In March 1942, General Douglas MacArthur was forced to flee the Philippines in the face of an aggressive Japanese invasion. MacArthur, his family and a small team of close associates fled to Australia. Shortly thereafter, he uttered the famous words, “I shall return.” MacArthur vowed that he would return and liberate the Philippines from the Japanese. True to his word, in 1944, MacArthur landed in the Philippines and began fulfilling his promise. In September 1945, he accepted a formal surrender from the Japanese on board the USS Missouri.[1]

2 Cor 13 is Paul’s “I shall return” statement. He promises that he’s about ready to return to their church (.1), and when he does, he’s hoping not to “use sharpness” (.10). He does not want to be harsh with them. His intent is to build up the church, not destroy it. They can avoid a difficult interaction with him if they will simply do the right thing.

In this last part of the book, Paul states his desires or intentions for the church. He hopes that the church will turn from evil and do the right thing. These are spiritual goals that we should have as well. We should be pursuing these same virtues and qualities.

[1] https://tij.tv/shows/i-will-return-general-douglas-macarthur/