Sectarianism Is Sin

¹⁰ Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, ^(A)that you all ^[a]speak the same thing, and that there be no ^[b]divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. ¹¹ For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are ^[c]contentions among you. ¹² Now I say this, that ^(B)each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of ^(C)Apollos,” or “I am of ^(D)Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” ^13 (E)Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

¹⁴ I thank God that I baptized ^(F)none of you except ^(G)Crispus and ^(H)Gaius, ¹⁵ lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name. ¹⁶ Yes, I also baptized the household of ^(I)Stephanas. Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other. ¹⁷ For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, ^(J)not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.

Watering, Working, Warning

⁵ Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ^(A)ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? ^6 (B)I planted, ^(C)Apollos watered, ^(D)but God gave the increase. ⁷ So then ^(E)neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. ⁸ Now he who plants and he who waters are one, ^(F)and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

⁹ For ^(G)we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are ^(H)God’s building. ^10 (I)According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid ^(J)the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. ¹¹ For no other foundation can anyone lay than ^(K)that which is laid, ^(L)which is Jesus Christ. ¹² Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, ¹³ each one’s work will become clear; for the Day ^(M)will declare it, because ^(N)it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. ¹⁴ If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. ¹⁵ If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

¹² Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,

Excel in Giving

8 Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: ² that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and ^(A)their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. ³ For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, ⁴ imploring us with much urgency ^[a]that we would receive the gift and ^(B)the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. ⁵ And not only as we had hoped, but they first ^(C)gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the ^(D)will of God. ⁶ So ^(E)we urged Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also complete this grace in you as well. ⁷ But as ^(F)you abound in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us—see ^(G)that you abound in this grace also.

Christ Our Pattern

^8 (H)I speak not by commandment, but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others. ⁹ For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, ^(I)that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become ^(J)rich.

¹⁰ And in this ^(K)I give advice: ^(L)It is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and ^(M)were desiring to do a year ago; ¹¹ but now you also must complete the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also may be a completion out of what you have. ¹² For ^(N)if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.

¹³ For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened; ¹⁴ but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may supply their lack, that their abundance also may supply your lack—that there may be equality. ¹⁵ As it is written, ^(O)“He who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack.”

Collection for the Judean Saints

¹⁶ But thanks be to God who ^[b]puts the same earnest care for you into the heart of Titus. ¹⁷ For he not only accepted the exhortation, but being more diligent, he went to you of his own accord. ¹⁸ And we have sent with him ^(P)the brother whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches, ¹⁹ and not only that, but who was also ^(Q)chosen by the churches to travel with us with this gift, which is administered by us ^(R)to the glory of the Lord Himself and to show your ready mind, ²⁰ avoiding this: that anyone should blame us in this lavish gift which is administered by us— ^21 (S)providing honorable things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.

²² And we have sent with them our brother whom we have often proved diligent in many things, but now much more diligent, because of the great confidence which we have in you. ²³ If anyone inquires about ^(T)Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker concerning you. Or if our brethren are inquired about, they are ^(U)messengers^[c] of the churches, the glory of Christ. ²⁴ Therefore show to them, ^[d]and before the churches, the proof of your love and of our ^(V)boasting on your behalf.

Administering the Gift

9 Now concerning ^(W)the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you; ² for I know your willingness, about which I boast of you to the Macedonians, that Achaia was ready a ^(X)year ago; and your zeal has stirred up the majority. ^3 (Y)Yet I have sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this respect, that, as I said, you may be ready; ⁴ lest if some Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we (not to mention you!) should be ashamed of this ^[e]confident boasting. ⁵ Therefore I thought it necessary to ^[f]exhort the brethren to go to you ahead of time, and prepare your generous gift beforehand, which you had previously promised, that it may be ready as a matter of generosity and not as a ^[g]grudging obligation.

The Cheerful Giver

^6 (Z)But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows ^[h]bountifully will also reap ^[i]bountifully. ⁷ So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, ^(AA)not grudgingly or of ^[j]necessity; for ^(AB)God loves a cheerful giver. ^8 (AC)And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. ⁹ As it is written:

¹⁰ Now ^[k]may He who ^(AE)supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, ^[l]supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your ^(AF)righteousness, ¹¹ while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, ^(AG)which causes thanksgiving through us to God. ¹² For the administration of this service not only ^(AH)supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God, ¹³ while, through the proof of this ministry, they ^(AI)glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal ^(AJ)sharing with them and all men, ¹⁴ and by their prayer for you, who long for you because of the exceeding ^(AK)grace of God in you. ¹⁵ Thanks be to God ^(AL)for His indescribable gift!

Only One Gospel

⁶ I marvel that you are turning away so soon ^(A)from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, ^7 (B)which is not another; but there are some ^(C)who trouble you and want to ^(D)pervert^[a] the gospel of Christ. ⁸ But even if ^(E)we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be ^[b]accursed. ⁹ As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you ^(F)than what you have received, let him be accursed.

¹⁰ For ^(G)do I now ^(H)persuade men, or God? Or ^(I)do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.

Walk in Unity

4 I, therefore, the prisoner ^[a]of the Lord, ^[b]beseech you to ^(A)walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, ² with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, ³ endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit ^(B)in the bond of peace. ^4 (C)There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; ^5 (D)one Lord, ^(E)one faith, ^(F)one baptism; ^6 (G)one God and Father of all, who is above all, and ^(H)through all, and in ^[c]you all.

Spiritual Gifts

⁷ But ^(I)to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. ⁸ Therefore He says:

^9 (K)(Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also ^[d]first descended into the lower parts of the earth? ¹⁰ He who descended is also the One ^(L)who ascended far above all the heavens, ^(M)that He might fill all things.)

¹¹ And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, ¹² for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, ^(N)for the ^[e]edifying of ^(O)the body of Christ, ¹³ till we all come to the unity of the faith ^(P)and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to ^(Q)a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; ¹⁴ that we should no longer be ^(R)children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of ^(S)deceitful plotting, ¹⁵ but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the ^(T)head—Christ— ^16 (U)from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

¹⁵ Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill: ^16 [a]The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; ¹⁷ but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. ¹⁸ What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.