Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. (A)Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that (B)Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test. But we pray to God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed. For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. For we are glad when (C)we are weak and you are strong. Your (D)restoration is what we pray for. 10 For this reason I write these things while I am away from you, that when I come (E)I may not have to be (F)severe in my use of (G)the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down.

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Test(A) yourselves to see if you are in the faith. Examine yourselves. Or do you yourselves not recognize that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless you fail the test.[a] And I hope you will recognize that we ourselves do not fail the test. But we pray to God that you do nothing wrong—not that we may appear to pass the test, but that you may do what is right,(B) even though we may appear to fail. For we can’t do anything against the truth,(C) but only for the truth. We rejoice when we are weak and you are strong.(D) We also pray that you become fully mature.[b] 10 This is why I am writing these things while absent, so that when I am there I may not have to deal harshly with you, in keeping with the authority the Lord gave me for building up(E) and not for tearing down.(F)

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Footnotes

  1. 13:5 Or you are disqualified, or you are counterfeit
  2. 13:9 Or become complete, or be restored