2 Corinthians 5; 2 Corinthians 6; 2 Corinthians 7; 2 Corinthians 8; 2 Corinthians 9

1 We know that if the tent that we live in on earth is torn down, we have a building from God. It's a house that isn't handmade, which is eternal and located in heaven.

2 We groan while we live in this residence. We really want to dress ourselves with our building from heaven—

3 since we assume that when we take off this tent, we won't find out that we are naked.

4 Yes, while we are in this tent we groan, because we are weighed down. We want to be dressed not undressed, so that what is dying can be swallowed up by life.

5 Now the one who prepared us for this very thing is God, and God gave us the Spirit as a down payment for our home.

6 So we are always confident, because we know that while we are living in the body, we are away from our home with the Lord.

7 We live by faith and not by sight.

8 We are confident, and we would prefer to leave the body and to be at home with the Lord.

9 So our goal is to be acceptable to him, whether we are at home or away from home.

10 We all must appear before Christ in court so that each person can be paid back for the things that were done while in the body, whether they were good or bad.

11 So we try to persuade people, since we know what it means to fear the Lord. We are well known by God, and I hope that in your heart we are well known by you as well.

12 We aren't trying to commend ourselves to you again. Instead, we are giving you an opportunity to be proud of us so that you could answer those who take pride in superficial appearance, and not in what is in the heart.

13 If we are crazy, it's for God's sake. If we are rational, it's for your sake.

14 The love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: one died for the sake of all; therefore, all died.

15 He died for the sake of all so that those who are alive should live not for themselves but for the one who died for them and was raised.

16 So then, from this point on we won't recognize people by human standards. Even though we used to know Christ by human standards, that isn't how we know him now.

17 So then, if anyone is in Christ, that person is part of the new creation. The old things have gone away, and look, new things have arrived!

18 All of these new things are from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and who gave us the ministry of reconciliation.

19 In other words, God was reconciling the world to himself through Christ, by not counting people's sins against them. He has trusted us with this message of reconciliation.

20 So we are ambassadors who represent Christ. God is negotiating with you through us. We beg you as Christ's representatives, "Be reconciled to God!"

21 God caused the one who didn't know sin to be sin for our sake so that through him we could become the righteousness of God.

1 Since we work together with him, we are also begging you not to receive the grace of God in vain.

2 He says, I listened to you at the right time, and I helped you on the day of salvation. Look, now is the right time! Look, now is the day of salvation!

3 We don't give anyone any reason to be offended about anything so that our ministry won't be criticized.

4 Instead, we commend ourselves as ministers of God in every way. We did this with our great endurance through problems, disasters, and stressful situations.

5 We went through beatings, imprisonments, and riots. We experienced hard work, sleepless nights, and hunger.

6 We displayed purity, knowledge, patience, and generosity. We served with the Holy Spirit, genuine love,

7 telling the truth, and God's power. We carried the weapons of righteousness in our right hand and our left hand.

8 We were treated with honor and dishonor and with verbal abuse and good evaluation. We were seen as both fake and real,

9 as unknown and well known, as dying—and look, we are alive! We were seen as punished but not killed,

10 as going through pain but always happy, as poor but making many rich, and as having nothing but owning everything.

11 Corinthians, we have spoken openly to you, and our hearts are wide open.

12 There are no limits to the affection that we feel for you. You are the ones who placed boundaries on your affection for us.

13 But as a fair trade—I'm talking to you like you are children—open your hearts wide too.

14 Don't be tied up as equal partners with people who don't believe. What does righteousness share with that which is outside the Law? What relationship does light have with darkness?

15 What harmony does Christ have with Satan? What does a believer have in common with someone who doesn't believe?

16 What agreement can there be between God's temple and idols? Because we are the temple of the living God. Just as God said, I live with them, and I will move among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

17 Therefore, come out from among them and be separated, says the Lord. Don't touch what is unclean. Then I will welcome you.

18 I will be a father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.

1 My dear friends, since we have these promises, let's cleanse ourselves from anything that contaminates our body or spirit so that we make our holiness complete in the fear of God.

2 Make room in your hearts for us. We didn't do anything wrong to anyone. We didn't ruin anyone. We didn't take advantage of anyone.

3 I'm not saying this to make you feel guilty. I've already said that you are in our hearts so that we die and live together with you.

4 I have every confidence in you. I'm terribly proud of you. I'm filled with encouragement. I'm overwhelmed with happiness while in the middle of our problems.

5 Even after we arrived in Macedonia, we couldn't rest physically. We were surrounded by problems. There was external conflict, and there were internal fears.

6 However, God comforts people who are discouraged, and he comforted us by Titus' arrival.

7 We weren't comforted only by his arrival but also by the comfort he had received from you. He told us about your desire to see me, how you were sorry, and about your concern for me, so that I was even happier.

8 Even though my letter hurt you, I don't regret it. Well—I did regret it just a bit because I see that that letter made you sad, though only for a short time.

9 Now I'm glad—not because you were sad but because you were made sad enough to change your hearts and lives. You felt godly sadness so that no one was harmed by us in any way.

10 Godly sadness produces a changed heart and life that leads to salvation and leaves no regrets, but sorrow under the influence of the world produces death.

11 Look at what this very experience of godly sadness has produced in you: such enthusiasm, what a desire to clear yourselves of blame, such indignation, what fear, what purpose, such concern, what justice! In everything you have shown yourselves to be innocent in the matter.

12 So although I wrote to you, it wasn't for the sake of the one who did wrong, or for the sake of the one who was wronged, but to show you your own enthusiasm for us in the sight of God.

13 Because of this we have been encouraged. And in addition to our own encouragement, we were even more pleased at how happy Titus was. His mind has been put at rest by all of you.

14 If I've bragged about you to him in any way, I haven't been embarrassed. Instead, our bragging to Titus has also been proven to be true, just like everything we said to you was true.

15 His devotion to you is growing even more as he remembers how all of you were obedient when you welcomed him with fear and trembling.

16 I'm happy, because I can completely depend on you.

1 Brothers and sisters, we want to let you know about the grace of God that was given to the churches of Macedonia.

2 While they were being tested by many problems, their extra amount of happiness and their extreme poverty resulted in a surplus of rich generosity.

3 I assure you that they gave what they could afford and even more than they could afford, and they did it voluntarily.

4 They urgently begged us for the privilege of sharing in this service for the saints.

5 They even exceeded our expectations, because they gave themselves to the Lord first and to us, consistent with God's will.

6 As a result, we challenged Titus to finish this work of grace with you the way he had started it.

7 Be the best in this work of grace in the same way that you are the best in everything, such as faith, speech, knowledge, total commitment, and the love we inspired in you.

8 I'm not giving an order, but by mentioning the commitment of others, I'm trying to prove the authenticity of your love also.

9 You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Although he was rich, he became poor for our sakes, so that you could become rich through his poverty.

10 I'm giving you my opinion about this. It's to your advantage to do this, since you not only started to do it last year but you wanted to do it too.

11 Now finish the job as well so that you finish it with as much enthusiasm as you started, given what you can afford.

12 A gift is appreciated because of what a person can afford, not because of what that person can't afford, if it's apparent that it's done willingly.

13 It isn't that we want others to have financial ease and you financial difficulties, but it's a matter of equality.

14 At the present moment, your surplus can fill their deficit so that in the future their surplus can fill your deficit. In this way there is equality.

15 As it is written, The one who gathered more didn't have too much, and the one who gathered less didn't have too little.

16 But thank God, who put the same commitment that I have for you in Titus' heart.

17 Not only has he accepted our challenge but he's on his way to see you voluntarily, and he's excited.

18 We are sending the brother who is famous in all the churches because of his work for the gospel along with him.

19 In addition to this, he is chosen by the churches to be our traveling companion in this work of grace, which we are taking care of for the sake of the glory of the Lord himself, and to show our desire to help.

20 We are trying to avoid being blamed by anyone for the way we take care of this large amount of money.

21 We care about doing the right thing, not only in the Lord's eyes but also in the eyes of other people.

22 We are sending our brother with them. We have tested his commitment in many ways and many times. Now he's even more committed, because he has so much confidence in you.

23 If there is any question about Titus, he is my partner and coworker among you. If there is any question about our brothers, they are the churches' apostles and an honor to Christ.

24 So show them the proof of your love and the reason we are so proud of you, in such a way that the churches can see it.

1 It's unnecessary for me to write to you about this service for God's people.

2 I know about your willingness to help. I brag about you to the Macedonians, saying, "Greece has been ready since last year," and your enthusiasm has motivated most of them.

3 But I'm sending the brothers so that our bragging about you in this case won't be empty words, and so that you can be prepared, just as I keep telling them you will be.

4 If some Macedonians should come with me and find out that you aren't ready, we (not to mention you) would be embarrassed as far as this project goes.

5 This is why I thought it was necessary to encourage the brothers to go to you ahead of time and arrange in advance the generous gift you have already promised. I want it to be a real gift from you. I don't want you to feel like you are being forced to give anything.

6 What I mean is this: the one who sows a small number of seeds will also reap a small crop, and the one who sows a generous amount of seeds will also reap a generous crop.

7 Everyone should give whatever they have decided in their heart. They shouldn't give with hesitation or because of pressure. God loves a cheerful giver.

8 God has the power to provide you with more than enough of every kind of grace. That way, you will have everything you need always and in everything to provide more than enough for every kind of good work.

9 As it is written, He scattered everywhere; he gave to the needy; his righteousness remains forever.

10 The one who supplies seed for planting and bread for eating will supply and multiply your seed and will increase your crop, which is righteousness.

11 You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous in every way. Such generosity produces thanksgiving to God through us.

12 Your ministry of this service to God's people isn't only fully meeting their needs but it is also multiplying in many expressions of thanksgiving to God.

13 They will give honor to God for your obedience to your confession of Christ's gospel. They will do this because this service provides evidence of your obedience, and because of your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone.

14 They will also pray for you, and they will care deeply for you because of the outstanding grace that God has given to you.

15 Thank God for his gift that words can't describe!