⁵ Keep examining yourselves to see whether you are continuing in the faith. Test yourselves! You know, don’t you, that Jesus the Messiah^[a] lives in you? Could it be that you are failing the test? ⁶ I hope you will realize that we haven’t failed our test. ⁷ 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. ⁸ For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. ⁹ We are glad when we are weak and you are strong. That is what we are praying for—your maturity.

¹⁰ For this reason I am writing this while I am away from you: When I come I do not want to be severe in using the authority the Lord gave me to build you up and not to tear you down.