2 Corinthians 13 vs 5-14 - Corps-37
Publication Date: June 29, 1984
Walter J. Cummins graduated from the Power for Abundant Class in 1962.
He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Ohio State University in 1968 and his Master of Education degree in Secondary School Administration in 1978 from Wright State University.
He was ordained to the Christian by The Way International in 1968. He has studied at The Way International under Victor Paul Wierwille and K.C.Pillai. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he was director of the Research department of the Way International and served as assistant to the president.
June 29, 1984
Thirty-eighth Corps Night
"The Final Examination" Section
We have seen in Corinthians how they were reproved because of the divisions at Corinth,
caused by men and women who stood for knowledge that was contrary to God's Word.
They were lifting themselves up, they had their imaginations and high things that were
contrary. They were built upon world knowledge and world wisdom and they expounded
it in such a rhetorical fashion that they were considered geniuses in their fields. Yet, their
knowledge does not stand up one bit to the truth of God's Word, to the truth of God's Word
- the greatest knowledge of all times. The knowledge and the wisdom regarding the
mystery which has not even been revealed yet, but he has told them about it.
In II Corinthians, he has encouraged them so much and has brought them to the point
where he says, "Look, you are faithful; you are tremendous men and women of God. But
there are some out there who are boasting about their own sense-knowledge ability and
they have set themselves on a pedestal and that has influenced your lives so that you are
seeking a proof of the Christ speaking in me. That brings us to the conclusion of the whole
matter - verse 5.
UII Cor. 13:5
"Examine yourselves," - give yourself an examination.
"faith," = family faith
"examine," = peirazō, (Greek) It is the word translated to be tempted with evil, however it
has another usage. Both usages mean to test or to examine. The one usage is to test in the
sense that you tempt someone with evil. The other is that you test them, not looking for an
evil or a good outcome. But you simply test them, examine them - to find out what's going
to be what. Like a scientific approach.
If peirazō, can mean to simply examine whether it is good or evil; or, if it can be used in
the negative sense of testing with evil - then, what is the word that is used of testing in a
good sense? In other words, to prove that something is true. That is the Greek word,
dokimazō. It means to test in the sense of proving in a good sense, where you are going to
prove a positive outcome.
In verse 5, examine is used in the sense that it is not expecting a negative outcome. It is
not tempting with evil. But it is used in the sense of examining or testing just to see what
kind of person you are.
Whether you be in the family of faith, or not in the family of faith. And that is in the
essence of being obedient to the family of faith. Obedient to that which is believed by the
household, or family of faith.
"prove," = dokimazō, prove that you got something - in other words, let's have a positive
outcome to this test. Pass it!
"Yourselves," - a reflexive pronoun
"own selves," - the same reflexive pronoun used again.
"own selves," - the same again.
This is the FOS, UanaphoraU, - successive clauses begin with the same word. In the Greek,
they begin each clause.
In contrast to examining Paul in verse 3.
"know you not," - Don't you know - rhetorical question. Remember this was used in
I Cor. 6. Here, it is to have full complete knowledge of, and it uses a reflexive pronoun
with it which makes it very emphatic.
Jesus Christ is in you - other places it says Christ in you. Only one text omitted the word,
"Jesus," however, all others have it. In the context, Jesus Christ (Verse 4) was crucified
through weakness but lives by the power of God. If you are weak in him, but we shall live
with him by the power of God toward you. So it is weakness and power. As Jesus, he was
the humiliated one. As Christ, he is the powerful, glorified one. That is why Jesus Christ
is used in verse 5.
"reprobates," = adokimos, comes from dokimazō - so if dokimazō means to prove yourself
in the sense of expecting a positive outcome, then the negative with the "a" on the front,
adokimos is just the opposite. It means you have failed the test. It means you’re
unworthy, you’re are unapproved, disqualified or worthless.
II Cor. 13:5 Literal according to usage:
Examine yourselves to see if you are obedient to the household of faith. Prove
yourselves worthy. Don't you yourselves know that Jesus Christ is in you unless you
have failed the test?
Matt. 7:3-5 Everyone wants to blame everyone else for their problems. What is the test
that proves that Jesus Christ is in you? Speak in tongues! That is how you pass the test.
UII Cor. 13:6
"reprobates," = adokimos. We are not those who have failed the test.
"know," - future tense, middle voice. Middle voice means the subject acts on itself or for
itself. In other words, you shall know for yourselves. And, you are going to know it by
experience.
II Cor. 13:6 Literal according to usage:
I trust that some day you will yourselves know by experience that we have not failed
the test.
UII Cor. 13:7
"reprobates," = adokimos. Though we be UasU reprobates. We might appear to be like those
who have failed the test. That is not the criteria though. It is not that we look approved.
"approved," = related to dokimozō; that we appear to have passed the test.
But . . .
He desires the Corinthians to avoid evil, not so the apostles would look good, because the
Corinthians followed their example. That is the way many teachers are. They just want
you to do what they want you to do so they look good. That is not the criteria! UGoodU
should be done even if the apostles appear to be unsuccessful to others.
If members were a criteria for success, then Jesus Christ was a big flop. You cannot
determine success by the numbers.
II Cor. 13:7 Literal according to usage:
I pray to God that you do nothing evil, not to show that we have passed the test, but
that you do right even if we appear to have failed the test.
UII Cor. 13:8
The essence is - We do not have any power, dunamis, against the truth. But we do have
dunamis when we work for the truth.
You cannot fight against God. Acts 5:34-39 (Gamaliel was a teacher of Paul.)
II Cor. 13:8 Literal according to usage:
We are powerless against the truth, but we are powerful when we stand for the truth.
UII Cor. 13:9
This echoes II Cor. 4:10-12. No matter what Satan throws at us when he attacks us, we
just stand on the power of God, and that works life in you. It causes you to be stronger.
The apostles rejoiced when the believers were strengthened, even if the apostles appear as
weak because of satan's attacks.
"we wish," = we pray in Aramaic and Greek.
"perfection," - in the Aramaic, it is related to the word gmir, which means perfect. The
Greek word is katartisis. Only place it is used. However, the verb katartizō, is used in
I Cor. 1:10 - perfectly joined together. Means to put back to proper condition. It is
translated mend, like to mend their nets in the gospels. Or, it means to restore to
perfection. In other words, to put back into proper condition, the perfection that they were
in, before the divisions came.
II Cor. 13:9 Literal according to usage:
So we rejoice that even when we are weak [from satan's attacks] you are powerful
[because of the power of God.] And our prayer is for your complete restoration to
perfection [with no division.]
This is where he started in I Cor. 1. All the problems have been covered, all the symptoms
of the problems have been covered, we have told you everything, our hearts are relieved,
just a matter of you proving your love to us through your ABS, and, get those other birds
off your back. You want a proof of Christ speaking in me - let's start by examining
yourselves, and let's get back into alignment and harmony. Restoration to perfection with
no division.
UII Cor. 13:10
Use sharpness, or to act sharply or severely, or to treat severely.
"destruction," = kathairesis; used in II Cor. 10:4, 5 & 8. Pulling down of strong holds.
You want to pull down anything contrary to the Word.
II Cor. 10:8 - To build up, not pull down.
II Cor. 13:10 Literal according to usage:
Therefore I am writing these things while I am absent from you so that when I am
present I will not have to treat you sharply with authority - the authority that the Lord
gave me to build up rather than to tear down.
This echoes II Cor. 13:2.
UII Cor. 13:11
He addresses them as brothers, very intimate. Not unbelievers, not Corinthians; he says brothers.
"farewell," - the Greek word is the normal way you would say greetings, farewell. But, in
the Aramaic, the word also means rejoice and that is not the normal greeting in Aramaic.
The idea meant here is REJOICE!!
"be perfect," = katartizō. Mend the body of believers, restoration to perfection with no
division.
"be of good comfort," = Be encouraged.
I Cor. was written to mend the divisions that were at Corinth.
II Cor. was written to encourage them after they got so down in the mouth.
In two words - you have I and II Corinthians: I. be restored to perfection and II. be
encouraged.
"One mind," - In Aramaic, it is unity or harmony.
"live in peace," = a quietness, shaina, in Aramaic. It is not a command - it is a future
tense. And these two phrases (one mind, live in peace) are one sentence in Aramaic.
Literally, it would say, "and unity and quietness will be with you."
"quietness," - it is translated peace in several places, but it is not your normal word for
peace. shalmutha, is used here. Ephesians 2:14,15; Col. 1:20,21 reconcile = peace treaty.
UII Cor. 13:11
Unity and a quietness which is a result of a peace treaty or a peaceful reconciliation.
This is the result of two things: 1) I Cor. - being katartizō, and 2) II Cor. - encouraged.
Then, the conclusion of the whole matter, the RESULT is unity and a peaceful
reconciliation between the groups that were divided will be with you. Not a command - it
UwillU just be with you, when you follow I and II Corinthians.
"love," = agapē = has to be agapē, if there is going to be real profit.
"with," = meta = in association with
II Cor. 13:11-14 Literal according to usage:
11. Finally, brothers, rejoice. Be completely restored to perfection [with no
division.] Be encouraged. Then, unity and quietness [a peaceful reconciliation]
will be with you, and the God of love and peace will be with you.
12. Greet each other with a holy kiss.
13. All the sanctified ones greet you.
14. The peace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God and the fellowship of the
UHUoly USUpirit be with all of you. Amen.
Why peace? Because the Aramaic has the word peace, although every Greek manuscript
has grace.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is used at the close of almost every epistle. This is the
only epistle that closes with three things: Greek is grace, love and fellowship; Aramaic is
peace, love and fellowship.
First of all, it is unusual that it has three things here. It is easy to see how the Greeks in
translating from the Aramaic would have simply taken a more familiar phrase that is used
in the other epistles and used it here. The context is peace and unity. But, on the other
hand, you cannot have peace without grace.
All things considered, we choose the Aramaic. It is that peace that the Lord Jesus Christ
made available that brings us back into unity - restored to perfection. It is the love of God,
not just the knowledge of the Word, which cements the unity together. (I Cor. 8;1 -
knowledge puffs up; love edifies.)
It is the fellowship of the UHUoly USUpirit, of God, the Giver; that is the bond, or the means by
which we have that unity.
Remember, there are two key concepts in Corinthians - fellowship and knowledge.
fellowship = sharing fully
knowledge = gnōsis = experiential knowledge, or, a higher
knowledge of facts or truths that is gained by experience.
One who has gnōsis, is an expert in whatever he has knowledge of. An expert in facts is
one with a higher knowledge of factual things in the senses realm.
An expert in truths is one with a higher knowledge of spiritual things.
This was the conflict at Corinth between factual and spiritual knowledge. Both kinds of
knowledge are gathered by experience. One from five senses experiences and one from
spiritual experiences.
The wise men, scribes, and debaters of Mars Hill claimed gnōsis in factual things. They
also claimed world wisdom. Wisdom is knowledge applied, the ability to apply their
knowledge. And they were experts in wisdom of words - logos = speech. As expert
rhetoricians they were able to communicate by means of wisdom of words. But, spiritual
gnōsis and spiritual wisdom is communicated by a word of wisdom and a word of
knowledge.
The conflict between these two kinds of gnōsis brought about the division, at Corinth. And
that was the whole starting scene. Some claimed allegiance to Apollos who once
represented gnōsis, rhetoric and wisdom of Alexandria. Some claimed allegiance to Peter
who once represented the gnōsis of Judaic law. And some claimed allegiance to Paul who
represented spiritual gnōsis. The result was envy, strife, division and individuals puffed up
for one leader against another leader.
I Corinthians declares that we are not to keep company with those who leaven the lump.
We are not to eat with them, but to put them away from us.
II Corinthians says, be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what
fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness.
The Corinthians were putting up with the teachings of others entirely too easily. They
were putting up with those boasters who took advantage of them, insulted them, and
wasted their abundant life.
So, Paul himself foolishly boasted, as those other fools, those "super apostles." He, Paul,
was daring and bold in writing as if he were present a second time. On his third visit he
will not spare in confronting those who sinned previously, who have not forsaken of their
uncleanness, fornication and sensuality.
God has declared in these epistles that the key to fellowship and unity is spiritual gnōsis
(knowledge) coupled with love (agapē,) Worldly gnōsis causes division. Spiritual gnōsis
will heal it.
We are instructed to seek the profit of many. I Cor. 10:23; 12:7; and I Cor. 13:2.
The wisdom regarding the mystery in I Cor. 2, and the spiritual gnōsis with agapē leads us
back to fellowship with God and his Son, Jesus Christ.
Finally, the proof of your love is abundant sharing, which was so vital to their success
spiritually.
I Corinthians started with division and God's call to fellowship.
II Corinthians closes with a charge for unity and fellowship.
And in the midst of II Corinthians, it says we are workers together. In I Corinthians,
stewards of the mystery. In II Cor. ambassadors, traveling through this world with the
ministry of reconciliation. Rather than causing division we seek to persuade men, bringing
them back to God with the message of reconciliation.
End of Teachings