"This is why I write these things when I am absent, that when I come I may not have to be harsh in my use of authority—the authority the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down" (2 Cor. 13:10).
We've all heard the saying regarding a parent disciplining their child, "This hurts me more than it hurts you." Paul loved the Corinthians in this way. Although they had deep struggles with sin, and although some among them opposed Paul's ministry, he still cared deeply about their spiritual welfare. The reason he wrote 2 Corinthians was because he was hoping to change the hearts of those who were not only in sin, but who were losing confidence in his ministry. Some accused him of being in the ministry to serve his own interest and not the interest of others. Therefore Paul not only wrote this letter so that they would have a change of heart, but so that when he visited them he would not have to spend time confronting sin and those who opposed him.
Paul was not afraid to confront sin, but he didn't take pleasure in tearing others down. One lesson we can take from this letter is that even when others were falsely accusing Paul he didn't act impulsively or out of self interest to get back at them, and neither should we. But there's another lesson, namely that some people will more readily receive correction when they know its coming from someone who genuinely cares for them.
When Paul wrote this letter he wasn't just trying to defend his reputation. His greater concern was that those who may be thinking wrongly about him would know the truth and continue to receive his ministry to them without reservations. Before you go trying to correct someone in the Lord, remember the old saying, "Some will not care to know what you have to say until they know that you care."
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