2 Corinthians 7–8

Paul’s Joy at the Corinthians’ Repentance

7Therefore since we^* have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of body and spirit, accomplishing holiness in the fear of God. ²Make room for us in your hearts^a. We have wronged no one, we have ruined no one, we have defrauded no one. ³I do not say this to condemn you^b, because I have already said that you are in our hearts, so that we die together and we live together. ⁴Great is my confidence toward you; great is my boasting on your behalf; I am filled with encouragement; I am overflowing with joy in all our affliction.

⁵For even when^* we arrived in Macedonia, our body had no rest, but we were afflicted in every way—quarrels outside, fears within. ⁶But God, who comforts the humble, comforted us by the coming of Titus, ⁷and not only by his coming, but also by the comfort with which he was comforted among you, because he^* reported to us your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more. ⁸For if indeed I grieved you by my letter, I do not regret it. Even if I did regret it (I see^c that that letter grieved you, even though for a short time^d), ⁹now I rejoice, not that you were grieved, but that you were grieved to repentance. For you were grieved according to the will of God, so that you suffered loss in no way through us. ¹⁰For grief according to the will of God brings about a repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted, but worldly grief brings about death. ¹¹For behold how much diligence this very thing, being grieved according to the will of God, has brought about in you: what defense of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! In everything you have demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in this matter. ¹²Consequently, even if I wrote to you, it was not because of the one who did wrong or because of the one who had been wronged, but in order that your diligence on our behalf^e might be revealed to you before God. ¹³Because of this we have been encouraged, and in addition to our encouragement, we rejoiced much more over the joy of Titus, because his spirit had been refreshed by all of you. ¹⁴For if I have boasted anything to him about you, I have not been put to shame, but as I have spoken everything to you in truth, thus also our boasting to Titus has proven to be true^f. ¹⁵And his affection for you is all the more when he^* remembers the obedience of all of you as you welcomed him with fear and trembling. ¹⁶I rejoice, because in everything I am completely confident in you.

Generosity in Giving

8Now we make known to you, brothers, the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, ²that with a great ordeal of affliction, the abundance of their joy and the extreme depth of their poverty have overflowed to the wealth of their generosity. ³I testify that they gave^* according to their ability, and beyond their ability, by their own choice, ⁴requesting of us with much exhortation the favor and the fellowship of the ministry to the saints, ⁵and not just as we had hoped, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us, by the will of God. ⁶So we urged Titus that, just as he had previously begun it, thus he would also complete for you this act of grace. ⁷But just as you excel in everything—in faith and in speaking and in knowledge and with all diligence and in the love from us that is in you—so may you excel in this grace also. ⁸I am not saying this as a command, but proving the genuineness of your love by means of the diligence of others. ⁹For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that although he^* was rich, for your sake he became poor, in order that you, by his poverty, may become rich. ¹⁰And I am giving an opinion in this matter, because this is profitable for you who not only began previously, a year ago, to do something, but also to want to do it. ¹¹So now also complete the doing of it, in order that just as you have the eagerness to want to do it, thus also you may complete it from what you have. ¹²For if the eagerness is present according to what one has^a, it is acceptable not according to what one does not have^b. ¹³For this is not that for others there may be relief, and for you difficult circumstances, but as a matter of equality. ¹⁴At the present time your abundance will be for their need, in order that their abundance may also be for your need, so that there may be equality, ¹⁵just as it is written, “The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.”^c

Arrangements for Administering the Corinthians’ Gift

¹⁶But thanks be to God, who has put in the heart of Titus the same devotion on your behalf^d, ¹⁷because he not only welcomed our request, but being very earnest, by his own choice he went out^* to you. ¹⁸And we have sent at the same time with him the brother whose praise in the gospel has become known throughout all the churches. ¹⁹And not only this, but he was also chosen by the churches as our traveling companion together with this gift that is being administered by us to the glory of the Lord himself and to show our readiness to help. ²⁰We are trying to avoid this, lest anyone should find fault with us in this abundant gift that is being administered by us. ²¹For we are taking into consideration what is honorable not only before the Lord, but also before people. ²²And we are sending with them our brother whom we have tested many times in many things that he is diligent, but now much more diligent because of his great confidence in you. ²³If there is a question concerning Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker for you. If there is a question concerning our brothers, they are messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ. ²⁴Therefore show to them the proof of your love and our boasting about you openly before^e the churches.