Thomas Aquinas Commentary 2 Corinthians 13:5-10

"Try your own selves, whether ye are in the faith; prove your own selves. Or know ye not as to your own selves, that Jesus Christ is in you? unless indeed ye be reprobate. But I hope that ye shall know that we are not reprobate. Now we pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we may appear approved, but that ye may do that which is honorable, though we be as reprobate. For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. For we rejoice, when we are weak, and ye are strong: this we also pray for, even your perfecting. For this cause I write these things while absent, that I may not when present deal sharply, according to the authority which the Lord gave me for building up, and not for casting down." — 2 Corinthians 13:5-10 (ASV)

After threatening God’s severe judgment, the Apostle warns them to be ready so that they will not experience it. First, he gives the admonition; secondly, he provides the reason for it (verse 10). In the admonition, he does two things: first, he presents the warning itself; secondly, he excludes a false suspicion (verse 7). Within the warning, he again does two things: first, he advises them to examine themselves; secondly, he suggests what they will find through such an examination (verse 5b).

Regarding the first point, it should be noted that anyone who wants to face judgment securely should first examine himself and his deeds; in that way, he can tell whether he will appear safely. Therefore, the Apostle warns them that before they come to judgment—which will take place when he comes to them—they should examine themselves. He says: examine yourselves, that is, examine and reflect on your actions: “Test everything; hold fast what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

He advises them to examine themselves on two points. The first is faith, which is why he says: to see whether you are holding to your faith—that is, the faith I preached to you and you received from me concerning the Lord Jesus Christ—or whether you have fallen away and lapsed into another. This is necessary because, as it says in 1 Corinthians 11:31, “But if we judged ourselves truly, we should not be judged.” And also, “Look at your way in the valley; know what you have done” (Jeremiah 2:23). The second point of examination concerns works, when he says: test yourselves, to see whether you are engaged in good works, or whether your conscience troubles you for having done some evil. This is useful, because it says in 1 Corinthians 11:28, “Let a man examine himself,” and in Galatians 6:4, “Let each one test his own work.”

Then, when he says, Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you? he shows what they can find through such an examination. First, he shows what they might find in themselves, and secondly, what they might find in the Apostle (verse 6).

In themselves, they will be able to discover two things by this examination. They will either know that they are keeping the faith, and thus they will be able to find and know that Christ is in them. This is what he means when he says, Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you? It is as if to say, “Yes, if you were to examine yourselves, you would know that you have the faith and recognize that Christ is in you.” This is because where faith in Christ is, there Christ is also: “That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith” (Ephesians 3:17); “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God?” (1 Corinthians 6:19).

Alternatively, they will know that they are not keeping the faith and will find themselves to be reprobates. Therefore, he says, unless indeed you fail to meet the test! This means you will find that you have Christ, unless you have lost the faith and have fallen from the state of previously having had it: “You have rejected me, says the LORD, you keep going backward” (Jeremiah 15:6); “For the wicked are not removed. Refuse silver they are called” (Jeremiah 6:29).

But here a question arises from the literal text regarding the statement, Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you? For Christ only remains in those who have charity, as it says in 1 John 4:16: “God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” If, therefore, we know that Christ is in us by faith, it must be by a “formed faith” (faith perfected by charity). But this seems to contradict Ecclesiastes 9:1: “Their deeds are in the hand of God; whether it is love or hate man does not know.”

I answer that “Christ dwelling in us” can be understood in two ways: regarding the intellect or regarding the affections. If it is understood regarding the intellect, then He dwells in us by an “unformed faith” (faith without charity). In this way, there is nothing to prevent us from knowing with certainty that Christ dwells in us, namely, when we know that we hold the faith which the Catholic Church teaches and holds.

But if it is understood regarding the affections, then Christ dwells in us by a “formed faith.” In this way, no one can know with certainty that Christ dwells in him, or that he has charity, unless this certainty is granted to a person by a special revelation and grace. However, nothing prevents us from having a conjecture that we are in a state of charity, for instance, when a person finds himself so ready and disposed that he would not do anything against Christ for any temporal gain: “Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God” (1 John 3:21). It is clear, therefore, that the Apostle is speaking in the first sense. Or, he may be speaking of knowledge that is a conjecture, as has been said. But his argument proceeds as if referring to the second way and to knowledge that is certain.

He then mentions what they might find in the Apostle when he says, I hope you will find out that we have not failed. Since those Corinthians could say, “We are not reprobates, but we do not hold to your teachings because you are not right and should be rejected,” he responds. He says that regardless of their own situation, I hope that from our life and doctrine, which we have disclosed to you, you will find out that we have not failed and have not taught evil, nor are we excluded from the power we claim to have: “A wise man, when you meet him, is known by his countenance” (Sirach 19:26, Vulgate); “You will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16).

When he says, But we pray God, he excludes the suspicion. He had threatened them with a severe judgment, mentioned his power to judge, and suggested an examination, trusting that Christ was in them unless they were reprobate. Nevertheless, he leaves in doubt the question of whether Christ is in them. Because they might believe and suspect that the Apostle would rejoice in their being reprobates—in order to appear greater in comparison to them and to exercise a more severe judgment—the Apostle removes this suspicion. He does this first with a prayer he directs to God on their behalf, and secondly, by the joy he felt concerning them (verse 9).

He prays, therefore, that they may be found innocent and not be examined with the severity of a judgment. Thus he says, But we pray, namely to God, that you may not do wrong. It is as if he is saying, “Do not suppose that we want you to be reprobates; rather, we pray that you may do no evil.”

He also prays that he himself may appear weak, thus excluding any desire on his part for superiority over them. Hence he says, not that we may appear to have met the test. That is, we do not pray that we may be commended as approved in comparison to you, but rather that you may do what is right: “And let us not grow weary in well-doing” (Galatians 6:9); “Be strong, and let your heart take courage” (Psalms 27:14). This is true even though we may seem to have failed by losing the power to punish and judge, because where there is no guilt, we are all equal, and one does not have power over another to judge. Therefore, the Apostle would rather they be good than be subject to the power of his judgment.

He shows that he would lack this power to judge if they are good when he says, For we cannot do anything against the truth. It is as if to say, “We do not labor for anything but the truth, and for it we stand.” But it is obvious that if we were to punish the innocent, we would be standing against the truth and against justice. Therefore, since the Apostle could not do anything against the truth, but only for the truth and for justice, it is clear that he will not punish the innocent.

It should be noted, according to Augustine in a Gloss, that two things are necessary for avoiding sin: free will and God’s grace. If free will were not needed, precepts, prohibitions, and exhortations would never be given to people; furthermore, punishments would be pointless. But grace, too, is necessary, because unless God ruled all by His grace, a person could not stand. Moreover, it would be pointless to pray that He not lead us into temptation. Consequently, the Apostle, indicating that both are necessary, prays to God to obtain grace and advises that they withdraw from evil with their free will and do good. Thus he says, we pray (concerning grace), and that you may not do wrong (concerning free will).

Then, when he says, For we are glad, he removes the false suspicion by expressing joy over their goodness. First, he mentions the joy he feels over their innocence; secondly, the prayer he utters for their perfection (verse 9b).

He says, therefore, we pray that you may appear approved, but we weak. This is clear from our own feelings, because we rejoice when you are good and innocent, which takes away our power to judge and makes us seem weak. This is what he says: For we are glad when we are weak, that is, not exercising our power, and you are strong, that is, acting so well and overcoming vices that you take away our power to judge. For when a person does evil, he subjects himself to the power of a judge; but by acting well, he casts it away from him: “Would you have no fear of him who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval” (Romans 13:3); “We are weak, but you are strong” (1 Corinthians 4:10). Concerning that joy, it says in Philippians 2:17, “I am glad and rejoice with you all.”

We not only rejoice in these things, but beyond this, what we pray for is your improvement. In the natural world, we notice that every natural thing tends toward its own perfection, for which it has a natural desire. To each thing is given the natural power to enable it to attain its perfection.

But God gives humanity grace, by which we may attain our ultimate and perfect fulfillment—that is, happiness—toward which we have a natural desire. Therefore, when a person does not strive for perfection, it is a sign that he does not have a sufficiency of God’s grace. For this reason, so that they might grow in grace, the Apostle prays that they be perfected: “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment” (Philippians 1:9); “That you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Ephesians 6:13).

Then, having given the admonition, he assigns the reason for it, saying, I write this while I am away from you, in order that when I come I may not have to be severe. That is, I write these things to you in my absence to warn you, so that I am not forced to do something against my will, which is to do nothing severe against you unless I am compelled by you. Hence he says, that when I come among you I may not have to be more severe against you than I would wish or than you would wish: “For you admonished them and tried them as a father” (Wisdom 11:11, Vulgate); “I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold to you when I am away!— I beg of you that when I am present I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some” (2 Corinthians 10:1).

Because the Corinthians might ask, “But if we have acted well, could you still deal severely with us?” he answers, “No.” He explains that he cannot and does not plan to act except by using the authority the Lord has given him. But God gave him this power, namely, of binding and loosing, for building up and not for tearing down—that is, so that you might be built up, not destroyed. And if I were to correct you severely, I would not be building up but destroying: “Our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you” (2 Corinthians 10:8). The Lord gave this power to Paul: “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them” (Acts 13:2).