2 Corinthians 13

http://www.esvbible.org/2+Corinthians+13/

Paul writes that he is coming again to Corinth. He says he has already warned them, but he is warning them again that if they do not clean up their acts before he gets there, he will not spare them. They asked him how strong and powerful God is, and Paul says that he will show them if he finds that people with sinful pasts have not changed their ways. We do not serve a weak God. We do not serve a timid God. We serve a God who will strike down armies and make a whip to kick merchants out of the temple. He has the ultimate authority over us now, and again He will not be weak. He may have been weak once, while He hung dying on the cross, but that time passed, and now He stands in the Father's strength. Paul urges them to honestly look at themselves to make sure that they stil believe in the Christian faith. He tells them to test themselves to see if they will stand firm in their beliefs. Paul says that he and his followers passed the test, but that's not what he wants to prove. He wants to prove that the world may say you're failing the test of life, but only God can tell you if you are really succeeding or failing. When you speak about God, you cannot go wrong. The truth will come out. Paul tells the Corinthians that he is glad that they are so strong while he is weak, and that he is praying for their improvement. He already said that the strength of the Lord comes when we are weakest, so because the Corinthians think that they are so strong, they will not accept the strength of the Lord.

Paul ends the letter with a pleasant farewell in which he tells them that they should work on improving their lives by striving to follow the teachings of Jesus more closely. Paul hopes that they will be well until he can make it to see them next.