Albert Barnes Commentary 2 Corinthians 5:13

"For whether we are beside ourselves, it is unto God; or whether we are of sober mind, it is unto you." — 2 Corinthians 5:13 (ASV)

For whether we are beside ourselves. This statement is probably intended to address some of the charges that the false teachers in Corinth brought against Paul and to provide his friends there with a ready answer. It also aims to show them the true principles on which he acted and his genuine love for them.

It is highly probable that he was charged with being deranged. Many who boasted of their prudence, soberness, and wisdom likely regarded him as acting like a madman. It has not been uncommon, by any means, for the cold and the prudent, for formal professors and for hypocrites, to consider the warm-hearted and zealous friends of religion as maniacs.

Festus thought Paul was deranged when he said, Paul, you are beside yourself; much learning makes you mad (Acts 26:24). The Savior Himself was regarded by His immediate relatives and friends as beside Himself (Mark 3:21). At all times, there have been many, both in the church and out of it, who have regarded the friends of revivals and of missions, and all those who have shown any extraordinary zeal in religion, as deranged.

Paul’s object here is to show, whatever the appearance or the estimate they attributed to his conduct, what the real principles were that motivated him. These were zeal for God, love for the church, and the constraining influences of the love of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:14–15).

The word translated here as "be beside ourselves" (exesthmen, from existhmi) properly means to put out of place, or to be put out of place. It then means to be put out of oneself, to astonish, or to fill with wonder (Luke 24:22; Acts 8:9, 11). Finally, it can mean to be out of one's mind, or to be deranged.

In this context, it means that Paul and his fellow laborers were charged with being deranged, or that others esteemed, or professed to esteem, them as such.

It is to God. This means it is in the cause of God and from love for Him. It is such a zeal for Him, such an absorbing interest in His cause, such love prompting to such great self-denial, and teaching us to act so differently from other people, as to lead them to think that we are deranged.

The doctrine here is that there may be such a zeal for the glory of God, such an active and ardent desire to promote His honor, as to lead others to charge us with derangement. However, it does not prove that a person is deranged regarding religion simply because they are unlike others, or because they pursue a way of life that differs significantly from that of other professed believers or from the worldly person.

He may be the truly sane person after all. All the madness that may exist could be found where there is a profession of religion without zeal, or a professed belief in God's existence and eternal realities that produces no difference in conduct between the professor and other people.

Madness may also be an utter unconcern about eternal realities when a person is walking on the brink of death and hell. Few people become deranged by religion; millions who have no religion act as madmen. Indeed, the highest instances of madness in the world are those who walk over an eternal hell without apprehension or alarm.

Or whether we are sober. This means whether we are sane or of sound mind . Tyndale renders this whole passage: "For if we are too fervent, to God we are too fervent; if we keep measure, for our cause we keep measure."

The sense seems to be: "If we are esteemed to be sane and sober-minded, as we trust you will admit us to be, it is for your sake. Whatever the estimate in which we are held, we are influenced by love for God and love for humanity. In such a cause, we cannot but show zeal and self-denial, which may expose us to the charge of mental derangement. Nevertheless, we trust that by you we shall be regarded as influenced by a sound mind. We seek your welfare. We labor for you. And we trust that you will appreciate our motives and regard us as truly sober-minded."

The term "beside" can also mean "transported beyond"; and regarding "it is," compare 2 Corinthians 11:1, 16, 17.

The term "sober" can also mean "sober-minded."