September 24

2 Samuel 20; 2 Corinthians 13; Ezekiel 27; Psalms 75–76

Photo by Corinne Kutz on Unsplash

2 Corinthians 13

Today it seems everyone is concerned about power. A frequent accusation to “Christian Nationalism” - the desire to make one’s country explicitly submitted to the resurrection and lordship of Christ - is that it is about “power.” “Why do you desire power?” they ask. “After all, Christ was not about power, but about love.”

Indeed, Paul says in v. 4, Christ surrendered himself in weakness when he was crucified for us. But that was past tense: he “was” crucified “in weakness” (4), but now - present tense - “(Jesus) lives by the power of God.” Paul’s point is not that Jesus’ past surrender has no bearing now - far from it! His point is that Christ and therefore Paul now operate with both weakness and power. Paul is weak with the Corinthians (4), but even that he does by the power of God.

Christianity has always been and is now all about power. It was by the awesome power of God that the Lord Jesus was conceived (Luke 1:35); that he meekly did not call down legions of angels to eliminate his enemies (Matt. 26:53); that he surrendered himself to the cross to be judged for our sin; and that he was raised from the dead (Rom. 1:4). Now that he is ascended and reigning, his kingdom is coming (Matt. 6:10), supplanting every rival kingdom, by power. And it is by His creating power that any of us are saved (2 Cor. 4:6).

It’s not a matter of whether power is operating, but to what end - whether for building up or tearing down (10). Present-day Marxism thinks if we use power to tear down - whether it be statues or cities or the culture - something better will magically grow back in the ashes of the old. This is blind and destructive faith. If something good and better will be rebuilt in the ashes of the old, it will only be by the power of God, because only then will it will be based upon truth (8), operating in love (9).

But built by whom? Paul commands the Corinthians and us to examine and test ourselves (5), to see if Christ is in us. For then we will be who we are; we will be like Christ in the world. That is, we will both weak and strong; both full of love and full of creating power (10).