For we know that if our temporary, earthly dwelling is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal dwelling in the heavens, not made with hands.

We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you an opportunity to be proud of us, so that you may have a reply for those who take pride in the outward appearance rather than in the heart.

For if we are out of our mind, it is for God; if we have a sound mind, it is for you.

For Christ’s love compels us, since we have reached this conclusion: If One died for all, then all died.

From now on, then, we do not know anyone in a purely human way. Even if we have known Christ in a purely human way, yet now we no longer know Him in this way.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come.

We have spoken openly to you, Corinthians; our heart has been opened wide.

Do not be mismatched with unbelievers. For what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness?

What agreement does Christ have with Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?

And what agreement does God’s sanctuary have with idols? For we are the sanctuary of the living God, as God said:

I will dwell among them
and walk among them,
and I will be their God,
and they will be My people.

Therefore, dear friends, since we have such promises, let us cleanse ourselves from every impurity of the flesh and spirit, completing our sanctification in the fear of God.

Accept us. We have wronged no one, corrupted no one, defrauded no one.

I don’t say this to condemn you, for I have already said that you are in our hearts, to live together and to die together.

I have great confidence in you; I have great pride in you. I am filled with encouragement; I am overcome with joy in all our afflictions.

For consider how much diligence this very thing—this grieving as God wills—has produced in you: what a desire to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what deep longing, what zeal, what justice! In every way you showed yourselves to be pure in this matter.

For this reason we have been comforted.

In addition to our comfort, we rejoiced even more over the joy Titus had, because his spirit was refreshed by all of you.

For if I have made any boast to him about you, I have not been embarrassed; but as I have spoken everything to you in truth, so our boasting to Titus has also turned out to be the truth.

I rejoice that I have complete confidence in you.

But now finish the task as well, that just as there was eagerness to desire it, so there may also be a completion from what you have.

For if the eagerness is there, it is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.

As it has been written:

The person who gathered much
did not have too much,
and the person who gathered little
did not have too little.

We have sent with him the brother who is praised throughout the churches for his gospel ministry.

We have also sent with them our brother. We have often tested him in many circumstances and found him to be diligent—and now even more diligent because of his great confidence in you.

And they will have deep affection for you in their prayers on your behalf because of the surpassing grace of God in you.

For we are not overextending ourselves, as if we had not reached you, since we have come to you with the gospel of Christ.

We are not bragging beyond measure about other people’s labors. But we have the hope that as your faith increases, our area of ministry will be greatly enlarged,

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

Though untrained in public speaking, I am certainly not untrained in knowledge. Indeed, we have always made that clear to you in everything.

When I was present with you and in need, I did not burden anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied my needs. I have kept myself, and will keep myself, from burdening you in any way.

I say this to our shame: We have been weak.

But in whatever anyone dares to boast—I am talking foolishly—I also dare:

Three times I was beaten with rods by the Romans.
Once I was stoned by my enemies.
Three times I was shipwrecked.
I have spent a night and a day
in the open sea.

I have become a fool; you forced it on me. I should have been endorsed by you, since I am not in any way inferior to the “super-apostles,” even though I am nothing.

Now granted, I have not burdened you; yet sly as I am, I took you in by deceit!

You have thought all along that we were defending ourselves to you. No, in the sight of God we are speaking in Christ, and everything, dear friends, is for building you up.

I fear that when I come my God will again humiliate me in your presence, and I will grieve for many who sinned before and have not repented of the moral impurity, sexual immorality, and promiscuity they practiced.

But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel other than what we have preached to you, a curse be on him!

As we have said before, I now say again: If anyone preaches to you a gospel contrary to what you received, a curse be on him!

For you have heard about my former way of life in Judaism: I persecuted God’s church to an extreme degree and tried to destroy it.

I went up according to a revelation and presented to them the gospel I preach among the Gentiles—but privately to those recognized as leaders—so that I might not be running, or have run the race, in vain.

This issue arose because of false brothers smuggled in, who came in secretly to spy on the freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, in order to enslave us.

know that no one is justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ. And we have believed in Christ Jesus so that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no human being will be justified.

For through the law I have died to the law, so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ

then understand that those who have faith are Abraham’s sons.

So those who have faith are blessed with Abraham, who had faith.

For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ like a garment.

But now, since you know God, or rather have become known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and bankrupt elemental forces? Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again?

I beg you, brothers: Become like me, for I also became like you. You have not wronged me;

What happened to this sense of being blessed you had? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me.

Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?

You who are trying to be justified by the law are alienated from Christ; you have fallen from grace.

I have confidence in the Lord you will not accept any other view. But whoever it is that is confusing you will pay the penalty.

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

But each person should examine his own work, and then he will have a reason for boasting in himself alone, and not in respect to someone else.

For each person will have to carry his own load.

Therefore, as we have opportunity, we must work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.

Look at what large letters I use as I write to you in my own handwriting.

We have redemption in Him through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace

But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of the Messiah.

For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

you have heard, haven’t you, about the administration of God’s grace that He gave to me for you?

The mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have briefly written above.

In Him we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him.

Therefore I, the prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received,

so that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life in the land.

Grace be with all who have undying love for our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because I have you in my heart, and you are all partners with me in grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and establishment of the gospel.

Most of the brothers in the Lord have gained confidence from my imprisonment and dare even more to speak the message fearlessly.

I am pressured by both. I have the desire to depart and be with Christ—which is far better—

So then, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now even more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

For I have no one else like-minded who will genuinely care about your interests;

Indeed, he was so sick that he nearly died. However, God had mercy on him, and not only on him but also on me, so that I would not have one grief on top of another.

although I once also had confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more:

But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ.

More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them filth, so that I may gain Christ

Not that I have already reached the goal or am already fully mature, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus.

Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead,

In any case, we should live up to whatever truth we have attained.

Join in imitating me, brothers, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us.

For I have often told you, and now say again with tears, that many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.

Yes, I also ask you, true partner, to help these women who have contended for the gospel at my side, along with Clement and the rest of my coworkers whose names are in the book of life.

Do what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that once again you renewed your care for me. You were, in fact, concerned about me but lacked the opportunity to show it.

I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.

I know both how to have a little, and I know how to have a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need.

But I have received everything in full, and I have an abundance. I am fully supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you provided—a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.

for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints

because of the hope reserved for you in heaven. You have already heard about this hope in the message of truth, the gospel

For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven’t stopped praying for you. We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding,

We have redemption, the forgiveness of sins, in Him.

For everything was created by Him,
in heaven and on earth,
the visible and the invisible,
whether thrones or dominions
or rulers or authorities—
all things have been created through Him and for Him.

He is also the head of the body, the church;
He is the beginning,
the firstborn from the dead,
so that He might come to have
first place in everything.

For God was pleased to have
all His fullness dwell in Him,

if indeed you remain grounded and steadfast in the faith and are not shifted away from the hope of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become a servant of it.

I have become its servant, according to God’s administration that was given to me for you, to make God’s message fully known,

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

I want their hearts to be encouraged and joined together in love, so that they may have all the riches of assured understanding and have the knowledge of God’s mystery—Christ.

Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in Him,

and you have been filled by Him, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

Although these have a reputation of wisdom by promoting ascetic practices, humility, and severe treatment of the body, they are not of any value in curbing self-indulgence.

So if you have been raised with the Messiah, seek what is above, where the Messiah is, seated at the right hand of God.