“I will give you all the proof you want that Christ speaks through me. Christ is not weak when he deals with you; he is powerful among you. Although he was crucified in weakness, he now lives by the power of God. We, too, are weak, just as Christ was, but when we deal with you we will be alive with him and will have God’s power. Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith. As you test yourselves, I hope you will recognize that we have not failed the test of apostolic authority. We pray to God that you will not do what is wrong by refusing our correction. I hope we won’t need to demonstrate our authority when we arrive. Do the right thing before we come—even if that makes it look like we have failed to demonstrate our authority. For we cannot oppose the truth, but must always stand for the truth. We are glad to seem weak if it helps show that you are actually strong. We pray that you will become mature. I am writing this to you before I come, hoping that I won’t need to deal severely with you when I do come. For I want to use the authority the Lord has given me to strengthen you, not to tear you down.”
2 Corinthians 13:3-10 NLT
The Corinthians, as witnessed by both ancient letters, had an obsession with virtue signaling, lavishness and grand gestures. They believed, as a matter of practice, that truth is defined by power. This is why their church was in chaos and gifts out of control. This is in direct opposition to the gospel reality. Paul is cementing the idea that power doesn’t establish truth, but truth establishes power. When called to see who is right and wrong, power shouldn’t factor into the equation. This is evidenced by Christ, who hid his power so that sin might be conquered and we might be saved. Our maturity as believers must be met with truth, not power. Power alone just leads to a new type of slavery, from which we have already been saved. It is precisely the reason why the American church is chaotic now. As it refuses to view things through the lens of gospel truth but instead considers the power differentials of intersectionality, It’s effort to be diverse, equitable and inclusive actuality create a whole new set of problems. To grow we must focus our attention on the truth of how God saves us all. We must focus on the truth of his character and revealed word. We must focus on the truth of Jesus as revealed in Scripture.
JOSH McGARY. COM 