2 Corinthians 5–6

CHAPTER 5

The Temporal and Eternal

¹For we know that if ¹the ^aearthly ^btent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house ^cnot made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

²For indeed in this we ^agroan, longing to be ^bclothed with our dwelling from heaven,

³inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked.

⁴For indeed while we are in this tent, we ^agroan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be ^bclothed, so that what is ^cmortal will be swallowed up by life.

⁵Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who ^agave to us the Spirit as a ¹pledge.

⁶Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that ^awhile we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord—

⁷for ^awe walk by faith, not by ¹sight—

⁸we are of good courage and ^aprefer rather to be absent from the body and ^bto be at home with the Lord.

⁹Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be ^apleasing to Him.

¹⁰For we must all appear before ^athe judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for ¹his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

¹¹So then, knowing the ^afear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we ¹have been made manifest to God; and I hope that we ²have been ^bmade manifest also in your consciences.

¹²We are not ^aagain commending ourselves to you but are giving you an ^bopportunity to boast of us, so that you will have an answer for those who boast in appearance and not in heart.

¹³For if we ¹are ^aout of our mind, it is for God, or if we are of right mind, it is for you.

¹⁴For the love of Christ ^acontrols us, having concluded this, that ^bone died for all, therefore all died.

¹⁵And He died for all, so that they who live would no longer ^alive for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.

¹⁶Therefore from now on we recognize no one ^1aaccording to the flesh; even though we have known Christ ²according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer.

¹⁷Therefore if anyone is ^ain Christ, he is ^ba new creation; ^cthe old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

¹⁸Now ^aall these things are from God, ^bwho reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ^cministry of reconciliation,

¹⁹namely, that ^aGod was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, ^bnot counting their transgressions against them, and ¹He has ²committed to us the word of reconciliation.

²⁰So then, we are ^aambassadors for Christ, ^bas God is pleading through us. We beg you on behalf of Christ, be ^creconciled to God.

²¹He made Him who ^aknew no sin to be ^bsin on our behalf, so that we might become the ^crighteousness of God in Him.

CHAPTER 6

Commendable Ministers of God

¹And ^aworking together with Him, ^bwe also plead with you not to receive ^cthe grace of God in vain—

²for He says,

“^aAt the acceptable time I listened to you,

And on the day of salvation I helped you.”

Behold, now is “the acceptable time,” behold, now is “the day of salvation”—

^3agiving no cause for offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited,

⁴but in everything ^acommending ourselves as ^bministers of God, ^cin much perseverance, in afflictions, in distresses, in hardships,

⁵in ^abeatings, in imprisonments, in ^bdisturbances, in labors, in sleeplessness, in ^chunger,

⁶in purity, in ^aknowledge, in ^bpatience, in kindness, in the ^cHoly Spirit, in ^dunhypocritical love,

⁷in ^athe word of truth, in ^bthe power of God; by ^cthe weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left,

⁸by glory and ^adishonor, by ^bevil report and good report; regarded as ^cdeceivers and yet ^dtrue;

⁹as unknown and yet well-known, as ^adying and yet behold, ^bwe live; as ¹punished and yet not put to death,

¹⁰as ^asorrowful but always ^brejoicing, as ^cpoor but making many rich, as ^dhaving nothing and yet possessing ^eall things.

^11aOur mouth ¹has spoken freely to you, O Corinthians, our ^bheart is opened wide.

¹²You are not restrained ¹by us, but ^ayou are restrained in your own ²affections.

¹³Now in a like ^aexchange—I speak as to ^bchildren—open wide to us also.

^14aDo not be unequally yoked with ^bunbelievers; for what ^cpartnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?

¹⁵Or what ^aharmony has Christ with ¹Belial, or ²what has a ^bbeliever in common with an ^cunbeliever?

¹⁶Or ^awhat agreement has a ¹sanctuary of God with idols? For we are ^ba sanctuary of ^cthe living God; just as God said,

“^dI will ^edwell in them and ^fwalk among them;

And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

¹⁷“^aTherefore, ^bcome out from their midst and be separate,” says the ¹Lord.

“And do not touch what is unclean,

And I will welcome you.

¹⁸“^aAnd I will be a father to you,

And you shall be ^bsons and daughters to Me,”

says the ¹Lord Almighty.