2 Corinthians 13 Contents

2 Corinthians 13 Contents The character of a true apostle continues through 2 Corinthians 13.The church in Corinth is God's church, called saints, and calls upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. However, in terms of construction, it is a church that has not yet passed the final inspection.Therefore, Paul delivers his most powerful blow to them in 1 and 2 Corinthians.Verse 5: "Examine yourselves, whether you be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know you not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except you be reprobates?"The church in Corinth must respond to this verse, and the church of this age must also be able to give a clear answer.The pastor of a leading Korean church confessed that after 30 years of ministry, he realized that believing in Jesus and going to heaven is not the entirety of salvation, and that what he had learned in seminary about Christians being glorified after death was wrong.Nevertheless, pastors today preach without any hesitation, telling us that we who believe in Jesus should follow God's word without adding or subtracting anything, be blessed, and live well on this earth.They shout at the congregation at the top of their lungs, even though they themselves are not doing it.Of course, God is glorified when Christians are blessed and prosperous.So, he provokes them by asking them questions like, "Can you explain how to believe in Jesus and how to obey his Word?" To humans, imbued with the poison of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in Adam, good is literal good. On the other hand, evil is what causes shame in the human conscience.Adam and Eve, who ate the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, had no knowledge of the tree of life.Therefore, the repentance of believers without the immersion of the Holy Spirit (the baptism of the Holy Spirit) in Christ is merely a question of good or evil.It is a discipline of actions, like plucking out the leaves of a weed.However, the repentance of Christians, born again and illuminated by the Holy Spirit, is that they die to sin and death through Christ's death on the cross and being raised, and are found alive to God, having received righteousness and life in the Lord.Therefore, believers who repeatedly repent of good and evil, like the Jews, have a standard of repentance that constantly reflects and measures their actions under the law.However, when God's children, born again and became righteous, realize with a "Oh, my" moment of realization that they are in darkness, following the flesh, and remember the merit of the Lord's death on the cross and being raised , they return to the light, and the power of his blood takes effect.Therefore, whether a person repents for good or evil, or repents for light and life, darkness and death, becomes the standard for discerning whether that person is a person of truth, a living Christian with Christ dwelling within them. In fact, testing has a negative connotation in faith.It would be foolish to pave a road and then dig through its surface.However, for a road inspection, it is natural to dig through a completed road.It is said that churches today receive grace by gathering together, chanting slogans, instilling doctrines, singing songs to energize, and enjoying moral activities.Just as the Corinthian church and the modern church dig through a road to test its completion, they should test the essential issues of faith.They should test whether they truly believe that Christ is in them and whether they have the assurance of the work of the Holy Spirit of truth.Paul strongly urges us to test and confirm‎ (doki mazo) the faith that Christ is in us. This is not a matter of ethics or morality.It is a matter of life or death, and therefore, we must constantly test. Paul clearly understands the shortcomings of the Corinthian church, and because he cannot avoid addressing them face-to-face, he sends them letters of rebuke sharper than a whip.Therefore, Paul says that being present weakens, but being apart strengthens.Even though he firmly declares that he will not forgive those who have sinned if he departs (verse 2), he ends by calling them brothers and saying, "Rejoice, be made whole, be comforted, be at peace." He concludes with these words: "The God of love and peace is with you."Paul, as a man of truth, presents us with the example of a true apostle who strives to build them up rather than simply condemn them and tear them down (verse 10). Finally, Paul concludes 2 Corinthians with a blessing, often called a benediction.This is not the altar of burnt offering or the altar of incense in the tabernacle.It is a blessing only for those who have seen the throne of grace in the Most Holy Place and the glory of God present on it.One cannot bless others while dealing with sin at the altar of burnt offering, nor can one bless others while burning incense at the altar of incense.Only by offering a perfect sacrifice to God, one leaves the Most Holy Place, turns one's back on the temple, and blesses the people.How can a person be blessed if he does not have fellowship with God and become one with Christ through the indwelling work of the Holy Spirit, receiving the grace of the redemption of the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, the grace that He still lives to pray for, and the love of God bestowed in his Son?In other words, how can someone who does not know that Christ dwells in them and is alive and working within them be blessed to become one spirit with the Lord through the Spirit of truth, worship and praise God the Father, and then turn around and bless the saints with open arms?Concluding this lecture on 2 Corinthians, I urge all of us, as servants of the new covenant, to be transformed into the image of the Lord, and to have seen his glory from glory to glory. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all (verse 13) and become a channel of blessing that can boldly bless. Written by Ptr. Yohan Kim.Translated by  Nancy Chung COME AND SEE WORLD MISSION TO GOD BE THE GLORY