My love be with all of you in Christ Jesus.

From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the church of God that is in Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia.

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,

For just as the sufferings of Christ overflow toward us, so also our comfort through Christ overflows to you.

For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the one who was proclaimed among you by us -- by me and Silvanus and Timothy -- was not "Yes" and "No," but it has always been "Yes" in him.

But it is God who establishes us together with you in Christ and who anointed us,

If you forgive anyone for anything, I also forgive him -- for indeed what I have forgiven (if I have forgiven anything) I did so for you in the presence of Christ,

Now when I arrived in Troas to proclaim the gospel of Christ, even though the Lord had opened a door of opportunity for me,

But thanks be to God who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and who makes known through us the fragrance that consists of the knowledge of him in every place.

For we are a sweet aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing --

For we are not like so many others, hucksters who peddle the word of God for profit, but we are speaking in Christ before God as persons of sincerity, as persons sent from God.

revealing that you are a letter of Christ, delivered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on stone tablets but on tablets of human hearts.

Now we have such confidence in God through Christ.

But their minds were closed. For to this very day, the same veil remains when they hear the old covenant read. It has not been removed because only in Christ is it taken away.

among whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of those who do not believe so they would not see the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God.

For we do not proclaim ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus' sake.

For God, who said "Let light shine out of darkness," is the one who shined in our hearts to give us the light of the glorious knowledge of God in the face of Christ.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be paid back according to what he has done while in the body, whether good or evil.

For the love of Christ controls us, since we have concluded this, that Christ died for all; therefore all have died.

So then from now on we acknowledge no one from an outward human point of view. Even though we have known Christ from such a human point of view, now we do not know him in that way any longer.

So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away -- look, what is new has come!

And all these things are from God who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and who has given us the ministry of reconciliation.

In other words, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting people's trespasses against them, and he has given us the message of reconciliation.

Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His plea through us. We plead with you on Christ's behalf, "Be reconciled to God!"

And what agreement does Christ have with Beliar? Or what does a believer share in common with an unbeliever?

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that although he was rich, he became poor for your sakes, so that you by his poverty could become rich.

If there is any question about Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you; if there is any question about our brothers, they are messengers of the churches, a glory to Christ.

Through the evidence of this service they will glorify God because of your obedience to your confession in the gospel of Christ and the generosity of your sharing with them and with everyone.

Now I, Paul, appeal to you personally by the meekness and gentleness of Christ (I who am meek when present among you, but am full of courage toward you when away!) --

and every arrogant obstacle that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to make it obey Christ.

You are looking at outward appearances. If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, he should reflect on this again: Just as he himself belongs to Christ, so too do we.

For we were not overextending ourselves, as though we did not reach as far as you, because we were the first to reach as far as you with the gospel about Christ.

For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy, because I promised you in marriage to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.

But I am afraid that just as the serpent deceived Eve by his treachery, your minds may be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be stopped in the regions of Achaia.

For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.

Are they servants of Christ? (I am talking like I am out of my mind!) I am even more so: with much greater labors, with far more imprisonments, with more severe beatings, facing death many times.

I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago (whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows) was caught up to the third heaven.

But he said to me, "My grace is enough for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." So then, I will boast most gladly about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may reside in me.

Therefore I am content with weaknesses, with insults, with troubles, with persecutions and difficulties for the sake of Christ, for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.

Have you been thinking all this time that we have been defending ourselves to you? We are speaking in Christ before God, and everything we do, dear friends, is to build you up.

since you are demanding proof that Christ is speaking through me. He is not weak toward you but is powerful among you.

Put yourselves to the test to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize regarding yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you -- unless, indeed, you fail the test!

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

From Paul, an apostle (not from men, nor by human agency, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead)

Grace and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ,

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are following a different gospel --

not that there really is another gospel, but there are some who are disturbing you and wanting to distort the gospel of Christ.

Am I now trying to gain the approval of people, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a slave of Christ!

For I did not receive it or learn it from any human source; instead I received it by a revelation of Jesus Christ.

But I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ.

Now this matter arose because of the false brothers with false pretenses who slipped in unnoticed to spy on our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, to make us slaves.

yet we know that no one is justified by the works of the law but by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by the faithfulness of Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.

But if while seeking to be justified in Christ we ourselves have also been found to be sinners, is Christ then one who encourages sin? Absolutely not!

I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So the life I now live in the body, I live because of the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

I do not set aside God's grace, because if righteousness could come through the law, then Christ died for nothing!

You foolish Galatians! Who has cast a spell on you? Before your eyes Jesus Christ was vividly portrayed as crucified!

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us (because it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree")

in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles, so that we could receive the promise of the Spirit by faith.

Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his descendant. Scripture does not say, "and to the descendants," referring to many, but "and to your descendant," referring to one, who is Christ.

But the scripture imprisoned everything and everyone under sin so that the promise could be given -- because of the faithfulness of Jesus Christ -- to those who believe.

Thus the law had become our guardian until Christ, so that we could be declared righteous by faith.

For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith.

For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female -- for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.

And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to the promise.

and though my physical condition put you to the test, you did not despise or reject me. Instead, you welcomed me as though I were an angel of God, as though I were Christ Jesus himself!

My children -- I am again undergoing birth pains until Christ is formed in you!

For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be subject again to the yoke of slavery.

Listen! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you at all!

You who are trying to be declared righteous by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace!

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision carries any weight -- the only thing that matters is faith working through love.

Now those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Carry one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Those who want to make a good showing in external matters are trying to force you to be circumcised. They do so only to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ.

But may I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen.

From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints [in Ephesus], the faithful in Christ Jesus.

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ.

For he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world that we may be holy and unblemished in his sight in love.

He did this by predestining us to adoption as his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the pleasure of his will --

He did this when he revealed to us the secret of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ,

toward the administration of the fullness of the times, to head up all things in Christ -- the things in heaven and the things on earth.

In Christ we too have been claimed as God's own possession, since we were predestined according to the one purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will

so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, would be to the praise of his glory.

And when you heard the word of truth (the gospel of your salvation) -- when you believed in Christ -- you were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit,

I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you spiritual wisdom and revelation in your growing knowledge of him,

This power he exercised in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms

And God put all things under Christ's feet, and he gave him to the church as head over all things.

even though we were dead in transgressions, made us alive together with Christ -- by grace you are saved! --

and he raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,

to demonstrate in the coming ages the surpassing wealth of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

For we are his workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them.

But now in Christ Jesus you who used to be far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

because you have been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.

For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles --

When reading this, you will be able to understand my insight into this secret of Christ.

namely, that through the gospel the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus.