Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, and live in peace. –
2 Corinthians 13:11
The church in Corinth had been in turmoil. The believers had begun questioning Paul’s authority and the message that he had given them. The rebellion had intensified to the extent that Paul refrained from visiting Corinth to avoid severely rebuking them (2 Corinthians 1:23-24). He subsequently wrote a letter to the church in Corinth calling for their repentance.
The message of Second Corinthians is one of thanksgiving that many repented. It also appealed to those who still opposed Paul (12:19-21). Some believed that all that Paul suffered in carrying the Gospel was proof of God’s rejection of his message. But Paul is quick to state that God is the “God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (1:3-5). Paul’s behavior and attitude under adversity displayed God’s presence and power in his life.
Paul only wanted the members of the church to do what was right, and make amends with each other (13:7-9). They were to comfort one another in the trials and hardships. They were to “agree with one another, live in peace” (today’s verse). Paul urged them to stand firm in their faith.
Relationships are difficult unless you have the unifying Word of God in your midst. There is no substitute for having the love of God in your heart and the hearts of fellow believers. Seek to cultivate this with others in your congregation.
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