tell you, as if I were present, the second time; and being absent now I write to them which heretofore have sinned, and to all other, that, if I come again, I will not spare: 3 Since ye seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, which to you-ward is not weak, but is mighty in you. 3. Since ye seek a proof, &c. Since my authority and power as an apostle have been doubted and denied, and the proof challenged, I will exhibit it in the prompt and effectual punishment of offenders, ver. 2. The foregoing chapters refer to the taunts and revilings of Paul's adversaries, and their insinuation that he was conscious to himself that he was destitute of power. Which to you-ward is not weak, &c. Or, "He shows no weakness toward you, but works mightily among you." Among the various interpretations of this passage, the following by Whitby seems quite as correct as any other: "Christ showed his power among them, by enabling St. Paul to preach the gospel to them in demonstration of the spirit and power, so efficaciously as to convert them to the faith, 1 Cor. ii. 4; in that variety of gifts conferred on them together with the gospel, by which the testimony of Christ was confirmed, 1 Cor. i. 6; by his power. conspicuous in seconding St. Paul's delivery of the incestuous person up to Satan, 1 Cor. v. 4, 5; by the chastisement they suffered for communicating in the Lord's supper unworthily." See 1 Cor. xi. 29, 30. Though he works by weak means, he is strong; and his "strength is made perfect in weakness," ch. xii. 9, as you shall have full proof when I visit you. 4 For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you. 5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus tle, am weak, as he was, being subject to persecution, infamy, and death, I shall nevertheless show myself alive with him, by exercising the power of God among you, punishing you severely if ye do not repent." It may be, as some have suggested, that the apostle refers also to the fact that his Master submitted quietly to indignity and to death, and thus appeared weak, when he actually had power to call angelic assistance, and refrained only in deference to his Father's will and the fulfilment of prophecy, Matt. xxvi. 53, as an illustration of his conduct in refraining to exercise the miraculous powers which he possessed. ¶ Liveth by the power of God. Who raised him from the dead. Acts v. 31; Rom. i. 4. T We also are weak in him. Margin, with him. I am subject to the infirmities and trials incident to mortality, as he was, while in the flesh. T But we shall live with him, &c. "That is, we shall show you that we are alive. By the aid of the power of God we shall show that we are not as weak as our foes pretend; that we are invested with power; and that we are able to inflict the punishment which we threaten." - Barnes. The same power which raised Jesus from the dead is effectual in his apostles for the government of the church and the punishment of offenders. 4. For though he was crucified through 5. Examine yourselves, &c. Or, try weakness, &c. The meaning of this yourselves. The word is often transverse is thus expressed by Macknight,lated tempt. "He breaks off abruptly with whom many commentators agree "For though indeed Christ was crucified, by reason of the weakness of his human nature, which was liable to death, yet he now liveth by the power of God. And though I also, his apos with his argument, and appeals at once to their experience: I have spoken of my power over you. But, after all, it is yourselves that you ought to examine; it is yourselves that you ought to prove; your own faith, and your own Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? 6 But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates. 7 Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates. consciousness of the presence of Christ other important idea; namely, that amongst you, is the best proof of his Paul desired the spiritual welfare of his being in me." - Stanley. Are you brethren rather than the opportunity to conscious of a divine power in your- exhibit proof of his apostleship. The selves, through the gifts you have re- previous declaration might seem to ceived? believe, then, that such power indicate a wish for an occasion to exis in me. TWhether ye be in the hibit that proof in the administration faith. Whether ye are true Christians. of discipline. But he prays that he Prove your own selves. Bring your may have no such occasion. ¶ Not faith and spiritual gifts to a proper that we should appear approved. This test. Know ye not, &c. Do you is not my chief desire. I have no wish not feel the divine influence in your- to prove my apostolic power at your selves? Except ye be reprobates. expense. I desire rather that, by your Except ye be destitute of proof. There obedience, you render such proof unis a verbal reference here to the former necessary. T Though we be as reproclause which does not appear in the bates. Though I should be as one common version. "Put yourselves to destitute of proof, having no opportuthe proof concerning Christ's presence nity to manifest it. I would rather with you which ye seek in me. Know submit to the continued taunts of my ye not, of your own selves, that Jesus adversaries, that I give no proof of the Christ is dwelling in you? unless, per- power which I claim to possess, than chance, when thus proved, you fail to give that proof in acts of severe disciabide the test." Conybeare. "Prove pline. In this verse, approved and yourselves; know ye not yourselves reprobates express a direct verbal conthat Jesus Christ is among you? un-trast, in the original, which does not less, perhaps, ye be without proof.". Macknight. No allusion whatever is made here to what is sometimes called the doctrines of reprobation, as is generally agreed by the best commentators. 6. But I trust, &c. "The previous sentence is broken in upon by the thought which the last words, unless ye be without proof,' suggest. But if it should so be that you have no proof of Christ's presence, I trust that you will know when I come, that I, at least, am not without this proof.". Stanley. Weak as some pretend that I am, I trust I shall exhibit convincing proof that Christ dwells in me, by the miraculous power bestowed on me. See note on ver. 7. appear in the translation. 66 Though I should be indeed without proof of my apostleship, having no occasion to punish you. In the language of modern times, a reprobate is one who is excluded from the possibility of salvation by an absolute decree of God; one who is delivered over to perdition. But nowhere in Scripture is the word adókμos used in that sense.". - Macknight. To the same effect many other commentators. See Selections, &c. 8 For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. 9 For we are glad, when we are weak, and ye are strong: and this also we wish, even your perfection. -- 8. For we can do nothing against the truth, &c. "The apostle having prayed that the Corinthians might be found doing no evil,—and assuring them therefore that they would be secured from his censures and chastisement, he assigns a reason here for that assurance given them; because, says he, we do nothing against the truth, but for the truth; having our power given us only for edification, and not for destruction.". - Burkitt. "Though I have the power of punishing supernaturally, I cannot show this power upon any of you, unless it be that you are offenders, and your punishment be for the advantage of the gospel.". Locke. Paul desired it to be distinctly understood that, whether he commended or reproved, whether he rewarded or punished, whether he communicated spiritual gifts or cut off offenders from the church, he had a single object in view; namely, the honor of his Master and the welfare of his brethren. His own reputation was of minor consequence. He would not seek popularity by overlooking offences, nor strive to magnify his office by inflicting unnecessary punishment. His power was not granted for any such purpose, and he would not misuse it. If they deserved punishment, he would assuredly administer it, and thus give proof of his power; if they did not, they need have no apprehensions, for he would rejoice in their good estate, whatever they or others might think of his power. 9. For we are glad when we are weak, &c. I rejoice in my weakness in connection with your strength. The context indicates the special meaning to be, I am willing, and I even rejoice to appear weak, if you give me no occasion, by your misconduct, to make proof of my strength. I choose that you should obey the gospel and thus 10 Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the power which the Lord hath given me to edification, and not to destruction. 11 Finally, brethren, farewell. honor our Master and secure your own happiness, rather than that you should offend and be punished. I will gladly submit to the continued reproach of weakness, and patiently bear all the taunts of my bitterest opposers, if ye will only be firm in the faith and obedient to the precepts of the gospel. 10. Therefore I write these things, being absent. My strong desire for your reformation and perfect obedience, rather than for a conspicuous display of my power, has induced me thus to forewarn you, ver. 2, and to exhort you to spare me the pain and mortification of administering punishment, ch. xii. 21. I seek not my own glory, but your spiritual good. My willingness to bear the continued taunts of my opposers, as destitute of apostolic power, if your obedience will only render its exercise unnecessary, has prompted the foregoing exhortations and admonitions. Lest being present, I should use sharpness. Lest I should be under the necessity of inflicting punishment. It is for the purpose of avoiding this that "I write these things." I shall certainly perform my duty when I visit you; if any persist in ungodliness, I shall exert my power, in punishing them, and thus exhibit full proof of my apostleship; nevertheless, I shall rejoice to be accounted weak, and incapable of such proof, if I may find you strong, inasmuch as my most ardent desire is for your perfection, ver. 9. T According to the power, &c. This power was given rather for edification than for destruction, yet effectual for either. If you compel me to use it in the infliction of pain, I shall assuredly do so; yet it was rather designed for assisting your growth in grace, in which manner only I desire to use it; 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. 13 All the saints salute you. 14 The grace of the Lord different teachers. Banish from your hearts all ill-will towards each other. Remember that "one is your master, even Christ, and all ye are brethren." Matt. xxiii. 8. Dwell together in unity, as becometh brethren. Ps. cxxxiii. 1. See note on Rom. xii. 18. T And the God of love and peace shall be with you. It is observable that the peculiar appellation here given to God has a close relation to the subject of exhortation. If men will love one another, the God of love will dwell with them. If they will live in peace, the God of peace will fill their hearts with his influence. See note on ch. i. is "not far from every one of us." Acts xvii. 27. Yet our consciousness of his presence, much more our consciousness of his approval, depends on the state of our own minds and hearts. If we indulge a spirit of hatred, we cannot realize the approval of the God of love. If we indulge a spirit of contention and strife, we cannot realize the approval of the God of peace. But let us love each other and live in peace, and the God of love and peace will dwell with us. 11. Finally, brethren, farewell. "The word here rendered farewell means usually to 'joy' and 'rejoice,' or to be glad, Luke i. 14; John xvi. 20, 22; and it is often used in the sense of 'joy to you,' 'hail,' as a salutation. Matt. xxvi. 49; xxvii. 29. It is also used as a salutation at the beginning of an epistle, in the sense of greeting.' Acts xv. 23; xxiii. 26; Jas. i. 1. It is generally agreed, however, that it is here to be understood in the sense of 'farewell,' as a parting salutation, though it may be admitted that there is included in the word an ex-3. Doubtless God is omnipresent, and pression of a wish for their happiness." Barnes. The same idea is properly included in the English word "farewell; "for though used as a parting salutation, its meaning is, fare you well, prosperity and happiness attend you. T Be perfect. Amend whatever is wrong in your faith or practice. Let your reformation be entire. The original word denotes the re-arrangement, or putting in order, of what has previously been out of place. Hence Macknight renders, "be ye restored;" namely, by reformation of all that is amiss. Of course, absolute perfection is not to be understood, as such perfection belongs to God alone. T Be of good comfort. Be comforted by the 13. All the saints salute you. Or, precious promises of the gospel. Con- greet you. That is, all the Christians fidence in God, for support in all trials, with whom Paul was then immediand for such supplies of grace as your ately associated. Equivalent to "the necessities may require. Some trans-churches of Christ salute you," Rom. late "comfort one another." In either xvi. 16. case, it should be regarded as the expression of a wish for their happiness. Be of one mind. Let your divisions be healed; let your strifes cease. Cor. iii. 3, 4. Follow Christ alone. Be united in your desire to honor him, by obeying his precepts, and by relying with unwavering confidence on his promises. Live in peace. Repress your factious dispositions. Contend no longer as to the relative claims of 1 12. Greet one another with a holy kiss. Or, salute one another. See notes on Rom. xvi. 16, where the Greek phrase is the same which occurs here. 14. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is Paul's ordinary apostolic benediction. See note on Rom. xvi. 20. Here, as in that place, he may be understood to invoke all spiritual blessings which flow from the fountain of grace through Jesus Christ; perhaps with a special reference to the reformation, love, and peace, to which he has just exhorted his brethren. And the love of God. The benedic Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen. tion is expanded here, and given in its most perfect form. God's love is unchangeable, and always embraces his offspring. The desire here expressed is that it may be fully realized, and that the blessings which flow from it, such as pardon, sanctification, comfort, joy, and peace, may be enjoyed through faith, even in the present life. 1 Tim. iv. 10. T And the communion of the Holy Ghost. The joint-participation of the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit. Some of these are "love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance," Gal. v. 22, 23, besides the miraculous gifts conferred in apostolic times. All these are invoked by the apostle. Be with you all. With all without exception. He desired that even those who were now his enemies and rebellious against the truth, might be converted and become partakers of spiritual blessings. T Amen. This word is rejected by most critics, as an addition by some early copyist. The subscription to the Epistle is generally considered to be true in itself, but not to have been written by the apostle. I cannot better close these notes on the Epistle generally and the benediction in particular, than in the language of Stanley: "The love of God for The second epistle to the Corinthians was written from Philippi, a city of Macedonia, by Titus and Lucas. man is brought home to the human race by the favor and goodness of Christ. The joint-participation in the pure and holy spirit, which that love sheds abroad in our hearts, is the great gift which Christ left to the whole body of believers. In other words, the favor, the benediction of Christ, with which the apostle always parts from his readers, is, he now finally assures them, the nearest approach from God to man, the nearest approach of man to God. It is no less, on the one hand, than the expression of the Creator's affection for his creatures; it is no less, on the other, than the union of the hearts and spirits of men with the heart and spirit of God. And this blessing he invokes, not on a few individuals, or on any one section of the Corinthian church, but expressly on every portion and every individual of those with whom, throughout these two Epistles, he had so earnestly and so variously argued and contended. As in the first, so in the second Epistle, but still more emphatically, as being here his very last words, his prayer was, that this happiness might be with them all." And in this he manifested the spirit of our Lord, who prayed for all, and "gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time." 1 Tim. ii. 6. END OF II. CORINTHIANS. |
