2 Corinthians 12:11-13:14

What’s Happening?

Paul ends his letter with a deeply personal appeal. He has warned, corrected, defended himself, and pleaded with the Corinthians. Now, he plainly reminds them of the purpose of all of it—Paul is coming to Corinth (2 Corinthians 12:14; 13:1). Paul wants his third trip to Corinth to mark a final decision for the Corinthians. Will the church be ready to receive him as the true apostle of Jesus, or will he be forced to confront unrepentant sin, division, and the influence of the false teachers he mockingly called “super-apostles”?

One last time, Paul hesitantly entertains the Corinthians’ foolish need to see impressive leadership credentials (2 Corinthians 12:11). He distinguishes himself from the so-called super-apostles by boasting in his weakness to highlight Jesus’ strength. He reminds the Corinthians that while he is nothing, God has worked through him in the kind of miraculous signs and wonders they craved (2 Corinthians 12:12). The Corinthians have been financially supporting the super-apostles who lord their strength over the church. But Paul, though more deserving of their support, never took money from the Corinthians for his ministry (2 Corinthians 12:14-16). He sarcastically apologizes for not demanding payment from them, so that they would respect him more (2 Corinthians 12:13). But Paul’s great love for them restrains him, because he is a spiritual father to them. And it is fathers who support their kids, not kids who support their fathers (2 Corinthians 12:14-15). 

Paul is not defending himself, he is desperately pleading with his spiritual children to change their ways and route out false teachers before his next visit (2 Corinthians 12:19). To prove the severity of the situation, Paul references a law from Deuteronomy: “Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses” (2 Corinthians 13:1). His previous visits serve as two witnesses to the Corinthians’ unresolved sin. This third visit will function as the final proof. If the church still refuses to turn from sexual sin, divisiveness, and deception, Paul will mournfully, but strongly, put the instigators out of the church (2 Corinthians 12:20-21; 13:2). For Paul will not operate out of his own strength, but out of Jesus’ who is working in his church. As surely as Jesus rose to strength out of the weakness of the grave, Jesus will use Paul’s weakness to deal strongly with the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 13:3-4). 

But restoration, not confrontation, is Paul’s goal when he arrives. He tells the church to examine themselves and see that Jesus himself lives among them and is transforming them (2 Corinthians 13:5). All who behold Jesus’ holy presence through examination will experience transformation. Paul isn’t interested in winning an argument or asserting his authority. He wants the church to be holy, whole, and ready to be in the presence of Jesus. Everything he’s written, even the hardest parts, has been for their building up, not their tearing down (2 Corinthians 13:10).

So, Paul closes with a vision of what he prays to see when he arrives. He wants to find a church that has turned away from sin, broken ties with false teachers, and embraced joy, peace, and unity (2 Corinthians 13:11). He wants to visit a family prepared to meet him—and, more importantly, ready to meet Jesus.

Where is the Gospel?

Paul’s imminent arrival points us to another coming—one far more weighty and wonderful. Just as the Corinthians were called to prepare for Paul, we are called to prepare for Jesus. Jesus, like Paul, comes both in meekness and power. He was crucified in weakness, but now reigns with the strength of God (2 Corinthians 13:4). And he is coming again. 

This is good news for all who trust Jesus. Jesus doesn’t come to collect payment or exploit our devotion like the super-apostles. He comes in all the ways Paul has talked about his own coming: like a groom coming for his bride (Revelation 19:7; 2 Corinthians 11:2), like a father coming to his children (John 14:18; 2 Corinthians 12:14-15), like a friend coming to be with his beloved friends (John 15:15; 2 Corinthians 7:2-3).  

But just as Paul warned the Corinthians to clean house before he arrived, Jesus too calls us to prepare ourselves. We are the church, his beloved, and his desire is to find us radiant, holy, and ready (Revelation 19:7-8). That’s why Paul’s longing for Corinth’s restoration is more than a personal wish—it’s the echo of Jesus’ own heart for his people. Jesus wants to remove every trace of what is destroying us. And he has already begun that work through his Spirit in us. As Paul says, “Jesus is in you”—right now, already cleansing and preparing you for his arrival.

This means that every conviction of sin, every desire to repent, every movement toward joy and peace is evidence of Jesus working in you. His presence today is preparing you for his return tomorrow. And when he comes, he will not tear you down, but will build you up into himself and welcome you as his own. 

See for Yourself

I pray that the Holy Spirit will open your eyes to see the God who lovingly confronts us not to shame us, but to restore us. And may you see Jesus as the one who comes to us in power and love—cleansing us now by his presence and preparing us for the joy of his return.