This must have been a hard letter for Paul to write. He seems like a father at times, writing to obstinate children. He has endured much heartache on account of the Corinthian church. But like a good father, he cares for them deeply, and it shows in the final verses at the end of this letter.
"Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you" (vs 11). Paul is imploring them to get along with each other, to be an encouragement to one another. He knows that's essential if they are to withstand the difficulties that they as Christians will invariably face. And Paul knows something about difficulty, as we saw back in chapter 11.
How sad is it when Christians do not dwell together in unity? Imagine two soldiers, from the same army, throwing punches at each other in middle of a battle. It's ludicrous! Aside from being slightly humorous, it's completely void of good sense whatsoever. Those two soldiers are as good as dead.
It's the same for us. We are at war with an enemy who never sleeps, and his desire is for sin to destroy us. If you really knew you were fighting this kind of enemy, you would not stop to fight with your fellow Christians. I know there are times when you are mistreated by a brother or sister in Christ; but aim for restoration! We should strive to be at peace with one another so that we can stand strong together against our adversary.
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