2 Coríntios 13
Adam Clarke · Citado em PreceptAustin
2 Coríntios 13:5
Clarke - Try yourselves; pierce your hearts; bore yourselves throughout; try yourselves by what I have written, and see whether ye retain the true faith of the Gospel. Test (3985) (peirazo from the noun peira = test from peíro = perforate, pierce through to test durability of things) is a morally neutral word simply meaning “to test”. Whether the test is for a good (as it proved to be in Heb 11:17) or evil (Mt 4:1 "Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil") depends on the intent of the one giving the test and also on the response of the one tested. Peirazo can have several nuances depending on the context: (1) trials with a beneficial purpose and effect (In the present passage Paul is calling for his readers to try or test themselves), (2) divinely permitted or sent, (3) with a good or neutral significance, (4) of a varied character, (5) definitely designed to lead to wrong doing, temptation (always Satan's purpose), (6) of men trying or challenging God. Swanson says that peirazo (Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains) as used in the present passage means… To examine, submit another to a test, to learn the true nature or character of. To endeavor to discover the nature or character of something by testing. (2Co 13:5, 1Co 10:13-note) This use can refer to a trial of God by humans, the intent being to put God to the test, to discover whether God really can do a certain thing. J
2 Coríntios 13:5
Clarke - There is no other kind of reprobation mentioned here than that which refers to the trial and rejection of adulterated coin; and, by way of metaphor, to the detection of false Christianity. (2 Corinthians - Chapter 13) Warren Wiersbe tells the story of one of the churches he pastored in which there was "a teenager who was the center of every problem in the youth group. He was a gifted musician and a member of the church, but nevertheless he was a problem. One summer when he went off to our church youth camp, the youth leaders and church officers and I agreed together to pray for him daily. At one of the meetings, he got up and announced that he had been saved that week! His Christian profession up to that time had been counterfeit. He experienced a dramatic change in his life, and today he is serving the Lord faithfully. No doubt many of the problems in the church at Corinth were caused by people who professed to be saved, but who had never repented and trusted Jesus Christ. Our churches are filled with such people today. Paul called such people reprobate, which means “counterfeit, discredited after a test.” Paul used this word again in 2 Corinthians 13:6, 7, emphasizing the fact that it is important for a person to know for sure that he is saved and going to heaven (see 1 Jn 5:11, 12, 13-note). (Bible Exposition Commentary - Old Testament. Victor) Tom Wells in his article "Misunderstandings of Grace" wrote that… Many today seem to think that grace is unconnected with good works. A man once said from my pulpit, “My religion has nothing to do with good works.” At the time I took him to mean that his justification did not depend on good works. If that is what he meant he certainly was right, as I hope to show shortly. Later, however, I saw reason to think that he meant exactly what he said, though I hope I misjudged him. The doctrine of the security of the believer is sometimes preached in a way that leaves a godly life as an option for the Christian. It is looked upon as a desirable option, to be sure, but an option nevertheless. No doubt many pastors who hold this idea do so to protect the freeness of justification. Many of them also are zealous to see their people become more holy, and they preach with that in mind. But the effect of such preaching is often to harden people in their sins. Pulpits where this misunderstanding exists never ring with the words, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith” (2Co 13:5). They do not often sound the note of Peter, “Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure” (2Pe 1:10+). If a godly life does not necessarily go hand-in-hand with God’s salvation by grace, these texts are robbed of their force. After giving a long list of virtues that the Christian must eagerly pursue, Peter says, “Make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2Pe 1:10, 11+). (Misunderstandings of Grace - Reformation and Revival 03:1 Winter 1994) Fail the test (96)(adokimos from a = without + dokimos = tested and thus reliable or acceptable) that which will not satisfy a test referring to that which is rejected after a trial or examination because it fails the test. It means to put to the test for the purpose of being approved, but failing to meet the requirements. The basic meaning of adokimos is that of failing to meet the test or not standing the test. It describes that which does not prove itself to be such as it ought and which is therefore disapproved and useless. For example, "sterile soil" (see Hebrews 6:8 below) is unfit for fulfilling its purpose. In short adokimos describes that which is worthless, spurious, unqualified, disqualified, corrupted, not approved. Adokimos was commonly used of metals that were rejected by refiners because of impurities. The impure metals were discarded, and adokimos therefore came to include the ideas of worthlessness and uselessness. Adokimos - 8x in 8v - Ro 1:28; 1 Cor 9:27; 2 Cor 13:5, 6, 7; 2Ti 3:8; Titus 1:16; Heb 6:8. Translated in NAS - depraved(1), disqualified(1), fail the test(2), rejected(1), unapproved(1), worthless(2). Constable who is one who holds that Paul is not speaking of genuine salvation but of subsequent sanctification in 2Cor 13:5 and alludes to Paul's use of adokimos in support of this premise, writing that… Fail the test translates the Greek word adokimos (disqualified) which everywhere else in the New Testament refers to Christians. (Ed: Italics mine for emphasis). Comment: Constable's statement is not correct, for in fact the first NT use of adokimos refers to rank pagan unbelievers in Romans 1:28+ (see below, cf also 2Ti 3:8+ which again clearly does not refer to believers)! So clearly Paul's use of adokimos in 2Cor 13:5 does not support the premise that this passage refers solely to genuine believers at the exclusion of an admixture of some "counterfeit" believers (non-believers). In relation to God, the rejecting mind becomes a rejected mind (Ro 1:28) and thereby becomes spiritually depraved, worthless and useless. Thus Paul records And just as they did not see fit (dokimazo) to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved (adokimos) mind, to do those things which are not proper. (Romans 1:28 -note) Comment: "Depraved mind" is more literally a "disapproved mind" or a mind which is no mind and cannot discharge the functions of one, and most specifically a mind in which the divine distinctions of right and wrong are confused and lost, so that God’s condemnation cannot but fall on such an individual at the final judgment. Of unbelievers, Jeremiah wrote, They call them rejected (Lxx = apodokimazo in perfect tense) silver, because the Lord has rejected (Lxx = apodokimazo in aorist tense) them (Jer 6:30). The mind that finds God worthless becomes worthless itself. It is debauched, deceived, and deserving only of God’s divine wrath. The sinful, depraved mind says to God, “Depart from us! We do not even desire the knowledge of Thy ways." In Titus 1:16 (note) we again see the word adokimos describing unbelievers, those who masquerade as professors but not possessors of Christ… They (present tense = continually) profess to know God, but (strong contrast) by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient, and worthless for any good deed. Comment: These professor's practices (deeds) are "proof positive" that their profession is positively preposterous and their destiny is the Lake of fire! Those teachers who teach the false and damning doctrine that deeds have no place in assessment of authenticity of one's salvation find verses such as this one in Titus difficult to explain! Adam Clarke writes that these men are… "Adulterate; like bad coin, deficient both in the weight and goodness of the metal, and without the proper sterling stamp; and consequently not current. If they did a good work, they did not do it in the spirit in which it should be performed. They had the name of God’s people; but they were counterfeit. The prophet said; Reprobate silver shall men call them." (Ref) Adokimos was used to describe a counterfeit coin that fell below the standard weight, the worthless money being called adokimos. The word also was used of counterfeits of various sorts. Adokimos was used to describe a cowardly soldier who failed the test in the hour of battle. Adokimos described a candidate for office who the citizens regarded as useless. Finally a stone rejected by builders because of a flaw which made it unfit for construction, the rejected stone being clearly marked by a capital "A" (for adokimos) on it's surface. It is as if these unsaved men in Titus 1:16 profess Christ but in actuality deny Him and in a figurative sense have a giant "A" stamped on their head and heart. They have failed the test and unless they come to true repentance and faith will be rejected by the Master Architect and are of no eternal value to Him in building His kingdom. This should break our hearts that men and women are so deceived. Doubtless they will be among the Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' (What is the implication? They will think that during their life they "passed the test"! And yet they are deceived.) will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.' (Mt 7:21-note, Mt 7:22, 23-note) The man whose influence is ever towards that which is unclean and unholy and ungodly is like those in Titus 1:16 and thus of no use to God or to his fellow man no matter how externally pious or righteous or "religious" he might appear. A perfect example is that of the life of the great saint John Wesley who for many years professed to be a Christian and yet when he truly examined himself (being prompted to do so by the supernatural disposition of a group of Moravian believers) came to realize that he was not in the faith as illustrated by this brief excerpt from his sermon entitled The Almost Christian I did go thus for many years, as many of this place can testify; using diligence to eschew (abstain from) all evil, and to have a conscience void of offence; redeeming the time; buying up every opportunity of doing all good to all men; constantly and carefully using all the public and all the private means of grace; endeavoring, after a steady seriousness of behavior, at all times, and in all places: and God is my record, before whom I stand, doing all this in sincerity; having a real design to serve God; a hearty desire to do his will in all things; to please him who had called me to “fight the good fight,” and to “lay hold on eternal life.” Yet my own conscience bears me witness, in the Holy Ghost, that all this time I was but almost a Christian.'' (I encourage you to take a moment and read Wesley's full very pithy sermon The Almost Christian who became an "Altogether" Christian! See also notes on Acts 26:28) Jim Eliff has an article entitled The Starving of the Church which he ends with an allusion to 2Cor 13:5. He introduces his article writing that… We have now come to the fourth of five forgotten doctrines which are related to reformation and revival: The nature of saving faith as opposed to empty faith. It is my contention that the way in which we have preached a half gospel and the careless way we have received people into our churches have contributed to the need of revival perhaps as much as any other thing. Only a wide-scale reformation of thinking can abate this excessive accessing of unsaved persons into our churches. We have made a large and comfortable portal into our churches and “many there be that enter thereby.”… … Let us concentrate now on this startlingly clear out birth of true faith—its fruit. J. C.