2 CORINTHIANS SERIES
SMOOCHES, THE END
2 CORINTHIANS 13:1-14
2corandmore
PERSON FROM CONGREGATION READS 2 CORINTHIANS 13:1-14 (ESV)
This is the third time I am coming to you. Every charge must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 2 I warned those who sinned before and all the others, and I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that if I come again I will not spare them— 3 since you seek proof that Christ is speaking in me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. 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. 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 fail to meet the test! 6 I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test. 7 But we pray to God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed. 8 For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. 9 For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for. 10 For this reason I write these things while I am away from you, that when I come I may not have to be severe in my use of the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down. 11 Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. 13 All the saints greet you. 14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
INTRODUCTION
Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart wrote a fantastic book called “How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth.” It is a wonderful book I read in Bible college many many years ago and the book is so impactful and so good that as far as I can tell it is in its 4th edition. The book gives clear and practical explanations of the purpose of the different kinds of literature found in the Old and New Testaments and how to read the Bible properly. In one of the sections, they cover the New Testament epistles. An “epistle” is a fancy word for “letter.” We have been in 2 Corinthians for the past 12 weeks and this week is our final week in 2 Corinthians. 2 Corinthians is one of those letters.
Here are a couple truths they share in their book:
First, the epistles are "occasional" documents which means the letters were written to address specific situations or “occasions” in the lives of the people who received the letters. They are not theological textbooks or general essays, but they are real letters to real people dealing with real particular problems, questions, or circumstances in the early church. To interpret them correctly, we must try to understand the original situation that prompted the letter.
For example, with 2 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul had a contentious relationship with the Corinthian church. He is sending the letter to them to iron out some details and some angst so that when he arrives, they have a good visit. This letter precedes him before he visits them for a third time. We have seen him try to do that as we have talked over 2 Corinthians all these weeks.
Second, the epistles are both practical and theological. We are going to see this played out as we dig into 2 Corinthians 13:11-14 this morning. The letters are occasional, but they are also deeply theological, applying Christian truth to real-life issues. Paul is not the only one who wrote this way. Peter and James do as well. They all apply gospel truths to behavior, church life, relationships, and faith. As we read, we are to pray and seek the timeless theological principle behind each passage. We are to “discover what the text meant to the original audience and then to apply that same meaning to our own situations today.”
Third, they share with us that the reader is reading someone else’s mail. We are “overhearing” one side of a conversation. I have tried to mention this several times over the past weeks… that we are getting only a small amount of context from the visits and letters Paul has with the Corinthians. Since we often don’t have full context, we must be careful as we read. There is danger for us because we might misapply a specific instruction that was meant for a unique situation.
Fourth, they offer a solid approach overall to approaching the epistles to find out what it means. Fee and Stuart outline a basic process:
1. Historical context: Understand who wrote the letter, to whom, and why.
2. Literary context: Read the entire letter to see the overall flow of thought.
3. Paragraph-level meaning: Interpret each paragraph as part of the whole argument.
4. Eternal principle: Derive the eternal principle that crosses time and culture.
5. Application: Apply that principle appropriately today.
Thanks for the class preacher, but what does this have to do with us?! I mention these things because the very ending of 2 Corinthians 13 is a great example of all those elements they talk about. Paul is speaking the whole chapter about the specific occasion of his visit and the garbage feelings he feels and they feel. The very end is practical and immensely theological… and we don’t have the full story or even know how the visit went.
Let’s focus our time on the last four verses of 2 Corinthians 13. I want to re-read it in a few different English versions to get a good view of what we are reading:
RE-READ 2 CORINTHIANS 13:11-14 (ESV)
11 Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. 13 All the saints greet you. 14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
READ 2 CORINTHIANS 13:11-14 (KJV)
11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you. 12 Greet one another with an holy kiss. 13 All the saints salute you. 14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.
READ 2 CORINTHIANS 13:11-14 (MSG)
And that’s about it, friends. Be cheerful. Keep things in good repair. Keep your spirits up. Think in harmony. Be agreeable. Do all that, and the God of love and peace will be with you for sure. Greet one another with a holy embrace. All the brothers and sisters here say hello. 14 The amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, the extravagant love of God, the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit, be with all of you.
TRANSITION
As I look over these four verses, I see two sections as Paul is writing. The first section I call “smooches” which is the practical rapid-fire part of his ending. All the commands he mentions have to do with our relationships. The second part I call “The End” which is the very theological part of his ending which is a powerful blessing for the Corinthians.
SMOOCHES (VERSES 11-13)
The first section is a rapid succession of commands from the Apostle Paul. He is signing off and is throwing out Holy Spirit direction for the people that he cares about. He wants the best for them. He commands them in some areas that is best for them. Those same areas are best for us!
AIM FOR RESTORATION
I must tell you, this phrase in verse 11 hit me more than anything else we will cover this morning. The word used here for “restoration” means “to restore to the proper condition whether for the first time or after a lapse” and is used twice here in 2 Corinthians 13. The same word was used for mending fishing nets (Mark 1:19) or restoring a broken bone (Galatians 6:1). Paul’s first command in these verses for the Corinthians is about restoring the relationships around them; making that a priority. He mentions this first in this list making it most important in his mind. Fix what is broken. Heal a division. Get to wholeness.
As a believer in Jesus Christ, we are to be about restoration in our relationships as our overall goal. It should be our aim. Aiming at that is hard, especially if we don’t want to.
Aim means we see the target of forgiveness clearly and block out selfishness or bitterness.
Aim means we keep our hearts fixed on the goal even when it feels heavy.
Aim means we pray to align our hearts with God, so we want to fix what’s broken.
Aim means controlling our mouth and the words that come out.
Aim means trusting that God’s goal for us is restoration and it is best.
CHALLENGE:
I challenge us this morning in a relationship that is perhaps broken or maybe has lapsed. I have one myself. I have a dear friend that I have allowed our relationship to totally collapse. I am not sure what to do or say. Maybe you don’t know either with the person you thought of, but let’s all aim towards restoration. Restoration is not always easy, but it should be our aim. Plus, it’s a command from the Apostle Paul.
COMFORT ONE ANOTHER
Paul then gives them a general command that he gives elsewhere in his letters which has a flexible meaning depending on the tone and context. It can mean:
To comfort and console someone when we see them suffering.
To encourage and strengthen someone who needs courage or hope.
To urge someone who needs a kick in the butt to right action or right behavior.
To invite another person to closeness in a relationship
CHALLENGE:
I challenge us this morning to open our eyes. May we open our eyes to the people in our lives who are suffering, who need courage and hope, who need a kick in the butt, or have drifted. This must be intentional for most of us. It is easy to go through life with tunnel vision not noticing others. I’m not even talking about being malicious, but we just don’t notice. May we open our eyes and act with purpose to comfort one another. Plus, it’s a command from the Apostle Paul.
AGREE WITH ONE ANOTHER & LIVE IN PEACE
I feel like this command relates to the “aim for restoration” command, but Paul repeats it and separates it out. He does so for a reason. After urging restoration in our relationships, the Apostle Paul moves to the ongoing mental, emotional, and spiritual posture that keeps unity strong with others in our lives. He emphasizes harmony of thought which I think has its foundation in a shared mindset in Jesus Christ. He also emphasizes peace-seeking behavior like speaking gently, forgiving one another, and cooperating with each other. His emphasis here is not necessarily about fixing past problems but maintaining healthy relationships. Agreement and peace keep the walls from breaking again.
CHALLENGE:
I challenge us this morning to invest in our relationships to keep them whole. Take your husband or wife on a date. Message your parents. Call your children. Send a gift to a friend. Serve a coworker in an unexpected way. Decide to do something right now to invest in an important relationship to keep it whole and shalom. Agreement and peace is not always easy but is worth it. Plus, it’s a command from the Apostle Paul.
GREET ONE ANOTHER WITH A HOLY KISS
The next command, which is the last one in his rapid-fire section here at the end of 2 Corinthians 13, is one we just gloss over because we don’t know what it means. Or, we use it to flirt with someone at church… “hey, how about a ‘holy kiss?”
In the first century in Paul’s world, a kiss was a common greeting. It expressed respect, affection, and unity. We might think of a handshake, hug, or cheek kiss today. In the first century in Paul’s world, men would often greet male friends with a kiss on the cheek or forehead. Family members did the same within households. Paul is not introducing a new ritual, but he’s encouraging something that was already happening. He wants them as a church family in Corinth to reflect love, purity, and fellowship in Christ. He wants them as a church family in Corinth to be known for their respect, brotherly and sisterly love, and unity for one another.
Paul uses this phrase in several letters: Romans 16:16, 1 Corinthians 16:20, 1 Thessalonians 5:26, and even the Apostle Peter says the same thing in 1 Peter 5:14. This repetition shows it was part of early Christian worship and community life to value unity, peace, and equality in the church family.
CHALLENGE:
I challenge us this morning to add to the friendliness and community we already express on a regular basis. Everyone who walks through these doors feels welcomed… let’s keep that up! Paul’s point is to greet one another in a way that is sincere, full of brotherly or sisterly love, and Christ-centered. The greeting time we have towards the beginning of the service is important. It is necessary:
May we make sure everyone around us gets a smile and feels greeted.
May we try to let everyone know they are seen.
This is not a small thing to be a welcoming friendly church family. It’s a command from the Apostle Paul.
TRANSITION
In this last part of 2 Corinthians 13, I see two sections as Paul is writing. The first section was “smooches” which focuses on commands for our relationships. The second part, which I’ll call “The End” is very theological and is a blessing.
THE END (VERSE 14)
RE-READ 2 CORINTHIANS 13:14 (ESV)
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”
The Apostle Paul finishes his last ever letter to the Corinthians with this blessing which highlights the Trinity and the wonderful emphasis each of the Persons of God has for us. I will never ever ever claim to understand the nature of YHWH God. The Bible presents Him as the only Uncreated Eternal Being Who is a Community of Submissive Love and Holiness Unto Himself. There is none like Him. In fact, in our reading in Isaiah for Discipleship Groups two weeks ago we hit a section of Isaiah where God stated this repeatedly:
READ ISAIAH 40:25
“To whom then will you liken Me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One.”
READ ISAIAH 43:10
“Before Me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after Me.”
READ ISAIAH 44:6-7
“I am the first and I am the last; and beside Me there is no god. … Who then is like Me?”
READ ISAIAH 45:5-6
“I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from Me there is no god… from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting people may know there is none besides Me.”
READ ISAIAH 45:21b-22
“And there is no other god besides Me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides Me. 22 “Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.”
READ ISAIAH 46:9
“I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me.”
I’d like you to notice what the Apostle Paul says about our God Who is like no other. He first blesses the Corinthians by mentioning “the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.” Consider this the WHAT of the Gospel. If you did not know, the Gospel of Jesus… the message of Jesus… is about grace. None of us must be perfect or get ourselves together before we come to faith in Jesus. Jesus lived, died, and rose again to fix the mess that is us. He does so out of grace. We don’t earn salvation or freedom, but it is a gift offered to us and we receive it by placing faith in Jesus of Nazareth as our Lord and as our Savior.
May we have the same blessing as the Corinthians. May you know that the grace of Jesus Christ covers your sins and erases that which would taint your soul. Jesus paid it all. Jesus gave His all and took on our sin that we might become untainted and adopted into His Kingdom. Receive the blessing today that grace fills your life!
I’d like you to notice what the Apostle Paul says about our God Who is like no other. He secondly points out the “love of God.” Consider this the WHY of the Gospel. I think he points out the love of God the Father because it is love that motivated Him to send Christ in the first place. It was and is love that allows the offer from Jesus to continue to each human being. There is no other motivation for YHWH God to extend the offer of salvation other than love. Love is it.
May we have the same blessing as the Corinthians. May you know that the love of God the Father is His motivation for everything that happens in your life both joyous and jarring. God is perfectly good and always perfectly loving. Receive the blessing today that God’s love fills your life!
I’d like you to notice what the Apostle Paul says about our God Who is like no other. He thirdly points out “the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.” Consider this the HOW of the Gospel. Those who place faith in Jesus do not face life, sin, trials, or joys alone, but have the presence of God with us as a permanent promise. We are marked by Father God as His sons and daughters by the blood of Jesus Christ and we are connected in fellowship with Him and with each other by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is evidence that we are His!
May we have the same blessing as the Corinthians. May you know that the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life means you are not an orphan, but you belong to the King of the Universe! Our Helper, as Jesus called Him, allows us to know God, abide in Him, and empowers us to be sanctified in the faith we profess. Receive the blessing today that the Spirit fills your life!
PRAYER
CONCLUSION
READ 2 CORINTHIANS 13:11-14 (MSG)
And that’s about it, friends. Be cheerful. Keep things in good repair. Keep your spirits up. Think in harmony. Be agreeable. Do all that, and the God of love and peace will be with you for sure. Greet one another with a holy embrace. All the brothers and sisters here say hello. 14 The amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, the extravagant love of God, the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit, be with all of you.
INVITATION
The Apostle Paul ends his letter with both a blessing, but there is also a challenge in this last chapter.
RE-READ 2 CORINTHIANS 13:5 (ESV)
“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 fail to meet the test!”
This is examination that he calls the Corinthians to is not meant to create doubt, but is an invitation. It is the same invitation I give to us today.
Are you living in the reality that Christ is in you?
Are you walking in His truth, His grace, and His peace?
Today I invite you:
To examine your heart to renew faith in Christ.
To embrace His grace again for forgiveness and restoration.
To embrace His grace for the first time for the salvation of your soul.
To live in the love of God and the fellowship of the Spirit.
If you have wandered, come back to the One who restores.
If you are weary, come to the One who comforts.
If you are broken, come to the One who makes you whole.
