2 Corinthians 13 (7)

Pray Psalm 46.1-3.
God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear,
Even though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
Though its waters roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with its swelling.
Selah

Sing Psalm 46.1-3.
(St. Chrysostom: We Have Not Known Thee As We Ought)
God is our refuge and our strength; He is our help in times of need.
Thus though the earth beneath us should change, the sea engulf the mountain range.
Waters may roar with raging speed; yet God will rescue us at length.

Review 2 Corinthians 13.1-4; meditate on verses 7, 8.

Preparation
1. With what did Paul equate doing “no wrong”?

2. How can you see that these verses 7 and 8 sum-up 1 and 2 Corinthians?

Meditation
We bring our study of 1 and 2 Corinthians to a close. Throughout these two epistles, Paul’s ultimate concern was for the glory of God (cf. 1 Cor. 10.31; 2 Cor. 4.15). The Corinthians had fallen into a pattern of wrongdoing by listening to the words of false teachers rather than the truth of God. They were not glorifying God but had divided the church and allowed several abuses to creep into their congregations. Paul wrote 1 Corinthians to arrest this drift and call the Corinthians back to the Jesus Path. Following their receipt of that epistle, a visit from Titus helped the Corinthians begin setting things in order.

And Paul rejoiced in this. But he wanted to make sure. He called on the Corinthians to examine themselves—the disposition of their souls, the shape of their lives—to determine whether they were truly saved. He eagerly desired for them to do no wrong but to live in the truth of Jesus, for this is where lasting joy and rejoicing are to be known.

He had been a little hard on the Corinthians in his first epistle, but it had the desired effect. Now, as he prepared to visit them again, he wanted them to know that he was ready to be even harder if necessary. Oh, that the shepherds of God’s flocks today might love the truth and their sheep enough to insist on that they bring holiness to completion in the fear of God (2 Cor. 7.1; 2 Cor. 13.11)!

Like Paul, we must live only for the truth that is in Jesus, the Fount of every blessing. In Jesus, infinite grace flows to us day by day, that we might know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering. But that grace must not stop with us. As the truth of Jesus transforms us into His image, we become agents of grace to our world, our Personal Mission Field. Thus the knowledge of the glory of God comes to light as those who experience His grace give Him praise and thanks.

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
Paul wanted for his Corinthian children the same thing that Jesus wants for us.

When Jesus was teaching His disciples how to pray, He covered these same issues when He said:
“In this manner, therefore, pray.” (Matt. 6.9-13)
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.
I must hallow Your name through my obedience to you.
Your kingdom come. How my heart yearns within me.
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Your will is always done is heaven, I must strive to always do Your will here.
Give us this day our daily bread.
Fill my body with food and my spirit with the sustenance found in Your Word.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
I must be forgiving to others, who don’t deserve my forgiveness,
because, in truth, I do not deserve Yours.
And do not lead us into temptation.
Since I know that You never will, I also know that when I am sinful
it is because I have followed the wrong leader.
But please, deliver us from the evil one.
Lord God, help me to do no evil.
For Yours is the kingdom. You are the King.
Yours is the power. In fact, You have all the power.
Yours is the glory forever.
For truly, to Whom else would we go to give glory?
May my life glorify You in every way—all I think, do, and say.
Amen. So be it.

And Paul made very clear that he didn’t desire that their walk away from evil was to boost his ego, or for his sake, or for his happiness, or for any other selfish reason whatsoever. It was so that they would “do what is honorable” (2 Cor. 13.7) for God’s sake, for His glory, and for the health and well-being of His kingdom, and for those who dwell therein.

We stand with Joshua, that mighty warrior and leader of old, when we say with him, in confessing and proclaiming our faith and call:
“Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth,
and put away the gods which your fathers served
on the other side of the River and in Egypt.
Serve the LORD!
And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD,
choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve,
whether the gods which your fathers served…
or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.
But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Josh. 24.14, 15).

“I pray to God that you do no evil…but that you should do what is honorable” (2 Cor. 13.7).

For reflection
1. What does it mean for you to do everything “honorable”?

2. How should you prepare each morning for doing everything in an honorable manner?

3. What would you say are the keys to keep you from falling into evil and wickedness?

[H]e declares, that he cares nothing for his own honor, but is simply desirous of promoting their advantage. For nothing was so undesirable for them, as to deprive themselves of advantage from his doctrine as they had begun to do, through their pride and contempt. John Calvin (1509-1564), Commentary on 2 Corinthians 13.7

Pray Psalm 46.4-11.
Pray for grace to know, love, and serve the Lord Jesus today. Pray for the people in your Personal Mission Field, for your church, our country, and the world, that God by His Right Hand might bring revival, renewal, and awakening.

Sing Psalm 46.4-11.
(St. Chrysostom: We Have Not Known Thee As We Ought)
God’s everlasting, joyous grace gladdens the city where He dwells.
Safely in Him, we will not be moved; when morning dawns, His love will be proved.
Fears and distresses Jesus dispels for His beloved, chosen race.

Kingdoms arise and rage and roar, threat’ning the earth with sore distress.
Nations may fall, earth melt away, His Word is yet our hope and stay.
God is among us, ever to bless; He is our stronghold evermore.

Come see the works of God’s Right Hand! He breaks the nations of the earth,
shatters their foolish weapons and pride, sets all their sinful strength aside.
Them He will show His infinite worth as they before His judgment stand.

Rest in the LORD and be at peace, all who are mired in sore travail.
Lift up our God, praise Jesus our Lord; proclaim to all the earth His Word!
God is our stronghold, never to fail; thus may our hope and joy increase!

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, available by clicking here.