2 Corinthians 13:1-14 (NLT)
1 This is the third time I am coming to visit you (and as the Scriptures say, “The facts of every case must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses”).
2 I have already warned those who had been sinning when I was there on my second visit. Now I again warn them and all others, just as I did before, that next time I will not spare them.
3 I will give you all the proof you want that Christ speaks through me. Christ is not weak when he deals with you; he is powerful among you.
4 Although he was crucified in weakness, he now lives by the power of God. We, too, are weak, just as Christ was, but when we deal with you we will be alive with him and will have God’s power.
5 Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith.
6 As you test yourselves, I hope you will recognize that we have not failed the test of apostolic authority.
7 We pray to God that you will not do what is wrong by refusing our correction. I hope we won’t need to demonstrate our authority when we arrive. Do the right thing before we come—even if that makes it look like we have failed to demonstrate our authority.
8 For we cannot oppose the truth, but must always stand for the truth.
9 We are glad to seem weak if it helps show that you are actually strong. We pray that you will become mature.
10 I am writing this to you before I come, hoping that I won’t need to deal severely with you when I do come. For I want to use the authority the Lord has given me to strengthen you, not to tear you down.
11 Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.
12 Greet each other with a sacred kiss.
13 All of God’s people here send you their greetings.
14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
There has been a dangerous divergence from the truth of Paul’s message, enabling a return to sin that is unacceptable for the body’s health. In his absence, alternative messages have diverted focus from the way that leads to life, and sin had drawn people away from what had once filled their hearts with the holiness of God. The same power Paul had received to convey the revelation of Christ was also effective in bringing discipline and correction to this precarious and volatile situation. For the repentance to take in and changes to be made in departing from those wanderings, it had to take place with authority that was carefully packaged in love. Brash dominance and the wielding of undue control would only turn their hearts from the necessary submission to his direction. The previous chapter and this final one are spent in carefully preparing them for his arrival, either to an atmosphere of maturity with necessary adjustments and a return to righteousness, or to one that would require something other than warm embraces of affirmation. The love that is so passionate for them compels him to be a voice of authority and correction, not overlooking in the least the very things that could undermine all he has provided them and leave them bound yet again. It’s precious, though, that he ends his warning with encouragement, affection, and even talk of kissing:) Where there is a heart of powerful correction, that same heart will be driven to surround the corrected with love and affection.