for building up, not for tearing down! (2 Corinthians 13:5-10) 1. Paul then challenged the Corinthian Christians to put themselves to the test and examine themselves to see if they are in the faith, using some language often found in terms of trials in industrial processes 2. Paul opened up the possibility they would fail the test, that Jesus Christ was not in them, and they were not being conformed to His image 3. But it is Paul's great hope and concern they would not fail the test, but to see how Jesus was giving them life and would give them life; and he certainly wanted them to recognize how Paul and his associates had assuredly not failed the test (2 Corinthians 13:5-6) 4. He then prayed for the Corinthian Christians to do no wrong but to do what is right, even if they believed Paul and his associates to have failed the test of God in Christ; yet Paul insisted that he could not do anything against the truth but only for the sake of the truth (2 Corinthians 13:7-8) a. In so many ways Paul has attempted to communicate how his greatest concern was not at all how he was perceived or welcomed among the Corinthian Christians, but for their spiritual welfare b. And so he wanted them to do right and not wrong, even if they still had their doubts about him c. And yet he was not going to grant those doubts any legitimacy; his purposes were entirely aligned with the promotion of the truth, and was not working against it 5. He would rejoice in his weakness if it meant the Corinthian Christians were strong; his prayer was for their katartisin, their equipping or perfecting, used only here in the New Testament (2 Corinthians 13:9) 6. Paul then explained his purpose: he wrote these things while absent so he would not have to use the authority God gave him in sharp or harsh ways when present; the Lord gave him that power to build up, not tear down (2 Corinthians 13:10) 7. John Chrysostom put it well: Who is there who can equal Paul? He was despised, spat upon, ridiculed, mocked as mean and contemptible, accused of being a braggart. But although he sees the need for making a show of his power, he puts it off and prays that it will not be necessary. He does not want his claims to be proved. On the contrary, he would rather that the situation be cleared up in advance so that such proof will be unnecessary (Homilies on the Epistles of Paul to the Corinthians 29.5) C. Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice, set things right, be encouraged, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all (2 Corinthians 13:11-13) 1. Paul concluded his Second Letter to the Corinthians with a truncated yet compelling peroration and epistolary conclusion in 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 2. A peroration generally concludes a discourse, summarizing the argument and/or presenting exhortations regarding conduct for the audience 3. Philippians 4:4-9 is Paul's peroration in his Letter to the Philippians; one could argue Colossians 3:1-4:6 is his peroration in his Letter to the Colossians; Romans 12:1-21 at least, and perhaps all of Romans 12:1-15:7 represent the peroration of the Letter to the Romans 4. In comparison, the peroration in Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians is 2 Corinthians 13:11: rejoice, set things right, be encouraged, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace would be with them a. We make the comparison to show just how truncated Paul's peroration is in his Second Letter to the Corinthians b. We cannot know why, exactly; perhaps the letter was already long enough in his estimation; perhaps these kinds of things were far less important to Paul than dealing with the unpleasantries so he could have a nice visit; or perhaps he did not feel the need to belabor these points because he would soon be with them in contrast to the situation of the other letters c. But we should not prove dismissive of the peroration because it is short; the exhortations seem quite specifically relevant d. "Rejoice" may seem out of place in light of all the challenges and difficulties which Paul has presented, but perhaps such is all the more reason why he mentioned it, and first: they should not forget the greatness of the salvation Jesus secured for them, and they should rejoice in it despite and through all these challenges and difficulties d. Katartizesthe, "to set things right, to mend, to repair," was very much Paul's hope and desire in all of this: for them to mend their relationship with him, to mend their relationship with Jesus, and to mend their relationships with one another; to set things right would involve no longer tolerating and giving credence to the Jewish Christian opponents of Paul in all the ways they served Satan, for those committing sexual immorality to repent and no longer do such things, and for them to boast in Paul on the day of Jesus as he would boast in them e. Paul wanted them to be comforted/encouraged, to be of the same mind/agree with one another, and to live in peace; they would have to give up selfish ambition, greed, jealousy, etc., and strive in humility to trust in Jesus and participate jointly with each other to do so f. The God of love and peace would be with them if they conducted themselves in these matters, and that should have been their ultimate goal and hope 5. It was customary to send and share greetings at the end of a letter; at his most expansive, Paul spent all of Romans 16:2-16, 21-23 greeting and sharing greetings 6. Paul wants to send and share in greetings, but in the most truncated way in 2 Corinthians 13:12: greet one another with a holy kiss; all the saints greet you a. Some versions will reckon the greetings as two verses, and so 2 Corinthians 13:12-13 b. The "holy kiss" as not leading to any kind of lasciviousness, but a conventional customary and warm greeting of the time c. We should understand the command to "greet one another" as Paul sending his greeting they should share among one another d. "All the saints" is unlikely to be Paul speaking on behalf of all the Christians everywhere, and most probably a reference to all the Christians in his midst, most likely in Philippi or wherever he was in Macedonia when writing the letter 7. While every other aspect of the conclusion of Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians was truncated, the epistolary conclusion was the exact opposite: Paul asked for the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit to be with them all (2 Corinthians 13:13/14) a. Generally Paul makes some kind of statement of God's grace in Christ to be with those to whom he wrote (e.g. 1 Corinthians 16:23, Philippians 4:23) b. Yet here Paul brings in the triune God! c. Many will make much of the associations Paul established: grace of Christ, love of God, fellowship of Spirit d. But it may not be the wisest to do so considering how Paul elaborates in other places regarding the love and grace of God displayed in Christ, our fellowship in the Spirit as established by God in Christ, etc. (e.g. Romans 5:6-11, Philippians 2:1-11) e. But we should make much of how Paul would end this letter with a more expansive epistolary conclusion and his great desire for the Corinthian Christians to remain and be sustained in the love, grace, and fellowship of God in Christ through the Spirit! D. Paul thus concluded his Second Letter to the Corinthians, preparing for his third visit to them and attempting to deal with the unpleasantries in advance E. Postscript 1. Addressing the resolution of some previous difficulties; standing up against aspersions cast by the "super-apostles"; warnings against those persisting in sin, especially those in sexual transgressions; there's a lot going on in Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians, and we understandably wonder how everything turned out 2. Within the New Testament itself, our best understanding comes from Romans 15:22-33, 16:1-2, 23 a. Paul explained to the Roman Christians how he wrote to them in advance to prepare for his desire to go preach in Spain, perhaps hinted at in 2 Corinthians 10:16 (Romans 15:22-33) b. As part of that explanation, Paul spoke of how he was going to Jerusalem, and how Macedonia and Achaia had made contribution for the Christians of Jerusalem (Romans 15:25-26) c. We can therefore reasonably conclude the Corinthian Christians heeded Paul's exhortations in 2 Corinthians 8:1-9:15 and did give a contribution to the Christians in Jerusalem d. Paul commended Phoebe as a Christian from Cenchreae, one of Corinth's two port cities; greetings were conveyed to the Roman Christians by Gaius, who hosted the whole church from which Paul was writing, Erastus the city treasurer (or aedile), and Quartus (Romans 16:1-2, 23) e. While Gaius was a common name, Paul did identify Gaius as one of the Corinthian Christians whom he baptized in 1 Corinthians 1:14 f. In 1928-29 and 1947, an inscription was found in Corinth with the inscription ERASTVS. PRO. AED. S. P. STRAVIT, an abbreviation of ERASTUS PRO AEDILITATE SUA PECUNIA STRAVIT, meaning "Erastus, in return for his aedileship, paved it at his own expense" g. This seems to be strong evidence for Erastus as Corinth's city aedile h. All of this evidence strongly suggests Paul wrote to the Roman Christians while in Corinth, staying with Gaius, and remaining in contact with the Christians there 3. This evidence from Romans, along with the fact Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians was preserved, strongly suggests the letter was received at least decently, Paul was better respected than before, and therefore the Corinthian Christians did not give as much regard to the Jewish Christians from Jerusalem, and hopefully those in sin repented 4. Far later evidence can also be found in the "Letter of the Church of God in Rome to the Church of God in Corinth," known in antiquity as Clement to the Corinthians and today as the First Letter of Clement, or 1 Clement a. Written no earlier than 70, no later than 140, probably around 95-100 b. Generally agreed to be the composition of one man, associated with Clement of Rome, an elder of the church in Rome c. The letter was written because the Corinthian Christians had deposed at least some of their elders/presbyters/bishops because of the influence of a couple of brethren, and Clement wrote on behalf of the Roman church to exhort the Corinthian Christians to restore the deposed leaders and to remain faithful in general d. Within the letter he spoke of them as an ancient and respected church and made reference to Paul's correspondence with them (1 Clement 1:2-2:1, 47:1-5) e. Thus the church in Corinth would eventually have elders, since no evidence exists from either First or Second Corinthians to suggest they had any then f. And, yes, the church in Corinth would still have its difficulties a generation later, but, by all accounts it would seem the church took the exhortation from Clement to heart and would return again and again to the letter he (and those Paul) wrote to them 4. And so we have every reason for confidence the Corinthian Christians heard, received, and accepted Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians, hosted him graciously, and persevered in Christ for generations IV. Application A. Put to the Test 1. In 2 Corinthians 13:5, Paul challenged the Corinthian Christians to put themselves to the test to see if they were in the faith in Christ Jesus 2. In context, it was an understandable way to try to get the Corinthian Christians to stop being so focused on everyone else and to consider themselves; Paul and his associates would not fail the test, even if the Corinthian Christians thought they might be less than, but how would the Corinthian Christians themselves fare? 3. In terms of modern application, we do well to remember how more individualistic we have become in society; the original understanding would have been much more of a collective/corporate examination rather than merely as individuals 4. Nevertheless, Paul's impetus here remains important for us today 5. Have we put ourselves to the test? 6. Can we recognize Jesus Christ within us, collectively and in terms of our personal walk with Jesus? 7. For that matter, are we even really walking with Jesus? 8. Such examination may not prove comfortable, but it remains important lest we delude ourselves into thinking we are well when we are far from it! B. Set Things Right 1. As part of his final peroration, Paul exhorted the Corinthian Christians to "set things right" in 2 Corinthians 13:11: to repair and mend things 2. We can well understand much of what Paul was trying to get the Corinthian Christians to do in this light: to set things right by repairing the relationship with the repentant Christian who was chastened; to mend things with Paul himself by standing up for him against those casting aspersions against him; to remain reconciled to Jesus and thus to repent of sin 3. We are not the Christians in Corinth, and therefore Paul did not write his Second Letter of the Corinthians to us 4. But we can, and should, consider how we might need to "set things right" 5. With whom might we need to mend and repair relationships? 6. With God? One another? 7. How can we work diligently to reflect what was commendable about the Corinthian Christians while resisting the difficulties into which they fell? C. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of us! D. Invitation, Reflection, and Prayer Scripture, Meditation, and Application This is the third time I am coming to visit you. By the testimony of two or three witnesses every matter will be established (2 Corinthians 13:1). Paul concluded his Second Letter to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 13:1-13/14 primarily by warning them about his imminent arrival for a third time. He wanted those who were in sin to repent before he arrived so he would not have to deal with such unpleasantries in person. He encouraged them to examine themselves and to prove faithful to Jesus. He wanted them to work well with one another and abide in the God of love and peace. What can we gain from how Paul concluded his Second Letter to the Corinthians? Put yourselves to the test to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize regarding yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you – unless, indeed, you fail the test! (2 Corinthians 13:5) The Corinthian Christians certainly had opinions regarding how well or poorly others represented Jesus. Paul therefore challenged them to put themselves to the same test to ascertain whether Jesus was truly in them and reflected in their thoughts and conduct. We do well to consider this instruction and prove willing to put ourselves to the same test, collectively and individually. How well do we manifest the presence of Jesus Christ in our midst? Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice, set things right, be encouraged, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you (2 Corinthians 13:11). Paul began the ultimate conclusion of his Second Letter to the Corinthians with a peroration exhorting them to rejoice, set things right, work well together, and thus be able to share in the God of love and peace. In truth, the whole letter is well encapsulated in these exhortations, especially to set things right. We do well to consider how we might repair and mend relationships with God and one another and thus set things right in our own faith communities. How can we well set things right in ways which glorify and honor God in Christ? The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all (2 Corinthians 13:13). Paul sent his Second Letter to the Corinthians by means of Titus and his associates around 56. Soon after, Paul would write a letter to the Christians of Rome from Corinth, and evidence from that letter would suggest the Corinthian Christians had tolerably well received his letter and had reconciled to Paul to a significant degree. Even later correspondence between the church in Rome and the church in Corinth bore witness to the presence of faithful Christians in Corinth and encouragement to persevere in the faith. We may be tempted to "write off" the Corinthian Christians as hopelessly worldly, but Paul never did. We should take this lesson to heart as we consider our own time and place and how we seek to encourage our fellow Christians. What lessons can we learn from Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians?