2 Corinthians 7
7
1Dear friends, we have these promises from God. So we should make ourselves pure—free from anything that makes our body or our soul unclean. Our respect for God should make us try to be completely holy in the way we live.
Paul’s Joy
2Open your hearts to us. We have not done wrong to anyone or caused harm to anyone. And we have not cheated anyone. 3I do not say this to blame you. I told you before that we love you so much we would live or die with you. 4I feel that I can tell you anything. I am very proud of you. Even with all the troubles we have had, I am greatly encouraged and feel very happy.
5When we came into Macedonia, we had no rest. We found trouble all around us. We had fighting on the outside and fear on the inside. 6But God encourages those who are troubled, and he certainly encouraged us by bringing Titus to us. 7It was so good to see him, but we were encouraged even more to hear about the encouragement you gave him. He told us that you really want to see me and that you are very sorry for what you did. And he told us how ready and willing you are to help me. When I heard this, I was so much happier.
8Even if the letter I wrote you made you sad, I am not sorry I wrote it. I know that letter made you sad, and I was sorry for that. But it made you sad only for a short time. 9Now I am happy, not because you were made sad, but because your sorrow made you decide to change. That is what God wanted, so you were not hurt by us in any way. 10The kind of sorrow God wants makes people decide to change their lives. This leads them to salvation, and we cannot be sorry for that. But the kind of sorrow the world has will bring death. 11You had the kind of sorrow God wanted you to have. Now see what that sorrow has brought you: It has made you very serious. It made you want to prove that you were not wrong. It made you angry and afraid. It made you want to see me. It made you care. It made you want the right thing to be done. You proved that you were not guilty in any part of that problem. 12The main reason I wrote that letter was not because of the one who did the wrong or the one who was hurt. I wrote so that you would realize, before God, how very much you care for us. 13And that is what was so encouraging to us.
We were greatly encouraged, but we were especially pleased to see how happy Titus was. You all made him feel so much better. 14I had bragged about you to Titus, and you didn’t embarrass me. We have always told you the truth, and now what we told Titus about you has been shown to be true. 15And his love for you is stronger when he remembers that you were all ready to obey. You welcomed him with respect and fear. 16I am so happy that I can trust you fully.
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© 1987, 2004 Bible League International
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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© 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved.