PAUL an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and brother Timotheus, to the church of God at Corinth as well as to all the saints throughout the whole of Achaia:

he rescued me from so terrible a death, he rescues still, and I rely upon him for the hope that he will continue to rescue me.

You don't have to read between the lines of my letters; you can understand them. Yes, I trust you will understand the full meaning of my letters

if what faded had its glory, then what lasts will be invested with far greater glory.

sure that He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise me too with Jesus and set me at your side in his presence.

What compact can there be between God's temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God ??as God has said, I will dwell and move among them, I will be their God and they shall be my people.

Therefore come away from them, separate, saith the Lord, touch not what is unclean; then I will receive you,

I will be a Father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord almighty.

I am not saying this to condemn you. Condemn you? Why, I repeat, you are in my very heart, and you will be there in death and life alike.

But I will tell you what I think about it; it is to your interest to go on with this enterprise, for you started it last year, you were the first not merely to do anything but to want to do anything.

So let them have proof of how you can love, and of my reasons for being proud of you; it will be a proof read by the churches.

Mark this: he who sows sparingly will reap sparingly, and he who sows generously will reap a generous harvest.

He who furnishes the sower with seed and with bread to eat will supply seed for you and multiply it; he will increase the crop of your charities ??11 you will be enriched on all hands, so that you can be generous on all occasions, and your generosity, of which I am the agent, will make men give thanks to God;

Let him understand that I will act when I arrive, as forcibly as I express myself by letter when I am absent.

I do not boast beyond my limits in a sphere where other men have done the work; my hope rather is that the growth of your faith will allow me to enlarge the range of my appointed sphere

So it is no surprise if his ministers also masquerade as ministers of righteousness. Their doom will answer to their deeds.

Since many boast on the score of the flesh, I will do the same.)

If there is to be any boasting, I will boast of what I am weak enough to suffer!

There is nothing to be gained by this sort of thing, but as I am obliged to boast, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord.

Here am I all ready to pay you my third visit. And I will not be a burden to you; I want yourselves and not your money. Children have not to put money by for their parents; that is what parents do for their children.

And for your souls I will gladly spend my all and be spent myself. Am I to be loved the less because I love you more than others?

This will be my third visit to you: every case is to be decided on the evidence of two or of three witnesses.

I warned you already, on my second visit, and I warn you now before I come, both you who sinned some time ago and the rest of you as well, that I will spare no one if I come back.

That will prove to you that I am indeed a spokesman of Christ. It is no weak Christ you have to do with, but a Christ of power.

For though he was crucified in his weakness, he lives by the power of God; and though I am weak as he was weak, you will find I am alive as he is alive by the power of God.

But I trust you will find I am no failure,

Now brothers, goodbye; mend your ways, listen to what I have told you, live in harmony, keep the peace; then the God of love and peace will be with you.