Commentary - 2 Corinthians 4:13-15

Bird's-eye view

In this section of 2 Corinthians, the apostle Paul is connecting the inner life of faith with the outer realities of apostolic ministry, which for him meant suffering, proclamation, and the certain hope of resurrection. He has just described the apostolic life as one of carrying around the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus might be manifested. This is not some grim stoicism, but rather a robust, death-defying confidence. Paul grounds this confidence in three interconnected realities. First, a shared spirit of faith that cannot keep silent but must speak what it believes. Second, a certain knowledge of a future, bodily resurrection, not as a solo event, but one that will gather all the saints together. Third, a God-centered purpose for all ministry, which is that grace would spread, resulting in an explosion of thanksgiving that redounds to the ultimate glory of God. This is the engine that drives authentic Christian ministry: a faith that speaks, a hope that resurrects, and a love that aims for God's glory in the good of others.

This passage is a potent antidote to any form of privatized, silent, or timid Christianity. The faith Paul describes is inherently vocal and declarative. It is also profoundly corporate; the resurrection hope is not just "I will be raised," but "we will be raised and presented together." And finally, it is radically oriented away from self. All the afflictions, all the work, all the grace is "for your sakes," with the ultimate goal being a symphony of gratitude ascending to God. This is the logic of the gospel lived out in the crucible of ministry.

Outline

Context In 2 Corinthians

Paul is in the midst of a robust defense of his apostolic ministry against the "super-apostles" who were troubling the Corinthian church. These opponents were flashy, eloquent, and peddled a gospel of strength and worldly success. In stark contrast, Paul has been emphasizing his weakness, his suffering, and his afflictions. He presents his ministry not as a triumphal procession of worldly glory, but as a constant experience of dying with Christ. In chapter 4, he has described this treasure of the gospel as being held in "earthen vessels," or clay pots, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to the minister. The verses immediately preceding our text describe the apostolic band as "always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies" (2 Cor 4:10). Our passage, then, is not a shift in topic but the explanation for why Paul can endure this death-filled ministry without losing heart. It is because of a living faith, a resurrection hope, and a God-glorifying goal.

Key Issues

A Faith That Speaks

There is a kind of pietism that wants to keep faith as a quiet, private, internal affair. But that is not the kind of faith the Bible knows anything about. The faith that God gives is a living, breathing, and consequently, speaking thing. Paul here reaches back into the Psalter to make his point, quoting from Psalm 116. The psalmist, delivered from the brink of death, says, "I believed, when I spoke." His belief was not a silent assent; it was intertwined with his cry to God. For Paul, this is a fundamental principle. The "spirit of faith" is not a private mood; it is a disposition, a driving force, that results in proclamation.

This is because the object of our faith, Jesus Christ, is the Word of God. He is the ultimate divine communication. To believe in Him is to believe in the one who spoke the cosmos into existence, the one who is Himself the final word to mankind. To receive that Word in faith and then try to bottle it up is a contradiction in terms. It would be like receiving the gift of lungs and refusing to breathe. Therefore, when Paul says, "we also believe, therefore we also speak," he is stating a foundational law of the kingdom. True faith is irrepressibly vocal. It testifies. It preaches. It sings. It confesses. It cannot do otherwise.

Verse by Verse Commentary

13 But having the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I BELIEVED, THEREFORE I SPOKE,” we also believe, therefore we also speak,

Paul aligns his own ministry with the testimony of the Old Testament saints. He is not inventing a new kind of religion. He shares the same spirit of faith that has always characterized God's people. This faith is not a vague feeling but a robust conviction that has content. And the nature of this conviction is that it must find expression. He quotes from the Greek Septuagint version of Psalm 116:10, where a man in deep distress holds fast to his faith and speaks out of it. Paul's application is direct: our apostolic ministry operates on the same principle. We believe the gospel, we believe in the resurrection, we believe in the promises of God, and therefore we speak. The speaking is the necessary consequence of the believing. It is not an optional extra for the extroverted. Proclamation is the fruit that grows on the tree of faith.

14 knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and will present us with you.

Here is the central content of what we believe and speak. It is the resurrection. Notice the logic. We speak, knowing something. This is not a hope-so, wishful-thinking faith. It is a faith grounded in historical fact and divine promise. The foundation of our future hope is the past action of God: He raised the Lord Jesus. That is the down payment, the firstfruits, the guarantee of what is to come. Because God the Father raised His Son, we know that He will raise us also. But Paul adds two crucial qualifications. We will be raised with Jesus. Our resurrection is not an event independent of His; it is a participation in His. We are raised by the same power and into the same kind of glorious life. Second, this is a corporate event. He will raise us and present us with you. The great hope of the Christian is not a solitary ascent to a disembodied heaven. It is a grand, corporate gathering of all the saints, resurrected in glorified bodies, presented together before the throne of God. Paul's love for the Corinthian believers is so profound that he envisions their final salvation together. His goal is to arrive in glory with his converts in tow.

15 For all things are for your sakes, so that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God.

This final verse provides the ultimate rationale for the entire apostolic enterprise. Why does Paul endure suffering? Why does he preach? Why does he long for their resurrection? It is all oriented toward a great, cosmic purpose. First, he states the pastoral motivation: all things are for your sakes. All the shipwrecks, the beatings, the imprisonments, the theological labor, it is all for the benefit of the church. The ministry is not for the minister; it is for the flock. But this is not the final goal. The good of the church serves a higher purpose. The goal is that grace, God's unmerited favor, would spread. As the gospel is preached, grace extends its reach to more and more people. And what is the result of this spreading grace? It causes the giving of thanks to abound. As more people are saved, the chorus of thanksgiving gets larger and louder. And what is the ultimate end of that abounding thanksgiving? It is all to the glory of God. This is the final stop. God's glory is the terminus of all things. The entire machinery of redemption, apostolic suffering, bold proclamation, corporate resurrection, is designed to produce a massive harvest of thanksgiving that magnifies the glory of the grace of God.

Application

We are called to have this same spirit of faith. This means our faith cannot be a muzzled faith. If you truly believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead and that He will raise you up with all the saints, how can you be silent about it? This truth is not a private opinion to be kept in the attic of your mind. It is the central, animating reality of the cosmos, and it demands to be spoken, sung, and shared. Your faith should be audible.

Furthermore, our hope must be a corporate hope. We live in an individualistic age, and our vision of the future often reflects that. We think about "my" salvation, "my" mansion, "my" crown. But Paul's vision is corporate: "He will... present us with you." Our sanctification and our struggles are tied up with the sanctification and struggles of our brothers and sisters. We are running this race together, and we will cross the finish line together. This should transform how we view our local church. These are the people you will be presented with in glory. Love them, serve them, and bear with them accordingly.

Finally, everything in our Christian lives must be aimed at the glory of God. Why do we serve in the church? Why do we share the gospel? Why do we obey God's commands? We do it "for their sakes," for the good of others, so that grace might spread and thanksgiving might increase, all to the glory of God. This liberates us from the tyranny of results. Our job is to be faithful in speaking and serving; God's job is to make grace spread. Our task is to plant and water, and as God gives the increase, we are to join the swelling chorus of thanksgiving that brings Him all the glory.