2 Corinthians 13 (6)

Pray Psalm 48.1-3.
Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised
In the city of our God,
In His holy mountain.
Beautiful in elevation,
The joy of the whole earth,
Is Mount Zion on the sides of the north,
The city of the great King.
God is in her palaces;
He is known as her refuge.

Sing Psalm 48.1-3.
(Cwm Rhondda: Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah)
Great is God, now greatly praise Him in the city of the LORD!
Holy she, His lovely mountain, great and glorious by His Word!
God her King is great within her, He, her Stronghold ever sure!
He, her Stronghold ever sure!

Read 2 Corinthians 13.1-14; meditate on verses 11-14.

Prepare
1. What did Paul wish for the Corinthians?

2. How would they be able to realize all that?

Meditation
Paul didn’t waste any portion of a letter. For us, salutations and closings might be somewhat perfunctory or merely matters of protocol. For Paul, they were opportunities to establish a tone, raise a theme, and move readers into fellowship with God.

2 Corinthians ends where it began:
“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 1.2).
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen” (2 Cor. 13.14).

And:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Cor. 1.3, 4).
“Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you” (2 Cor. 13.11).

This “double inclusio”, parallel phrases bookending a passage (in this case, a whole book), sets and reprises the theme: grace, peace, comfort, encouragement, unity, and the Presence and blessing of God. That’s what 2 Corinthians is all about. To the believers in Corinth, it may have seemed a bit harsh—albeit mild in comparison with 1 Corinthians—but its sole purpose was to edify the church in Corinth and reestablish them firmly in the fellowship of the Spirit and of God and Jesus Christ (cf. 1 Jn. 1.3).

Paul’s great desire for the Corinthians—and for us—was to know the Presence (v. 11), fellowship (v. 14), and transforming power of God’s grace (v. 11). Let this be the summation of our lives as well.

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
The ending to 2 Corinthians has the same effect on me that the end of Deuteronomy always does. I am a big fan of Moses, and the ending of that book always makes me sad, like maybe next time I read it he won’t die at the end. “So Moses the servant of the LORDdied there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD. And He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth Peor; but no one knows his grave to this day. Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died. His eyes were not dim nor his natural vigor diminished” (Deut. 34.5-7). And how very sweet, God buried him. How intimate and dear.

And Paul’s words at the end of this book bespeak that same kind of tender love. He has just spent a great deal of time excoriating them for things that needed excoriation; but his love for them is overwhelming. Who would not want to be loved like that? Let’s carefully look at Paul’s last words to them:

“Finally brethren, farewell.” Already the emotions are running high.
“Become complete.” Yes. Complete in Him is the epitome of our walk with Him.
“Be of good comfort.” Rest in Him.
“Be of one mind.” The world will know you belong to God when you get along with one another.
“Live in peace.” It’s what Jesus wants for you.
“Greet one another—the folks here greet you.” Being friendly is nice.
“The God of love and peace will be with you” if you do these things I’ve suggested.
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all” because I love you, and I long for this to be true for you.

Love is a many splendored thing; and truly the love found in God and lived through Him is supreme.
“But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked” (1 Jn. 2.5, 6).
“We love Him because he first loved us” (1 Jn. 4.19).
“And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also” (1 Jn. 4.21).

The emotion we feel about Moses, the tender love and care that God showed to him, the love Paul had for his children in the faith, the love Jesus has for us, and the love we are to show others is all a bundle of the life we have been called to live in Him. And Paul wanted us all to know how to grasp this love with both hands and run with it. A love we hold close in our hearts, yet a love that must be shared. It is the kind of love that grows by giving it away.

Moses dies at the end of Deuteronomy every time and is always cared for dearly by God.
Paul always loved the Corinthians gently and sharply through thick and thin.
God always loved the world enough to send His Son to save the world.

In summation: will we always respond to this love in a way that is pleasing to God, Moses, Jesus, Paul, and all the other cloud of witnesses who have their eyes on us?

May the answer be yes, as we can always be complete in Him. Paul said so.
(Phil. 1.6; Heb. 13.20, 21; Col. 2.9, 10; 2 Tim. 3.16, 17)

For reflection
1. How will you show the love of Christ today?

2. What are you doing to become more complete in Him?

3. With whom will you share the peace of Jesus today?

He wishes that they may partake all the benefits which Christ of his free grace and favor has purchased; the Father out of his free love has purposed; and the Holy Ghost applies and bestows. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on 2 Corinthians 13.11-14

Pray Psalm 48.4-14.
Pray Paul’s wishes for the Corinthians as you meditate through this psalm. All he wanted for them was all God ever wants for any of His children. Seek His Presence, delight in His fellowship, bask in His grace, and call on Him to make you complete in Jesus.

Sing Psalm 48.4-14.
(Cwm Rhondda: Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah)
Earthly kings, amazed and wond’ring, look upon the Church with fear.
See them flee in dread and anguish, knowing that the LORD is near.
For the city of the Savior God will keep forevermore!
God will keep forevermore!

For Your grace and lovingkindness we proclaim Your matchless worth!
As Your Name is, great and boundless, let Your praise fill all the earth.
Let Your people sing rejoicing for the judgment of Your truth;
for the judgment of Your truth.

Walk about the blessèd city, see her beauty, see her power.
Count her ramparts, filled with glory, look on every mighty tower.
Tell her glory to the nations: God will guide her evermore;
God will guide her evermore!

T. M. and Susie Moore

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.