2 Corinthians 13:1
September 2, 2012 · Pastor Miles DeBenedictis
In this teaching
As Paul closes 2 Corinthians and prepares for his third visit, he calls the church to self-examination—to test whether Christ is truly in them and to live an examined life prayerfully, biblically, and publicly. Pastor Miles teaches that the proof of Christ's presence is not worldly power or harshness but the fruit of the Spirit, and that when self-examination exposes sin, the answer is repentance and confession.
- Every true pastor's desire is to see those they lead grow to maturity, firmly fixed in the grace and knowledge of God and not led astray by false doctrine.
- Paul will be as bold in person as in his letters; his critics mistook his meekness—strength under control—for weakness, just as Christ was counted weak.
- Spiritual power is not evidenced by harshness or intimidating presence, but by the fruit of the Spirit and the indwelling power of God.
- Self-examination is an essential, regular Christian undertaking; we are quick to test others but must "judge ourselves" first (Matthew 7:5).
- We examine ourselves prayerfully (Psalm 139), biblically (Hebrews 4:12), and publicly (Matthew 5)—because the Christian life cannot be lived privately.
- To be "reprobate" means unproven or disqualified; when examination exposes sin, the remedy is repentance and confession (1 John 1:9).
Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect. Be of good comfort. Be of one mind. Live in peace. And the God of love and peace shall be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints salute you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. ()
When critics demanded proof of Christ's power in him, Paul turned the test back on them: examine yourselves.
The Pastor's Great Desire
The desire of every true pastor is that those whom they lead would be firmly fixed and centered in the grace and knowledge of God—that they would have completeness of heart and wholeness of mind, that they would rejoice in Christ, live at peace with one another, and comfort one another with the comfort wherewith they themselves have been comforted of God.
Paul's words in reveal this clearly. Speaking of the gifts of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, he writes:
And he gave some apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith... unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro... but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things. ()
Paul's desire for the church at Corinth—and any church he ministered among—was that they would grow to maturity, be equipped to do the work of building up the body, come to the unity of the faith, and no longer be tossed around by strange doctrines. This has certainly been my aim as a pastor: to see those I'm given the ability to lead come to a place where they are thoroughly equipped for every good work, just as Paul told Timothy.
Why a Wandering Sheep Breaks a Pastor's Heart
Knowing Paul's great desire makes it very clear why it was so devastating to him—or to any pastor—to see those he led carried away, whether by the cares of the world or the deception of false teaching. It is heartbreaking to see even one person led toward false doctrine.
The brokenness of Paul's heart has been evident throughout this letter. As I mentioned eight months ago when we began, 2 Corinthians is Paul's most personal and emotional letter of the thirteen he wrote. Some in Corinth had been carried away to immorality and worldly living. Others, as we've seen, were distracted by divisive, devilish doctrines that tore them away from one another and from their founding pastor.
Paul recognized he did not have dominion over the church at Corinth—"not for that we have dominion over your faith." It was God's church; Paul had been given a stewardship. He never said, "This is my work." Yet because God used him to plant the church, the Corinthians were close to his heart in a fatherly way. So when enemies set upon the church to destroy that connection, he was rightly indignant. There is a way we can have righteous anger—it's a very fine line, and we tend to cross it—but God was speaking through Paul as he called out both to the church and to those who had come to destroy the work.
The Third Witness
This was actually Paul's fourth letter, though we call it Second Corinthians; two of his letters to Corinth we do not have. Now he is preparing for his third visit. Nearly all his correspondence to this point has been filled with strong language—not meant to scare or intimidate, but to bring them back to a right standing before God and a right relationship with him.
This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. ()
Quoting , Paul evidently counted his first two visits as his first two witnesses, and now prepares his third. His heart was broken that many in Corinth were led away by strange winds of doctrine, which revealed that their foundation was shaky even after he had been with them two years. His enemies were very persuasive.
The reality is that it's easy to be led away from the gospel of grace, because our human nature desires to do something. We take great pride in what we do, which is why so many of us identify ourselves not by who we are but by what we do—"I'm a contractor," "I'm an engineer." Even as Christians we tend to identify ourselves by what we do or don't do: I pray, I tithe, I read the Bible, I serve in ministry, I don't do X, Y, and Z. We love lists of things that, if executed, supposedly make us right-standing Christians. But what is the foundation of our salvation? Christ came into the world to save sinners. The only requirement for the gospel of grace is to be a sinner—and we all fit that bill quite well.
Meekness Mistaken for Weakness
I told you before, and foretell you, as if I were present, the second time; and being absent now I write to them which heretofore have sinned, and to all other, that, if I come again, I will not spare: since ye seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, which to you-ward is not weak, but is mighty in you. For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. ()
Some of Paul's critics had criticized his meekness. When present with them, he was meek—he didn't come with great force or an intimidating presence. And Christ was not like that either. He was approachable; young children came to him. In our carnal nature we like that people feel intimidated in our presence. I can't help but think of the Wizard of Oz—the great and terrible Oz before whom the little dog and the cowardly lion cower—until Toto pulls back the curtain to find an ordinary man.
Paul was not like that. In –2 he says he came in weakness, in fear and trembling, not with great persuasive words, so that their faith would rest in the power of God and not the wisdom of men. Yet he makes clear he will be as bold in person as in his letters if he returns to find conditions unchanged: "I will not spare." Imagine a father saying, "You do this again, and I will not spare."
His critics sought proof that Christ was in him. In their minds, a person indwelt by the power of God would be a force to be reckoned with. The New Living Translation renders it, "I will give you all the proof you want that Christ speaks through me."
Meekness Defined
Meekness is not highly esteemed by the world. Meekness is strength under control. The best illustration is Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, just as Judas betrayed him. When Peter cut off the ear of Malchus, Jesus healed the man and told Peter to put away his sword, saying he could call twelve legions of angels to his aid. Consider that in , one angel killed 185,000 of the Assyrian army in a single night. Jesus had twelve legions of such beings at his disposal—awesome power, yet under control. That is one of the fruits of the Spirit.
These things are not esteemed in our culture; if you don't stand up for yourself you're considered weak. But Paul was certainly not weak—whipped, beaten with rods, shipwrecked, robbed, stoned outside Lystra until they thought him dead. He was not weak; he was meek. And that meekness was not natural to him. Before his conversion, Saul of Tarsus sought letters to arrest Christians and presided over the stoning of Stephen. He did not know meekness before Christ was in him.
Christ too was counted weak: "He saved others; himself he cannot save. If you really are the Christ, come down from the cross." Apparently some concluded that harsh sternness was proof of Christ's presence and power. But we do not war after carnal means. A person who trusts Christ for salvation receives a new heart, is born again, and is indwelt by the Spirit. When the risen Jesus breathed on his fearful disciples and they later stood before multitudes at Pentecost, Peter—who had denied the Lord three times—now preached with power. Yet that enabling power is not evidenced by harshness or severity. So Paul says: since you deduce spiritual power by a person being a presence, I'm not going to spare when I come the third time.
Examine Yourselves
Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates. ()
A few weeks ago we saw that it is unwise to commend or judge oneself by another's appearance:
For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. ()
It is easy to commend ourselves as great when we use someone else's subpar life as our standard. With more than seven billion people on earth, you can always find a billion people worse than you and set them up as a straw man—"Look how terrible they are; look how good I am by comparison." That's politics; that's not the kingdom of God.
So Paul says, examine yourselves. The word means to test so as to prove the quality of something. He is clearly questioning the genuineness of some in Corinth who exhibited more works of the flesh than fruit of the Spirit. He could have catalogued all their inconsistencies, but instead he says: you're so quick to test me—examine your own selves. To put it plainly, Paul says you need to check yourself before you wreck yourself.
We are quick to examine others because it gets people's eyes off of us. Jesus told Nicodemus that men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil; they don't want to be exposed.
Judge Not—In Context
Self-examination is not new. In , regarding communion, Paul writes:
But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. ()
He uses the same word there. And he adds, "For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged" ().
Many non-believers love to tell Christians, "You're so judgmental—Jesus said, 'Judge not, that ye be not judged.'" Ask them where he said it; they usually can't tell you. Jesus spoke those words in the Sermon on the Mount, and they are quoted out of context:
Judge not, that ye be not judged... And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?... Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. ()
The context is not a blanket prohibition against ever judging—that isn't practical. It's this: examine yourself first. Remove the beam from your own eye so you can see clearly to help your brother. Self-examination is essential, crucial—but not comfortable.
How to Examine Yourself: Prayerfully
So how does one examine himself? First, prayerfully. David prayed:
Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart. ()
Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts. ()
reveals that our heart is so desperately wicked we don't even know the depths of our own wickedness—but God tests the heart. So we must pray with David, "Search me, and know my heart." That's not an easy prayer, because if you pray it sincerely, God will answer it. Are you asking God to know your thoughts? How thankful are you sometimes that no one else knows your thoughts? I once watched a documentary on Tourette's, featuring a young girl who simply said the first thing that came to mind when she saw people—things you'd never say aloud, because she lacked the filter. There was an honesty in it. Some from the East Coast just say whatever they're thinking; on the West Coast we have an equally bad problem—we never say it to your face, but we tell everybody else.
How to Examine Yourself: Biblically
Second, biblically.
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword... and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. ()
God's word is a lamp and a light (, 130), and all things reproved are made manifest by light (). It exposes inward heart motives. About ten years ago I took a class at Horizon called Biblical Self-Confrontation. Frankly, it was the hardest class I've ever taken, because every chapter and every assignment was built on —looking at yourself in the light of God's word and seeing how you measure up. It was like spiritual heart surgery. I saw serious growth in those six months, but it was challenging: you set the living, powerful word of God beside your own life and say, "God, here is your standard, and here is me."
How to Examine Yourself: Publicly
Third, publicly. Paul says, "Examine yourselves... prove your own selves." Examine yourself prayerfully with the word, but then prove yourself—make it known that Christ is in you. Let it be seen.
The life of the Christian is not lived privately. The enemy's lie that your faith is a private thing has allowed us to be covert—and therefore hypocrites—being one person at home, another at church, another at work. The self-examined life is lived openly.
Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid... Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. ()
So here's the question: can those in darkness see light in us? Do they see God's good works in us sufficiently to say, "There really must be a God"? Paul said God set the apostles "as a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men" ().
To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God. ()
God's intent is that his wisdom and glory would be on display in us. That life cannot be lived privately. We say, "Are you crazy? Do you know me?" And he says, "Yes—that's why I'm choosing to use you. You're such a bad backdrop that my glory looks so good when it's framed by you." His glory is glorious when the backdrop is us.
Paul's life was lived openly—his failures and his triumphs clearly seen. He was not two-faced. Before conversion he was a Pharisee, one of those Jesus called whitewashed tombs—beautiful outside, full of dead men's bones within (). When Paul became a Christian, he was turned inside out.
The Proof Is the Fruit
The proof of Christ in us is the fruit of the Spirit:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. ()
There's nothing that says you can't be these things—but the only way to have them is by the Spirit of God. You can't get this from a self-help book or a crash course at Palomar College. It's Christ in you, the hope of glory. This is why Jesus prayed, "Father, glorify thyself in me" (), and why that should become our prayer—even if it means I must die. Paul said, "I die daily," because he regularly examined himself.
Reprobate—Unproven and Disqualified
If there is no fruit, no evidence in our lives, we must ask the difficult question: am I a reprobate? The word translated "reprobate" in the King James is the very same root Paul uses for "prove," only negated. It means unproven, unapproved—one not standing the test.
Just this last week, seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong was stripped of his titles and banned over doping allegations, choosing not to fight the charges. In a moment they say, "No, you didn't win." Why? He was unwilling to stand the test. During the recent Olympics, several athletes were disqualified after their doping tests revealed performance-enhancing drugs. Unapproved. Disqualified. Did not stand the test.
Paul used this word earlier:
But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. ()
I examine myself so that there will never come a day when people say, "You are a hypocrite—there were hidden things." It is devastating, whether in politics or the church, when we discover a person has been a lie—and in the church it damages the entire work of God. This is why Paul defended his character so ardently: false allegations were being raised to disprove that Christ was in him. He says, examine yourselves—and "I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates." When you genuinely look at yourself, everybody else looks a whole lot better. Even the people who drive you crazy in church—you start to see they're not so bad, because I am the chief of all sinners.
When We Don't Pass the Test: Repent
What if, examining ourselves, we recognize, "I am wretched"? Is that person forever banned? No. They should repent.
If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ()
If you think you're not a sinner, examine yourself in the light of God's word and you'll see otherwise. What are you to do? Confess—and he is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse.
Power for Edification, Not Destruction
Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates. For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. For we are glad, when we are weak, and ye are strong: and this also we wish, even your perfection. ()
Paul's critics held him to a carnal test—no power, no eloquence—and judged him unapproved. But by God's standard he is not disqualified. He says, in effect, if I am brought low and look weak among you, I don't care, as long as you are mature and strong. The "perfection" he wishes is not sinless perfection—anyone claiming that is lying ()—but completeness, wholeness, maturity.
Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the power which the Lord hath given me to edification, and not to destruction. ()
God gave Paul authority—the word "power"—not for destruction but for building up.
A Beautiful Benediction
So Paul concludes: "Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect"—be mature, grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ—"be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you. Greet one another with an holy kiss." His final word is a beautiful benediction—we could spend our remaining time on the Trinity here, but we're out of time:
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen. ()
Closing Prayer
Father, we ask that you would work in us. God, examine us. If that's your prayer today—"Lord, examine me"—just say amen. Lord, examine us. Search our hearts. See if there be any wicked way in us. There is, Lord—expose it. Bring your light into that dark recess of our heart, that we would see it, so that we could confess it, knowing that when we confess it you are faithful and just to forgive us. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Scripture in this teaching
22Passages opened in this message
Related teachings
12Other messages that open the same passages