The Terrible Meekness of God: Text: 2 Corinthians 13:1-4
Introduction: The Showdown in Corinth
We come now to the sharp end of Paul's letter to the troubled church in Corinth. For many chapters, he has been defending his apostolic ministry, not because he was thin-skinned, but because the gospel itself was at stake. The Corinthians, influenced by flashy, eloquent charlatans whom Paul sarcastically dubs "super-apostles," had begun to despise him. They saw his sufferings, his lack of worldly polish, and his refusal to take their money as signs of weakness, as proof that he was not a "genuine" apostle. They were looking for swagger, and Paul gave them crucifixion. They wanted a CEO, and God sent them a bondservant who was frequently beaten.
So now, after all the theological argument, after all the patient explanation, after all the heart-baring appeals, the time for talk is drawing to a close. Paul is coming for a third time, and this visit will not be a pastoral counseling session. It will be a judicial visitation. The apostle is coming to clean house. And this passage is his final, solemn warning. It is a summons to repentance before the judge arrives. The Corinthians have been putting Paul on trial, demanding that he prove his credentials. In a stunning reversal, Paul tells them that he is coming to put them on trial, and the proof they are looking for will be the very power of Christ exercised in judgment against their sin.
This is a text about the nature of true spiritual authority. Worldly authority is always self-promoting, always flexing, always making a show of its strength. But Christian authority, because it is derived from a crucified King, operates on a completely different axis. It is an authority that is perfected in weakness, a power that looks like foolishness to the world, and a judgment that is wielded with tears. Paul is about to show them that the Christ who speaks through him is not weak, and that the meekness of God is a terrible, consuming fire for those who trifle with it.
The Text
This is the third time I am coming to you. BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY MATTER SHALL BE CONFIRMED. I have previously said when present the second time, and though now absent I say in advance to those who have sinned in the past and to all the rest as well, that if I come again I will not spare anyone, since you are seeking proof that Christ speaks in me; He is not weak toward you, but mighty in you. For indeed He was crucified because of weakness, yet He lives because of the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, yet we will live with Him because of the power of God toward you.
(2 Corinthians 13:1-4 LSB)
Judicial Process (v. 1-2)
We begin with the apostle laying the legal groundwork for his coming judgment.
"This is the third time I am coming to you. BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY MATTER SHALL BE CONFIRMED. I have previously said when present the second time, and though now absent I say in advance to those who have sinned in the past and to all the rest as well, that if I come again I will not spare anyone," (2 Corinthians 13:1-2)
Paul is not acting like a rogue operator or a tyrant. He is proceeding by the book, God's book. He quotes from Deuteronomy 19:15, a foundational principle of biblical justice. This isn't just a casual proof-text; he is formally announcing that a judicial process is underway. The Lord Himself established this principle for church discipline in Matthew 18. This isn't Paul's personal vendetta; it is covenantal order.
But who are the two or three witnesses? The witnesses are Paul's visits themselves. His first visit was the founding of the church, where the standard of the gospel was established. His second visit, the "painful visit," was a direct confrontation with their sin. This coming third visit will be the final testimony that confirms the charge. The evidence has been presented. The warnings have been issued. The patience of God has been extended. Now, the matter is to be settled. Paul is telling them that he has followed due process. The time for appeals is over.
Notice the solemnity. He has told them before, and he is telling them again, in advance, while absent. There will be no surprises. No one will be able to say they weren't warned. This is for "those who have sinned in the past and to all the rest." This covers both the ringleaders of the rebellion and those who were complicit through their silence or tolerance. When sin is allowed to fester in a church, it implicates everyone. When judgment comes, it will be thorough. "I will not spare anyone." This is not the language of a modern, therapeutic pastor. This is the language of an apostle of Jesus Christ, vested with divine authority to guard the holiness of the church. Sparing them would be malpractice. To spare the unrepentant is to be cruel to the body of Christ. It is to let gangrene fester for fear of the scalpel.
The Proof You Asked For (v. 3)
Here Paul directly confronts their insolent demand for a display of power.
"since you are seeking proof that Christ speaks in me; He is not weak toward you, but mighty in you." (2 Corinthians 13:3)
This is the heart of the matter. They wanted proof, a demonstration, a sign that Paul was the real deal. They were looking at his outward appearance, his afflictions, his humility, and concluding that Christ couldn't possibly be speaking through such a vessel. The super-apostles, no doubt, had a more impressive resume. Paul's response is devastatingly ironic. "You want proof? Very well. You shall have it. But you have fundamentally misunderstood the nature of Christ's power."
He tells them that the proof of Christ's power is not something Paul carries around in his pocket to show off. The proof is already in them. "He is not weak toward you, but mighty in you." How so? The very existence of the Corinthian church was the primary proof! Who brought them the gospel that saved them from their paganism? Paul. Who planted the church? Paul. By whose ministry was the Holy Spirit poured out among them? Paul's. Their conversion, their spiritual gifts, their very identity as Christians was the undeniable evidence that Christ was speaking and working through this apostle. They were demanding proof of the architect while standing inside the building he built. It is a form of profound spiritual blindness.
But there is a second, more ominous meaning here. He says Christ is "mighty in you." This power can work for salvation, but if it is resisted, it can work for judgment. The same sun that melts the wax hardens the clay. The same apostolic word that brings life to the repentant brings a curse on the defiant. Paul is saying, "You want to see the power of Christ in me? You will. When I arrive, Christ will act mightily among you, either in your joyful repentance or in your swift discipline." The proof they were seeking was about to show up and call them to account.
The Cruciform Pattern of Power (v. 4)
Paul now grounds his entire ministry in the logic of the cross. This is the central axiom of Christian service.
"For indeed He was crucified because of weakness, yet He lives because of the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, yet we will live with Him because of the power of God toward you." (2 Corinthians 13:4)
This verse is the whole gospel in miniature, and it is the key to understanding this entire epistle. The Corinthians were judging by worldly standards. They saw Paul's weakness and concluded he lacked power. Paul tells them that this is precisely backward. True spiritual power operates through weakness, because that is the pattern established by the Lord Jesus Himself.
"He was crucified because of weakness." From a human perspective, the crucifixion was the ultimate display of weakness. Jesus was betrayed, arrested, beaten, mocked, and executed. He didn't call down legions of angels. He submitted. He appeared utterly powerless. This is the "weakness" Paul is talking about. It is the complete renunciation of self-serving, coercive, worldly power.
But this weakness was the very pathway to resurrection power. "Yet He lives because of the power of God." God's power was not demonstrated by saving Jesus from the cross, but by raising Him through the cross. The resurrection vindicated the weakness of the cross, showing it to be the very wisdom and power of God (1 Cor. 1:24-25). The greatest display of God's might in all of history was preceded by the greatest display of apparent weakness.
And this is the template for all authentic Christian ministry. "For we also are weak in Him." Paul readily admits his weakness. He embraces it. His beatings, his shipwrecks, his hunger, his tears, his unimpressive speaking style, all of it was a participation in the weakness of Christ. He was living out the crucifixion. The super-apostles despised this, but Paul gloried in it, because he knew the second half of the pattern.
"...yet we will live with Him because of the power of God toward you." (2 Corinthians 13:4)
Just as Christ's weakness led to resurrection, so the apostle's weakness will be the vehicle for God's resurrection power. And where will this power be directed? "Toward you." This is both a promise and a threat. For those who repent and align themselves with Paul's gospel, they will experience this life-giving power in their restoration and sanctification. But for those who persist in their rebellion, they will experience this same divine power in judgment. When Paul arrives, he will not be acting in his own strength, but in the resurrection power of the Lord Jesus. The Corinthians had mistaken the pattern of the cross for failure. Paul is warning them that they are about to witness the power of the resurrection.
Conclusion: The Test is Yours
The gauntlet has been thrown down. Paul has made it clear that he is coming with the full authority of Christ, an authority that is paradoxically rooted in the weakness of the cross and expressed in the power of the resurrection. The Corinthians demanded that Paul prove himself, but Paul has turned the tables. The real test is not whether Paul is a genuine apostle. The real test is whether the Corinthians are genuine believers.
This is why, in the very next verse, he will tell them to "Examine yourselves." The issue is not Paul's legitimacy, but their own. Is Christ in them? The proof of Paul's apostleship was their conversion. If they deny his apostleship, they are sawing off the branch they are sitting on. They are undermining the very foundation of their own faith.
The application for us is straightforward and severe. We live in an age that, like Corinth, is drunk on the ideals of worldly power, success, and charisma. We want our churches to be impressive, our pastors to be polished, and our ministries to be slick. We are easily embarrassed by the weakness of the cross. We want a Christianity without the scandal, a crown without the thorns.
But God's method has not changed. His power is still made perfect in weakness. The ministry of the gospel is still carried in fragile clay pots, so that the surpassing power might be of God and not of us (2 Cor. 4:7). When we demand that the church or its ministers conform to the world's standards of strength, we are asking for the very proof that Christ is not speaking in them.
The authority of Christ in His church is real. Church discipline is not an outdated relic; it is the mighty power of the resurrected Christ, wielded by His appointed servants, to keep His bride pure. And it comes to us just as it came to the Corinthians, as a severe mercy. It is a warning that gives us time to repent. It is the terrible meekness of a God who was weak enough to die for us, and is therefore powerful enough to judge us.