2 Corinthians 7
7
1Dear friends, we have these promises from God. So let us make ourselves pure from everything that makes our bodies and spirits impure. Let us be completely holy. We want to honor God.
Paul Has Joy When the Church Turns Away From Sin
2Make room for us in your hearts. We haven’t done anything wrong to anyone. We haven’t caused anyone to sin. We haven’t taken advantage of anyone. 3I don’t say this to judge you. I have told you before that you have an important place in our hearts. We would live or die with you. 4I have spoken to you very honestly. I am very proud of you. I am very happy. Even with all our troubles, my joy has no limit.
5When we came to Macedonia, we weren’t able to rest. We were attacked no matter where we went. We had battles on the outside and fears on the inside. 6But God comforts those who are sad. He comforted us when Titus came. 7We were comforted not only when he came but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us how much you longed for me. He told us about your deep sadness and concern for me. That made my joy greater than ever.
8Even if my letter made you sad, I’m not sorry I sent it. At first I was sorry. I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while. 9Now I am happy. I’m not happy because you were made sad. I’m happy because your sadness led you to turn away from your sins. You became sad just as God wanted you to. So you were not hurt in any way by us. 10Godly sadness causes us to turn away from our sins and be saved. And we are certainly not sorry about that! But worldly sadness brings death. 11Look at what that godly sadness has produced in you. You are working hard to clear yourselves. You are angry and alarmed. You are longing to see me. You are concerned. You are ready to make sure that the right thing is done. In every way you have proved that you are not guilty in that matter. 12So even though I wrote to you, it wasn’t because of the one who did the wrong. It wasn’t because of the one who was hurt either. Instead, I wrote you so that in the sight of God you could see for yourselves how faithful you are to us. 13All this encourages us.
We were also very glad to see how happy Titus was. You have all renewed his spirit. 14I had bragged about you to him. And you have not let me down. Everything we said to you was true. In the same way, our bragging about you to Titus has also turned out to be true. 15His love for you is even greater when he remembers that you all obeyed his teaching. You received him with fear and trembling. 16I am glad I can have complete faith in you.
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2 Corinthians 7
7
1Therefore, dear friends, since we have such promises, # Gn 12:7 let us cleanse ourselves from every impurity of the flesh and spirit, # Ps 51:12 completing our sanctification # Or spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. # Ps 147:11; Pr 1:7; Rv 14:7
Joy and Repentance
2Accept us. # Lit Make room for us We have wronged no one, corrupted # 1Co 3:17; 15:33; 2Co 11:3; Eph 4:22; 2Pt 2:12; Jd 10; Rv 19:2 no one, defrauded no one. 3I don’t say this to condemn you, for I have already said that you are in our hearts, to live together and to die together. 4I have great confidence in you; I have great pride in you. I am filled with encouragement; I am overcome with joy in all our afflictions.
5In fact, when we came into Macedonia, # Ac 16:9 we # Lit our flesh had no rest. Instead, we were troubled in every way: conflicts # Jms 4:1; Ti 3:9 on the outside, fears # Jn 7:13; Ac 27:29 inside. 6But God, who comforts the humble, # Mt 11:29 comforted us by the arrival of Titus, 7and not only by his arrival, but also by the comfort he received from you. He told us about your deep longing, your sorrow, # Or lamentation, or mourning and your zeal # Nm 25:13 for me, so that I rejoiced even more. 8For even if I grieved you with my letter, # 2Co 2:2,4 I do not regret it — even though I did regret it since I saw that the letter grieved you, yet only for a little while. 9Now I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because your grief led to repentance. For you were grieved as God willed, so that you didn’t experience any loss from us. 10For godly grief produces a repentance not to be regretted and leading to salvation, but worldly grief produces death. # Mt 10:21; Jn 8:51; Php 3:10 11For consider how much diligence this very thing — this grieving as God wills — has produced in you: what a desire to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what deep longing, what zeal, what justice! In every way you showed yourselves to be pure # Php 4:8 in this matter. 12So even though I wrote to you, it was not because of the one who did wrong, or because of the one who was wronged, but in order that your diligence for us might be made plain to you in the sight of God. 13For this reason we have been comforted.
In addition to our comfort, we rejoiced even more over the joy Titus # Ti 1:4 had, # Lit the joy of Titus because his spirit was refreshed by all of you. 14For if I have made any boast to him about you, I have not been embarrassed; but as I have spoken everything to you in truth, # Ps 119:142; Jn 8:14; 14:6; 2Co 11:10; 1Jn 5:20; 3Jn 3 so our boasting to Titus has also turned out to be the truth. 15And his affection toward you is even greater as he remembers the obedience of all of you, and how you received him with fear and trembling. 16I rejoice that I have complete confidence in you.
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