The Chosen Key Word in this Chapter is “Examine” it comes from the Greek Word “peirazo” which means “to test, to examine, to try.”
Paul closes his letter with one final, sobering challenge and a blessing still used today. Welcome to Bible Life Basics Chapter Reviews, I am Chris and this is 2 Corinthians 13.
Paul warns that this will be his third visit, and repeats a principle from the law, that every matter should be established by two or three witnesses, warning those who previously sinned and all others that if he comes again, he will not spare them, since they seek proof that Christ speaks through him, a Christ who is not weak toward them, but mighty among them.
Paul urges the Corinthians to “examine,” “peirazo” in Greek, meaning to test or try, themselves, whether they are genuinely in the faith, and to prove their own selves, asking pointedly whether they recognize that Jesus Christ is truly in them, unless they are somehow disqualified. He expresses hope that they will discover Paul and his companions are not disqualified themselves, and prays that the Corinthians would do no wrong, not so that Paul himself might appear approved, but so that they would genuinely do what is honest, even if it means he himself appears to have failed.
Paul explains he can do nothing against the truth, only for the truth, and rejoices when he is weak but they are strong, praying for their genuine perfection. He writes these things while absent specifically so that when present, he will not need to use sharpness, exercising the authority the Lord gave him for building up rather than tearing down. He closes with warm, practical instructions, to be of good comfort, of one mind, and to live in peace, promising that the God of love and peace will be with them, urging them to greet one another with a holy kiss, and closing with the well-known benediction still used in churches today. “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.”
Paul’s call to examine yourselves wasn’t meant to produce anxious self-doubt, but genuine, honest self-reflection about whether Christ truly lives within a person. This letter, filled with such raw vulnerability and honest correction throughout, fittingly closes not with harsh warning, but with a warm, enduring blessing of grace, love, and genuine fellowship.
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