But be that as it may, I have not burdened you. Yet because I was a crafty person, I took you in by deceit!

I have not taken advantage of you through anyone I have sent to you, have I?

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.

I am afraid that when I come again, my God may humiliate me before you, and I will grieve for many of those who previously sinned and have not repented of the impurity, sexual immorality, and licentiousness that they have practiced.

And I hope that you will realize that we have not failed the test!

Now we pray to God that you may not do anything wrong, not so that we may appear to have passed the test, but so that you may do what is right even if we may appear to have failed the test.

Because of this I am writing these things while absent, so that when I arrive I may not have to deal harshly with you by using my authority -- the Lord gave it to me for building up, not for tearing down!

As we have said before, and now I say again, if any one is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let him be condemned to hell!

For you have heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how I was savagely persecuting the church of God and trying to destroy it.

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.

Have you suffered so many things for nothing? -- if indeed it was for nothing.

Is the law therefore opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that was able to give life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law.

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

But now that you have come to know God (or rather to be known by God), how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless basic forces? Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again?

I fear for you that my work for you may have been in vain.

I beg you, brothers and sisters, become like me, because I have become like you. You have done me no wrong!

Where then is your sense of happiness now? For I testify about you that if it were possible, you would have pulled out your eyes and given them to me!

So then, have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?

For it is written: "Rejoice, O barren woman who does not bear children; break forth and shout, you who have no birth pains, because the children of the desolate woman are more numerous than those of the woman who has a husband."

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

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

So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who belong to the family of faith.

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace

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

For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,

-- since the eyes of your heart have been enlightened -- so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints,

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

so that through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

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

if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you,

in whom we have boldness and confident access to God because of Christ's faithfulness.

that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, so that, because you have been rooted and grounded in love,

I, therefore, the prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live worthily of the calling with which you have been called,

Because they are callous, they have given themselves over to indecency for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.

The one who steals must steal no longer; rather he must labor, doing good with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with the one who has need.

Masters, treat your slaves the same way, giving up the use of threats, because you know that both you and they have the same master in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.

I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts.

For it is right for me to think this about all of you, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel all of you became partners in God's grace together with me.

I feel torn between the two, because I have a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far,

You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had,

So then, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence but even more in my absence, continue working out your salvation with awe and reverence,

by holding on to the word of life so that on the day of Christ I will have a reason to boast that I did not run in vain nor labor in vain.

But for now I have considered it necessary to send Epaphroditus to you. For he is my brother, coworker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to me in my need.

In fact he became so ill that he nearly died. But God showed mercy to him -- and not to him only, but also to me -- so that I would not have grief on top of grief.

-- though mine too are significant. If someone thinks he has good reasons to put confidence in human credentials, I have more:

But these assets I have come to regard as liabilities because of Christ.

More than that, I now regard all things as liabilities compared to the far greater value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things -- indeed, I regard them as dung! -- that I may gain Christ,

and be found in him, not because I have my own righteousness derived from the law, but because I have the righteousness that comes by way of Christ's faithfulness -- a righteousness from God that is in fact based on Christ's faithfulness.

Not that I have already attained this -- that is, I have not already been perfected -- but I strive to lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus also laid hold of me.

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have attained this. Instead I am single-minded: Forgetting the things that are behind and reaching out for the things that are ahead,

Nevertheless, let us live up to the standard that we have already attained.

Be imitators of me, brothers and sisters, and watch carefully those who are living this way, just as you have us as an example.

For many live, about whom I have often told you, and now, with tears, I tell you that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ.

Yes, I say also to you, true companion, help them. They have struggled together in the gospel ministry along with me and Clement and my other coworkers, whose names are in the book of life.

I have great joy in the Lord because now at last you have again expressed your concern for me. (Now I know you were concerned before but had no opportunity to do anything.)

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content in any circumstance.

I have experienced times of need and times of abundance. In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of contentment, whether I go satisfied or hungry, have plenty or nothing.

For I have received everything, and I have plenty. I have all I need because I received from Epaphroditus what you sent -- a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, very pleasing to God.

since we heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints.

Your faith and love have arisen from the hope laid up for you in heaven, which you have heard about in the message of truth, the gospel

For this reason we also, from the day we heard about you, have not ceased praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in the Son

if indeed you remain in the faith, established and firm, without shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has also been preached in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become its servant.

For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you, and for those in Laodicea, and for those who have not met me face to face.

My goal is that their hearts, having been knit together in love, may be encouraged, and that they may have all the riches that assurance brings in their understanding of the knowledge of the mystery of God, namely, Christ,

and you have been filled in him, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

Having been buried with him in baptism, you also have been raised with him through your faith in the power of God who raised him from the dead.

If you have died with Christ to the elemental spirits of the world, why do you submit to them as though you lived in the world?

Even though they have the appearance of wisdom with their self-imposed worship and false humility achieved by an unsparing treatment of the body -- a wisdom with no true value -- they in reality result in fleshly indulgence.

Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

Do not lie to one another since you have put off the old man with its practices

and have been clothed with the new man that is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of the one who created it.

bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if someone happens to have a complaint against anyone else. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also forgive others.

Masters, treat your slaves with justice and fairness, because you know that you also have a master in heaven.

And Jesus who is called Justus also sends greetings. In terms of Jewish converts, these are the only fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me.

And after you have read this letter, have it read to the church of Laodicea. In turn, read the letter from Laodicea as well.

For from you the message of the Lord has echoed forth not just in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place reports of your faith in God have spread, so that we do not need to say anything.

but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we declare it, not to please people but God, who examines our hearts.

although we could have imposed our weight as apostles of Christ; instead we became little children among you. Like a nursing mother caring for her own children,

Now on the topic of brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another.

Now we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest who have no hope.

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so also we believe that God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep as Christians.

For we tell you this by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will surely not go ahead of those who have fallen asleep.

Now on the topic of times and seasons, brothers and sisters, you have no need for anything to be written to you.

I call on you solemnly in the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters.

when he comes to be glorified among his saints and admired on that day among all who have believed -- and you did in fact believe our testimony.

And so all of them who have not believed the truth but have delighted in evil will be condemned.

and that we may be delivered from perverse and evil people. For not all have faith.

It was not because we do not have that right, but to give ourselves as an example for you to imitate.

Some have strayed from these and turned away to empty discussion.

To do this you must hold firmly to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck in regard to the faith.

For those who have served well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

By pointing out such things to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, having nourished yourself on the words of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed.

In fact this is why we work hard and struggle, because we have set our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of believers.

Do not neglect the spiritual gift you have, given to you and confirmed by prophetic words when the elders laid hands on you.