The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV, page 588
14knowing that vHe who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you.
15For wall things are for your sakes, that xgrace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.
Seeing the Invisible
16Therefore we ydo not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is zbeing renewed day by day.
17For aour light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,
18bwhile we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
2 Corinthians 5
Assurance of the Resurrection
1For we know that if aour earthly 1house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house bnot made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
2For in this cwe groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our 2habitation which is from heaven,
3if indeed, dhaving been clothed, we shall not be found naked.
4For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, ebut further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life.
5Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also fhas given us the Spirit as 3a guarantee.
6So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord.
7For gwe walk by faith, not by sight.
8We are confident, yes, hwell pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.
The Judgment Seat of Christ
9Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.
10iFor we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, jthat each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
11Knowing, therefore, kthe terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences.
Be Reconciled to God
12For lwe do not commend ourselves again to you, but give you opportunity mto boast on our behalf, that you may have an answer for those who boast in appearance and not in heart.
13For nif we are beside ourselves, it is for God; or if we are of sound mind, it is for you.
14For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that oif One died for all, then all died;
15and He died for all, pthat those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.
16qTherefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, ryet now we know Him thus no longer.
17Therefore, if anyone sis in Christ, he is ta new creation; uold things have passed away; behold, all things have become vnew.
18Now all things are of God, wwho has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,
19that is, that xGod was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not 4imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20Now then, we are yambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.
21For zHe made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become athe righteousness of God in Him.
2 Corinthians 6
Marks of the Ministry
1We then, as aworkers together with Him also bplead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.
2For He says:
c“In an acceptable time I have heard you,
And in the day of salvation I have helped you.”
Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
3dWe give no offense in anything, that our ministry may not be blamed.
4But in all things we commend ourselves eas ministers of God: in much 1patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses,
5fin stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings;
6by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by 2sincere love,
7gby the word of truth, by hthe power of God, by ithe armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,
8by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true;
9as unknown, and jyet well known; kas dying, and behold we live; las chastened, and yet not killed;
10as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many mrich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.
Be Holy
11O Corinthians! 3We have spoken openly to you, nour heart is wide open.
12You are not restricted by us, but oyou are restricted by your own affections.
13Now in return for the same p(I speak as to children), you also be open.
14qDo not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For rwhat 4fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what 5communion has light with darkness?
15And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?
16And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For syou6 are the temple of the living God. As God has said:
t“I will dwell in them
And walk among them.
I will be their God,
And they shall be My people.”
17Therefore
u“Come out from among them
And be separate, says the Lord.
Do not touch what is unclean,
And I will receive you.”
18“I vwill be a Father to you,
And you shall be My wsons and daughters,
Says the LORD Almighty.”
2 Corinthians 7
The Corinthians’ Repentance
1Therefore,a having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
The Corinthians’ Repentance
2Open your hearts to us. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, bwe have cheated no one.
3I do not say this to condemn; for cI have said before that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together.
4dGreat is my boldness of speech toward you, egreat is my boasting on your behalf. fI am filled with comfort. I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation.
5For indeed, gwhen we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but hwe were troubled on every side. iOutside were conflicts, inside were fears.
6Nevertheless jGod, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by kthe coming of Titus,
7and not only by his coming, but also by the 1consolation with which he was comforted in you, when he told us of your earnest desire, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more.
8For even if I made you lsorry with my letter, I do not regret it; mthough I did regret it. For I perceive that the same epistle made you sorry, though only for a while.
9Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing.
10For ngodly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; obut the sorrow of the world produces death.
11For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what pclearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be qclear in this matter.
12Therefore, although I wrote to you, I did not do it for the sake of him who had done the wrong, nor for the sake of him who suffered wrong, rbut that our care for you in the sight of God might appear to you.
The Joy of Titus
13Therefore we have been comforted in your comfort. And we rejoiced exceedingly more for the joy of Titus, because his spirit shas been refreshed by you all.
14For if in anything I have boasted to him about you, I am not ashamed. But as we spoke all things to you in truth, even so our boasting to Titus was found true.
15And his affections are greater for you as he remembers tthe obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling you received him.
16Therefore I rejoice that uI have confidence in you in everything.
2 Corinthians 8
Excel in Giving
1Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia:
2that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and atheir deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality.
3For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing,
4imploring us with much urgency 1that we would receive the gift and bthe fellowship of the ministering to the saints.
5And not only as we had hoped, but they first cgave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the dwill of God.
6So ewe urged Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also complete this grace in you as well.
7But as fyou abound in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us—see gthat you abound in this grace also.
Christ Our Pattern
8hI speak not by commandment, but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others.
9For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, ithat though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become jrich.
10And in this kI give advice: lIt is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and mwere desiring to do a year ago;
11but 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.
12For nif there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.
13For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened;
14but 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.
15As 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
16But thanks be to God who 2puts the same earnest care for you into the heart of Titus.
17For he not only accepted the exhortation, but being more diligent, he went to you of his own accord.
18And we have sent with him pthe brother whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches,
19and not only that, but who was also qchosen by the churches to travel with us with this gift, which is administered by us rto the glory of the Lord Himself and to show your ready mind,
20avoiding this: that anyone should blame us in this lavish gift which is administered by us—
21sproviding honorable things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.
22And 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.
23If anyone inquires about tTitus, he is my partner and fellow worker concerning you. Or if our brethren are inquired about, they are umessengers3 of the churches, the glory of Christ.
24Therefore show to them, 4and before the churches, the proof of your love and of our vboasting on your behalf.
2 Corinthians 9
Administering the Gift
1Now concerning athe ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you;
2for I know your willingness, about which I boast of you to the Macedonians, that Achaia was ready a byear ago; and your zeal has stirred up the majority.
3cYet 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;
4lest if some Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we (not to mention you!) should be ashamed of this 1confident boasting.
5Therefore I thought it necessary to 2exhort 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 3grudging obligation.
The Cheerful Giver
6dBut this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows 4bountifully will also reap bountifully.
7So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, enot grudgingly or of 5necessity; for fGod loves a cheerful giver.
8gAnd 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.
9As it is written:
h“He has dispersed abroad,
He has given to the poor;
His righteousness endures forever.”
10Now 6may He who isupplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, 7supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your jrighteousness,
11while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, kwhich causes thanksgiving through us to God.
12For the administration of this service not only lsupplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God,
13while, through the proof of this ministry, they mglorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal nsharing with them and all men,
14and by their prayer for you, who long for you because of the exceeding ograce of God in you.
15Thanks be to God pfor His indescribable gift!
2 Corinthians 10
The Spiritual War
1Now aI, Paul, myself am pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—bwho in presence am lowly among you, but being absent am bold toward you.
2But I beg you cthat when I am present I may not be bold with that confidence by which I intend to be bold against some, who think of us as if we walked according to the flesh.
3For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.
4dFor the weapons eof our warfare are not 1carnal but fmighty in God gfor pulling down strongholds,
5hcasting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
6iand being ready to punish all disobedience when jyour obedience is fulfilled.
Reality of Paul’s Authority
7kDo you look at things according to the outward appearance? lIf anyone is convinced in himself that he is Christ’s, let him again consider this in himself, that just as he is Christ’s, even 2so mwe are Christ’s.
8For even if I should boast somewhat more nabout our authority, which the Lord gave 3us for 4edification and not for your destruction, oI shall not be ashamed—
9lest I seem to terrify you by letters.
10“For his letters,” they say, “are weighty and powerful, but phis bodily presence is weak, and his qspeech contemptible.”
11Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters when we are absent, such we will also be in deed when we are present.
Limits of Paul’s Authority
12rFor we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.
13sWe, however, will not boast beyond measure, but within the limits of the sphere which God appointed us—a sphere which especially includes you.
14For we are not overextending ourselves (as though our authority did not extend to you), tfor it was to you that we came with the gospel of Christ;
15not boasting of things beyond measure, that is, uin other men’s labors, but having hope, that as your faith is increased, we shall be greatly enlarged by you in our sphere,
16to preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man’s sphere of accomplishment.
17But v“he who glories, let him glory in the LORD.”
18For wnot he who commends himself is approved, but xwhom the Lord commends.
2 Corinthians 11
Concern for Their Faithfulness
1Oh, that you would bear with me in a little afolly—and indeed you do bear with me.
2For I am bjealous for you with godly jealousy. For cI have betrothed you to one husband, dthat I may present you eas a chaste virgin to Christ.
3But I fear, lest somehow, as fthe serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds gmay be corrupted from the 1simplicity that is in Christ.
4For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a hdifferent gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!
Paul and False Apostles
5For I consider that iI am not at all inferior to the most eminent apostles.
6Even though jI am untrained in speech, yet I am not kin knowledge. But lwe have 2been thoroughly manifested among you in all things.
7Did I commit sin in 3humbling myself that you might be exalted, because I preached the gospel of God to you mfree of charge?
8I robbed other churches, taking wages from them to minister to you.
9And when I was present with you, and in need, nI was a burden to no one, for what I lacked othe brethren who came from Macedonia supplied. And in everything I kept myself from being burdensome to you, and so I will keep myself.
10pAs the truth of Christ is in me, qno one shall stop me from this boasting in the regions of Achaia.
11Why? rBecause I do not love you? God knows!
12But what I do, I will also continue to do, sthat I may cut off the opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the things of which they boast.
