2 Corinthians 5:1–9:15
5 For we know that if aour earthly 1house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house bnot made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this cwe groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our 2habitation which is from heaven, 3 if indeed, dhaving been clothed, we shall not be found naked. 4 For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, ebut further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also fhas given us the Spirit as 3a guarantee.
6 So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. 7 For gwe walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, hwell pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.
9 Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. 10 iFor we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, jthat each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 11 Knowing, therefore, kthe terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences.
12 For lwe do not commend ourselves again to you, but give you opportunity mto boast on our behalf, that you may have an answer for those who boast in appearance and not in heart. 13 For nif we are beside ourselves, it is for God; or if we are of sound mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that oif One died for all, then all died; 15 and He died for all, pthat those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.
16 qTherefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, ryet now we know Him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone sis in Christ, he is ta new creation; uold things have passed away; behold, all things have become vnew. 18 Now all things are of God, wwho has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that xGod was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not 4imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20 Now then, we are yambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For zHe made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become athe righteousness of God in Him.
6 We then, as aworkers together with Him also bplead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 For He says:
c“In an acceptable time I have heard you,
And in the day of salvation I have helped you.”
Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
3 dWe give no offense in anything, that our ministry may not be blamed. 4 But in all things we commend ourselves eas ministers of God: in much 1patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, 5 fin stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings; 6 by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by 2sincere love, 7 gby the word of truth, by hthe power of God, by ithe armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, 8 by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; 9 as unknown, and jyet well known; kas dying, and behold we live; las chastened, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many mrich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.
11 O Corinthians! 3We have spoken openly to you, nour heart is wide open. 12 You are not restricted by us, but oyou are restricted by your own affections. 13 Now in return for the same p(I speak as to children), you also be open.
14 qDo not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For rwhat 4fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what 5communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For syou 6are the temple of the living God. As God has said:
t“I will dwell in them
And walk among them.
I will be their God,
And they shall be My people.”
u“Come out from among them
And be separate, says the Lord.
Do not touch what is unclean,
And I will receive you.”
18 “I vwill be a Father to you,
and you shall be My wsons and daughters,
says the Lord Almighty.”
7 Therefore, ahaving these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
2 Open your hearts to us. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, bwe have cheated no one. 3 I do not say this to condemn; for cI have said before that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together. 4 dGreat is my boldness of speech toward you, egreat is my boasting on your behalf. fI am filled with comfort. I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation.
5 For indeed, gwhen we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but hwe were troubled on every side. iOutside were conflicts, inside were fears. 6 Nevertheless jGod, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by kthe coming of Titus, 7 and not only by his coming, but also by the 1consolation with which he was comforted in you, when he told us of your earnest desire, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more.
8 For even if I made you lsorry with my letter, I do not regret it; mthough I did regret it. For I perceive that the same epistle made you sorry, though only for a while. 9 Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. 10 For ngodly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; obut the sorrow of the world produces death. 11 For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what pclearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be qclear in this matter. 12 Therefore, although I wrote to you, I did not do it for the sake of him who had done the wrong, nor for the sake of him who suffered wrong, rbut that our care for you in the sight of God might appear to you.
13 Therefore we have been comforted in your comfort. And we rejoiced exceedingly more for the joy of Titus, because his spirit shas been refreshed by you all. 14 For if in anything I have boasted to him about you, I am not ashamed. But as we spoke all things to you in truth, even so our boasting to Titus was found true. 15 And his affections are greater for you as he remembers tthe obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling you received him. 16 Therefore I rejoice that uI have confidence in you in everything.
8 Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: 2 that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and atheir deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. 3 For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, 4 imploring us with much urgency 1that we would receive the gift and bthe fellowship of the ministering to the saints. 5 And not only as we had hoped, but they first cgave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the dwill of God. 6 So ewe urged Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also complete this grace in you as well. 7 But as fyou abound in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us—see gthat you abound in this grace also.
8 hI speak not by commandment, but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, ithat though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become jrich.
10 And in this kI give advice: lIt is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and mwere desiring to do a year ago; 11 but now you also must complete the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also may be a completion out of what you have. 12 For nif there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.
13 For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened; 14 but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may supply their lack, that their abundance also may supply your lack—that there may be equality. 15 As it is written, o“He who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack.”
Collection for the Judean Saints
16 But thanks be to God who 2puts the same earnest care for you into the heart of Titus. 17 For he not only accepted the exhortation, but being more diligent, he went to you of his own accord. 18 And we have sent with him pthe brother whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches, 19 and not only that, but who was also qchosen by the churches to travel with us with this gift, which is administered by us rto the glory of the Lord Himself and to show your ready mind, 20 avoiding this: that anyone should blame us in this lavish gift which is administered by us—21 sproviding honorable things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.
22 And we have sent with them our brother whom we have often proved diligent in many things, but now much more diligent, because of the great confidence which we have in you. 23 If anyone inquires about tTitus, he is my partner and fellow worker concerning you. Or if our brethren are