2 Corinthians 7–8

7TH CHAPTER

¹Since we have these promises, dear friends, we need to cleanse ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit and live a holy life in the fear of God. 

Paul Was Comforted by What the Corinthians Did

²Open your hearts to us. We haven’t treated anyone unjustly, ruined anyone, or cheated anyone. ³I’m not saying this to condemn you. I’ve already told you that you are in our hearts so that we will live and die together. ⁴I have great confidence in you, and I have a lot of reasons to be proud of you. Even as we suffer, I’m encouraged and feel very happy. 

⁵Ever since we arrived in the province of Macedonia, we’ve had no rest. Instead, we suffer in a number of ways. Outwardly we have conflicts, and inwardly we have fears. ⁶Yet God, who comforts those who are dejected, comforted us when Titus arrived. ⁷We were comforted not only by his arrival but also by learning about the comfort he had received while he was with you. He told us how you wanted to see me, how sorry you are for what you’ve done, and how concerned you are about me. This made me even happier. 

⁸If my letter made you uncomfortable, I’m not sorry. But since my letter did make you uncomfortable for a while, I was sorry. ⁹But I’m happy now, not because I made you uncomfortable, but because the distress I caused you has led you to change the way you think and act. You were distressed in a godly way, so we haven’t done you any harm. ¹⁰In fact, to be distressed in a godly way causes people to change the way they think and act and leads them to be saved. No one can regret that. But the distress that the world causes brings only death. 

¹¹When you became distressed in a godly way, look at how much devotion it caused you to have. You were ready to clear yourselves of the charges against you. You were disgusted with the wrong that had been done. You were afraid. You wanted to see us. You wanted to show your concern for us. You were ready to punish the wrong that had been done. In every way you have demonstrated that you are people who are innocent in this matter. ¹²So, when I wrote to you, I didn’t write because of the man who did the wrong or the man who was hurt by it. Rather, I wrote because I wanted you to show your devotion to us in God’s sight. ¹³This is what has comforted us. 

In addition to being comforted, we were especially pleased to see how happy Titus was. All of you had put his mind at ease. ¹⁴I didn’t have to be ashamed of anything I had said to him when I bragged about you. Since everything we told you was true, our bragging to Titus has also proved to be true. ¹⁵His deepest feelings go out to you even more as he remembers how obedient all of you were, and how you welcomed him with fear and trembling. ¹⁶I’m pleased that I can be confident about you in every way. 

8TH CHAPTER

The Collection for Christians in Jerusalem

¹Brothers and sisters, we want you to know how God showed his kindness^ato the churches in the province of Macedonia. ²While they were being severely tested by suffering, their overflowing joy, along with their extreme poverty, has made them even more generous. ³I assure you that by their own free will they have given all they could, even more than they could afford. ⁴They made an appeal to us, begging us to let them participate in the ministry of God’s kindness to his holy people ⸤in Jerusalem⸥. ⁵They did more than we had expected. First, they gave themselves to the Lord and to us, since this was God’s will. ⁶This led us to urge Titus to finish his work of God’s kindness among you in the same way as he had already started it. 

⁷Indeed, the more your faith, your ability to speak, your knowledge, your dedication, and your love for us increase, the more we want you to participate in this work of God’s kindness. 

⁸I’m not commanding you, but I’m testing how genuine your love is by pointing out the dedication of others. ⁹You know about the kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ. He was rich, yet for your sake he became poor in order to make you rich through his poverty. 

¹⁰I’m giving you my opinion because it will be helpful to you. Last year you were not only willing ⸤to take a collection⸥ but had already started to do it. ¹¹So finish what you began to do. Then your willingness will be matched by what you accomplish ¹²with whatever contributions you have. Since you are willing to do this, ⸤remember⸥ that people are accepted if they give what they are able to give. God doesn’t ask for what they don’t have. 

¹³I don’t mean that others should have relief while you have hardship. Rather, it’s a matter of striking a balance. ¹⁴At the present time, your surplus fills their need so that their surplus may fill your need. In this way things balance out. ¹⁵This is what Scripture says: “Those who had gathered a lot didn’t have too much, and those who gathered a little didn’t have too little.” 

¹⁶I thank God for making Titus as dedicated to you as I am. ¹⁷He accepted my request and eagerly went to visit you by his own free will. 

¹⁸With him we have sent our Christian brother whom all the churches praise for the way he tells the Good News. ¹⁹More than that, the churches elected him to travel with us and bring this gift of God’s kindness. We are administering it in a way that brings glory to the Lord and shows that we are doing it willingly. ²⁰We don’t want anyone to find fault with the way we are administering this generous gift. ²¹We intend to do what is right, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of people. 

²²We have also sent with them our Christian brother whom we have often tested in many ways and found to be a dedicated worker. We find that he is much more dedicated now than ever because he has so much confidence in you. 

²³If any questions are raised, remember that Titus is my partner and coworker to help you. The other men are representatives of the churches and bring glory to Christ. ²⁴So give these men a demonstration of your love. Show their congregations that we were right to be proud of you.