What does 2 Corinthians 13:1 mean?
The end of chapter 12 turned the tables on the believers in Corinth. Paul has spent much of the letter answering charges against himself by a group of false apostles. He has lowered himself to the level of boasting, albeit sarcastically, about his qualifications as an apostle of Jesus. Before long, however, Paul made it clear the Corinthians are in no position to declare Paul valid or invalid. Rather, his defense has been for their sake—so they won't reject the truth and accept a lie. It will be the believers of Corinth, not Paul, facing scrutiny when he arrives. He has listed several sins among them that have either been reported to him or that he witnessed when he was with them on his previous visit (2 Corinthians 12:19–21).Paul repeats that this will be his third visit to Corinth (2 Corinthians 12:14). His first visit was when he lived among them and established the church in Corinth, leading many to faith in Christ (Acts 18:1–18). His second visit was short and difficult, resulting in an awkward confrontation and a lack of support from the congregation as a whole.
On this next visit, Paul is planning to come to put them on a kind of spiritual trial. He quotes from Deuteronomy 19:15, as Jesus did in Matthew 18:16–17. It's unclear if Paul is planning to interview witnesses to confront those still involved in ongoing sin. Perhaps he simply means he is serious about holding them accountable for sinful rebellion against Christ.
In any case, Paul expects them to take his upcoming visit seriously; they should deal with their own sinfulness before he arrives.
