2Corinthians:1:12-2
Seeker Overlay ON
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For our rejoicing is this ,
the testimony of our conscience ,
that in simplicity and godly sincerity ,
not with fleshly wisdom ,
but by the grace of God ,
we have had our conversation in the world ,
and more abundantly to you-ward .
*
For we write none other things unto you ,
than what ye read or acknowledge ;
and I trust ye shall acknowledge even to the end ;
*
As also ye have acknowledged us in part ,
that we are your rejoicing ,
even as ye also are ours in the day of the Lord Jesus .
*
And in this confidence I was minded to come unto you before ,
that ye might have a second benefit ;
*
And to pass by you into Macedonia ,
and to come again out of Macedonia unto you ,
and of you to be brought on my way toward Judaea .
*
When I therefore was thus minded ,
did I use lightness ?
or the things that I purpose ,
do I purpose according to the flesh ,
that with me there should be yea yea ,
and nay nay ?
*
But as God is true ,
our word toward you was not yea and nay .
*
For the Son of God ,
Jesus Christ ,
who was preached among you by us ,
even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus ,
was not yea and nay ,
but in him was yea .
*
For all the promises of God in him are yea ,
and in him Amen ,
unto the glory of God by us .
*
Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ ,
and hath anointed us ,
is God ;
*
Who hath also sealed us ,
and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts .
*
Moreover I call God for a record upon my soul ,
that to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth .
*
Not for that we have dominion over your faith ,
but are helpers of your joy :
for by faith ye stand .
*
Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ ,
who in presence am base among you ,
but being absent am bold toward you :
*
But I beseech you ,
that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence ,
wherewith I think to be bold against some ,
which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh .
*
For though we walk in the flesh ,
we do not war after the flesh :
* (
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal ,
but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds ;)
*
Casting down imaginations ,
and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God ,
and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ ;
*
And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience ,
when your obedience is fulfilled .
*
Do ye look on things after the outward appearance ?
If any man trust to himself that he is Christ '
s ,
let him of himself think this again ,
that ,
as he is Christ '
s ,
even so are we Christ '
s .
*
For though I should boast somewhat more of our authority ,
which the Lord hath given us for edification ,
and not for your destruction ,
I should not be ashamed :
*
That I may not seem as if I would terrify you by letters .
*
For his letters ,
say they ,
are weighty and powerful ;
but his bodily presence is weak ,
and his speech contemptible .
*
Let such an one think this ,
that ,
such as we are in word by letters when we are absent ,
such will we be also in deed when we are present .
*
For we dare not make ourselves of the number ,
or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves :
but they measuring themselves by themselves ,
and comparing themselves among themselves ,
are not wise .
*
But we will not boast of things without our measure ,
but according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us ,
a measure to reach even unto you .
*
For we stretch not ourselves beyond our measure ,
as though we reached not unto you :
for we are come as far as to you also in preaching the gospel of Christ :
*
Not boasting of things without our measure ,
that is ,
of other men '
s labours ;
but having hope ,
when your faith is increased ,
that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly ,
*
To preach the gospel in the regions beyond you ,
and not to boast in another man '
s line of things made ready to our hand .
*
But he that glorieth ,
let him glory in the Lord .
*
For not he that commendeth himself is approved ,
but whom the Lord commendeth .
*
Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly :
and indeed bear with me .
*
For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy :
for I have espoused you to one husband ,
that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ .
*
But I fear ,
lest by any means ,
as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty ,
so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ .
*
For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus ,
whom we have not preached ,
or if ye receive another spirit ,
which ye have not received ,
or another gospel ,
which ye have not accepted ,
ye might well bear with him .
*
For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles .
*
But though I be rude in speech ,
yet not in knowledge ;
but we have been throughly made manifest among you in all things .
*
Have I committed an offence in abasing myself that ye might be exalted ,
because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely ?
*
I robbed other churches ,
taking wages of them ,
to do you service .
*
And when I was present with you ,
and wanted ,
I was chargeable to no man :
for that which was lacking to me the brethren which came from Macedonia supplied :
and in all things I have kept myself from being burdensome unto you ,
and so will I keep myself .
*
As the truth of Christ is in me ,
no man shall stop me of this boasting in the regions of Achaia .
*
Wherefore ?
because I love you not ?
God knoweth .
*
But what I do ,
that I will do ,
that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion ;
that wherein they glory ,
they may be found even as we .
*
For such are false apostles ,
deceitful workers ,
transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ .
*
And no marvel ;
for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light .
*
Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness ;
whose end shall be according to their works .
*
I say again ,
Let no man think me a fool ;
if otherwise ,
yet as a fool receive me ,
that I may boast myself a little .
*
That which I speak ,
I speak it not after the Lord ,
but as it were foolishly ,
in this confidence of boasting .
*
Seeing that many glory after the flesh ,
I will glory also .
*
For ye suffer fools gladly ,
seeing ye yourselves are wise .
*
For ye suffer ,
if a man bring you into bondage ,
if a man devour you ,
if a man take of you ,
if a man exalt himself ,
if a man smite you on the face .
*
I speak as concerning reproach ,
as though we had been weak .
Howbeit whereinsoever any is bold , (
I speak foolishly ,)
I am bold also .
*
Are they Hebrews ?
so am I .
Are they Israelites ?
so am I .
Are they the seed of Abraham ?
so am I .
*
Are they ministers of Christ ? (
I speak as a fool )
I am more ;
in labours more abundant ,
in stripes above measure ,
in prisons more frequent ,
in deaths oft .
*
Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one .
*
Thrice was I beaten with rods ,
once was I stoned ,
thrice I suffered shipwreck ,
a night and a day I have been in the deep ;
*
In journeyings often ,
in perils of waters ,
in perils of robbers ,
in perils by mine own countrymen ,
in perils by the heathen ,
in perils in the city ,
in perils in the wilderness ,
in perils in the sea ,
in perils among false brethren ;
*
In weariness and painfulness ,
in watchings often ,
in hunger and thirst ,
in fastings often ,
in cold and nakedness .
*
Beside those things that are without ,
that which cometh upon me daily ,
the care of all the churches .
*
Who is weak ,
and I am not weak ?
who is offended ,
and I burn not ?
*
If I must needs glory ,
I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities .
*
The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ ,
which is blessed for evermore ,
knoweth that I lie not .
*
In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison ,
desirous to apprehend me :
*
And through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall ,
and escaped his hands .
*
It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory .
I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord .
*
I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago , (
whether in the body ,
I cannot tell ;
or whether out of the body ,
I cannot tell :
God knoweth ;)
such an one caught up to the third heaven .
*
And I knew such a man , (
whether in the body ,
or out of the body ,
I cannot tell :
God knoweth ;)
*
How that he was caught up into paradise ,
and heard unspeakable words ,
which it is not lawful for a man to utter .
*
Of such an one will I glory :
yet of myself I will not glory ,
but in mine infirmities .
*
For though I would desire to glory ,
I shall not be a fool ;
for I will say the truth :
but now I forbear ,
lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be ,
or that he heareth of me .
*
And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations ,
there was given to me a thorn in the flesh ,
the messenger of Satan to buffet me ,
lest I should be exalted above measure .
*
For this thing I besought the Lord thrice ,
that it might depart from me .
*
And he said unto me ,
My grace is sufficient for thee :
for my strength is made perfect in weakness .
Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities ,
that the power of Christ may rest upon me .
*
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities ,
in reproaches ,
in necessities ,
in persecutions ,
in distresses for Christ '
s sake :
for when I am weak ,
then am I strong .
*
I am become a fool in glorying ;
ye have compelled me :
for I ought to have been commended of you :
for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles ,
though I be nothing .
*
Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience ,
in signs ,
and wonders ,
and mighty deeds .
*
For what is it wherein ye were inferior to other churches ,
except it be that I myself was not burdensome to you ?
forgive me this wrong .
*
Behold ,
the third time I am ready to come to you ;
and I will not be burdensome to you :
for I seek not yours ,
but you :
for the children ought not to lay up for the parents ,
but the parents for the children .
*
And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you ;
though the more abundantly I love you ,
the less I be loved .
*
But be it so ,
I did not burden you :
nevertheless ,
being crafty ,
I caught you with guile .
*
Did I make a gain of you by any of them whom I sent unto you ?
*
I desired Titus ,
and with him I sent a brother .
Did Titus make a gain of you ?
walked we not in the same spirit ?
walked we not in the same steps ?
*
Again ,
think ye that we excuse ourselves unto you ?
we speak before God in Christ :
but we do all things ,
dearly beloved ,
for your edifying .
*
For I fear ,
lest ,
when I come ,
I shall not find you such as I would ,
and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not :
lest there be debates ,
envyings ,
wraths ,
strifes ,
backbitings ,
whisperings ,
swellings ,
tumults :
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And lest ,
when I come again ,
my God will humble me among you ,
and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already ,
and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed .
*
This is the third time I am coming to you .
In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established .
*
I told you before ,
and foretell you ,
as if I were present ,
the second time ;
and being absent now I write to them which heretofore have sinned ,
and to all other ,
that ,
if I come again ,
I will not spare :
*
Since ye seek a proof of Christ speaking in me ,
which to you-ward is not weak ,
but is mighty in you .
*
For though he was crucified through weakness ,
yet he liveth by the power of God .
For we also are weak in him ,
but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you .
*
Examine yourselves ,
whether ye be in the faith ;
prove your own selves .
Know ye not your own selves ,
how that Jesus Christ is in you ,
except ye be reprobates ?
*
But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates .
*
Now I pray to God that ye do no evil ;
not that we should appear approved ,
but that ye should do that which is honest ,
though we be as reprobates .
*
For we can do nothing against the truth ,
but for the truth .
*
For we are glad ,
when we are weak ,
and ye are strong :
and this also we wish ,
even your perfection .
*
Therefore I write these things being absent ,
lest being present I should use sharpness ,
according to the power which the Lord hath given me to edification ,
and not to destruction .
*
Finally ,
brethren ,
farewell .
Be perfect ,
be of good comfort ,
be of one mind ,
live in peace ;
and the God of love and peace shall be with you .
*
Greet one another with an holy kiss .
*
All the saints salute you .
*
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ ,
and the love of God ,
and the communion of the Holy Ghost ,
be with you all .
Amen .
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