Continued Concern- Part 32

Introduction- II Corinthians 13:11-14

Last time we were here in II Corinthians we considered Paul’s challenge to the believers in the Corinthian church to examine themselves.

Paul had written to them in the hope that prior to his arrival among them they would repent and return to the Lord so that it would not be necessary for him to confront them then.

The previous passage continues to demonstrate the deep heartfelt concern that Paul had for the Corinthian believers and his desire to see them follow Christ.

The passage before us today is essentially a set of closing remarks from Paul as he draws the epistle to a close.

These concluding thoughts are a challenge from Paul to the Corinthian church to respond to the epistle so that they may be what God intends for them to be and so that the church as a whole may enjoy the presence of God and His grace, love, and communion.

Be…(11)

Now as Paul comes to the close of the epistle he again expresses his continued concern for the Corinthian church.

This closing section opens with Paul bidding “farewell” to the Corinthians—even this detail is significant because the word farewell involves wishing them well.

It is evident that Paul’s desire for the Corinthian church is not that it should be destroyed, he is not angry or frustrated with them, but simply longs for them to honor the Lord and to be the type of church that God would have them to be.

After bidding them farewell, Paul issues several simple exhortations to them which serve to remind them of what should be their response to the epistle.

The first of these is “be perfect”—as we are likely now aware the word perfect does not indicate without fault or without sin—rather to be perfect simply means to be spiritually mature/complete.

This is essentially a command to allow God to work in their lives to bring them to spiritual maturity so that they may be all that God would have them to be.

Paul’s reason for writing to them in the manner that he has in both the first and the second epistle is to encourage their spiritual growth so that they may be spiritually mature.

Hebrews 13:20–21 “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

Those who are perfect are only so because they have yielded to God’s transforming power and He has made them so.

The next exhortation is that they should “be of good comfort”—the idea of good comfort here is the same as being encouraged.

Paul tells the Corinthian believers to be encouraged—this is an important exhortation for them considering the nature of the epistle that he has written to them.

It would be easy for the believers in the Corinthian church to become discouraged by the epistle, to sink in despair when considering their current state and all the areas that needed to be addressed.

Yet Paul exhorts them to “be of good comfort”—though it may seem that there is much which is wrong and which stands in need of correction, the Lord is more than capable of bringing about their restoration.

The Corinthian church with all its faults and failings is not a lost cause and there is no reason whatsoever that it cannot become again exactly the type of church that would be pleasing to the Lord through the power of God at work among them.

The next exhortation is that they should “be of one mind”—of course this is particularly relevant to the Corinthian church where factions had evidently developed around personalities and contentions were common.

Here they are encouraged to come together in unity and harmony—the idea is not that they would all think exactly alike in every area but that they would be unified in their thinking.

This involves a sense of shared purpose and each member of the church recognizing the core principles upon which the church is established and aligning their thinking with these.

It is perfectly normal for there to be differences of opinion surrounding minor matters in any congregation, but we ought to be agreed when it comes to the core doctrines and principles upon which the church is established.

The final exhortation is similar as the Corinthian believers are encouraged to “live in peace”—the church at Corinth has been characterized by divisions, contentions, and conflicts, and Paul here challenges them to put away their differences and to resolve their conflicts so that they may live in peace.

Romans 12:18 “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.”

Hebrews 12:14 “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:”

Romans 14:19 “Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.”

This is a common theme in the scripture especially as it relates to the church—we are called to live in peace with one another that there should not be constant conflict, division, or contention among believers.

The final phrase in this verse it critically important as Paul expresses to the believers in the Corinthian church that if they will do these things, the God of love and peace shall be with them.

The point being made here is that to neglect these exhortations and to continue in their current state assures the continued lack of the manifest presence of God among them—whereas if they will respond positively to these exhortations they can be confident that God’s presence shall definitely be manifest among them.

If they refuse to pursue spiritual maturity, they sink in discouragement and despair, the divisions and contentions persist, and there is not peace among them, they cannot expect that God should manifest His presence among them.

On the other hand if they will allow God to work in their lives and in the church to bring them to perfection, they will be encouraged that they can and will make things right, they will choose to resolve their conflicts and to live in peace with one another, they can be sure that God will be with them and will manifest His presence among them.

The same is true in any church today—why should God manifest His presence in a church filled with immature believers who have no desire for spiritual progress, who are discouraged and despairing, where there are constant divisions and contentions, and where there is no peace.

By the same token why would God not manifest His presences and power where there is a congregation of believers who are striving toward spiritual maturity, where the people are encouraged in the Lord, where there is unity and peace? We can be sure that He will be with them and will manifest His presence among them.

Greetings (Vs. 12-13)

At this point Paul encourages the believers in the church at Corinth to “greet one another with an holy kiss.”

This of course sounds somewhat strange to us since this has never been a common practice among Christians in our culture.

However for the Corinthians this was a standard practice which was common in society—a gently kiss, typically on the cheek as a form of greeting.

This was almost always restricted to men greeting men and women greeting women and was almost never seen between two people of the opposite sex for understandable reasons.

This was not a sensual kiss as is clearly indicated by Paul’s description of it as a “holy kiss”—which indicates that it was done in a manner that was pleasing and not offensive to God.

In our cultural context this passage might read instead “greet one another with a holy handshake.”

The point however is that there should be unity among them such that they could greet one another in this fashion without any awkwardness or resistance.

Just like we might be concerned if someone refuses to shake our hand so also would it have been concerning in this context if this greeting was abandoned.

If we are in right relationship we ought to be able to give a genuine, heartfelt handshake to all our brothers and sisters in Christ.

If there are those that we avoid or refuse to warmly greet there is cause for concern among the congregation.

Paul also sends greetings from the saints to the believers in the church at Corinth.

This is also significant because it clearly indicates that not only does the church at Corinth have support and concern from Paul but also from all the saints.

This is a clear indication that the believers in other places were also supportive of the church at Corinth and were rooting for their success.

Benediction (Vs. 14)

Benediction-Blessing, prayer, or kind wishes, uttered in favor of any person or thing; a solemn or affectionate invocation of happiness; thanks; expression of gratitude.

This epistle concludes with what is often referred to as a benediction which is essentially a pronouncement of blessing.

This is very common among those who wrote the epistles which would ultimately be a part of the canon of scripture.

These are given not in the sense that the men who wrote them had the ability to pronounce blessings on their own accord but as an appeal to God to bless the ones that they were writing to.

Here in II Corinthians all three of the members of the Godhead are invoked as Paul concludes his writing to the Corinthian church.

He speaks first of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ—the scripture plainly states that Jesus was full of grace and truth and that He is in a sense the embodiment of the grace of God.

John 1:17 “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”

Jesus is a demonstration of the grace of God—His unmerited favor towards mankind—this grace which comes through Jesus Christ is what transforms and empowers the believer both to be and to do what pleases God.

Paul understood that if the Corinthian church was to be what God desired for it to be it would be only by the grace of God!

This he knew because it was this same grace which had brought about the miraculous transformation that had taken place in his own life.

1 Corinthians 15:10 “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”

Next he speaks of the love of God (obviously a reference to God the Father)—this serves as a reminder to the believers in the Corinthian church of the love that God has for them.

The Corinthians had many failings and yet this does not change the fact of God’s love for them and desire for fellowship and communion with them.

There may be times when we have failed that we begin to wonder whether God still loves us, but God’s love is unchanging because it is not based upon what we do but rather upon who He is!

Finally Paul speaks of the communion of the Holy Ghost—an expression of the communion which believers have with God and with one another by the Holy Ghost.

The fact that the Holy Ghost of God dwells within every true believer allows us the opportunity to enjoy sweet communion with God, but also enables us to have communion with one another.

If we each yield to the influence of the Spirit of God in our lives then we will most certainly enjoy communion both with God and with one another.

This was especially needful in the Corinthian church where contention and division had become so common—unity and harmony could quickly be restored through the communion of the Holy Ghost as His influence will bring us into alignment not only with God but with one another as well.

Conclusion

Ultimately the concluding verses of this epistle reveal the hopeful disposition which Paul still held towards the Corinthian church.

Paul exhorts them to be perfect, to be of good comfort (be encouraged) to be of one mind (be unified) and to live in peace so that they may enjoy the manifest presence of God among them.

He encourages them to warmly greet one another and sends greeting to them from all the saints.

Finally he commends them to God and appeals to God on their behalf for grace, love, and communion from all three persons of the Godhead.

It is evident that Paul was not discouraged and had not given up hope that the Corinthian church could be fully restored and that God would continue to work mightily there.