2 Corinthians 13 Devotional
by Pastor Lawrence Bowlin
In this final chapter, the apostle Paul is concluding his exhortation to the church by seeking to restore the brothers that have fallen into sin, reminding them that he is praying for them in particular, and still urging them toward repentance via this letter, but warning them that if they do no repent, he will deal with them when he returns. As for the brothers causing division by seeking to undermine Paul’s authority in the church, he tells them to examine their own hearts rather than constantly trying to examine his, to look closely at their own spiritual fruit, works, and sufferings now that he has shared with them much of his own examination for the sake of the Lord and the Church. Then, he concludes the epistle with a number of brief imperatives that should not be read cursorily just because they are terse and toward the end. These final commands (to rejoice, aim for restoration, to comfort one another, to agree with one another, to live in peace with one another, and to greet one another with a holy kiss) are not Paul’s afterthoughts. They are a summary of all he has just said, so if you’ve forgotten much of what he has already said in this epistle, then focus on these exhortations in order to build up the body of Christ rather than tearing it down by their inverse or omission.
In addition to these closing words, one other exhortation that sticks out particularly in this passage in verse five, where Paul says, “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?” We understand that at times the Lord purposely gives us a test in order that we might see where we stand with Him, where we are weak, and where we are in sin. But, here, Paul is not speaking about God’s tests; he is referring to a self-administered examination. In Galatians 6:4 Paul says, “let each one test his own work.” And in 1 Corinthians 11:28 he says, “Let a person examine himself” before partaking of the communion elements, stating that “if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged.” But how are we to go about examining ourselves.
The entire epistle of 1 John is meant to assist the believer in doing just that. Throughout that short book he makes a number of statements that anyone who professes Christ ought to meditate upon and ask himself or herself “where do I stand?” For instance, he will suggest that if you are a child of God, you will walk in the light, you will confess your sins, you will seek to walk as Jesus walked, you will love God, and you will love your brothers. There are many others that he mentions as well, each of which ought to bring much conviction of sin, since none of us is perfect. Here, John is not suggesting that we always do these things without fail, but that these are the patterns of those who really know Jesus Christ. On the other hand, he says that a Christian does not continue in sin. Again, he doesn’t mean that a Christian doesn’t sin, but that it is no longer the pattern in his life. The pattern is now one of righteousness.
Peter also has a list, of sorts, by which one can examine himself. In 2 Peter 1:10, he says, “Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fail.” The qualities that he is referring to are found in vv.5-8 of that same passage, where the apostle says, “For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
I imagine that this all might seem overwhelming to you, especially if you feel like you will never measure up. I know that when I look at these types of lists I immediately see where I have failed in a thousand different ways. But that’s sort of the point. No one is expected to get a hundred percent on these tests, except, of course, for Jesus. However, a true believer will continue to study for the test every time he fails.
I remember that my sister really wanted to be a nurse ever since she was a little girl. She even dressed up as a nurse for Halloween and became a candy-striper as soon as she was old enough to qualify for the position. Later on she went to college and studied nursing and loved every minute of it. But in order to become a nurse, one has to pass a medical board exam. (I have no idea why it’s called a board. Perhaps one of our medically-minded members can explain that for us). There was only one problem: my sister was horrible at taking tests. I’m not sure if she suffered from test anxiety or if she just, simply, could not retain the vast amount of information needed to get a good grade. Consequently, she failed the test, three times! But that fact did not hinder her in the least, for the Lord had called her to be a nurse, and she was determined that she was going to fulfill her calling. Long story short, my sister eventually passed the test.
I think that it is similar for all who are true Christians when they face these types of spiritual tests. Yes, we will fail, and we will fail, and we will fail again. But for all of us who have received the upward call from God, we will continue to take that exam, and by the Holy Spirit we will eventually get a passing grade. We will never get a perfect score, mind you, but out of love for Christ, we will continue to study, and continue to practice, and, eventually, we will pass the test!