Translation & Sermon by
Nate Wilson for Christ The Redeemer Church, Manhattan, KS, 13 Sept
2026
Underlined words in Scripture quotes indicate words that
are in common with the Greek text of the sermon passage. Otherwise,
underlining indicates words to emphasize when reading this transcript
out loud.
Have you ever had moments of doubt about Christianity where you asked questions like:
“If Christianity is true and God is so powerful, how come my life is so hard and Christians get persecuted so much?”
“Why haven’t Christians become the most powerful ruling class in the world?”
“Is there proof that Jesus actually brings the power of God into our lives?”
“And is there proof that God’s Anointed prophet, priest, and king actually communicated through the writers of the Bible, making the Bible the only reliable source of information?” Or is all this just a fairy tale?
It is not necessarily wrong to ask questions like these if we are sincerely wanting to confirm the truth.
In our passage today, we see that members of the church in Corinth were asking questions like this because Paul undertakes to answer these questions. Let’s study his answers together!
Read
my translation of the passage 2 Corinthians 13:1-6:
This is the
third time I am coming to y’all; it is “upon the mouth of two or
three witnesses that any statement will be established.” I have
given forewarning, and I am still giving forewarning (like when I
was present the second time) even now while I am away [writing] to
those who have previously sinned (as well as to all the rest), that
whenever I come for the follow-up, I will not go easy. In this case,
it is proof that you are seeking of the Anointed One, (Who is not
weak among y’all but rather is powerful among y’all) speaking
through me. Now indeed, He was crucified as a result of weakness,
but He lives as a result of the power of God. Indeed as for us also,
we are weak with Him, but we will live together with Him as a result
of the power of God among y’all. Keep testing yourselves out as to
whether y’all are in the faith; Keep testing yourselves for
genuineness, rather than y’all not knowing yourselves for sure
whether Jesus the Anointed One is with y’all – whether y’all
are unfit. But I hope that y’all will come to know that as for us,
we are not unfit.
Paul quotes from the Greek translation of Deuteronomy 19:15 “One witness shall not stand to testify against a man for any iniquity, or for any fault, or for any sin which he may commit; by the mouth of two witnesses, or by the mouth of three witnesses, shall every word be established.” (NKJV, cf. Deut. 17:6, Num 35:30, cf. Heb. 10:28)
This is a legal precedent which Jesus Himself also affirmed in
Matthew 18:16 “But if he doesn't take heed, bring along with you one or two more, in order that upon the testimony of two witnesses (or three) every statement may be established.” (NAW)
and John 8:17 “...in y'all's own law it has been written that the testimony of two men is the truth.” (NAW)
Paul seems to be saying that each of his visits will be a “testimony/witness” which will provide evidence of his authenticity as an apostle of Jesus Christ. Two visits should have been enough, according to Jewish legal precedent, but this third visit should clinch it.1
It is also possible that Paul is indirectly chiding the Corinthian Christians for accepting rumors about him without a proper threshold of proof. Later on he wrote to Timothy, “Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from [on the basis of] two or three witnesses.” (1 Tim. 5:19, NKJV)
So now for the third time in this epistle, Paul talks about coming for a third visit. He mentioned it before in:
2 Corinthians 1:14-16 “...it was under this impression... that we are your cause for celebration... that I was wanting to come to y'all first (in order that y'all might have a double grace), that is, to pass through y'all into Macedonia, then to come again from Macedonia to y'all, and then to be sent forth by y'all into Judea.…” (NAW) That was the original plan, but it got changed and delayed,
but he says in 2 Cor. 12:14 “See, I stand ready this third time to come to y'all...” (NAW)
Now in verse 2, he puts this visit into perspective with his other visits and communications to them.
Paul relates five different events in time together in verse 2:
First was the sin which had been “done previously/heretofore/earlier/in the past” by the Corinthians. He has just summarized those sins a few verses back in 2 Corinthians 12:20-21 “...strifes, jealousies, rages, selfish-ambitions, trash-talks, whisperings, haughtinesses, instabilities... uncleanness and sexual immorality and incontinence...” (NAW)
Then came the initial “forewarning” (mentioned at the beginning of verse 2) which Paul had “told them before/previously said.” This initial forewarning came earlier in Paul’s ministry – perhaps it is the same as his first letter to the Corinthians2. In that letter, he pointed out many sins and called them to repentance.
Then he came back briefly to Corinth for a second visit. 2 Corinthians 2:1 and 12:21 mention that it was an occasion of “sadness/grief” for Paul because of the sins which he observed still going on in the church. As we see here in this verse, Paul warned them to repent of those sins while he was with them on that second visit. But he had other places to go, so he didn’t stick around to see the result.
Now, in the present, Paul says, “I am still giving forewarning/foretell/say in advance/repeat/ warn… even now while I am away [though now absent].” He is somewhere in Macedonia – perhaps Philippi, writing yet another letter to the church in Corinth and offering correction to them – harping not only on the first set of sins addressed in First Corinthians (which apparently some were still committing), but also addressing additional issues of apostasy amongst the rest of the church in Second Corinthians. Paul has not changed his tune.
Finally, at the end of v.2 (just as he did in v.1), he speaks of his intentions to visit Corinth a third time, using a future tense verb: “On my return I will not spare/go easy.3”
The Greek subjunctive particle and verb translated, “If I come,” in most English versions, is not speaking of uncertainty as to whether Paul will come for this third visit, but rather it speaks of the uncertainty of WHEN Paul will come, “...whenever I come, I will not go easy.”
Paul has given multiple chances to the Corinthian church to deal with sins that he has brought to their attention. He has been patient and gracious with them, as he wrote in 2 Corinthians 1:23 “...I have been sparing/going easy on y'all…,” but now he is sensing that it is no longer appropriate to be patient and gracious.
Just as we see in the church discipline process of Matthew 18:15ff, we need to be patient and gentle at first and give folks a chance to repent, but eventually, discipline must be brought to bear upon those who do not respond to repeated calls to repentance.
In 1 Corinthians 4:21, Paul implies that, at some point, he may have to come “with a rod,” that is, to implement a church discipline process.
And to his church pastor trainees, Titus and Timothy, he wrote of what that process entails4:
Titus 3:10 “Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition...” (NKJV)
1 Timothy 1:20 “...I delivered...Hymenaeus and Alexander... to Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.” (NKJV, cf. 1 Cor. 5:5)
But Paul’s concern is not merely about the outward behavior of the Corinthians. He knows that faith in Jesus is the most important thing to address, so he addresses that in verses 3-5.
In verse 3, the word “proof” is in the emphatic position in the Greek text. The question of the day was, “Does Paul have the right guy as Messiah, or are the new super-apostles correct in saying that we should get over Jesus and look elsewhere for our great Messianic prophet, priest, and king? It would be compelling proof if some real supernatural power were displayed instead of weakness, but all we’re seeing in Paul is namby-pamby weakness, so maybe Paul got it wrong.”
Maybe you have had similar questions:
“Could it be that the secularists were right all along that man-made institutions are where we should put our trust, because that’s where the power is?”
In response to this uncertainty, Paul emphatically states that “the Christ” – the Messiah – is indeed s”peaking through” him (and therefore not through the false apostles) and that Jesus is indeed operating powerfully in the “midst” of the Corinthian church: “the Anointed One” he says in v.2 “is not weak among y’all but rather is powerful among y’all,” and “He is the one who is speaking in/through me.”
The Greek prepositional phrase “in me,” is not describing the physical location of Jesus, but rather who the Messiah’s agent is: Paul is claiming to be a certified mouthpiece of God’s Anointed Prophet, Priest, and King: “the Christ has been speaking by my agency.”
This is enormously significant. It means that the Bible is the only authorized source of information about God’s interaction with mankind. It also means that God-sized amounts of power had been displayed right under the noses of the Corinthian Christians without them noticing it.
Regarding Paul (and other Biblical writers) being the agents through which Christ spoke,
Jesus told the Apostles in Matthew 10:20 “For it's not you who are the speakers, but rather the Spirit of your Father who does the speaking through you.” (NAW)
and in 1 Corinthians 7:40 Paul asserted, “...I also have the Spirit of God.” (NAW)
So we should trust what Paul wrote, even if, as his detractors said in 2 Corinthians 10:10, “...the presence of his body is weak and his word has been discredited.” (NAW)
“[N]o prophecy of Scripture originates from a private interpretation, for it was not by the will of a man that prophecy was brought forth back then, but rather, it was while being led by the Holy Spirit that holy men of God made utterance.” (2 Peter 1:20-21, NAW)
What the Bible says about Jesus is true and reliable.
Now, as regards the question of “where’s the power?” You may have missed it too, but it is all over Paul’s letters to the Corinthians5:
2 Corinthians 1:4 “[God] ... comforts us in all our stress in order for us to be empowered to comfort those in any stress, by means of the comfort by which we ourselves are being comforted by God…” (NAW)
2 Corinthians 1:8-10 “...in Asia... we were weighed down to the extreme – beyond [human] power/ability … but ... God who raises the dead... rescued us…” (NAW)
2 Corinthians 4:6-7 “For the God Who said, ‘Out of darkness light shall shine!’ is the One who shone into our hearts for enlightenment of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus the Anointed One. But we have this treasure in ceramic pots in order that the abundance of power might be of God and not out of ourselves.” (NAW)
2 Corinthians 6:4-7 “... we are recommending ourselves as servants of God in much perseverance… using the word of truth, using the power of God, using the armaments of righteousness for the right hand and for the left...” (NAW)
2 Corinthians 9:8 “and God is able/powerful enough to make all grace abound among y'all, in order that in everything, always, having all sufficiency, y'all may abound in every good work...” (NAW)
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 “because the weapons of our combat are not fleshly but rather are made powerful by God for taking down of strongholds: by us taking down reckonings and every lofty thing that raises itself up against the knowledge of God...” (NAW)
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 “He [God] has said to me, ‘My grace is enough for you, for my power is perfected through weakness.’ So instead, I will most-gladly brag about myself in my weaknesses so that the power of Christ/the Anointed One may camp out on me… whenever I am weak, it is then that I am strong/powerful…” (NAW)
2 Corinthians 12:12 “Indeed, the signs of my apostleship were executed among y'all with all perseverance by signs and portents and miraculous displays of power.” (NAW)
And Paul will comment in the next verse – in 2 Corinthians 13:4, that, although Jesus was “crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God,” and that this same “power” is at work in the lives of “weak” believers who will be resurrected and given eternal life “by the power of God.”
Don’t underestimate the power of giving life, resurrecting the dead, infusing the ability to live life by His word, preserving life when it is threatened on this earth, and making it eternal. That’s where the real power is, and that is the “power of God” operating in the lives of Christians to which Paul points the doubting Corinthians.
The pattern of human weakness leading to death and divine power leading to eternal life is what we saw in Jesus’ life, and it is the same pattern we should expect to see in our lives today. Verse 4 draws a perfect parallel between Jesus’ experience and ours in this respect.
Are you alive now? Do realize how much divine power that takes? Are you spiritually alive with love for God? That is an even more-awesome demonstration of power from God! To look for further demonstrations of power beyond that is to miss the point and insult the miraculous work of God!
Likewise, to expect fleshly, temporal power in this life is to expect something that does not fit the pattern Jesus laid for us. Sure, He stood for what was right and spoke the truth and served thousands of people, but His life was one of suffering and dying – He was “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3), so if we too are “acquainted with grief” in this life, it does not disprove the power of God; rather it confirms the experience of the real Messiah.
But that’s not the end of the story! The last phrase of verse 4 speaks of the future: “we will live together with Him as a result of the power of God toward/among y’all.” The good news is that the parallels between the experience of Jesus and that of Christians continue on into eternity!
Jesus said in Revelation 1:18 “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.” (NKJV) What does that bode for us?
Since Jesus is with God the Father in heaven, we too will live together with Him in heaven.
2 Corinthians 4:10 For now we are “carrying around the dead-state of the Lord Jesus in our body, in order that the life of Jesus might also be brought to light in our body.” (NAW, cf . 1 Cor. 6:14, Philippians. 3:10, etc.)
Lack of worldly power and pleasure in this life does not disprove the Gospel; it will be more than made-up-for in the age to come!
One day you will experience “…what the wealth of the glory of His inheritance in the saints is, and what the hyperbolic greatness of His power into us believers is, according to the energy of the might of His strength, which He worked in the Christ when He raised out of the dead and seated Him in His right hand in the heavens…” (Ephesians 1:18-20, NAW) – that’s the kind of power, wealth, and glory that followers of Jesus are going to have forever!
So, towards that end, Paul issues two commands in v.5
“Test/Examine yourselves as to whether y’all are in the faith” and
“Test/prove/examine yourselves for genuineness…” - which amounts to the same thing.
The commands in verse 5 are in the Greek present tense, indicating that this is not a command to conduct a one-time pass/fail exam but rather a command to live a lifestyle of holding yourself up to scrutiny and knowing (once again, “knowing” in the ongoing present tense) – knowing day-by-day that Jesus, God’s Anointed prophet, priest, and king is “in/with you.”
This sounds very much like other passages Paul wrote on the same subject:
1 Corinthians 11:28 “A man must continue to test himself for genuineness, and thus he is to continue to eat from the bread and drink out of the cup...” (NAW) – week-in and week-out as we observe the Lord’s Supper.
Romans 8:9-11 “...you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” (NKJV, cf. 1 John 4:13)
Colossians 1:27 “...God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (NKJV)
Paul has given the Corinthians abundant encouragement on this front, but they must own the truth for themselves – and you must own it as well:
1 Corinthians 1:4 & 9 “I am thanking my God always concerning y'all, on account of the grace of God which was given to y'all by Jesus Christ… God is faithful, through whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ, our Lord.” (NAW)
1 Cor. 6:15 “Haven't y'all known that your bodies are members of Christ…?” (NAW)
1 Cor. 12:27 “Now, y'all are the body of Christ, and members of a part...” (NAW)
2 Corinthians 4:6 “For the God Who said, ‘Out of darkness light shall shine!’ is the One who shone into our hearts for enlightenment of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus the Anointed One.” (NAW)
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in the Anointed One, there is a renewed creation; the old things have passed away. Look! All things have become renewed!” (NAW)
This self-examination concerning where you stand in relation to God’s Anointed prophet, priest, and king has been a long-standing discipline of God’s people:
Back in the Psalms, David asked God to check him out like this:
Psalm 26:2-3 “Prove me, O Lord, and try me; purify as with fire my reins and my heart. For thy mercy is before mine eyes: and I am well pleased with thy truth.”
Psalm 139:23-24 “Prove me, O God, and know my heart; examine6 me, and know my paths; and see if there is any way of iniquity in me, and lead me in an everlasting way.” (Brenton)
And the prophets like Jeremiah and Haggai called God’s people to do the same:
The alternative to checking-up on our relationship with Christ is to live in doubt and uncertainty concerning our relationship with God.
In verse 5, the 2nd plural pronoun “yourselves” is in the accusative case, making it the object of the verb “know.” “Do you not realize/recognize yourselves…” We are to know our own spiritual state.
I interpret the two phrases at the end of verse 5 as two possible outcomes of knowing ourselves based upon examination: Either 1) Jesus is “with” them, or 2) they are “rejected” from the kingdom.
Option number one (“Christ in you”) is parallel to the previous phrase “you are in the faith” – the faith which Jude 1:3 says “was once for all delivered to the saints.”
The alternative9 is you not being “in association with the faith” – and Christ not being “in association with you.” In this case “you are adokimoi/disapproved/reprobate/depraved/disqualified/worthless/unfit.” (There are a lot of different English translations for that word!)
This Greek word for “disapproved/reprobate/disqualified” at the end of verse 5 shares the same root as the verb in the middle of the verse for “test/prove/examine yourselves for genuineness/fitness/usefulness,” but here at the end, it has an alpha-privative, making it mean “failed the test/not proved genuine,” and, under that rubric, a couple of English versions changed the Greek words “you are disqualified” to “you failed [the test].”
“[I]if they could prove their own Christianity, this would be a proof of [Paul’s] apostleship; for if they were in the faith – if Jesus Christ was in them, this [would be] a proof that Christ [had] spoke[n] in [Paul], because it was by his ministry that they... believe[d].” ~M. Henry10, 1714 AD
It’s important to recognize, however, that Christianity is not a performance-test that requires a certain level of achievement to get on God’s good side and into heaven. It’s also not a test at which you can keep getting better and better until you qualify. It’s about who you are, not just about what you do.
Also, Paul’s wording affirms God’s sovereignty in the matter, speaking of whether or not Christ is “in association with you” and whether Christ “approves” of you. As with all relationships, our relationship with God is a two-way street, but it starts with His initiative.
The “you,” by the way is not an individual person. It is plural. Paul is speaking of “you all in a particular church congregation,” and calling them to check up on one another and make sure that, together as a church community, they do not find themselves rejected by God, like the lampstands in Revelation 2-3 that represented churches that Jesus threatened to snuff out.
These terms “test/examine” and “reprobate/disqualified/failed” are used in the Greek Old Testament only in the context of refining precious metals, although the Greek New Testament expands the meaning to human beings.
Hebrews 6:7-9 says that those who are “disapproved/reprobate/rejected/worthless” are those who “have heard the good” news (that Jesus is the Messiah) but don’t believe it and so side with those who “crucified” Jesus.
Titus 1:16 says that those who are “disqualified/reprobate/worthless/unfit” are those who “profess to know God, but in works they deny… [and] disobey Him…”
Romans 1:28 says that they are those who “did not like to retain God in their knowledge,” and 2 Timothy 3:8 that they are those who “resist the truth.”
Do you “resist the truth” and avoid thinking about God? Do you “deny and disobey God” because you hate Jesus and wish He were dead? Clearly such a person is not a Christian.
Conversely, do you believe that Jesus brought the word of God to you, and died for your sins to make you right with God, and rose to heaven to be your eternal king? Do you like to think about that and talk about it with other people? Do you want to obey King Jesus? Jesus made you be that way because He loves you. That is the essence of being a Christian.
So, circling back to the doubts folks have about the Bible and its message, did Paul “board the wrong train” when he started believing that Jesus is the Christ – God’s ultimate prophet, priest, and king? Or did Paul lose favor with Christ and “fall off the wagon”?
No, he says in v.6, “You will come to know that we [Timothy, Titus and I] are not reprobate.”
Paul has been consistent in standing against what is wrong and faithfully delivering the message Jesus gave him.
And Paul’s theological conclusions check out with integrity, even though they surprise some of our fleshly assumptions about power and weakness in this life.
The power of God is displayed on this earth primarily in bringing life from the dead, not through dominating other persons politically or economically.
Suffering for doing right is not evidence of making a religious mistake; rather, suffering for doing right is fellowship with the true Messiah.
Paul checks out. What about you? Where do you stand in relation to God’s Anointed prophet, priest, and king? Don’t leave it in doubt11. Examine your faith and become convinced, just as Paul was, that “Jesus Christ is with us!”
What
gift of grace is Jesus my redeemer
There is no more for heaven
now to give
He is my joy, my righteousness, and freedom
My
steadfast love, my deep and boundless peace
To this I hold, my
hope is only Jesus For my life is wholly bound to his
Oh how
strange and divine, I can sing: all is mine! Yet not I, but through
Christ in me
The night is dark but I am not forsaken
For
by my side, the Saviour He will stay
I labour on in weakness
and rejoicing
For in my need, His power is displayed
To
this I hold, my Shepherd will defend me
Through the deepest
valley He will lead
Oh the night has been won, and I shall
overcome!
Yet not I, but through Christ in me
ByzantineB |
NAW |
KJVC |
NKJVD |
NASBE |
NIVF |
ESVG |
RheimsH |
MurdockI |
CopticJ |
1 Τρίτον τοῦτο ἔρχομαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς· “ἐπὶ στόματος δύο μαρτύρων καὶ τριῶν σταθήσεται πᾶν ῥῆμα.”K |
1 This is the third time I am coming to y’all; it is “upon the mouth of two or three witnesses that any statement will be established.” |
1
This is
the third time
I am coming to you. |
1 This will be the third time I am coming to you. "BY THE MOUTH OF 2 OR 3 WITNESSES EVERY WORD SHALL BE ESTABLISHED." |
1
This is the third time I am coming to you. EVERY
FACT
|
1
This will be my third visit
to you. "Every matter
|
1
This is the third time I am coming to you. Every
charge
|
1
[Behold],
this is the third time I am coming to you: |
1
This is the third time that I [have
prepare to]
come to you; that, by the mouth
of two or three witnesses, every word
|
1
This is the three of time I am coming to you. |
2 προείρηκα καὶ προλέγω, ὡς παρὼν τὸ δεύτερον, καὶ ἀπὼν νῦν [γράφωL] τοῖς προημαρτηκόσι καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς πᾶσιν, ὅτι ἐὰν ἔλθωM εἰς τὸ πάλινN οὐ φείσομαι· |
2 I have given forewarning, and I am still giving forewarning (like when I was present the second time) even now while I am away [writing] to those who have previously sinned (as well as to all the rest), that whenever I come for the follow-up, I will not go easy. |
2 I X 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 otherX, that, if I come X again, I will not spare: |
2 I have told [you] before, and foretell as [if] I were present the second time, and now being absent I write to those who have sinned before, and to all the rest, that if I come X again I will not spare— |
2 I have previously said X when present the second time, and though now absent I say in advance X to those who have sinned in the past and to all the rest as well, that if I come X again I will not spare anyone, |
2
I already
gave
[you
a]
warning X
when I was with you the second time.
I now |
2
I
X
X
warned
X
those who X
sinned before
and all the |
2 I have told before and foretell, as present X X and now absent, to them that XO sinned before and to all the rest, that if I come X again, I will not spare. |
2
I have before
said [to
you],
and [again]
I say [to
you]
beforehand,
(as also [I
said to you] |
2
[ForS] I
X said
from (the) beginning,
and I am before
in saying [again],
as being with [you] (the) second time; and now [again] not being
[with you (the) third timeB]
I |
3 ἐπεὶ δοκιμὴν ζητεῖτε τοῦP ἐνQ ἐμοὶ λαλοῦντος Χριστοῦ, ὃς εἰς ὑμᾶς οὐκ ἀσθενεῖ, ἀλλὰ δυνατεῖ ἐν ὑμῖν. |
3 In this case, it is proof that you are seeking of the Anointed One (Who is not weak among y’all but rather is powerful among y’all) speaking through me. |
3 Since ye seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, which to you-ward is not weak, but is mighty in you. |
3 since you seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, who is not weak toward you, but mighty in you. |
3 since you are seeking for proof of the Christ who speaks in me, [and] who is not weak toward you, but mighty in you. |
3
since you are |
3
since you seek proof
|
3
|
3
because ye |
3 because ye seek for (the) proof of him who speaketh in me, Christ; [this] who is not weak toward you, but is powerful in you: |
4 καὶ γὰρ εἰR ἐσταυρώθη ἐξS ἀσθενείας, ἀλλὰ ζῇ ἐκ δυνάμεως Θεοῦ. καὶ γὰρ ἡμεῖς ἀσθενοῦμενT ἐν αὐτῷ, ἀλλὰ ζησόμεθαU σὺν αὐτῷ ἐκ δυνάμεως Θεοῦ εἰς ὑμᾶςV. |
4 Now indeed, He was crucified as a result of weakness, but He lives as a result of the power of God. Indeed as for us also, we are weak with Him, but we will live together with Him as a result of the power of God among y’all. |
4
For though
he was crucified
|
4
For though
He was crucified
|
4 For indeed He was crucified because of weakness, yet He lives because of the power of God. For we X also are weak in Him, yet we will live with Him because of the power of God directed toward you. |
4
For to
be sure, he was crucified |
4
For X
he was crucified
|
4
For although
he was crucified
|
4
For, though
he was crucified
|
4
for also he was crucified
from [a] weakness,
but he liveth |
5 ῾Εαυτοὺς πειράζετε εἰ ἐστὲ ἐν τῇ πίστει, ἑαυτοὺς δοκιμάζετε. ἢW οὐκ ἐπιγινώσκετε ἑαυτοὺςX ὅτι ᾿Ιησοῦς Χριστὸς ἐνY ὑμῖν ἐστινZ; εἰ μήτι ἀδόκιμοί ἐστε. |
5 Keep testing yourselves out, as to whether y’all are in the faith; Keep testing yourselves for genuineness, rather than y’all not knowing yourselves for sure whether Jesus the Anointed One is with y’all – whether y’all are unfit. |
5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. X Know ye not your own selves, [how] that Jesus Christ is in you, except X ye be reprobates? |
5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. X Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified. |
5
Test
yourselves
to see
if you are in the faith; examine
yourselves!
Or do you not recognize
[this about]
yourselves,
that Jesus Christ is in you—unless
indeed
you |
5
Examine
yourselves [to
see] whether
you are in the faith; test
yourselves.
X Do you not
realize
X that Christ
Jesus is in you--unless, of
course, you |
5
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 |
5 Try your own selves if you be in the faith: prove ye yourselves. XAA Know you not your own selves, that Christ Jesus is in you, unless perhaps you be reprobates? |
5
Examine
yourselves, whether ye |
5 Try your own selves, whether ye are in the faith; prove your own selves. Or know ye not X that Christ Jesus is in you, except perhaps that ye (are) reprobates? |
6 ἐλπίζω δὲ ὅτι γνώσεσθε ὅτι ἡμεῖς οὐκ ἐσμὲν ἀδόκιμοι. |
6 But I hope that y’all will come to know that as for us, we are not unfit. |
6 But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates. |
6 But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified. |
6 But I trust that you will realize that we ourselves do not fail the test. |
6 And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test. |
6 I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test. |
6 But I trust that you shall know that we are not reprobates. |
6 But, I trust, ye will know that we are not reprobates. |
6 But I hopeB/trustS that ye will know that we (are) not reprobates. |
1This was the position of Chrysostom and Calvin (and, according to Hughes, also of Theodoret, Estius, Wordsworth, Stanley, Olshausen, Bousset, Godet, Lietzmann, Bachmann, Windisch, and Strachan). To that could be added Henry, who thought that the letters rather than the visits were the three witnesses. Lenski, G. Wilson, and Hughes disagreed, claiming that Paul was just promising to gather one or two witnesses when he conducted his ecclesiastical court proceedings.
2or even the letter before that where he “warned them not to associate with fornicators” (referenced in 1 Cor. 5:9-12).
3P. E. Hughes and Denney drew parallels in their commentaries between Paul’s third coming with severe judgment (after previous visits in which he was soft) and Christ’s second coming in judgment (after first coming in mercy and salvation).
4cf. Calvin: “I have no doubt that he means that he will inflict punishment upon them by excommunication. For what is more to be dreaded than being cut off from the body of Christ, expelled from the kingdom of God, and delivered over to Satan for destruction (1 Cor. 5:5) unless you repent?”
5cf. Plummer “[T]he amazing fact of ‘saints’ in such a city as Corinth…” was evidence of the power of God!
6Ἔτασόν, a synonym to πειράζετε in 2 Cor. 13:5.
7Ἐξηρευνήθη... καὶ ἠτάσθη…, synonymous with πειράζετε ... δοκιμάζετε in 2 Cor. 13:5.
8Literally, “set your heart into your ways,” θέσθε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν εἰς τὰς ὁδοὺς ὑμῶν, following the Hebrew exactly: שִׂימוּ לְבַבְכֶם עַל־דַּרְכֵיכֶם
9“[H]he leaves them no alternative but either to show respect to his Apostleship or to allow that they are reprobates.” ~Calvin
10cf. Chrysostom before him: “For if ye will but examine yourselves who are in the rank of disciples, ye will see that Christ is in you also. But if in you, then much more in your teacher.”
11Calvin’s commentary took this opportunity to stand against the Roman Catholic doctrine of “moral conjecture” which results in a lack of assurance of salvation. “Paul… declares here that all are ‘reprobates’ who doubt whether they profess Christ and are a part of His body.”
AWhen
a translation adds words not in the Greek text, but does not
indicate it has done so by the use of italics or greyed-out text, I
put the added words in [square brackets]. When one version chooses a
wording which is different from all the other translations, I
underline it. When a version chooses a translation which, in my
opinion, either departs too far from the root meaning of the Greek
word or departs too far from the grammar form of the original text,
I use strikeout. And when a version omits a word
which is in the original text, I insert an X. I also place an X at
the end of a word if the original word is plural but the English
translation is singular. I occasionally use colors to help the
reader see correlations between the various editions and versions
when there are more than two different translations of a given word.
NAW is my translation.
BThis Greek New Testament is the 1904 "Patriarchal" edition of the Greek Orthodox Church. As published by E-Sword in 2016. The Robinson-Pierpont Byzantine majority text of the GNT and the Textus Receptus are very similar. The Westcott-Hort, Nestle-Aland, UBS, and Tregelles editions, however, are a slightly-different family of GNTs developed in the modern era, focusing on the few manuscripts which are older than the Byzantine manuscripts. Even so, the practical differences in the text between these two editing philosophies are minimal.
C1769 King James Version of the Holy Bible; public domain. As published by E-Sword in 2019.
DNew King James Version, Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. As published by E-sword in 2016.
EScripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. As published by E-sword in 2016.
FScripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
GScripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. As published by E-sword in 2009.
HRheims New Testament first published by the English College at Rheims, A.D. 1582, Revised and Diligently Compared with the Latin Vulgate by Bishop Richard Challoner, Published in 1582, 1609, 1752. As published on E-Sword in 2016.
IJames Murdock, A Literal Translation from the Syriac Peshito Version, 1851, Robert Carter & Brothers, New York. Scanned and transcribed by Gary Cernava and published electronically by Janet Magierra at http://www.lightofword.org, and published on E-Sword in 2023.
JThis is my conflation of the English translations of the Northern Bohairic and Southern Sahidic traditions published by Oxford Clarendon Press in 1905 and 1920 respectively, neither of which named the translator or editor. The beginnings and ends of multiple-word variants are marked out with brackets, with a superscript “S” for Sahidic or “B” for Bohairic. The editor of the Sahidic compilation did not have manuscripts for some verses, and I have not discovered a published English translation of the subsequently-discovered manuscripts, so variants in that section for that tradition are not listed.
KCompare 2 Cor. 13:1 ...ἐπὶ στόματος δύο μαρτύρων καὶ τριῶν σταθήσεται πᾶν ῥῆμα.
with Mat. 18:16 ...ἐπὶ στόματος δύο μαρτύρων ἢ τριῶν σταθῇ πᾶν ῥῆμα.
and Deut. 19:15 ...ἐπὶ στόματος δύο μαρτύρων καὶ ἐπὶ στόματος τριῶν μαρτύρων σταθήσεται πᾶν ῥῆμα
L-to-R translit.
of Hebrew: ‘al
piy shnay
‘aydiym oh
‘al piy
sheloshah ‘aydiym
yaqum
davar.
Paul
seems to be quoting the Greek, which changed the conjunction to
“and” and added “every.” Jesus seems to have done the same
thing, although he retained the Hebrew conjunction “or.” Both
Jesus and Paul removed the repetitive words “upon the mouth of …
witnesses.”
LEleven Greek manuscripts (including all five of the pre-9th century ones) do not include this word, therefore it is not included in the contemporary critical editions of the GNT (and thus not in English versions translated after the mid-19th century – except the NKJV), but it is in the majority of Greek manuscripts and thus in the Greek Orthodox and Textus Receptus editions. Among the ancient versions, the Vulgate reads without “I write,” but the Peshitta and Coptic read with “I write,” indicating that they had a common source as old as the oldest-known Greek documents. Obviously, Paul wrote the letter because the letter exists, so it doesn’t make a difference whether or not he explicitly repeats the fact that he wrote it.
MThe NIV and NLT removed the indefinite meaning of this Greek subjunctive phrase. Most other English versions translated the indefiniteness as a question of whether or not Paul would come a third time, but I think it best to interpret the subjunctive as indefiniteness as to the timing of the third visit (“whenever” instead of “if” I come). G. Wilson cited the NEB and Massie translations “when/whenever” favorably, and Hughes cited Tasker favorably as saying that it could mean “when.”
NThe adverb “again” is treated as a noun here (as the object of the preposition “into” with its own definite article “the”), so I translated it as a noun (“for the follow-up”), but most English versions instead deleted the preposition and the definite article and preserved the adverb as “again.”
OThe Vulgate carried over the Perfect tense from the Greek into Latin, but the Rheims translation did not carry over the perfect tense into English.
PThis definite article could be modifying the participle (NASB “the one speaking, namely Christ” – cf. Vincent “An experimental proof of what kind of a being the Christ who speaks in me is” and Waite “the Christ who spoke in him is contrasted with the Christ which spoke in the Judaizers” – but this seems to be going beyond the actual text), or it could be modifying the noun (“proving whether the Christ dwelleth in me” – Chrysostom, cf. Ambrose, Henry, and Hughes – a challenge to the apostle’s integrity – which makes more sense to me). Calvin was somewhere inbetween: “It is Christ that speaks by me; when therefore, you bring my doctrine under your lash, it is not so much to me as to him that you do injury.” Hughes followed Calvin in relating this to Numbers 16:11 “What are we — I and Aaron? You are tempting God.”
QThe question of the day was, “Does Paul have the right guy as Messiah? Or should we be looking elsewhere besides this Jesus that he makes so much of?” The Greek preposition “in me,” is not about the location of Jesus, but about who the Messiah’s agent is: “the Christ has been speaking by my agency” (Louw & Nida semantic domain #90.6). Hughes quoted Num. 16:28 (“Hereby ye shall know that Jehovah hath sent me to do all these works; for I have not done them of mine own mind”) and quoted Denney as saying, “in challenging Paul to come and exert his authority, in defying him to come with a rod, in presuming on what they called his weakness, they were really challenging Christ.”
R10 Greek manuscripts (including the 3rd Century P46 and 4th century Vaticanus) do not have this word, therefore it is not in any of the contemporary critical editions of the GNT. It is a 1st class conditional, indicating a true condition (“since”), and the oldest document containing it is the 5th century Alexandrinus (as well as a marginal note in the 4th Century Sinaiticus). The majority of Greek manuscripts contain it, thus it is the reading of the traditional Textus Receptus and Greek Orthodox GNT’s. It is clearly in the 4th century Vulgate, but perhaps not in the Peshitta and Coptic versions. It is hard to imagine how it could have gotten added in by a copyist since there are already two other conjunctions present, but the two other conjunctions make it such that it really doesn’t mean anything different without it.
SLiterally “out of” (see Coptic, Vincent), therefore I interpreted it as “resulting from.” Geneva interpreted it generally “concerning,” KJV, RV, and ASV interpreted it as means (“through” – but I don’t see how Jesus could be crucified using weakness), the NASB and NET (following Robertson) interpreted it as causal (“because/by reason of” – but again, would Paul be emphasizing that it was because of His weakness that Jesus was crucified?), and the NKJV, NIV, ESV, and NLT interpreted it locatively/temporally? (“in” – perhaps “in a state of weakness”). Vincent oddly claimed it meant “source,” but how could Jesus’ weakness be the source of his death? Chrysostom inappropriately used it to mean that crucifixion WAS a form of weakness, and Henry explained it rather paraphrastically: “appeared in his crucifixion as a weak and contemptible person.” Calvin did somewhat better with, “Christ suffered by appointment, not by constraint, because, being in the form of God he could have exempted himself from this necessity, but, nevertheless, he ‘suffered through weakness,’ because he emptied himself (Philippians 2:6.)” The next phrase “but he lives out of the power of God” uses the same preposition, but the ASV/NASB and RV are the only English versions which used the same English word for both instances of the same Greek preposition.
T“What is, ‘though He was crucified through weakness?’ For though He chose… to endure a thing which seems to carry a notion of weakness, still this in no way breaks in upon His Power… he called the Cross so, as setting forth the conception of the unbelieving regarding it (1 Cor. 1:18)…. What is ‘in weakness’ [in regard to he Apostles]? In persecutions, in dangers, in trials, in plottings, in deaths.” ~Chrysostom
UThis is the reading of the majority of Greek manuscripts (the oldest being 9th century, although it is in a marginal note in the 6th century Bezae manuscript), therefore it is the reading of the Textus Receptus and Greek Orthodox editions of the GNT. Fourteen Greek manuscripts (including all 5 manuscripts dated older than the 9th century) read instead with a non-deponent spelling of this word (that is, with the -ομεν form of ending rather than -ομεθα). There is no difference in meaning; this is just a old-fashioned spelling that became rare after the 9th century.
VHughes followed Vincent in construing “toward you” with “live” rather than with “power of God” (“but we shall live-with-Him-through-the-power-of-God toward you”).
WThis particle can be a disjunctive conjunction (“or” – RV/ESV, ASV/NASB, NET), or an introduction to a negative rhetorical question (L&N Supplement #89.139a – Geneva, KJV, NIV), or some other form of contrast (“than” L&N#64.18 / “rather” – L&N Supplement #89.126a / “except” – L&N Supplement #89.131a). The NLT, however, made it emphatic (“surely”), but there is no such semantic domain associated with this Greek word in L&N’s lexicon.
XThis 2nd plural pronoun is in the accusative case, making it the object of the verb “know.” They are to know their own spiritual state. I interpret the ensuing hoti and ei meti as “whether – whether” – two possible outcomes of knowledge of the self based upon examination: Either “Jesus is with” them or they are “rejected” from the kingdom.
YThe previous instance of this preposition (“you are in the faith”) suggests that this one might also be translated the same way (“Christ is in you”). All the English versions opt for “in” in both cases, but in neither case is it locative (Louw & Nida semantic domain #83.9 – “in/among”), rather it is associative (Louw & Nida semantic domain #89.119 – “in union with”), in which case “Christ is with you” makes sense in this iteration.
ZThis is the reading of the majority of Greek manuscripts (the oldest being the 4th Century Sinaiticus), therefore it is the reading of the Textus Receptus and Greek Orthodox editions of the GNT, and it is in all the ancient versions dating back to the 3rd century. However, four Greek manuscripts (including the 3rd Century P46 and 4th Century Vaticanus) read without this verb of being (which still has to be supplied in translation, so it makes no difference in meaning), so none of the contemporary critical editions of the GNT contain it.
AAThe Vulgate has an (“or”) here, matching the Greek text, but Rheims missed it in his English translation.
ABThe Peshitta has ܐܰܘ (“or”) here, matching the Greek text, but Etheridge, Murdock, and Lamsa all omitted it.
ACThe Peshitta includes the 2nd plural pronoun in the Greek text (as a suffix to the verb “know”), but Etheridge, Murdock, and Lamsa all overlooked it.