2 Corinthians 13:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but in dealing with you we will live with him by the power of God.

NIV: For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God’s power. Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God’s power we will live with him in our dealing with you.

NASB: For indeed He was crucified because of weakness, yet He lives because of the power of God. For we too are weak in Him, yet we will live with Him because of the power of God directed toward you.

CSB: For he was crucified in weakness, but he lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but in dealing with you we will live with him by God’s power.

NLT: Although he was crucified in weakness, he now lives by the power of God. We, too, are weak, just as Christ was, but when we deal with you we will be alive with him and will have God’s power.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: For though He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives 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.

One accusation the false apostles made against Paul is that he seems weak in person (2 Corinthians 10:10). They seem to think an apostle of Christ ought to present himself in a dramatic, forceful, spectacular way. This was probably the style used by the false apostles.

Paul is now warning the believers in Corinth that when he comes to visit them again, anyone who remains in unrepentant sin will not be spared from judgment by Christ. He adds here that Christ, too, was weak when He was crucified for sin. After Christ was raised, however, He clarified His unimaginable power. Paul is saying he may have been weak when he was with them in the past—in a Christlike way—but when he comes to visit them this time it will be to deal with them in the Christlike power of God.

In other words, the Corinthian church should not expect Paul to seem weak or feeble at his next visit. He will be judging them in the name of Christ.

Second Corinthians 13:1–10 contains Paul's final warning to the Corinthians: repent from sin before he arrives to visit them. None will be spared from Christ's discipline if they remain unrepentant. They will see that Christ speaks through Paul when he executes Christ's powerful discipline among them. He urges them to examine themselves to see if Christ is in them and he prays for their restoration. Paul knows he has God-given authority to represent Christ among them, but he hopes he will not have to do so in a severe way when he arrives.

The final chapter of Paul's letter begins with a harsh warning. Nobody living in unrepentant sin when Paul arrives will be spared Paul's discipline. All will learn that Christ speaks through Paul—because Christ will deal powerfully with their sinfulness despite Paul's own weakness. Paul urges them to examine themselves and verify that Christ is in them and, by extension, that he is a true apostle. He prays for their restoration and hopes they will repent of all sin before he arrives so that he will not have to be severe in the use of his authority.

Second Corinthians 13 follows Paul's listing of two sets of sins he is concerned he will find among the Corinthians when he arrives. These are personal divisions and sexual immorality. He warns them once more that nobody will be spared from Christ's discipline if they remain in sin. Paul urges them to examine and test themselves to see if Christ is in them. He prays for their restoration and hopes they will repent of sin so that he does not have to be severe with them in his authority as Christ's representative when he arrives.

Second Corinthians returns to similar themes as those Paul mentioned in his first letter to this church. Paul is glad to hear that the church in Corinth has heeded his advice. At the same time, it is necessary for Paul to counter criticisms about his personality and legitimacy. Most of this text involves that subject. The fifth chapter, in contrast, contains comforting words which Christians have quoted often in times of hardship. Paul also details his expectations that the church in Corinth will make good on their promise to contribute to the needs of suffering believers in Jerusalem.