PERFECT HARMONY: LIVE IN PEACE
Finally, brothers, rejoice!
Aim for perfect harmony, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peaceG1514.
And the God of love and peaceG1515 will be with you.
2 Corinthians 13:11
Tony Evans and Charles Swindoll both had comments regarding this verse:
13:11-13 These exhortations apply to all believers: rejoice, become mature, be encouraged, be of the same mind, be at peace. We are capable of all these actions because of the work of God in our lives. If the Corinthians followed through, the God of love and peace would be with them and grant them his power (13:11). (75)
Tony Evans Study Bible
Live in peace. This was Paul’s goal for all the churches—that they bear with one another without conflict. Sadly, neither the church in Corinth nor most churches throughout history, even into our own day, have completely modeled this. Yet we must all strive for peace in our relationships with fellow members of the body of Christ. (76)
Living Insights Commentary
Paul had written to the church at Corinth to admonish them to turn from false teachers and from Jewish teachers who were trying to put them back under the Law of Moses. There were also divisions within the church and blatant sin. Paul urges each person to examine him/herself as to whether they were truly in Christ in the sense of having received salvation but also in the sense of bearing evidence of the Holy Spirit working in their lives (i.e. the Fruit of the Spirit). He begins his closing remarks in verse 11 reminding them to rejoice, live in harmony, be encouraging to each other, be like-minded, and live peaceably with others in the church. They were to be in relentless, tenacious pursuit of peace in relationship with others as well as in relationship with God. God is the source of our love for each other and our ability to be at peace with each other. Live in harmony can be translated as restoration or reconciliation:
2 Corinthians 13:11 (VOICE) Finally, brothers and sisters, keep rejoicing and repair whatever is broken. Encourage each other, think as one, and live at peace; and God, the Author of love and peace, will remain with you.
Do you have any broken relationships with brothers or sisters in your local church? Do you feel there is discord rather than harmony with another church member? Remember what we learned in Romans 12:18, “If it is possible on your part, live at peace with everyone.” Work to repair what is broken to be able to walk in harmony with others in the “familyship.”
Father, help us to be in harmony with others. There must be unity in the church. We may each have our own areas of service and interest, and we may not always agree on exactly how to do something. We do not have to be in unison (all singing the same note), but we must harmonize (each singing different notes that go well together, complementary to one another). Help us never to be the ones to create discord but be known as peacemakers.
Worship along with the Gaither Vocal Band and the Oakridge Boys singing “That’s Gospel, Brother”: