4So because of God’s mercy, we have work to do. He has given it to us. And we don’t give up. ²Instead, we have given up doing secret and shameful things. We don’t twist God’s word. In fact, we do just the opposite. We present the truth plainly. In the sight of God, we make our appeal to everyone’s sense of what is right and wrong.

³Suppose our good news is covered with a veil. Then it is veiled to those who are dying. ⁴The god of this world has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They can’t see the light of the good news of Christ’s glory. He is the likeness of God.

⁵We do not preach about ourselves. We preach about Jesus Christ. We say that he is Lord. And we serve you because of him.

⁶God said, “Let light shine out of darkness.” He made his light shine in our hearts. It shows us the light of God’s glory in the face of Christ.

⁷Treasure is kept in clay jars. In the same way, we have the treasure of the good news in these earthly bodies of ours. That shows that the mighty power of the good news comes from God. It doesn’t come from us.

⁸We are pushed hard from all sides. But we are not beaten down. We are bewildered. But that doesn’t make us lose hope. ⁹Others make us suffer. But God does not desert us. We are knocked down. But we are not knocked out. ¹⁰We always carry around the death of Jesus in our bodies. In that way, the life of Jesus can be shown in our bodies.

¹¹We who are alive are always in danger of death because we are serving Jesus. So his life can be shown in our earthly bodies. ¹²Death is at work in us. But life is at work in you.

¹³It is written, “I believed, and so I have spoken.” With that same spirit of faith we also believe. And we also speak.

¹⁴We know that God raised the Lord Jesus from the dead. And he will also raise us up with Jesus. He will bring us with you to God in heaven. ¹⁵All of that is for your benefit. God’s grace is reaching more and more people. So they will become more and more thankful. They will give glory to God.

¹⁶We don’t give up. Our bodies are becoming weaker and weaker. But our spirits are being renewed day by day. ¹⁷Our troubles are small. They last only for a short time. But they are earning for us a glory that will last forever. It is greater than all our troubles.

¹⁸So we don’t spend all our time looking at what we can see. Instead, we look at what we can’t see. What can be seen lasts only a short time. But what can’t be seen will last forever.

Our Home in Heaven

5We know that the earthly tent we live in will be destroyed. But we have a building made by God. It is a house in heaven that lasts forever. Human hands did not build it.

²During our time on earth we groan. We long to put on our house in heaven as if it were clothing. ³Then we will not be naked.

⁴While we live in this tent of ours, we groan under our heavy load. We don’t want to be naked. We want to be dressed with our house in heaven. What must die will be swallowed up by life.

⁵God has made us for that very purpose. He has given us the Holy Spirit as a down payment. The Spirit makes us sure of what is still to come.

⁶So here is what we can always be certain about. As long as we are at home in our bodies, we are away from the Lord. ⁷We live by believing, not by seeing. ⁸We are certain about that. We would rather be away from our bodies and at home with the Lord. ⁹So we try our best to please him. We want to please him whether we are at home in our bodies or away from them.

¹⁰We must all stand in front of Christ to be judged. Each one of us will be judged for the good things and the bad things we do while we are in our bodies. Then each of us will receive what we are supposed to get.

Christ Brings Us Back to God

¹¹We know what it means to have respect for the Lord. So we try to help other people to understand it.

What we are is plain to God. I hope it is also plain to your way of thinking. ¹²We are not trying to make an appeal to you again. But we are giving you a chance to take pride in us. Then you can answer those who take pride in how people look rather than in what is really in their hearts.

¹³Are we out of our minds? That is because we want to serve God. Does what we say make sense? That is because we want to serve you.

¹⁴Christ’s love controls us. We are sure that one person died for everyone. And so everyone died.

¹⁵Christ died for everyone. He died so that those who live should not live for themselves anymore. They should live for Christ. He died for them and was raised again.

¹⁶So from now on we don’t look at anyone the way the world does. At one time we looked at Christ in that way. But we don’t anymore.

¹⁷Anyone who believes in Christ is a new creation. The old is gone! The new has come! ¹⁸It is all from God. He brought us back to himself through Christ’s death on the cross. And he has given us the task of bringing others back to him through Christ.

¹⁹God was bringing the world back to himself through Christ. He did not hold people’s sins against them. God has trusted us with the message that people may be brought back to him. ²⁰So we are Christ’s official messengers. It is as if God were making his appeal through us. Here is what Christ wants us to beg you to do. Come back to God!

²¹Christ didn’t have any sin. But God made him become sin for us. So we can be made right with God because of what Christ has done for us.

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