2 Corinthians 13:5-10 • Watchfulness
2 Corinthians 13:5-10
Examine Where they stand with Jesus
Paul had spent much of his second letter to the Corinthians trying to set them straight. False teachers had swooped in, spreading lies about him. The church tolerated sin, put up with stuff that wasn’t true, and humiliated Paul the last time he was there.
But now at the end of his letter, he points them to the one thing they need to do most: examine where they stand with Jesus! It’s not Paul’s opinion (or their opinion of Paul!) that matters most; it’s the Lord’s words and work for them, in them, and through them.
What do you think Paul means when he tells the Corinthians to “test themselves to see if they’re in the faith?”
How does someone pass that test?
What (or who!) should they look for?
What if they don’t pass it?!?!
Does it make you nervous to consider examining yourself and seeing if Jesus is in you? Why / why not?
We know that Jesus lived, died, rose again, and ascended to heaven. So in what way is Jesus Christ in every believer?
Of all things - and after all this church has done for the worse - why would this be what Paul wants them to look for (and see!) most?
How often do you stop and consider how Jesus is alive and at work in you? What do you see when you do?
WHAT YOU THINK OF OTHERS
Despite having been treated pretty poorly by the Corinthians, Paul still wants their best. Even if the church continues to think Paul’s a phony and his ministry weakens, Paul wants the church to do what’s right, grow strong, and become mature in Christ. That would make him happy!
If Jesus is in us, then it should show up in the way we treat other people. How does Paul model this in the way he sees the Corinthians and in what he wants for them?
What should we want for others - even if they’re in the wrong or they think we’re in the wrong?
If you were writing this letter to the Corinthians, how would you be tempted to end it? What would you make it about?
What’s more important to Paul: what they think of him, or whether they’re following Jesus?
How hard would this be for you? How hard is it for you to be misunderstood, not believed, or wrongly identified as the villain in someone else’s story?
What would it take for you to let it go? (…or at least for your desire for that person’s good to be bigger than your own vindication?")
How does the gospel (or seeing Jesus in you!) actually help you do that?
What you think of God
At the very end of this paragraph, Paul mentions that his letter isn’t mean to tear them down, but build them up. That’s the posture of his heart. That’s his desire. And that’s the purpose for which God gave him any authority over them and the early church in the first place.
Why might it be important for the Corinthians to know that God’s authority - whether wielded by God himself or through his apostles, the church, or other means - isn’t meant to destroy them?
What might this say about God’s own purposes and heart for them? …for you?
When do you find it most tempting to believe that God is out to get you, not out to save you?
How does the gospel itself prove that God’s out for your good?
Paul does say that the ball is in their court, however. Whether or not he has to be harsh with them the next time he shows up is actually up to them. How can “tough love” feel like its destructive, even though it’s for our good?
Is it tough for you to receive “tough love?” Is it hard for other people to offer it to you? Why?
How do you know if you’re using “tough love” as an excuse to tear people down or build people up? What’s the difference in the way that shows up? …in the place that comes from inside you?