For this is what we boast about: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world with pure motives and godly sincerity, without earthly wisdom but with God's grace especially toward you.

For what we are writing you is nothing more than what you can read and also understand. I hope you will understand completely,

When you forgive someone, I do, too. Indeed, what I have forgiven if there was anything to forgive I did in the presence of the Messiah for your benefit,

not like Moses, who kept covering his face with a veil to keep the people of Israel from gazing at the end of what was fading away.

For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of the Messiah, so that each of us may receive what he deserves for what he has done in his body, whether good or worthless.

Therefore, since we know what it means to fear the Lord, we try to persuade people. We ourselves are perfectly known to God. I hope we are also really known to your consciences.

Stop becoming unevenly yoked with unbelievers. What partnership can righteousness have with lawlessness? What fellowship can light have with darkness?

What harmony exists between the Messiah and Beliar, or what do a believer and an unbeliever have in common?

What agreement can a temple of God make with idols? For we are the temple of the living God, just as God said: "I will live and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people."

See what great earnestness godly sorrow has produced in you! How ready you are to clear yourselves, how indignant, how alarmed, how full of longing and enthusiasm, how eager to seek justice! In every way you have demonstrated that you are innocent in this matter.

This is what comforted us. In addition to our own comfort, we were even more delighted at the joy of Titus, because his spirit had been set at rest by all of you.

Now finish what you began, so that your eagerness to do so may be matched by your eagerness to complete it.

For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what you have, not according to what you do not have.

We intend to do what is right, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of people.

Each of you must give what you have decided in your heart, not with regret or under compulsion, since God loves a cheerful giver.

Because your service in giving proves your love, you will be glorifying God as you obey what your confession of the Messiah's gospel demands, since you are generous in sharing with them and with everyone else.

Someone like this should take note of the following: What we say by letter when we are absent is what we will do when present!

We will not boast about what cannot be evaluated. Instead, we will stay within the field that God assigned us, so as to reach even you.

But I will go on doing what I'm doing in order to deny an opportunity to those people who want an opportunity to be recognized as our equals in the work they are boasting about.

You tolerate anyone who makes you his slaves, devours what you have, takes what is yours, orders you around, or slaps your face!

However, if I did want to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be telling the truth. But I am not going to do it in order to keep anyone from thinking more of me than what he sees and hears about me.

We pray to God that you will not do anything wrong not to show that we have not failed the test, but so that you may do what is right, even if we seem to have failed.

We are glad when we are weak and you are strong. That is what we are praying for your maturity.