Download the March 10 Sunday School lesson here.
Spring Quarter: Examining Our Faith
Unit 1: Faithful vs Faithless
Lesson 2: Week of March 10, 2024
By Dr. Hal Brady
Lesson Scripture: 2 Corinthians 13:5-11
Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 13:5a
Lesson Aims
- Identify criteria for being “in the faith.”
- Explain how the imperatives of 2 Corinthians 13:11 are interrelated.
- Create a test question that reflects Paul’s challenge in the key text (13:5a).
Introduction
As we know, social media is filled with opportunities to test ourselves. We can test our knowledge of history, the Bible, government and even our personalities and tastes. Self-testing is part of modern culture. We test ourselves to gain insight into our capabilities and sometimes such testing is quite valuable. So, we all take tests, need tests, and benefit from tests. And this includes, as we will see, the benefits of Christians and churches testing themselves.
Lesson Context
Paul had established the church in Corinth during a personal visit to that city in about AD 52 (Acts 18:1-18). We are not certain how many letters he wrote, but there were at least two – the ones we call I and 2 Corinthians. We know Paul wrote 2 Corinthians in preparation for a return visit (2 Corinthians 10:2; 12:20-21; 13:10). While the church in Corinth had, in general, responded favorably to Paul’s previous letter (see chapter 7), he knew some problems remained (12:20, 21).
At least part of the reason for those problems was that some doubted that Christ was speaking through Paul; they wanted proof (2 Corinthians 13:3). Was he a true apostle of the Lord Jesus, or was Paul a con artist? Some Corinthians thought that Paul’s weaknesses – his weak presence and suffering-filled ministry meant that the answer was “no.” But Paul proved earlier in the letter that such weakness and suffering proved the opposite (much of chapters 6, 10 and 11).
Weakness was how Jesus came into the world, and he suffered on the cross to display God’s power (2 Corinthians 13:4). Paul’s apostolic ministry had been (and was being) tested and verified through suffering rather than by avoiding it. The power of God seen in Paul’s suffering was also seen in the life of Jesus. In like manner, through Paul’s suffering and weakness, God’s power gave life through Paul’s ministry. Therefore, it wasn’t Paul’s credibility that was on the line. Rather it was the credibility of the naysayers in the church at Corinth that was at issue.
Examination
(2 Corinthians 13:5-6)
This is the second time that Paul has challenged the believers in Corinth to “examine and test” themselves (the first time was in 1 Corinthians 11:28). The challenge was for the readers to undergo a season of spiritual self-discernment. This self-examination required the readers to stop questioning Paul’s credibility and instead look to their credibility as Christian believers.
It is important to note how the word “faith” is used in this context. This word usually refers to one’s personal belief (assent) in Christ (John 20:31; 2 Corinthians 4:13, etc.). Also included in that understanding is the concept of trust. Therefore, the word “faith” in Scripture typically means belief plus trust (Psalms 78:22; 86:2; Romans 4:5; 2 Timothy 1:12).
However, that is not the sense here. Instead, the phrase “the faith” refers to the body of doctrine to be believed and practiced (Acts 6:7; Ephesians 4:13; Titus 1:13; Jude 3). Thus, Paul’s challenge is not to examine oneself to determine how much faith (belief plus assent) his readers have in Jesus but rather to determine whether the readers accept his doctrinal teaching regarding the nature of the Christian faith. The stress on the importance of being “in the faith” is highlighted by the bookend phrase “examine yourselves and test yourselves.”
Testing, both self-imposed (Galatians 6:4) and imposed by others (1 Peter 4:12, 13, etc.) is necessary for evaluating one’s status regarding whether “Christ Jesus is in him or her.” The test is not graded in terms of letter grades but pass/fail. Either Jesus is in you, or he is not; there’s no in-between. To fail in this regard is to “fail the test.”
To be sure, there are great tragedies in life and all of us can name a few. But to me, there is no greater tragedy than for Jesus to be in our company and we fail to recognize him.
But back to the question in verse 5b. The goal of the test is to make it clear that Chris is indeed in them (the rebellions in Corinth), and the means by which the test is performed is Paul himself. Allegiance to him as their apostle is the criteria that determines whether Christ is present in their lives since Paul is confident that he himself has already passed the test (2 Corinthians 13:6).
So, while this question (verse 5) challenges the entire church in Corinth, it seems intentionally focused on those who were dismissive of Paul and unconvinced of his authority. Thus, we detect a bit of “verbal jabbing” by Paul. Those who find fault with him are revealing a fault of their own. Truth is, they ought to test themselves rather than test Paul. They should be concerned about their own failure of the test rather than whether Paul had failed it. Paul’s hope, of course, was that the readers would realize the seriousness of the issue. To “fail” the self-evaluation would be to reveal a life without Jesus.
Verse 6 says, “
And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test.”
It has been noted here that Paul does two things to the phrase “unless of course, you fail the test” from the previous verse. (1) he changes the question to a statement, and (2) he changes “you” to “we.” These indicate that Paul was confident that his proposed self-examination on the part of the Corinthians would cause them to realize who had the presence of Christ (Paul himself and most members of the church at Corinth) and who did not (the minority of troublemakers in that church).
Now, the key to reaching the correct conclusion was being sure that the proper criteria were applied to the assessments. Paul sprinkles these criteria throughout this letter (example: 2 Corinthians 10:2, 7, 12) and includes the general criteria noted in the next verse in our lesson.
Question! How can believers “examine” their beliefs and actions to ensure they are “in the faith”?
Expectation
(2 Corinthians 13:7-10)
As Paul prepared for his third visit to Corinth, he prayed to God regarding the state of the church there. Paul’s prayer calls upon God to strengthen the readers against doing “anything wrong.”
In this light, we keep in mind that a significant theme of this letter is a defense of Paul’s ministry and apostolic authority. And the two main pieces of evidence that validate that ministry and authority were God’s power that shone through Paul’s weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9; 13:4) and the moral transformation of the members of the church at Corinth (2 Corinthians 3:2-6). For those believers “not to do anything wrong” would maintain their growth with regard to that transformation. And Paul hastened to add that this was “not so that people will see that we have stood the test” (that is, for the sake of his reputation), but so that you will do what is right” (that is for the reputation of his readers). Thus, Paul is principally concerned that his readers bear the fruit of their transformation and be less concerned with his credentials as an approved apostle.
Sometime back I read Richard Foster’s book “Life with God.” One of the things Foster makes clear is that we should read the Bible for spiritual transformation—to be spiritually transformed ourselves. God has said to us, “I am with you—will you be with me?” This is what Paul is encouraging his readers at Corinth—to be with God by bearing the fruit of their transformation.
As we prepare to move to verse 8, I think “The Message” translation of these words help us. Paul says,
“I hope the test won’t show that we have failed. But if it comes to that, we’d rather the test showed our failure than yours. We are rooting for the truth to win out in you. We couldn’t possibly do otherwise.
We don’t just put up with our limitations; we celebrate them, and then go on to celebrate every strength, every triumph of truth in you. We pray hard that it will all come together in your lives” (2 Corinthians 13:6-9).
The importance of truth is a theme of this letter (see 4:2; 7:14; 11:10; 12:6). And one truth was that Paul had not failed any test regarding the validity of his message and authority, though some Corinthians thought he had.
Scholar C.K. Barret says, “the ‘truth’ may be used here in a quite general sense: Paul is not out to get a verdict in his favor at any cost but wishes the truth whether it is favorable to him or not, to be present. The word however is used (by Paul and other New Testament writers) for the Gospel…Paul’s whole life is bound up with the Gospel committed to him. He could not preach a different Gospel without becoming a different person.”
So, Paul conformed his ministry to the gospel, which included his willingness to suffer and place himself in a position of weakness for the sake of others. He was willing to suffer the hardship and persecution of gospel ministry if it meant strengthening the faith of the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 6:3-10; 11:23-29). Paul willingly worked with his hands to be self-supporting so that the Corinthians wouldn’t be distracted by requests for financial support. This was Paul’s joy. He gladly lived in weakness so that the Corinthians might live in strength (2 Corinthians 12:19).
Verse 9b says,
“and our prayer is that you may be fully restored.”
Using two passages from the Corinthian’s letter (1 Corinthians 1:10 and 2 Corinthians 13:11) as touchstones, the idea is one of church unity that results from the repentance of rebellious believers.
Paul prayed that God would sufficiently equip them for life in the gospel. Paul prayed that God would move their hearts toward good and away from evil and fully equip them to participate in the ministry of reconciliation with Paul rather than oppose Paul. The perfection described here is one where the people of God are sufficiently equipped to live out the gospel in their lives faithfully.
After preaching one Sunday, a young priest was being brow-beaten at the church door by an angry and imposing woman. “You are a very young man,” she said, “to be talking about that.” The young man drew himself up as tall as possible and replied, “Madam, I represent eternity!” As the body of Christ, so do we all! And that’s what Paul is reminding the readers in the church at Corinth.
In verse 10, Paul is not spoiling for a fight. He closes by saying that he has written in this harsh frankness from a distance because he would prefer, when he does come to them, not to have to deal sharply (in judgment) with them. At the same time, however, he readily reminds them of the Lord-given power he mentioned to them at the beginning of this letter fragment (2 Corinthians 10:8), an authority for building them up rather than destroying them.
Edification is what love at work does, and the Corinthians learned that from Paul long ago in his teaching (I Corinthians 8:1). Paul calls them “beloved” and declares that “everything we do…is for the sake of building you up” (2 Corinthians 12:19). Thus, edification and love are Paul’s choices for the Corinthians, and his adherence to them is the ultimate sign of his honoring of his Lord-given authority. Destruction or tearing down is the farthest thing from Paul’s wishes for the Corinthians.
Question! How do believers discern whether or not a rebuke is necessary for the health of their congregation?
III. Exhortation
(2 Corinthians 13:11)
Paul concluded by reaffirming his relationship with the Corinthian audience. They were his “brothers and sisters” in Christ. He had not given up on them. On the contrary, he remained connected to them as part of the family of God. Paul loved the Corinthians not only as spiritual siblings but also as their spiritual father (1 Corinthians 4:15; 2 Corinthians 12:14).
With such familial affection, Paul concludes this section with five brief and pointed challenges. The first of his challenges is found in the word translated “rejoice.” We are informed that the underlying Greek also occurs in its identical form in Philippians 3:1 and 4:4 (twice).
The second challenge, to “strive for full restoration,” reflects the content of Paul’s prayer. Relational restoration is indicative of a life of holiness. Therefore, this command echoes Jesus’ imperative to “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mathew 5:48). However, we are aware that perfection in this life is unattainable since all have sinned (Romans 3:23). But that doesn’t mean that the standard should be lowered.
An added part of the discussion here should be John Wesley’s doctrine of going on to perfection—being perfected in love.
The third command, “encourage one another,” seems to be a condensed version (2 Corinthians 1:4-6). The fourth command, “be of one mind,” stresses the importance of church unity (also Philippians 2:2,5). This can speak to doctrinal unity, but also essential is a shared humility that lives worthy of the gospel. Such unity will achieve the fifth imperative “live in peace” (Mark 9:50; 1 Thessalonians 5:13).
Question! How can believers eliminate hindrance that prevent life with “one mind” and “in peace” with other believers?
Now Paul writes of the God “of peace” several times in his letters. But this is the only time he writes of “the God of love and peace.” Hear me now! The practice of the five imperatives would shape the Corinthian church along those two lines. Neither God nor Paul had given up on the Corinthian Church. On the contrary, both were committed to the Church.
Conclusion
As we are aware, many congregations are in turmoil and the times in which we live are perilous. Faith is under attack from within and without. In such times it is critical to take inventory and examine ourselves.
The contents of Paul’s prayer (13:7) indicate the sort of life that passes the test. Avoiding evil is not enough in and of itself. Evil must be replaced with doing what is right. To avoid evil without replacing it with good is to leave one open to the situation described in Matthew 12:43-45.
As someone rightly put it, “an unexamined faith is not worth living.” So, Paul calls us to a process of discernment by which we try our hearts (see Psalm 139:23-24). Are we seeking to do good? Are we seeking to avoid evil? Are we pursuing maturity in Christ? Are we seeking to be equipped to do good and participate in the ministry of reconciliation?
“Examine yourselves about your faith,” said Paul.
Action Plan
- How can believers “examine” their beliefs and actions to ensure they are “in the faith”?
- In what ways can an accountability partner or a small group help a believer complete this examination?
- What aspect of spiritual self-examination seems the most difficult for you in your current season of life?
Resources For This Lesson
- “2023-2024 NIV Standard Lesson Commentary, International Sunday School Lessons,” pages 241-248.
- “The New Interpreter’s Bible, Volume XI” by Paul Sampley, pages 176-178.
- “The Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians” by Charles R. Erdman, pages 130-134.
Dr. Hal Brady is a retired pastor who continues to present the Good News of Jesus Christ and offer encouragement in a fresh and vital way though Hal Brady Ministries (halbradyministries.com).
