2 Corinthians 7–8

7So then, dear friends, since we have these promises,^x let us cleanse ourselves from every impurity of the flesh and spirit,^y bringing holiness to completion^F in the fear of God.^z

JOY AND REPENTANCE

²Make room for us in your hearts. We have wronged no one, corrupted^aa no one, taken advantage of no one. ³I don’t say this to condemn you, since I have already said that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together. ⁴I am very frank with you; I have great pride in you. I am filled with encouragement; I am overflowing with joy in all our afflictions.

⁵In fact, when we came into Macedonia,^ab we^G had no rest. Instead, we were troubled in every way: conflicts^ac on the outside, fears^ad within. ⁶But God, who comforts the downcast,^ae comforted us by the arrival of Titus, ⁷and not only by his arrival but also by the comfort he received from you. He told us about your deep longing, your sorrow, and your zeal^af for me, so that I rejoiced even more. ⁸For even if I grieved you with my letter,^ag I don’t regret it. And if I regretted it—since I saw that the letter grieved you, yet only for a while—⁹I now rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because your grief led to repentance. For you were grieved as God willed, so that you didn’t experience any loss from us. ¹⁰For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly grief produces death.^{ah 11}For consider how much diligence this very thing—this grieving as God wills—has produced in you: what a desire to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what deep longing, what zeal, what justice! In every way you showed yourselves to be pure^ai in this matter. ¹²So even though I wrote to you, it was not because of the one who did wrong, or because of the one who was wronged, but in order that your devotion to us might be made plain to you in the sight of God. ¹³For this reason we have been comforted.

In addition to our own comfort, we rejoiced even more over the joy Titus^a had, because his spirit was refreshed by all of you. ¹⁴For if I have made any boast to him about you, I have not been disappointed; but as I have spoken everything to you in truth,^b so our boasting to Titus has also turned out to be the truth. ¹⁵And his affection toward you is even greater as he remembers the obedience of all of you, and how you received him with fear and trembling. ¹⁶I rejoice that I have complete confidence in you.

APPEAL TO COMPLETE THE COLLECTION

8We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God that was given to the churches^c of Macedonia:^{d 2}During a severe trial brought about by affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.^{e 3}I can testify that, according to their ability and even beyond their ability, of their own accord, ⁴they begged us earnestly for the privilege of sharing^f in the ministry to the saints, ⁵and not just as we had hoped. Instead, they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us by God’s will.^{g 6}So we urged Titus that just as he had begun, so he should also complete among you this act of grace.

⁷Now as you excel in everything—in faith, speech, knowledge,^h and in all diligence, and in your love for us^A—excel also in this act of grace. ⁸I am not saying this as a command. Rather, by means of the diligence of others, I am testing the genuineness of your love. ⁹For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: Though he was rich,ⁱ for your sake he became poor,^j so that by his poverty you might become rich. ¹⁰And in this matter I am giving advice because it is profitable for you, who began last year not only to do something but also to want to do it.^{k 11}Now also finish the task, so that just as there was an eager desire, there may also be a completion, according to what you have. ¹²For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.^{l 13}It is not that there should be relief for others and hardship for you, but it is a question of equality.^{B 14}At the present time your surplus is available for their need, so that their abundance may in turn meet your need, in order that there may be equality. ¹⁵As it is written: The person who had much did not have too much, and the person who had little did not have too little.^Cm

ADMINISTRATION OF THE COLLECTION

¹⁶Thanks be to God, who put the same concern for you into the heart of Titus. ¹⁷For he welcomed our appeal and, being very diligent, went out to you by his own choice. ¹⁸We have sent with him the brotherⁿ who is praised among all the churches for his gospel ministry.^{D 19}And not only that, but he was also appointed by the churches to accompany us with this gracious gift that we are administering for the glory of the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help. ²⁰We are taking this precaution so that no one will criticize us about this large sum that we are administering. ²¹Indeed, we are giving careful thought^o to do what is right,^p not only before the Lord but also before people. ²²We have also sent with them our brother. We have often tested him in many circumstances and found him to be diligent—and now even more diligent because of his great confidence in you. ²³As for Titus, he is my partner^q and coworker^r for you; as for our brothers, they are the messengers^s of the churches, the glory of Christ.^{t 24}Therefore, show them proof before the churches of your love and of our boasting^u about you.