15 Because I was confident of this, I wanted to visit you first so that you might benefit twice. 16 I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia and to come back to you from Macedonia, and then to have you send me on my way to Judea. 17 Was I fickle when I intended to do this? Or do I make my plans in a worldly manner so that in the same breath I say both “Yes, yes” and “No, no”?
18 But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.” 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silas[c] and Timothy—was not “Yes” and “No,” but in him it has always been “Yes.” 20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. 21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
23 I call God as my witness—and I stake my life on it—that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth. 24 Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it is by faith you stand firm.
-2 Corinthians 1:15-24
When we come in conflict with other Christians, we must remember that we are bonded together by the blood of Christ. It’s so easy these days to just write off another brother or sister in Christ, or even an entire church. Church hopping has become even easier in an all-virtual type of setting. If I have problems with one church, I can easily attend another.
The Apostle Paul is showing us how important is to maintain fellowship even in the midst of conflict. In his early letter (1 Corinthians) to the Christians in Corinth, he exposed them for allowing sexual immorality to occur among the members of the church. Specifically, one of the church members was sleeping with his own step-mom and no one at the church had an issue with it, or at least no one spoke up against it. Paul told them straight up this was wrong.
Paul recognized that such a harsh rebuke could have strayed his relationship with the church so in this letter he reminds them that they all belong to Jesus and that he loves them as brothers and sisters in Christ.
A wise Christian always speaks truthful words to his or her friends even if it hurts. But a wise Christian also works hard to maintain his or her relationships. Paul here is speaking truth to the Corinthian church and also working hard to maintain his relationship with them.
What kind of friend are you? Do you speak the truth? Do you work hard to maintain your relationships?
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