Paul Warns the Sinners
1I’m coming to visit you for the third time. I want to remind you of what the Bible says about accusations:
“Every accusation needs to be confirmed by two or three witnesses.” [1]
2Listen, I said this when I was with you during my second visit. And I’m saying it to you now, before I get there again. I will not go easy on the people who have been sinning or on anyone else who needs to straighten out. 3You asked for it. You wanted proof that the Messiah uses my voice to speak. You’re not going to see any weakness from him when it comes time to deal with you. You’re going to see his power. 4He died in weakness, nailed to a cross. But he’s alive because of God’s power. We’re weak, just as the Messiah was. But we’ll live with him because of God’s power. You’re going to see that power.Don’t Fail the Faith Test
5Take a long, hard look at yourself. Examine the state of your faith. Is Jesus the Messiah living inside you? If not, give yourself an F in faith. 6I hope you eventually realize that my associates and I don’t fail that test of faith.7We’re praying for you. We’re asking God to help keep you from doing anything wrong. It’s not because we want you to make us look good, as evidence that we’ve aced the test of faith. We want you to do what you know is right, even if we flunk the test. 8We can’t do anything to stop the truth. Instead, we stand for the truth. 9We’re happy to appear weak if it makes you strong. That’s our prayer. We want you to grow stronger in your faith.
10I’m writing this to you as a warning, before I get there. This way, I hope you’ll straighten up and I won’t have to treat you harshly, with all the authority the Lord gave me. My mission is to build people up, not tear them down.
Paul’s Goodbye Hellos
11As I close my letter, dear family, I’m asking you to rejoice in your faith, work at growing stronger, be courageous, and try to get along with each other and live in peace. May the God of love and peace be with you.12Greet each other warmly, with a respectful kiss. 13All the believers here asked me to say hello. 14May every one of you experience the kindness of the Lord Jesus our Messiah, the love of God, and the companionship of the Holy Spirit.
