Repairing All That Sin Has Broken

So turn with me, if you would, to 2 Corinthians 13.

We're going to study verses 7 through 10, but we can't really understand this without looking at the few verses in front of it that we studied last time we were together.

So we've got to get a little bit of context here just to know what he's talking about.

as we get into reading verse seven.

So let's start in verse five, just to remember where we were last time when he says, examine yourselves, 2 Corinthians 13, verse five, to see whether you are in the faith.

Now, remember we talked about him reversing this, right? You've been trying to put me on trial about whether or not I'm a real apostle or not, whether I have the gravitas of having the authority of Christ.

But you guys need to examine yourselves to see whether you're in the faith.

Now test yourselves, or do you not realize this about yourselves that Christ Jesus is in you? Unless indeed you fail to meet the test.

I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test, but we pray to God that you may not do wrong.

not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed, for we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth, for we are glad when we are weak and you are strong." Your restoration is what we pray for.

Now, if you read that one time and get it, your brain is good, right? Because that's a lot of ping pong.

That's like, what in the world are you talking about? I guess we've got to start back a little further, maybe to verse two in this chapter.

I warn those who sinned before and all others that I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that if I come again, I will not spare them since you seek proof that Christ is speaking in me, right? He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you.

Now, just to summarize, they have a sin problem of some kind that was not designated.

And as I reminded you, if you were with us in this study long term, there's a purposeful ambiguity, at least this is my guess, a purposeful ambiguity about how God does not address what the problem was so that we wouldn't sit here for 2,000 years in church history and say, oh, it's just about that that God is concerned.

It helps us with whatever the sin might be in our church or in our lives that we say, okay, it could be any sin.

And we need to deal with it the way this church was being directed to deal with their sin.

And so that's helpful that we don't know what the sin is because whatever the sin is, we need to deal with it the way the apostle Paul is telling them to deal with their sin.

And in this case, when we get to verse seven, it's stop doing it and start doing the right thing.

So that's helpful in that regard.

But when it comes to them not fixing this, he's saying, I might have to come and exercise this apostolic authority that your critics or the critics of me that are among you say I don't have, right? They're saying I'm not really an apostle.

They say my letters are really weighty and you're throwing around all this tough talk.

But in reality, he doesn't have any power, right? And he's trying to say to them, well, I do have power.

I have apostolic power.

I'm a real apostle.