2 Corinthians 13:11-14 (WEL) Finally, brethren, goodbye. Be restored, be comforted, be unified, live in peace, then the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. 13 All the saints greet you. 14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
V11 Finally, brethren, rejoice. Be restored, be comforted, be unified, live in peace, then the God of love and peace will be with you.
Five laws that God wants us to live: 1) rejoice, 2) be restored, 3) be comforted, 4) be united, 5) and live in peace.
Paul’s wish and prayer for the Corinthians believers is for them to be 1) rejoice in God’s goodness, 2) restored, 3) comforted, 4) unified, and 5) live in peace.
Doing so will bring blessings of God’s love and peace. God might feel distant and not as ready to bless a believer if the church family continues fighting among themselves.
The Greek word for restored is G2675 καταρτίζω katartízō, which means be restored in this context. Paul wishes a complete church family not at odds with others or separating themselves in various groups/cliques. Chrysostom comments on this verse in his Homilies on 2 Corinthians as καταρτίζεσθε implying “set yourselves right again” and connects it with reconciliation and unity, not moral perfectionism. “He says, ‘καταρτίζεσθε,’ meaning, ‘Restore yourselves, make what is broken whole again; be of one mind, be at peace.’ For they had been rent asunder by divisions.”
V12 Greet one another with a holy kiss.
This is the traditional Middle Eastern style of greeting, for example, as cheek to cheek or neck to neck. It is not lips to lips. Save that greeting for your spouse.
V13 All the saints greet you.
The saints are our fellow believers. There is no special class of super Christians. We are one family living in love.
V14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
This is the typical Apostolic Benediction. This also hints at the Trinity of God, which is one God in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Grace, love, and fellowship are mentioned not as special ministries of each member of the Trinity but the particular grace that Paul wants to emphasize.
We learn:
- The importance of working out problems in the church.
- The importance of aligning with the standard of the New Testament in doctrine, lifestyle, worldview, and the laws of Christ. To do so, we must read and study the Bible in its plain, normal sense from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21.
Questions:
- Is there an area in your church family that needs to be restored?
- Are you willing to work to that goal with the help of God?