The Weekend, August 8 –
We come
to our weekend reading and also to the end of the book of 2nd
Corinthians. Today our text is from 13:1
– 14. Please read the Scripture first
and then come back if you can, and we’ll look at it again, and thanks.
We come
to the final chapter in this emotionally challenging letter of 2
Corinthians. This letter has given us a
personal picture of the Apostle Paul. He
has been passionate, at times confronting, warm and loving, vulnerable, and
pleading. If you think about that
description, it’s not a stretch to think of Paul as a Father and the church as
his children. He wrote this letter to
define the New Covenant ministry God had called him to proclaim (chapters 1 – 7),
and to defend his Apostolic authority (chapters 8 – 12). Two things occupied what he addressed
concerning His Apostolic authority.
First, he calls the church to fulfill its pledge to collect gifts for
the church in Jerusalem (chapters 8-9).
Then he takes on the assaults on both his character and his leadership
brought on by the false teachers who sought to undermine his relationship with
the church (chapters 10-12). Now we come
to the final section, and it is a mixture of all of the above.
We go
back to yesterday’s reading to begin – “...for the third time, I am ready to
come to you. And I will not be a burden, for I seek not what is yours but you.
For children are not obligated to save up for their parents, but parents for
their children” (12:14). At the
beginning of this chapter, he repeats it with a different ending – “This is
the third time I am coming to you. Every charge must be established by the evidence
of two or three witnesses” (13:1). The
second part of the sentence is a quote from the Old Testament book of
Deuteronomy (19:15), and in essence, is Paul’s way of saying I’m coming to see
for myself – now a third time to bear witness of whether or not you are doing
what you must do. What follows could be
understood as a warning, but also as a reminder that they have a responsibility
as a church to do the work of Christ in dealing with immoral behavior –
“I warned those who sinned before and all the others, and I warn them now
while absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that if I come again, I
will not spare them— since you seek proof that Christ is speaking in me.
He is not weak in dealing with you but is powerful among you. For he was
crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in
him, but in dealing with you, we will live with him by the power of God”
(13:2-4).
Borrowing from Christ’s example, he makes a contrast with his way of leading
them. Jesus came in humble weakness that
led him to the cross but was exalted to the right hand of God in power, with
authority over all the earth (Matthew 28:19-20).
So,
Paul points out, he had been humbly weak in dealing with them but is willing to
exert something quite different if they fail to exercise their faith in the
right way. Sometimes people appear to be
meek, but it is to avoid confrontations.
They don’t like conflict and will shrink from the hard talks to avoid
the negatives that might come from it.
Not Paul, he prefers peace, friendship, love, but not in a hypocritical-avoiding
of essential faith issues. There is
something wrong with a faith that does not love truth, and willing to stand up
for the truth in relationships.
Augustine, the great pastor of the 5th century, said it
best: “Better it is to love even with
the accompaniment of severity than to mislead by (excess of) lenience.”[1]
I think this issue of truth and love might be the great challenge of the
church today, and of pastoral ministry today, in our present culture. A confrontation over moral issues, ethics,
values, is by and large uncommon. Our
culture prides itself on privacy, individuality, and choice, and those values
are not consistent with the biblical vision of the church as the people of
Christ.
Love is
a byword for many things, but love also challenges the faith and practices to
demonstrate consistency and integrity -
“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do
you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless
indeed you fail to meet the test! I hope you will find out that we have
not failed the test. But we pray to God that you may not do wrong—not
that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right,
though we may seem to have failed. For we cannot do anything against the
truth, but only for the truth” (13:5-8).
The test of faith is both inward and outward.
Three times Paul uses the word “yourselves.” It underscores the corporate as well as the
individual aspect of the Church. Is “Jesus
Christ in you” is the fundamental beginning of the test. “Doing what is right,” “doing things for
the truth,” are reminders that what begins inwardly has to work itself
outwardly. He’s not questioning their
salvation, nor does he want them to doubt their salvation. He is asking them to be willing to respond
positively to their responsibilities of faith and growth in Christ. It’s a parental admonition: “Show me, live like a Christ-follower, be
consistent, be people of faith, love truth, and obey Christ.”[2]
Paul
begins to end the letter with a more gracious tone, but not a soft one – “For
we are glad when we are weak, and you are strong. Your restoration is what we
pray for. For this reason, I write these things while I am away from you,
that when I come I may not have to be severe in my use of the authority that
the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down” (13:9-10). Paul has exercised tough love in writing
to them. He does not want to tear them
down, so instead, what he seeks is “your restoration.” The word translated
“restoration” in the text comes from a Greek word that means “mending.” It is a
mending of the relationship that he seeks.
Paul had not sought sorrow, but a faithful response to the truth of what
the Gospel is all about. He had
confronted, pleaded, scolded, challenged, and yet he never gave up on loving
them.
He ends
with quick reminders of what makes a church special – “Finally, brothers,
rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live
in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one
another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you. The grace of
the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit
be with you all”(13:11-14).
Paul Barnett, in ending his commentary on 2 Corinthians sums up the ending
so accurately – “By this prayer Paul is reminding the Corinthians that their
‘mending’ does not lie within themselves but with the grace of Christ, the love
of God and the Spirit’s fellowship. The grace of Christ removes aggressiveness,
the love of God dispels jealousy, while the fellowship created by the Spirit
destroys bitterness. As God answers that prayer, the problems so manifest in
Corinth and in every troubled church will be overcome.[3]
I
couldn’t agree more. This is what the Church
is meant to be. A place where Joy is
occurring, where healing, mending, reconciliation is seen. A place where comfort and conversations lead
to understanding and not an argument. A
place where God’s peace is real and love is common. I pray this will be in you. I pray we remember, above all other things,
that “The Grace of the Lord Jesus” as well as “The Love of God the Father,”
lead us to an authentic “Fellowship of the Holy Spirit” – yes, that kind of
church!
Peace
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