2 Corinthians 5-9

The Voice

5 We know that if our earthly house—a mere tent that can easily be taken down—is destroyed, we will then live in an eternal home in the heavens, a building crafted by divine—not human—hands. ² Currently, in this tent of a house, we continue to groan and ache with a deep desire to be sheltered in our permanent home ³ because then we will be truly clothed and comfortable, protected by a covering for our current nakedness. ⁴ The fact is that in this tent we anxiously moan, fearing the naked truth of our reality. What we crave above all is to be clothed so that what is temporary and mortal can be wrapped completely in life. ⁵ The One who has worked and tailored us for this is God Himself, who has gifted His Spirit to us as a pledge toward our permanent home.

⁶ In light of this, we live with a daring passion and know that our time spent in this body is also time we are not present with the Lord. ⁷ The path we walk is charted by faith, not by what we see with our eyes. ⁸ There is no doubt that we live with a daring passion, but in the end we prefer to be gone from this body so that we can be at home with the Lord. ⁹ Ultimately it does not matter whether we are here or gone; our purpose stays fixed, and that is to please Him. ¹⁰ In time we will all stand in judgment before the throne of the Anointed, the Liberating King, to receive what is just for our conduct (whether it be good or bad) while we lived in this temporary body.

¹¹ So because we stand in awe of the one true Lord, we make it our aim to convince all people of the truth of the gospel; God sees who we really are, and I hope in some way that you’ll look deeply into your consciences to see us as well. ¹² But we hope you understand that we are not trying to prove ourselves to you or pull together a résumé that will impress you. We are simply hoping that you will find a sense of joy in connecting with us. And when you are approached by others (who may value appearances more than the heart) asking questions about us, you will be able to offer an answer for them. ¹³ If we seem out of control or act like fanatics, it is for God. But if we act in a coherent and reasonable way, it is for you. ¹⁴ You see, the controlling force in our lives is the love of the Anointed One. And our confession is this: One died for all; therefore, all have died. ¹⁵ He died for us so that we will all live, not for ourselves, but for Him who died and rose from the dead. ¹⁶ Because of all that God has done, we now have a new perspective. We used to show regard for people based on worldly standards and interests. No longer. We used to think of the Anointed the same way. No longer. ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is united with the Anointed One, that person is a new creation. The old life is gone—and see—a new life has begun! ¹⁸ All of this is a gift from our Creator God, who has pursued us and brought us into a restored and healthy relationship with Him through the Anointed. And He has given us the same mission, the ministry of reconciliation, to bring others back to Him. ¹⁹ It is central to our good news that God was in the Anointed making things right between Himself and the world. This means He does not hold their sins against them. But it also means He charges us to proclaim the message that heals and restores our broken relationships with God and each other.

²⁰ So we are now representatives of the Anointed One, the Liberating King; God has given us a charge to carry through our lives—urging all people on behalf of the Anointed to become reconciled to the Creator God. ²¹ He orchestrated this: the Anointed One, who had never experienced sin, became sin for us so that in Him we might embody the very righteousness of God.

6 As for those of us working as His emissaries,^[a] we beg you not to take the grace of God lightly. ² For God says through Isaiah,

Look, now the time is right! See, your day of deliverance is here! ³ We are careful in what we teach so that our words won’t be a stumbling block and so that no one will discredit our ministry. ⁴ But as God’s servants, we commend ourselves in every situation. So that with great endurance we persevere even in anguish and hardship. We have been cornered by the enemy ⁵ suffering beatings, imprisonments, uproars, toil, sleeplessness, and starvation. ⁶ And by the Holy Spirit with purity, understanding, patience, kindness, and sincerest love we have proved ourselves. ⁷ Now with the voice of truth and power of God—armed on the right and armed on the left with righteousness from God—we continue. ⁸ Whether respected or loathed, praised or criticized as frauds, yet true, ⁹ as unknown to this world, and yet well known to God, we serve Him. We are treated as dying and yet we live, as punished and yet we are not executed. ¹⁰ Though we are sorrowful, we continually rejoice. As the poorest of the poor, we bring richness to all, and though we have nothing, we possess all things.

¹¹ Corinthians, we have been completely open to you. We’ve exposed the truth, holding nothing back while our hearts open wide to take you in. ¹² We have revealed our affection toward you—though it’s obvious you have a hard time showing your affection toward us. ¹³ If I could offer some fatherly advice: open yourselves up as children; share your hearts with us as we have done for you.

¹⁴ Don’t develop partnerships with those who are not followers of Jesus’ teachings. For what real connection can exist between righteousness and rebellion? How can light participate in darkness? ¹⁵ What harmony can exist between the Anointed and Satan?^[c] Do the faithful and the faithless have anything in common? ¹⁶ Can the temple of God find common ground with idols? Don’t you see that we house the temple of the living God within us? Remember when He said,

7 Because we have these promises, dearly loved ones, out of respect for God we should scour the filth from our flesh and spirit and move toward perfect beauty and holiness.

² Take us into your hearts; love us as we love you. You have nothing to fear. We have hurt no one, ruined no one, swindled no one. ³ I am not writing these things to condemn you, as I said before. Our hearts embrace you, so we stand beside you whether facing life or death. ⁴ I am completely confident and incredibly proud of you. Even in all this turbulence I am at peace—I am overflowing with joy.

⁵ When we came into Macedonia, we were completely worn out—under attack from every angle—nagging opposition on the outside, our own nagging fears from the inside. ⁶ But God, who comforts the downcast, brought us comfort when Titus arrived from Corinth. ⁷ We were relieved, not just to see him, but because he told us how he was encouraged to learn about your longing, your grieving, and your continued enthusiasm for me. So these were all more reasons for me to rejoice!

⁸ I knew you would be upset with my last letter, but I do not regret sending it. If there were times I did have second thoughts, it was because I could see that the letter did hurt you, even if only for a while. ⁹ Now I am glad—not because it caused you grief but because you were moved to make a permanent change^[h] that can happen only with the realization that your actions have gone against God—I’m glad to know you suffered no long-term loss because of what we did. ¹⁰ Now this type of deep sorrow, godly sorrow, is not so much about regret; but it is about producing a change of mind and behavior^[i] that ultimately leads to salvation. But the other type of sorrow, worldly sorrow, often is fleeting and only brings death. ¹¹ Look at what is happening among you! Notice how authentic and diligent you have become because this godly sorrow has been at work in your community. But there’s more: your desire to clear your name, your righteous anger, your respect, your longing, your zeal, and your concern for justice. All these demonstrate how you have been made clean. ¹² So when I wrote my last difficult letter, it was not to comfort the victim or confront the perpetrator—it was to stir up your sincere devotion for us under God’s watchful eye. ¹³ In the midst of all that has happened, though it has been difficult, we are comforted and encouraged. When we saw the relief and joy on Titus’s face, we celebrated even more because his spirit had been totally refreshed by you. ¹⁴ Now if I have bragged in the past about you to Titus, I have nothing to be ashamed of. Just as we’ve spoken the whole truth to you, I’m glad to know that our boasts to Titus about you have proven true as well. ¹⁵ His love for you overflows even more as he recalls your obedience and how you respectfully and somewhat nervously, with fear and trembling, took him in. ¹⁶ I have great joy now because I have great confidence in you.

8 Now, brothers and sisters, let me tell you about the amazing gift of God’s grace that’s happening throughout the churches in Macedonia. ² Even in the face of severe anguish and hard times, their elation and poverty have overflowed into a wealth of generosity. ³ I watched as they willingly gave what they could afford and then went beyond to give even more. ⁴ They came to us on their own, begging to take part in this work of grace to support the poor saints in Judea. ⁵ We were so overwhelmed—none of us expected their reaction—that they truly turned their lives over to the Lord and then gave themselves to support us in our work as we answer the call of God. ⁶ That’s why we asked Titus to finish what he started among you regarding this gracious work of charity. ⁷ Just as you are rich in everything—in faith and speech, in knowledge and all sincerity, and in the love we have shown among you^[j]—now I ask you to invest richly in this gracious work too. ⁸ I am not going to command you, but I am going to offer you the chance to prove your love genuine in the same way others have done. ⁹ You know the grace that has come to us through our Lord Jesus the Anointed. He set aside His infinite riches and was born into the lowest circumstance so that you may gain great riches through His humble poverty. ^10-11 Listen, it’s been a year since we called your attention to this opportunity to demonstrate God’s grace, so here’s my advice: pull together your resources and finish what you started.

Remember how excited you were at first; it’s time to complete this task in the same spirit. ¹² Now if there is a willingness to help, give within your means. That’s perfectly acceptable. No one expects you to go without or borrow to give. ^13-14 The objective is not to go under so others will have some relief; the objective is to use this opportunity today to supply their needs out of your abundance. One day it may be the other way around, and they will need to supply your needs from what they have. That’s equality. ¹⁵ As it is written, “The one who gathered plenty didn’t have more than he needed; the one who gathered little didn’t have less.”^[k]

¹⁶ I praise God who lovingly burdened Titus’s heart for you just as He did mine. ¹⁷ You see, when we approached him about you, he eagerly stepped up, not only because of our request but because of his own desire to help. ¹⁸ We’re also sending with him a brother who is well known among the gatherings of believers because of how well he proclaims the good news. ¹⁹ And there’s more you should know: he has been handpicked by the churches to accompany us as we carry on this work of grace. All this is being done for the glory of the Lord and to show our own good will. ²⁰ We’re being careful so that no one can claim that we are mishandling the funds we’ve collected. ²¹ For we are taking every precaution to remain aboveboard—not only in the Lord’s eyes, but in the eyes of the people too. ²² So we are also sending another brother who’s proven himself time and again. He’s certainly trustworthy and enthusiastic for the gospel; and after hearing about all you are doing, he’s even more excited because he has confidence in you. ²³ If anyone asks about Titus, he’s my partner and coworker in this ministry to you. If there’s any question about who the other brothers and sisters are, they are emissaries^[l] of the churches, traveling to bring glory to the Anointed One, our Liberating King. ²⁴ So welcome them before the community in love; show the churches they represent that I have not exaggerated your charity and kindness.

9 There’s nothing further I could add about your efforts for God’s people in Judea. ² I know you are ready. I bragged on you throughout Macedonia, telling them how the people in Achaia have been prepared since last year; and your passion has been contagious. ³ Still I thought it would be best to send these brothers and sisters ahead to help you finish the final details so all my bragging wouldn’t be for nothing. ⁴ If some of the Macedonians decide to travel with me, all of us would be more than embarrassed if we arrived and you weren’t ready to give after the way we’ve been going on about you. ⁵ So to help you get your previously promised gift ready, it made sense to me to ask the brothers and sisters to go on ahead so you will have all the time you need to put it together as planned and so it doesn’t look thrown together or coerced.

⁶ But I will say this to encourage your generosity: the one who plants little harvests little, and the one who plants plenty harvests plenty. ⁷ Giving grows out of the heart—otherwise, you’ve reluctantly grumbled “yes” because you felt you had to or because you couldn’t say “no,” but this isn’t the way God wants it. For we know that “God loves a cheerful giver.”^{[m] 8} God is ready to overwhelm you with more blessings than you could ever imagine so that you’ll always be taken care of in every way and you’ll have more than enough to share. ⁹ Remember what is written about the One who trusts in the Lord:

¹⁰ The same One who has put seed into the hands of the sower and brought bread to fill our stomachs will provide and multiply the resources you invest and produce an abundant harvest from your righteous actions. ¹¹ You will be made rich in everything so that your generosity will spill over in every direction. Through us your generosity is at work inspiring praise and thanksgiving to God. ¹² For this mission will do more than bring food and water to fellow believers in need—it will overflow in a cascade of praises and thanksgivings for our God. ¹³ When this mission reaches Jerusalem and meets with the approval of God’s people there, they will give glory to God because your confession of the gospel of the Anointed One led to obedient action and your generous sharing with them and with all exhibited your sincere concern. ¹⁴ Because of the extraordinary grace of God at work in you, they will pray for you and long for you. ¹⁵ Praise God for this incredible, unbelievable, indescribable gift!