5 Put yourselves to the test to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize regarding yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you—unless, indeed, you fail the test! 6 And I hope that you will realize that we have not failed the test! 7 Now we pray to God that you may not do anything wrong, not so that we may appear to have passed the test, but so that you may do what is right even if we may appear to have failed the test.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Viet Mai

Having dealt firmly with the rebels in the church of Corinth, who have rejected Paul by claiming that he does not have God's power, Paul will now issue a challenge to the whole church. He is planning another return visit to them. Before he arrives, Paul wants them to examine whether they are true followers of Jesus – that is, whether they have Jesus in them. This is because those who have Jesus in them will recognise that Paul has been sent by Jesus. They will know that Paul’s suffering is not a demonstration of a lack of God’s power, it is the outworking of God’s power.

But merely recognising Paul and his message is not enough. If Paul’s message is from Jesus, then it calls people to live out their faith and to ‘do what is right’ (v7). If they respond to the message in that way, then although Paul intends to return in judgment against the rebels in Corinth, he will not need to – so even if Paul will ‘seem to have failed’ because he does not discipline them, it will really be a success, because all have repented by the power of Jesus.

As we approach 2025, there is still a call to hold fast to God’s word and live it out faithfully. As we do so, I pray that we may remember that God’s power is not just about performing spectacular and miraculous deeds like the rebels in Corinth believed; instead, more than anything, God’s power is about having the strength to obey Him.

Here’s an ancient prayer you can pray with me:

“Go before us Lord, in all our doings, with your most gracious favour, and further us by your continual help, that in all our works begun, continued and ended in you, we may glorify your holy name, and finally by your mercy obtain everlasting life, through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom with you and the Holy Spirit be all honour and glory, world without end. Amen.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Viet is a member of our Bossley Park Morning congregation.