Глава XIII

Exhortation to repentance (1–10). Conclusion (11–13). 2 Corinthians 13:1–10. Getting ready to visit Corinth for the third time, the Apostle exhorts the Corinthians to correct themselves - otherwise he will deal with them with all severity. He will appear before them in all the power of the Apostle of Christ, although he would not like to apply strict measures to them. 2 Corinthians 13:1. This is the third time I'm coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses every word will be established. It is not known when the Apostle visited Corinth for the second time. But in any case, such a visit actually took place, and there is no reason to interpret the Apostle’s words in any other way. The apostle wants, by indicating his three-time visit to Corinth, to convince the Corinthians that he sufficiently, from the point of view of the Old Testament law, testified to them about their deviation from the strict requirements of Christian morality: the law for the reliability of the testimony required no more than three persons who were present at a certain event that needed proof (Deut. 17:6). 2 Corinthians 13:2. I preceded and continue to preface, as if I were with you for the second time, and now, being absent, I write to those who have sinned before and to everyone else that when I come again, I will not have mercy. This verse is better translated as follows: “I have already told you, and now I say for the future - during my second stay with you and now not being with you - precisely to those who sinned before and to everyone else together: when I come again, I will not have mercy!” 2 Corinthians 13:3. You are looking for proof of whether Christ speaks in me: He is not powerless for you, but strong in you. Let the Corinthians not think that the Apostle is threatening them, having absolutely no power to carry out his threats. No, Christ Himself speaks in it, and Christ has already shown His power among them or will show it. 2 Corinthians 13:4. For, although He was crucified in weakness, He lives by the power of God; and we also, although we are weak in Him, will live with Him through the power of God in you. The apostle substantiates the idea he expressed. Yes, before the Lord appeared as a weak man, and people did with Him what they wanted. But now He is risen and alive by the power of God. In the same way, the Apostle, who previously appeared in Corinth in fear and trembling (1 Cor. II: 1-2), will soon appear there armed with power from God, which he will show in relation to the Corinthians if they turn out to be rebellious. 2 Corinthians 13:5. Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves. Or do you not know yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you? Unless you are what you are supposed to be. 2 Corinthians 13:6. About us, I hope you will learn that we are what we should be. Instead of testing whether Christ abides in Paul, the Corinthians should test themselves - are they in the faith? Of course, it cannot be that they would affirm the sad fact that there is no Christ in them: this could happen if they were not in fact what they should be as Christians. And this can happen - they are too stubborn in their sins... Let them not worry about the Apostle: he remembers his duties towards Christ! 2 Corinthians 13:7. We pray to God that you do no evil, not to appear to us as what you ought to be; but that you do good, even if we seem not to be what we should be. This verse in the Russian translation is unclear. It is better to translate it in accordance with the interpretation of Chrysostom and Theophylact as follows: “we pray to God that you do not do any evil - we do not pray (ίνα here indicates the content of the prayer) so that we may appear,” etc. The Apostle loves the Corinthians so much that he willingly, for their well-being, refuses the opportunity to demonstrate his strength and authority in Corinth. 2 Corinthians 13:8. For we are not strong against the truth, but strong for the truth. Explaining his thought, the Apostle says that he will have nothing against the Corinthians if they stand in the truth: he himself always stands for the truth. Why should he punish them if they really have faith? 2 Corinthians 13:9. We rejoice when we are weak and you are strong; This is what we pray for, for your perfection. 2 Corinthians 13:10. This is why I am writing this in my absence, so that in my presence I would not use severity according to the power given to me by the Lord for creation, and not for destruction. In addition to what he said about prayer (v. 7), the Apostle notes that it is even pleasant for him to be “weak,” that is, not to exercise his punitive power over the Corinthians. If they are “strong,” that is, they remain in the true faith, follow the path of Christian perfection, then the Apostle only rejoices at this. He writes his message to them in order to strengthen them in the faith: he does not want to appear as a destroyer of the well-being of the Corinthian church, and this is how he would appear if he found the Corinthians continuing their sinful life. No, he wants to build, not destroy their church. 2 Corinthians 13:11–13. The Apostle concludes his message by wishing the Corinthians joy and unanimity and asks them to convey greetings from all the saints. 2 Corinthians 13:11. However, brethren, rejoice, be perfected, be comforted, be like-minded, peaceful - and the God of love and peace will be with you. “However” is more correct: as for the rest, what I would like to tell you about... “God of love and peace”, - that is, the dispenser of love and peace. 2 Corinthians 13:12. Greet each other with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you. The holy kiss is a symbol of fraternal communion common in ancient times (cf. 1 Peter 5:14). 2 Corinthians 13:13. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. The Apostle lists the persons of the Holy Trinity not in the usual order, thereby showing that they are all equal to each other (Blessed Theodoret). You might be interested in: