2 Corinthians 13:11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.
It has been said that the body of Christ is the most glorious dysfunctional family on planet earth. The people of God are at one and the same time a perfectly redeemed people who also dwell in an imperfect body that is still flawed because of the remaining corruption of sin in our flesh. Such was the case in Corinth, and certainly, such is the case here at Koinonia. Paul prayed for their perfection, or their progressive maturity in The Lord. The Christian life is a life of growth in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. We grow in Christ by remembering who we are in Jesus, and by yielding to The Holy Spirit. We grow in Christ by the way that we interact with one another as a community of believers as well.
Paul exhorts this congregation of saints (yes, saints; see 1:1 and 13:13) to “be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.” (2 Corinthians 13:11) What do these words say to you and me personally? What do you think that should look like congregationally? Beloved, each one of us is working out (not for!!) our own salvation with fear and trembling. But as Paul states at the end of this letter, we are given divine resources to empower and encourage us. “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.” (2 Corinthians 13:14)
