2 Corinthians 13

In this last chapter of the letter within the letter, Paul finishes with four things: 1. A warning. He is visiting Corinth again and this time he won't be expecting any loose talk or reckless statements: he insists on a showdown if it proves necessary. Paul recognises that sometimes in life trouble must be faced. 2. He is hopeful. He has three hopes for the Corinthian Christians: he hopes they will go onwards towards perfection; he hopes that they will listen to him now in his writing, rather than when he visits in person; he hopes they will live in agreement and in peace-no congregation can worship the God of peace in an atmosphere of bitterness; 3. He ends with a wish, which is that they as a church fellowship do the right thing. Paul never wanted to show his authority just for the sake of it; discipline must always be aimed to lift someone up rather than to knock them down, or destroy them. 4. He prays that his hope for them to be blessed in their lives will be fulfilled. Ultimately, Paul recognises that it is the supernatural power of God which will transform the situation. Paul doesn't hate these people who so vehemently stand against him and denigrate his work: no, he wants the love of Christ to course through their veins and free them of their bitterness and anger. We end our studies of the two letters of Paul to the Corinthians. Remember that I will be having a break from Bible blogging during August and if anyone would like me to look at another book at some point-although it is unlikely to be written as a daily blog- then do please email me your thoughts. Or if you have any questions about theology... God bless you and thanks for reading! David