2 CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 13:1-14,
“Wrap Up / Examine Yourselves Whether Or Not You Are In The Faith”
By
1.
INTRO
1.1.
In our last study, we continued to look at the conclusion of Paul’s
“Fool’s Speech” which has been called it’s epilogue. Paul was expressing that he was concerned
that when he came to them that those who are in sin will not have repented and
that he and the Corinthians will not be what each expects of the other and that
there would be many fleshly reactions by them at that time
1.1.1. We looked at the reactions
which come from us as a result of walking according to the flesh, or fleshing
out, verses the reactions that come from us when we are walking filled with the
Holy Spirit (see Galatians chapter 5)
1.1.2. We saw also that sometimes
we Christian do not match up to the expectations of others, even those of some
Christians, however sometimes the motivations of those people are not from God
because they are walking according to the flesh instead of by the Holy Spirit
and His filling and leading
1.1.2.1.However, we noted that when
others “flesh out,” so to speak, that this does not give us the right or
permission to do so ourselves. We are
still supposed to love and serve just as Jesus loves and serves us when we are
“fleshing out” and not loving Him as we really should be doing
1.2.
To this point in this letter to the Corinthians, we have seen that the
apostle Paul has attempted to accomplish the following major things:
1.2.1. Restore his damaged
relationship with the Corinthians
1.2.2. Defend his apostleship to
them
1.2.3. Reveal the true colors of
the group of Judaiser “super-apostles” whom the church had received and who
were now leading them astray
1.2.4. Bring the Corinthians to be
reconciled to God
1.2.5. See that the Corinthians
complete their pledge for the relief of the mother church in Jerusalem
1.2.6. Get the Corinthians to
commit to policing themselves, and disciplining those who were continuing in
rebellion and sin
1.3.
In our study today, we are going to look at Paul wrapping up this
letter to the Corinthians
1.3.1. Paul again warns them of his
soon coming to them and that when he comes he is not going to take any one
person’s word about anything
1.3.2. Paul tells the Corinthians that
they ought to quit examining him and take a moment and examine their own hearts
to determine whether or not Christ is truly dwelling in their hearts
1.3.2.1.His argument then is that if
Christ is in them, then Paul and his ministry are vindicated and proven to be
apostolic
1.3.3. Paul gives some final
exhortations to the church as well as some final salutations
2.
VS 13:1 - “1 This is
the third time I am coming to you. Every fact is to be confirmed by the
testimony of two or three witnesses.” - Paul repeats
to the Corinthians that he is now coming to them for the third time, and that
all facts will be confirmed by two or more witnesses
2.1.
Paul has mentioned repeatedly the fact that he is planning to come to
the church in
2.2.
Paul greatly desired that the church leaders take control of the
situations in the church, confront and discipline those who were continuing in sin, boot
out the “super-apostles” who had taken over the running of the church, repent
of their critical attitudes and gossiping about Paul, and be ready to
warmly receive him in love when he comes.
2.3.
There were numerous things that the apostle Paul admonished the
Corinthians to do throughout his writing in this letter, including the
following:
2.3.1. To quit listening to
criticism of him concerning several things:
2.3.1.1.That the changing of his
plans to come to them came about because he was fickle and made plans
according to the flesh.
2.3.1.2.That he was deceiving them
saying that he wasn’t receiving financial support from them, but in fact
their money was being funneled back to him.
2.3.1.3.That the reason that he
didn’t allow them to support him was because he didn’t love them, or
because he didn’t trust their motives for giving to him.
2.3.1.4.That he was weak and
timid when in person and then wrote to scare them into submission in his
letters.
2.3.1.5.That he was not a
“capital A” apostle, but was inferior to these “super-apostles,” and
in fact that he was just a fool that they had to put up with, because
of:
2.3.1.5.1.His inferior oratory style.
2.3.1.5.2.His imperfect use of the
“classical Greek” language.
2.3.1.5.3.His inferior visions and
revelations.
2.3.1.5.4.The fact that he was always
suffering and running into difficulties while traveling around as a missionary.
2.3.1.5.5.The fact that he was born in
2.3.2. To re-establish their
affection to Paul as their leader and accept him as an apostle of
Jesus Christ, second to no other apostle.
2.3.3. To forgive and re-admit
into fellowship the “now repentant” man whom they had previously
disciplined and removed from the church.
2.3.4. To be reconciled to God.
2.3.5. To repent of their faulty
theology concerning the nature of Jesus which they learned from the
“super-apostles.”
2.3.5.1.This was the Jesus of the
past, or the Jesus who merely lived, died, and raised, but that is it.
2.3.5.2.They needed to recognize
Jesus as risen and reigning as Lord and Master over all, and look to Him to
lead and direct them in all that they did.
2.3.6. To repent of trying to
establish their own righteousness before God based partly upon their works
as the “super-apostles” had taught them.
2.3.7. To open wide their hearts
to Paul, their father in the faith.
2.3.8. To not be bound together
with unbelievers, but to come out from the world in its sinful and worldly
attitudes and be sanctified or separated unto the Lord.
2.3.9. To cleanse themselves
from all defilement of the flesh and begin to perfect holiness in their
lives.
2.3.10. To re-establish their
relief offering for the mother church in
2.3.11. To confront those who
were continuing to commit sexual immorality, most of whom were probably
doing so by worshipping in the pagan fertility cults.
2.3.12. To boot out these
“super-apostles” whom they had allowed to come in and run the church.
2.4.
Paul Barnett in his commentary has given three reasons for believing that the
Corinthians did in fact receive this letter from Paul as they should have,
repented, and followed Paul’s admonitions, he writes, “It appears that
this letter, like the “Severe Letter,” brought a change of heart for the
following reasons: (1) Paul spent three
months there soon afterward upon his arrival (Acts 20:2-3), (2) the Achaians
participated in the collection (so Rom 15:26, despite the absence of named
persons in Acts 20:4), and (3) the Letter to the Romans, which was probably
written from Corinth soon after his arrival, has little of the anguish and heat
evident in 2 Corinthians.”
2.5.
In the law of Moses, Deut. 17:6-7; 19:15, the provision was made
that in the Jewish civil courts a person must have two or more witnesses
testify against him in order for his guilt to be determined, “6 “On the
evidence of two witnesses or three witnesses, he who is to die shall be put to
death; he shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness.7 “The hand
of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward
the hand of all the people. So you shall purge the evil from your midst…15 “A
single witness shall not rise up against a man on account of any iniquity or
any sin which he has committed; on the evidence of two or three witnesses a
matter shall be confirmed.”
2.5.1. This is also why concerning
church discipline that in Matthew 18:16 that Jesus said that after first going to a man in
private and you still believe that he has sinned and is not repentant, that if
the man still refused to repent of his sin that you were to take with you
two more witnesses in order to confirm the matter. Then, if the man still refused to repent of
his sin that you were to bring him before the church and have him
disfellowshipped.
2.5.2. In the church in
2.5.3. Paul was not going to take
one person’s testimony over another’s because he knew that this is always wrong to do. One person once remarked, “Every man’s
story sounds credible until you hear from the other side!” I have learned to never take one person’s
story against another as gospel because I have seen over and over again that there
is always more to the story than what they tell you.
2.5.3.1.Everything becomes much
different when you get the other person’s side of the story.
3.
VS 13:2 - “2 I have
previously said when present the second time, and though now absent I say in
advance to those who have sinned in the past and to all the rest as well, that
if I come again, I will not spare anyone,” -
Paul warns the Corinthians that when he comes to them that he will not
spare anyone who is continuing in sin
3.1.
As I mentioned already, Paul would much rather not have to openly
confront and discipline anyone in the church in
3.2.
Notice also that Paul himself had the authority to kick anyone out of
the fellowship,
he did not need a meeting of the board of elders to make this decision. Being an apostle over the church he had full
authority in this matter.
4.
VS 13:3-4 - “3 since
you are seeking for proof of the Christ who speaks in me, and who is not weak
toward you, but mighty in you.4 For indeed He was crucified because of
weakness, yet He lives because of the power of God. For we also are weak in
Him, yet we shall live with Him because of the power of God directed toward you.” - Paul tells the Corinthians that just as
Christ was crucified because of weakness, but was now raised up from the dead
by the power of God, so too he may have seemed to be weak when with them
however he lived because of the power of God within him
4.1.
Paul is basically saying to the Corinthians that the perception of
him as being weak and timid when with them was wrong, as he had pointed out
earlier when he said that he was not actually weak and timid but rather meek
and gentle like Jesus, for he had the mighty power of God working within him.
4.1.1. If those in the church did
not follow his admonitions in this letter, they were going to see just how
bold and powerful through the Holy Spirit he could really be.
4.2.
We must not miss seeing from these verses the fact that the resurrected Lord Jesus
Christ that we serve is omnipotent and that there is no limit to His power
and what He can do, and that He is now sitting on the throne of God ruling
over all creation.
5.
VS 13:5 - “5 Test
yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not
recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you
fail the test?” - Paul asks the Corinthians to
examine themselves to determine if they are in the faith
5.1.
We can say that this verse is sort of a final argument of Paul’s in
his defense of himself to the Corinthians.
Paul asks the Corinthians to do some self-examination and
determine whether or not Jesus Christ truly dwells within their hearts
or not.
5.2.
The argument of Paul in this verse then is this: If Christ is in their hearts then Paul must be an
apostle and vindicated from their criticisms of him because after all it was
Paul who had led them to Christ in the first place and if Christ dwelt in them
this was the direct result of Paul and his ministry!
5.3.
The Lord gives us Christians an internal confirmation and assurance of
our salvation
through the Holy Spirit whom He places inside of us. Paul wrote in Rom. 8:16 about how that
the Holy Spirit bears witness to a child of God that he truly has Christ in his
life and is saved, “16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit
that we are children of God.”
5.3.1. In Rom. 8:9, Paul
wrote about the fact that if a person does not have the Holy Spirit, the
third person of the Trinity, living within his heart then he does not belong to
God and is not headed for heaven at this point in time, “9 However,
you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells
in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to
Him.”
5.3.2. I have discovered through
the years also that I sometimes get an internal confirmation that someone else
is a Christian,
though this doesn’t happen with everyone that is truly saved. More times than not when I have recently met
someone who turns out to be a Christian, I initially just sort of sense the
Holy Spirit working in their life and that they are truly saved. This is the Holy Spirit bearing witness to me
that He is living within this other person.
This happens with us all at least occasionally does it not? It is an interesting thing how the Holy
Spirit reveals Himself to us as Christians.
5.4.
It would be wise if people would every now and again sit down and
examine themselves whether or not Christ truly lives in their lives, or
not.
5.4.1. We ought to ask ourselves whether
or not the Holy Spirit is truly bearing witness to our spirit that Jesus Christ
is living in our hearts and that we truly have turned our will 100% over to
the Lord to do His will in our lives.
5.4.2. When the way that we are
living contradicts the claims that we make that we are a born again new
creation in Christ with all things made new in our life, then it would be good
if we took a minute and examined our hearts and whether or not we have had
a genuine salvation experience, or not.
5.4.3. The Psalmist’s prayer when he asked the Lord in Psalm
139:23-24 to examine his heart and reveal to him if there was any hurtful
way in him regularly ought to be our prayer to the Lord, “23 Search me, O
God, and know my heart; Try me and know
my anxious thoughts; 24 And see if there
be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.”
5.5.
Strong’s Greek Dictionary has the following entry for this word ‘adokimos’
that is translated ‘fail the test,’ or in the KJV, ‘reprobates:’
5.5.1. The KJV translates this
Greek word according to context as ‘reprobate, castaway, rejected.’
5.5.2. The word means:
5.5.3. Not standing the test, not
approved
5.5.3.1.properly used of metals and
coins
5.5.4. 2) that which does not prove itself such as it ought
5.5.4.1.unfit for, unproved,
spurious, reprobate
5.6.
Paul then is asking the Corinthians to determine whether or not their
faith in Christ is genuine or not. There
are many people in churches all over the world that do not have a genuine
personal relationship with Jesus and are not headed for heaven!
6.
VS 13:6 - “6 But I
trust that you will realize that we ourselves do not fail the test.” - Paul tells the Corinthians that he hopes that
they also realize that he and those with him also do not fail the test
6.1.
Paul and those with him also had the witness of the Holy Spirit in
their lives,
for they too had become genuinely saved from their sins by Christ.
6.2.
More than just having come to salvation, the test that Paul speaks of
here concerning himself is also that of being a true apostle. The fact that the Corinthians had come to
have true faith in Christ was evidence that Paul was a genuine apostle
of Jesus Christ.
7.
VS 13:7-9 - “7 Now we
pray to God that you do no wrong; not that we ourselves may appear approved,
but that you may do what is right, even though we should appear unapproved.8
For we can do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth.9 For we
rejoice when we ourselves are weak but you are strong; this we also pray for,
that you be made complete.” - Paul told the Corinthians
that he prayed that they would do what is right in the sight of God, not so
that he would appear to be approved by God, but simply because he stood for the
truth and because he loved them and this would be the best for them
7.1.
Paul did not care to have any accolades for himself for any of the things that
he did in serving the Lord. He wanted
his accolades to come from Christ when he stood before Him at His return for
the church. He wanted the Lord to
say to him at that time, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant!”
7.2.
As a loving father, albeit a spiritual father, Paul truly desired what was best for
the Corinthians, and nothing less.
7.3.
In verse 9, Paul speaks in a bit of an obscure way. He is basically telling the Corinthians that his
ministry to them came about as a result of his being in a position of weakness. Paul has already shown them how that his
life as an apostle was constantly filled with suffering, persecutions,
difficulties, deprivations, humiliation, danger, etc. Paul knew that it was in his weaknesses
that he ministered to the Corinthians, as well as anyone else. His ministry to the Corinthians however
was used to make them strong in Christ and their Christian faith. Therefore, Paul says that he rejoiced when
he was made weak in order that they might be made strong.
7.3.1. We Christians need to
realize that before the Lord uses us in any ministry that we are going to have
to suffer and go through lots of difficulties, and then it is only after that we have
suffered that the Lord really begins to use us and bless us and our
ministry. This is simply the way that it
is.
7.4.
Paul ends these verses by saying that he prayed for the Corinthians
that they would be ‘made complete’ in Christ. His desire for them was that the Lord
would complete them in their faith (the
work that He had begun) and mold them into the very image of Jesus Himself.
7.4.1. We Christians need to
realize that until that time when we have been made perfect in maturity and
likeness to Christ, that the Lord has work to do in our lives and we need
to cooperate with Him in that construction process in our life.
7.4.2. In Phil. 1:6, Paul
wrote about how the Lord can be counted upon to complete that work that He has
begun in each of our lives, “6 For I am confident of this very thing,
that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ
Jesus.”
8.
VS 13:10 - “10 For
this reason I am writing these things while absent, in order that when present
I may not use severity, in accordance with the authority which the Lord gave
me, for building up and not for tearing down.” - Paul tells the Corinthians that he has been
writing the things in this epistle to them so that he will not have to be
severe in discipline towards them when he comes to them
8.1.
Paul loved to be used in people’s lives to teach them about
the Lord and His word, and how that they could be effectively used by
Christ. He loved to disciple leaders
building them up in their faith. These
things were a great joy to him, and he was gifted to do this work
very effectively. However, sometimes
he knew that he also had to rebuke and discipline people in the church as well. This brought about the effect of tearing down
things that didn’t please the Lord in someone’s life. He had been given the authority and
responsibility for this task as well.
This was a necessary function though not a very enjoyable one for him.
9.
VS 13:11 - “11 Finally,
brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in
peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.” - Paul gives the Corinthians some final
exhortations
9.1.
We can see how that these final admonitions by the apostle Paul contain
those things that he is most concerned about communicating to them, for that is
what final words are reserved for.
9.2.
Paul tells the Corinthians to ‘rejoice.’
9.2.1. The Greek word ‘kairo’
used here is a salutation that was often used in letters and according to Strong’s
Greek Dictionary has the following meanings:
9.2.1.1.to rejoice, be glad
9.2.1.2.to rejoice exceedingly
9.2.1.3.to be well, thrive
9.2.1.4.in salutations, hail!
9.2.1.5.
at the beginning
of letters: to give one greeting, salute
9.2.2.
Like giving praise and thanks to the Lord, rejoicing in the Lord is
an expression of faith in God and His word.
We rejoice in the Lord when we see God’s promises as certain to be
fulfilled just because the Lord said that He would do so and that in spite
of the fact that you may have little evidence that this will happen aside from
that which comes from believing in His faithfulness!
9.2.3.
When we
Christians continually place our eyes on the Lord and rejoice in Him and the
things that He has and is doing in our lives, then we are prepared to face any difficulties.
9.2.3.1.
We Christians must
discipline ourselves not to continually focus on the things that the Lord
hasn’t accomplished in our’s or anyone else’s life, that is on the problems
yet to be resolved and needs and resources yet to be provided by God. We must learn to keep our eyes on the Lord
and continually rejoice in the things that He has and is doing.
9.2.3.1.1.Life is so much more enjoyable also when we are doing
this rather than looking at the work
yet to be accomplished by the Lord.
9.2.4.
I would encourage
you to ask yourself regularly whether or not in your heart you are really
rejoicing in the Lord and the things that He has done. I think that many times we Christians might
be surprised to realize just how little we actually do rejoice in the Lord
and the things that He has done.
9.3.
Paul tells the Corinthians to ‘be made complete.’
9.3.1.
Paul had already
exhorted the Corinthians to be perfecting holiness in their lives.
They needed to be whole-heartedly committed to doing this.
9.3.2.
Paul wanted the
Corinthians to grow up in their faith in Christ and to allow this period of testing which they
had been going through since the “super-apostles” had come to them to prove
and purify their character.
9.3.3.
Like the
Corinthians, we need to be committed to continually be growing in maturity
in Christ and never be content with where we presently are at in our
walk this side of heaven.
9.3.4.
We Christians must never
feel as though we have arrived or reached such a plateau that we do not have
before us the lofty goal of pressing on to higher spirituality and godliness.
9.3.4.1.
Many Christians
seem to reach a certain level and thereafter not really do much for the Lord, and compromise with the world begins to slowly
erode the zeal and love of the Lord that they once had. However, we can never allow ourselves to do
these things. We must always forget
what lies behind and press forward to what lies ahead (Phil. 3).
9.4.
Paul tells the Corinthians to ‘be comforted.’
9.4.1.
The Corinthians
knew the “God of all comfort” who “comforts us in all of our afflictions” (see the first chapter of the letter) and therefore
Paul tells the Corinthians to learn to look to the Lord to comfort them in
all of their times of weakness and suffering.
9.4.2.
This is equivalent
also to Paul saying, ‘be encouraged.’
The Corinthians needed to be encouraged that God was on the
throne ruling, that the church was His body, and that the Lord in
His time was going to straighten all of the crooked ways of those of the
redeemed in the church.
9.4.3.
We Christians are
often guilty of having our eyes on everyone else and what they are doing. We can be quick
to listen to gossip and the rumor mill, and we can stumble when we see
someone else stumble. We need
however to keep our eyes on the Lord and be committed to the body of
Christ regardless of what others may or may not do in following the Lord,
for after all the body of Christ is His body which He has called us to.
9.4.3.1.
You have probably
worked for a company and noticed how that many times the discussion around the
water bucket tends to get centered around grips, complaints, and gossip about
bosses, management, and other workers.
You sit around and hear people talking in this way and suddenly you find
yourself developing the same sour attitude.
The only way to get out of that attitude then is to quit listening to
the grip and gossip sessions. That stuff
just poisons us. The same thing happens
in a church, and we in the church must learn not to listen to those kinds of
sessions, and perhaps even confront those Christians who do grip and gossip
about others.
9.4.3.2.
We must learn to
keep our eyes fixed on the Lord and not worry about what others are or are not
doing in their walk and following of the Lord.
9.5.
Paul tells the Corinthians to ‘be like-minded.’
9.5.1.
Paul has already
told us in 1 Corinthians about all of the divisions that existed in the church. Now, Paul is
telling the Corinthians that as they are going about repenting and setting
the church in right order that they must work together shoulder to shoulder
with each other in unity, or one-mindedness, in Christ. There must be no divisions. Every individual must place himself in his
proper position as just a mutual member of the body which is interconnected to
one another and under Christ the head.
9.5.2.
Our own personal
opinions, as mutual members of the
body of Christ, sometimes have to be squelched (kept to ourselves) in
order to maintain the unity of the Holy Spirit in the body of
Christ. This takes discipline,
commitment, and maturity.
9.5.2.1.
If you disagree
with things that are happening in the church, the decisions of the leaders,
etc., and think that you are right in a matter concerning the body of Christ, something, that is,
that the scripture is not black and white concerning and thus for which you
must follow scripture regardless, then you should go to the Lord in prayer
and pray for the Lord to either convince the leaders or everyone else of the
truth you understand, or show you how that you are the one who is in the wrong
in the matter and need to change.
9.5.3.
You yourself need
to be committed to being ‘like-minded’ with those in the body of Christ! It
is your personal responsibility. Sure,
we’d all like to be in a church that is like-minded. However, are you committed to doing
everything that you can to see that this happens?
9.6.
Paul tells the Corinthians to ‘live in peace.’
9.6.1.
There must be no
angry tempers or disliking of one another, and no slander and gossip. Those things are all the fruit of walking
according to the flesh and need to be purged out of everyone’s lives.
9.6.2.
As fellow members of
the community of God, we Christians ought to be committed to working things
out between ourselves. There are
going to be times when we rub each other the wrong way and do things that
possibly could offend a brother or sister, however we must be committed
to the fact that we still have a responsibility to love every member of the
body of Christ and try as much as we can to live at peace with them.
9.6.3.
To live at peace
with each other in the body of Christ does not mean that we do not sometimes
rebuke and admonish one another,
speaking the truth to one another in love.
In fact, this is necessary if we are to be able to continue to live
at peace with each other in the body of Christ.
9.7.
Paul tells the
Corinthians that as they cooperate with the Lord and are submissive to Him and
His will for their lives and within
the church and that as they did so the God of love and peace would be with them.
10.
VS 13:12-13 - “12 Greet
one another with a holy kiss.13 All the saints greet you.” - Paul tells them to greet one another
affectionately with a holy kiss and that all of the saints with him greeted
them
10.1.
In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul wrote a whole chapter (13)
to define for the Corinthians what love is. He
likewise told them in this letter of his dismay with them that it seemed that
the more that he loved them the less that they loved him in return. We have seen that their main problem was that
they lacked love in their life and they lacked it because they were
walking in the flesh. Paul
admonishes the Corinthians here to begin to demonstrate their genuine love and
affection for each other by the way that they greeted on another. They were to do this both when they ran into
each other in the church as well as around town.
10.2.
It is only proper when we who are members of one another in a church see each other about
the church or even about town, that we properly greet one another with
affection.
10.3.
It has been pointed out that this greeting with a holy kiss was not
a part of the Jewish culture, so this must have been a cultural
component of the Greek or Roman cultures.
11.
VS 13:14 - “14 The
grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the
Holy Spirit, be with you all.” - Paul
blesses them in the Lord
11.1.
Paul prays a blessing for them that:
11.1.1. The ‘grace of the Lord
Jesus’ would be with them.
11.1.2. The ‘love of God’ would be with
them.
11.1.3. The ‘fellowship of the Holy
Spirit’ would be with them.
11.2.
J.Vernon McGee wrote that he believed that Paul must, like him, be a southerner
because Paul called the Corinthians, ‘you all.’
11.3.
If you do happen to greet one another with a kiss, make sure it is a
‘holy’ kiss!
12.
CONCLUSION:
12.1.
Examine yourselves. Do you have
the internal witness of the Holy Spirit within you giving you assurance of your
salvation? Does God’s Spirit bear
witness with your spirit that you are a child of God?
12.1.1. If this is the case, this is
wonderful is it not? The Lord tells us
in His word that He has given us His Spirit as a pledge or guarantee of our
salvation. So, if you have that internal
witness of the Holy Spirit that He is in you and that you are a child of God
you can be sure that you are going to go to heaven!
12.2.
Let’s be committed as a church to following these final exhortations
and growing together in love as a body:
12.2.1. Rejoicing continually in the
Lord as we are commanded to do (Phil. 4:4)
12.2.2. Be committed to being made
complete in Christ
12.2.3. Let the Lord be your comfort
in all of your difficulties
12.2.4. Work on being like-minded,
of one mind, with the rest of the body of Christ
12.2.5. Learn to live in peace with
one another in the body of Christ