SCRIPTURE: 2 CORINTHIANS 13
FINAL WARNINGS ( vs. 1-10)
- I will not spare those who sinned earlier any of the others. (v. 2)
- Christ is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. (v. 3)
- Examine and test yourselves to see whether you are in the faith (v. 5)
- Do not do anything wrong and do what is right. (v. 7)
- Do everything for the truth. (v. 8)
FINAL GREETINGS (vs. 11-14)
Finally, brothers, good-bye. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints send their greetings. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
THOUGHTS:
Before Paul made his last visit to the church in Corinth, he warned them about these actions that he will take:
- Confront and denounce their behavior publicly.
- Exercise church discipline.
- Excommunicate them from the church.
Paul called the Corinthian to examine and test themselves to see if they really were Christians. He wanted the Corinthians to grow into mature believers. Likewise, we should also give ourselves spiritual checkups to see if we are aware of Christ’s presence and power in our life so as to determine if we are really true Christians. We should also mature in our faith.
Paul dealt with the problems in the Corinthian church by reaching out to them with the love of Christ. He used the approach of sharing, communicating and caring to build relationships with them. May we also deal with other’s sin in Christlike ways.
Paul’s final greetings invoke the TRINITY – Grace of Lord Jesus Christ, love of God and fellowship of the Holy spirit.