2 Corinthians 6–7

⁶As we work together with him,^y we entreat you also not to accept the grace of God in vain.^{* 2}For he says,

“At an acceptable time I have listened to you,

and on a day of salvation I have helped you.”

Look, now is the acceptable time; look, now is the day of salvation!^{* 3}We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry,^{* 4}but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: in great endurance, afflictions, hardships, calamities, ⁵beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger;^{* 6}in purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, ⁷truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left;^{* 8}in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors and yet are true, ⁹as unknown and yet are well known, as dying and look—we are alive, as punished and yet not killed,^{* 10}as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing and yet possessing everything.

¹¹We have spoken frankly to you Corinthians; our heart is wide open to you. ¹²There is no restriction in our affections but only in yours. ¹³In return—I speak as to children—open wide your hearts also.^*

The Temple of the Living God

¹⁴Do not be mismatched with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and lawlessness have in common? Or what partnership is there between light and darkness?^{* 15}What agreement does Christ have with Beliar? Or what does a believer share with an unbeliever? ¹⁶What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we^z are the temple of the living God, as God said,

“I will live in them^a and walk among them,

and I will be their God,

and they shall be my people.^*

¹⁷Therefore come out from them,

and be separate from them, says the Lord,

and touch nothing unclean;

then I will welcome you,^*

¹⁸and I will be your father,

and you shall be my sons and daughters,

says the Lord Almighty.”^*

⁷Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of flesh and of spirit, making holiness perfect in the fear of God.^*

Paul’s Joy at the Church’s Repentance

²Make room in your hearts^b for us; we have wronged no one; we have corrupted no one; we have taken advantage of no one.^{* 3}I do not say this to condemn you, for I have already said that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together.^{* 4}I am being completely frank with you; I have great pride in you; I am filled with consolation; I am overjoyed in all our affliction.^*

⁵For even when we came into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were afflicted in every way—disputes without and fears within.^{* 6}But God, who consoles the downcast, consoled us by the arrival of Titus,^{* 7}and not only by his arrival but also by the consolation with which he was consoled about you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more. ⁸For although I grieved you with my letter, I do not regret it. Although I did regret it (for^c I see that that letter caused you grief, though only briefly), ⁹now I rejoice, not because you were grieved but because your grief led to repentance, for you felt a godly grief, so that you were not harmed in any way by us. ¹⁰For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, but worldly grief produces death.^{* 11}For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves guiltless in the matter. ¹²So although I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did the wrong nor on account of the one who suffered the wrong but in order that your zeal for us might be made known to you before God.^{* 13}In this we have found consolation.

In addition to our own consolation, we rejoiced still more at the joy of Titus, because his mind has been set at rest by all of you.^{* 14}For if I have been somewhat boastful about you to him, I was not put to shame, but just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting to Titus has proved true as well.^{* 15}And his heart goes out all the more to you, as he remembers the obedience of all of you and how you welcomed him with fear and trembling.^{* 16}I rejoice because I have complete confidence in you.^*