For God's Son, Jesus the Messiah, who was preached among you by us by me, Silvanus, and Timothy was not "Yes" and "No." But with him it is always "Yes."

For all God's promises are "Yes" in him. And so through him we can say "Amen," to the glory of God.

So forgive and comfort him, or else he will drown in his excessive grief.

That's why I'm urging you to assure him of your love.

But thanks be to God! He always leads us triumphantly by the Messiah and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of knowing him.

As all of us reflect the glory of the Lord with unveiled faces, we are becoming more like him with ever-increasing glory by the Lord's Spirit.

So whether we are at home or away from home, our goal is to be pleasing to him.

So then, from now on we do not think of anyone from a human point of view. Even if we did think of the Messiah from a human point of view, we don't think of him that way anymore.

For if I have been doing some boasting about you to him, I have never been ashamed of it. Moreover, since everything we told you was true, our boasting to Titus has also proved to be true.

His affection for you is even greater as he remembers how obedient all of you were and how you welcomed him with fear and trembling.

With him we have sent the brother who is praised in all the churches for spreading the gospel.

but I was let down in a basket through an opening in the wall and escaped from him.

I encouraged Titus to visit you, and I sent along with him the brother you know so well. Titus didn't take advantage of you, did he? We conducted ourselves with the same spirit, didn't we? We took the very same steps, didn't we?

Though he was crucified in weakness, he lives by God's power. We are weak with him, but by God's power we will live for you.