Concern for Their Faithfulness

11 Oh, that you would bear with me in a little ^(A)folly—and indeed you do bear with me. ² For I am ^(B)jealous for you with godly jealousy. For ^(C)I have betrothed you to one husband, ^(D)that I may present you ^(E)as a chaste virgin to Christ. ³ But I fear, lest somehow, as ^(F)the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds ^(G)may be corrupted from the ^[a]simplicity that is in Christ. ⁴ For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a ^(H)different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!

Paul and False Apostles

⁵ For I consider that ^(I)I am not at all inferior to the most eminent apostles. ⁶ Even though ^(J)I am untrained in speech, yet I am not ^(K)in knowledge. But ^(L)we have ^[b]been thoroughly manifested among you in all things.

⁷ Did I commit sin in ^[c]humbling myself that you might be exalted, because I preached the gospel of God to you ^(M)free of charge? ⁸ I robbed other churches, taking wages from them to minister to you. ⁹ And when I was present with you, and in need, ^(N)I was a burden to no one, for what I lacked ^(O)the brethren who came from Macedonia supplied. And in everything I kept myself from being burdensome to you, and so I will keep myself. ^10 (P)As the truth of Christ is in me, ^(Q)no one shall stop me from this boasting in the regions of Achaia. ¹¹ Why? ^(R)Because I do not love you? God knows!

¹² But what I do, I will also continue to do, ^(S)that I may cut off the opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the things of which they boast. ¹³ For such ^(T)are false apostles, ^(U)deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. ¹⁴ And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into ^(V)an angel of light. ¹⁵ Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, ^(W)whose end will be according to their works.

⁸ Beware lest anyone ^[a]cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to ^(A)the tradition of men, according to the ^(B)basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.

¹⁸ Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has ^[a]not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,

¹⁹ and not holding fast to ^(A)the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, ^(B)grows with the increase that is from God.

^8 (A)Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and ^(B)speak evil of ^[a]dignitaries.

Apostates Predicted

¹⁶ These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they ^(A)mouth great swelling words, ^(B)flattering people to gain advantage.