Examine Yourselves; the Apostle’s Prayer for Their Perfecting (2 Cor. 13:4–10)

2 Cor. 13:4. For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but in dealing with you we will live with him by the power of God.

Having said that Christ is mighty among the Corinthians, he reminds: yet He was in weakness when crucified—and he takes this circumstance to explain what he is discussing with them. He speaks as if: the same thing happens with us, or in us Apostles, that happened in Christ Jesus. When He suffered and was crucified, everyone considered Him to have no power; meanwhile by death on the cross He destroyed the power of death, and when they laid Him in a tomb, He was destroying hell and bringing out from it all those held captive since the beginning; then He rose and continues to act with power in the souls of believers and in the arrangement of His Church on earth; and in you He is mighty. Similarly, we all seem weak to everyone, and they persecute us, and lay wounds on us, and count us as nothing; yet meanwhile the power of God works through us—and it is manifested in you, and will be manifested as you do not expect. We seem as if dead to you: we will come to life in Christ, and you will experience this living power of Christ in us. He means when, coming to them and finding them not set in order, he will be forced to act among them with apostolic authority, which is the power of Christ dwelling in him.

Saint Chrysostom says: “What does ‘he was crucified in weakness’ mean?” – That although Christ was pleased to suffer, which had the appearance of weakness, this does not diminish His power. His power remains unconquered, and what appears as weakness did not harm it at all; but it was precisely this that especially showed His strength, in that He endured suffering yet His power was not diminished. So do not be troubled by the word “weakness.” For elsewhere the Apostle says: “The foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1 Cor. 1:25); although in God there is nothing foolish, nothing weak, yet the cross is thus named, depicting the opinion of the unbelievers about it. Hear how the Apostle himself explains his words: “The word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor. 1:18). See, he everywhere sets forth the opinion of the unbelievers, who regard the cross as foolishness and weakness. So here too he speaks not of actual weakness, but of that imagined by the unbelievers. Therefore, the Apostle does not say that Christ was crucified because of weakness; far be it! For He showed in all things that He could have not been crucified; He showed this: both by casting those coming with Judas to the ground (Jn. 18:6), and by darkening the sun, and by withering the fig tree, and by blinding the eyes of those who wanted to seize Him and performing countless other miracles. Therefore, understand the expression: “from weakness” thus, that although Christ was crucified, enduring disaster and plots, yet He sustained no harm. And the Apostle said all this to apply it to himself. Since the Apostles were persecuted, pursued, despised, and God did not avenge them, and they themselves did not defend themselves; therefore, teaching them that they endure all this not from weakness and not because they could not avenge themselves, he points to the example of the Lord. For the Lord Himself was crucified, bound, endured countless torments, but did not avenge Himself; on the contrary, He bore all that seemed like weakness, and in this weakness revealed His strength, because He sustained no harm, although He did not avenge Himself and did not defend Himself. The cross did not cut short His life, did not prevent the Resurrection; on the contrary, Christ rose and lives. And when you hear about the cross and about life, understand this about the economy of salvation, for that is what is being discussed. So when the Apostle says: “from the power of God,” he does not mean that Christ could not Himself quicken His flesh, but shows only that there is no difference whether we say: by the power of the Father, or by the power of the Son. And therefore having said: “from the power of God,” he said the same as “‘by His own power.” And that Christ indeed Himself raised and resurrected His flesh, listen to how He Himself says about it: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (Jn. 2:19). And if what belongs to Him He calls belonging to the Father, do not be troubled by this. “All things that the Father has are Mine,” He says (Jn. 16:15). And in another place: “and all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine” (Jn. 17:10). Therefore, says the Apostle, just as Christ, though crucified, sustained no harm, so we too, when persecuted and attacked, sustain no harm. Therefore he also added: “‘for we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God.” What does “we are weak” mean? — We are subject to persecutions, oppressions, and endure utmost calamities. And what does “in Him” mean? — That we endure for His preaching and for faith in Him. If we endure all that is sorrowful and grievous for Him, then clearly we shall also receive what is joyful. Therefore the Apostle says further: “but we shall live with Him by the power of God.”

The concluding words are more fully explained by Photius in Oecumenius and Theophylact. The first says: “We will live with Him…among you.’ That is, we will show ourselves alive among you, not simply, but with Christ Himself, having life from His power, by which He, having overcome death and destroyed hell, rose and lives. This life and power is both punishing for those who do deeds of wickedness, and saving for those who by sins resort to repentance. For this reason, he says, do not despise us, seeing us persecuted and enduring countless sorrows. So too was Christ despised being crucified, but, having risen, did what He wished. We what we endure, we endure for Him. Why, though we endure, as He is alive and mighty, so too we with Him, by His good pleasure, are alive and mighty, able to do in you what we wish, and especially in you, because by reason of the disobedience manifested among you we have many righteous reasons against you.” — The second writes: “They persecute and pursue us for Christ and the preaching of Him; but as He suffered no harm being opposed, so too we will live with Him, that is, will show ourselves unconquered among you, that is, for your benefit. But perhaps he even further frightens them, saying as it were: although you think we are weak, yet we are alive for you, that is, to punish you if you do not set yourselves in order.”

2 Cor. 13:5. Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless, of course, you fail the test!

The Apostle speaks as if: but why do I prove to you that Christ is in me? He is in you too. Therefore, instead of testing me, test yourselves, whether you are in faith. If you are in faith, then Christ is in you; if He is in you, then certainly in me. Here is your assurance that Christ speaks and acts in me. Or do you not know that Christ is in you? — He is in you: “unless, of course, you fail the test.” — “Fail the test,” αδοκιμοι, do not withstand the test. The test of Christians is faith, aided by love. Whoever does not withstand this test either wavers in faith or is weak in living according to faith. The Apostle speaks as if: if you do not withstand such a test, then surely Christ is not in you. From this comes this induction: are you examining yourselves not for this reason, that you have lost Christ, that you are testing whether Christ speaks and acts in me? If you had Him, you could not doubt that He is in me too, for you knew Him through me. Thus the words: “Examine yourselves” led both to this: finding Christ in yourselves, to assure yourselves that He is in Holy Paul, and to this: not finding Him, to grieve over it and care about finding Him, which again would lead to the same thing, that is, to assure yourselves that He is, speaks and acts also in Holy Paul.

Saint Chrysostom says: “Why am I to speak of myself, a teacher, who has so many cares, to whom the whole world is entrusted, who worked so many miracles? And you yourselves, being among the disciples, if you wish to examine yourselves, will see that Jesus Christ dwells in you. If He is in you, then all the more in the teacher. For if you have faith, then Christ is in you. It seems to me that the Apostle is speaking here of faith that works miracles, because believers in that time worked miracles. If you have, he says, such faith, then Christ is in you, unless you are not what you should be. Here, it seems, the Apostle points the Corinthians also to life. Because one faith alone is not sufficient to obtain spiritual power, but he said that if you remain in faith, you have Christ in you, while many, having faith, did not have miraculous power; then, resolving the difficulty, he says: ‘unless you fail the test,’ that is, unless your life is corrupt. But he does not say this directly, so as not to offend them, but hints at it lightly; he does not say affirmatively: you are corrupt, but presents it as if not entirely possible among them: ‘unless perhaps’.”

The blessed Photius according to Oecumenius finds different shades of thought in these words of the Apostle: “Do you not put to the test your own faith? Do you not require proof that you believe? For to seek a test of the one speaking in me as Christ and not to be firmly convinced that Christ speaks in your teacher – what else does this mean but to test yourselves, to doubt whether you are faithful, as not to know at all that Christ is in you. For if there is no Christ in the teacher, much more so in the disciples. But how, he says, do you not know that Christ is in you, when He has enriched you with various gifts of grace? Or, having represented yourselves as deficient in works (living badly), have you lost them? By this he also wishes to say: if you have received and possess the gracious power over unclean spirits (if only, having become base, you have not lost it), does not this all the more mean that I have authority over those who do the will of unclean demons, if such exist among you? Or thus: in me you seek a test? – Test yourselves, examine yourselves more carefully, whether you are in the faith. Have you not fallen from it, for otherwise, probably, you would not be testing me. Then, as if softening the strong rebuke, he says: ‘Do you not know that Jesus Christ is in you?’ As if to say: I understand you in such a way that Christ is in you. If you yourselves do not know this, your fault is in that. See that you have not become what you ought not to be. Together he also shames them: if I recognize that Christ is in you, are you not proven deficient, how then do you seek a test of His abiding in me? But how could they know that Christ was in them? – From the signs which they performed, if they still performed them. The words: ‘unless indeed you fail the test’ hint at a bad life. If you, he says, are even in the faith, but do not have a life corresponding to it, then you are deficient and Christ is not in you, and He no longer shows His presence among you through signs.”

2 Cor. 13:6. I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test.

The discourse flows as if thus: if you did not become deficient, then you would know that Christ is in you, and from yourselves you would conclude that Christ is in us too. But since, as it appears, so about you one cannot judge, then I must in another way prove to you that Christ is in me, that I did not become deficient like you, and did not lose the presence in me of the power of Christ. I hope that you will know this by deed, when I come and deal punitively with the guilty. And here again a great threat, great fear. Since you wish me to prove this to you by punishing you, then we are able to give you such proof. However, he does not speak thus, but with greater severity and threat: “I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test.” You ought to know our power and that Christ speaks and acts in us without this. But since you wish to test this in deed, then you will know that “we have not failed the test.” (Saint Chrysostom). “‘Have not failed the test,’ have not lost the gift of signs and the power of grace, or have not corrupted our life so that Christ would move out of us, but He is in us, with an able life, and will punish those who do not listen to us.” (Theophylact).

2 Cor. 13:7. Now we pray to God that you do no wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, even though we may seem to have failed.

The words: “we have not failed the test” are equivalent to the words: we are able to manifest the power of Christ acting in us by judgment over those who sinned and have not repented. But, says the Apostle, in manifesting such power and authority, or our ability, we do not find pleasure, it is not the object of our desires. On the contrary, we beg God so that we are not in the necessity of producing any punishment among you, laying upon you any punishment unpleasant to you; we wish rather that you, having repented and corrected yourselves, thereby do good and thus take from us the occasion to appear strong by the power of Christ, or able. Let it rather be that we remain unable, than you to suffer anything from us, though justly.

The holy Chrysostom says: “Since he has extended the threat far, has placed punishment as it were at the very doors, brought the Corinthians into trembling and made them expect punishment, then look how sweetly again he opens his word, how he calms their fear, how much he reveals in himself of non-acquisitiveness, care for disciples, wisdom, height and lack of vainglory. All this he opens in the following words: ‘We pray to God that you do no wrong,’ and so on. Where can one find a soul like Paul’s? They despised him, degraded him, mocked him, made fun of him as of a man low, of no account, boastful, who boasts only in words, but can show no power in deed; yet he not only delays and does not wish to punish, but even prays to God so as not to come to such necessity. I ask and beseech God, he says, that I find no one not set in order and not repented. And I pray not only for this, but especially for this that you do not begin to sin—‘that you do no wrong,’ he says—that you do no evil; and if you sin, then that you hasten to repent, forestall me with correction and prevent God’s wrath. I care not for appearing before you able, but, quite on the contrary, for not being in the necessity of showing this ability in deed. For if you remain in sins unrepented, then it is necessary to punish you, to subject your bodies to torture, as was done with the sorcerer” (Acts 13:11), over whom we showed the evidence of our power. But we do not pray for this, but on the contrary, so as not to show ourselves able in such deeds, that is, so as not to do the evidence of power, which is in us, punishing you and torturing those who sinned and are incurably ill. But for what do we pray? — “‘That you do what is right’; we pray that you always remain in virtue, always be corrected;” and we may appear to have failed, not manifesting in ourselves the punishing power. And he did not say: we will fail, for we would not become unable even if we did not punish; on the contrary, through this we would show ourselves able. But though some, he says, regard us as contemptible and unworthy of respect because we do not show our power, yet I care not about it at all. Better for us to incur such an opinion from them than to manifest the power given us by God in punishing people, hardened in heart.

2 Cor. 13:8. For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth.

“For if you walk in the path which you should (the true one), how can we show punitive power?” (Theodoret). “So as not to seem to be doing this (the above prayer and yielding) out of gratification, which is foreign to the spirit not knowing vanity—on the contrary, to show that he does what the very nature of the matter requires, the Apostle said: ‘For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth.’ If we find you well arranged, having cast off sins through repentance and having boldness toward God, then for us, even if we wished, it would be impossible to punish you; on the contrary, if we decided on it, God would not help us. For He gave us power so that we would pronounce judgment truly, righteously, and not against truth. Do you see how everywhere he softens his word and moderates the weight of threat?” (Saint Chrysostom).

2 Cor. 13:9. For we rejoice when we are weak and you are strong. This is what we pray for, that you may become perfect.

“We rejoice especially when we have no need to punish you, seeing how you please God, when we do not find you giving us cause to show our power in punishing you. And even if through that we would appear glorious, skilled and powerful, we desire the contrary—that you be skilled and blameless, and we gain no glory from that. Therefore he says: ‘we rejoice when we are weak.’ What does: ‘when we are weak’ mean? — When we are regarded as weak, not when we are weak, but when we are considered weak. And such the Apostles were regarded by enemies because they did not show their punishing power. Nevertheless, we rejoice, says the Apostle, when you live such that you give us no cause to punish you. And it is pleasant to us to be regarded as weak in this, only if you are blameless. Therefore he adds: ‘and you are strong,’ that is, skilled and firm in virtue. And we not only desire but also pray that you be blameless, perfect and give us no cause. Truly fatherly love—to prefer the salvation of disciples to one’s own glory!” (St. Chrysostom).

2 Cor. 13:10. This is why I write these things while absent—so that when I come, I may not have to be harsh in my use of the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down.

Here is the goal toward which all that was said in this final section was directed, (2 Cor. 12:19–21, 13:1–10). If, he said, when I come I find the unrepentant unrepentant, “I will not spare.” But now he says: I write this so that when I come I do not deal with you harshly. I have no desire to deal with you in this way. “I wish my severity to be only in words, not in deed; I wish the letters to be stern; I wish the threats to continue, but not come to fulfillment.” (Saint Chrysostom). But for this wish of mine to come to pass, you must reform in everything and show yourselves perfect. For I do not speak to you as an indulgence, that I do not wish to deal with you harshly, but so as to urge you yourselves to willing repentance, not from punitive measures. Know that “the authority which” “the Lord gave” “me” is always with me. It was given to me “for ‘building up, not for tearing down.’” If I find you unrepentant, I must correct you with authority, and thereby build up, for leaving you unrepentant I would grant you indulgence not for building up but for tearing down. You will be even more disordered. So it is one or the other: either reform, or expect harsh punishment. But know that I do not wish this, but will do it because the nature of the authority given me demands it. “He left everything to them for reflection.” (Saint Chrysostom).