2Corinthians:1:12-2
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For our boasting is this :
the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity ,
not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God ,
and more abundantly toward you .
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For we are not writing any other things to you than what you read or understand .
Now I trust you will understand ,
even to the end
* (
as also you have understood us in part ),
that we are your boast as you also are ours ,
in the day of the Lord Jesus .
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And in this confidence I intended to come to you before ,
that you might have a second benefit --
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to pass by way of you to Macedonia ,
to come again from Macedonia to you ,
and be helped by you on my way to Judea .
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Therefore ,
when I was planning this ,
did I do it lightly ?
Or the things I plan ,
do I plan according to the flesh ,
that with me there should be Yes ,
Yes ,
and No ,
No ?
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But as God is faithful ,
our word to you was not Yes and No .
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For the Son of God ,
Jesus Christ ,
who was preached among you by us--by me ,
Silvanus ,
and Timothy--was not Yes and No ,
but in Him was Yes .
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For all the promises of God in Him are Yes ,
and in Him Amen ,
to the glory of God through us .
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Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God ,
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who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee .
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Moreover I call God as witness against my soul ,
that to spare you I came no more to Corinth .
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Not that we have dominion over your faith ,
but are fellow workers for your joy ;
for by faith you stand .
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Now I ,
Paul ,
myself am pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ--who in presence am lowly among you ,
but being absent am bold toward you .
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But I beg you that 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 .
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For though we walk in the flesh ,
we do not war according to the flesh .
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For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds ,
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casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God ,
bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ ,
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and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled .
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Do you look at things according to the outward appearance ?
If 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 so we are Christ '
s .
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For even if I should boast somewhat more about our authority ,
which the Lord gave us for edification and not for your destruction ,
I shall not be ashamed --
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lest I seem to terrify you by letters .
* "
For his letters ,"
they say , "
are weighty and powerful ,
but his bodily presence is weak ,
and his speech contemptible ."
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Let 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 .
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For 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 .
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We ,
however ,
will not boast beyond measure ,
but within the limits of the sphere which God appointed us--a sphere which especially includes you .
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For we are not overextending ourselves (
as though our authority did not extend to you ),
for it was to you that we came with the gospel of Christ ;
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not boasting of things beyond measure ,
that is ,
in other men '
s labors ,
but having hope ,
that as your faith is increased ,
we shall be greatly enlarged by you in our sphere ,
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to preach the gospel in the regions beyond you ,
and not to boast in another man '
s sphere of accomplishment .
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But "
he who glories ,
let him glory in the LORD ."
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For not he who commends himself is approved ,
but whom the Lord commends .
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Oh ,
that you would bear with me in a little folly--and indeed you do bear with me .
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For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy .
For I have betrothed you to one husband ,
that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ .
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But I fear ,
lest somehow ,
as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness ,
so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ .
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For 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 different gospel which you have not accepted--you may well put up with it !
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For I consider that I am not at all inferior to the most eminent apostles .
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Even though I am untrained in speech ,
yet I am not in knowledge .
But we have been thoroughly manifested among you in all things .
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Did I commit sin in humbling myself that you might be exalted ,
because I preached the gospel of God to you free of charge ?
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I robbed other churches ,
taking wages from them to minister to you .
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And when I was present with you ,
and in need ,
I was a burden to no one ,
for what I lacked the brethren who came from Macedonia supplied .
And in everything I kept myself from being burdensome to you ,
and so I will keep myself .
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As the truth of Christ is in me ,
no one shall stop me from this boasting in the regions of Achaia .
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Why ?
Because I do not love you ?
God knows !
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But what I do ,
I will also continue to do ,
that 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 .
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For such are false apostles ,
deceitful workers ,
transforming themselves into apostles of Christ .
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And no wonder !
For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light .
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Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness ,
whose end will be according to their works .
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I say again ,
let no one think me a fool .
If otherwise ,
at least receive me as a fool ,
that I also may boast a little .
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What I speak ,
I speak not according to the Lord ,
but as it were ,
foolishly ,
in this confidence of boasting .
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Seeing that many boast according to the flesh ,
I also will boast .
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For you put up with fools gladly ,
since you yourselves are wise !
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For you put up with it if one brings you into bondage ,
if one devours you ,
if one takes from you ,
if one exalts himself ,
if one strikes you on the face .
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To our shame I say that we were too weak for that !
But in whatever anyone is bold--I speak foolishly--I am bold also .
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Are they Hebrews ?
So am I .
Are they Israelites ?
So am I .
Are they the seed of Abraham ?
So am I .
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Are they ministers of Christ ?--
I speak as a fool--I am more :
in labors more abundant ,
in stripes above measure ,
in prisons more frequently ,
in deaths often .
*
From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one .
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Three times I was beaten with rods ;
once I was stoned ;
three times I was shipwrecked ;
a night and a day I have been in the deep ;
*
in journeys often ,
in perils of waters ,
in perils of robbers ,
in perils of my own countrymen ,
in perils of the Gentiles ,
in perils in the city ,
in perils in the wilderness ,
in perils in the sea ,
in perils among false brethren ;
*
in weariness and toil ,
in sleeplessness often ,
in hunger and thirst ,
in fastings often ,
in cold and nakedness --
*
besides the other things ,
what comes upon me daily :
my deep concern for all the churches .
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Who is weak ,
and I am not weak ?
Who is made to stumble ,
and I do not burn with indignation ?
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If I must boast ,
I will boast in the things which concern my infirmity .
*
The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ ,
who is blessed forever ,
knows that I am not lying .
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In Damascus the governor ,
under Aretas the king ,
was guarding the city of the Damascenes with a garrison ,
desiring to arrest me ;
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but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall ,
and escaped from his hands .
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It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast .
I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord :
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I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago--whether in the body I do not know ,
or whether out of the body I do not know ,
God knows--such a one was caught up to the third heaven .
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And I know such a man--whether in the body or out of the body I do not know ,
God knows --
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how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words ,
which it is not lawful for a man to utter .
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Of such a one I will boast ;
yet of myself I will not boast ,
except in my infirmities .
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For though I might desire to boast ,
I will not be a fool ;
for I will speak the truth .
But I refrain ,
lest anyone should think of me above what he sees me to be or hears from me .
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And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations ,
a thorn in the flesh was given to me ,
a messenger of Satan to buffet me ,
lest I be exalted above measure .
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Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me .
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And He said to me , "
My grace is sufficient for you ,
for My strength is made perfect in weakness ."
Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities ,
that the power of Christ may rest upon me .
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Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities ,
in reproaches ,
in needs ,
in persecutions ,
in distresses ,
for Christ '
s sake .
For when I am weak ,
then I am strong .
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I have become a fool in boasting ;
you have compelled me .
For I ought to have been commended by you ;
for in nothing was I behind the most eminent apostles ,
though I am nothing .
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Truly the signs of an apostle were accomplished among you with all perseverance ,
in signs and wonders and mighty deeds .
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For what is it in which you were inferior to other churches ,
except that I myself was not burdensome to you ?
Forgive me this wrong !
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Now for the third time I am ready to come to you .
And I will not be burdensome to you ;
for I do not seek yours ,
but you .
For the children ought not to lay up for the parents ,
but the parents for the children .
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And I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls ;
though the more abundantly I love you ,
the less I am loved .
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But be that as it may ,
I did not burden you .
Nevertheless ,
being crafty ,
I caught you by cunning !
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Did I take advantage of you by any of those whom I sent to you ?
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I urged Titus ,
and sent our brother with him .
Did Titus take advantage of you ?
Did we not walk in the same spirit ?
Did we not walk in the same steps ?
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Again ,
do you think that we excuse ourselves to you ?
We speak before God in Christ .
But we do all things ,
beloved ,
for your edification .
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For I fear lest ,
when I come ,
I shall not find you such as I wish ,
and that I shall be found by you such as you do not wish ;
lest there be contentions ,
jealousies ,
outbursts of wrath ,
selfish ambitions ,
backbitings ,
whisperings ,
conceits ,
tumults ;
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lest ,
when I come again ,
my God will humble me among you ,
and I shall mourn for many who have sinned before and have not repented of the uncleanness ,
fornication ,
and lewdness which they have practiced .
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This will be the third time I am coming to you . "
By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established ."
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I have told you before ,
and foretell as if I were present the second time ,
and now being absent I write to those who have sinned before ,
and to all the rest ,
that if I come again I will not spare --
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since you seek a proof of Christ speaking in me ,
who is not weak toward you ,
but mighty in you .
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For though He was crucified in weakness ,
yet He lives 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 .
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Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith .
Test yourselves .
Do you not know yourselves ,
that Jesus Christ is in you ?--
unless indeed you are disqualified .
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But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified .
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Now I pray to God that you do no evil ,
not that we should appear approved ,
but that you should do what is honorable ,
though we may seem disqualified .
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For we can do nothing against the truth ,
but for the truth .
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For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong .
And this also we pray ,
that you may be made complete .
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Therefore I write these things being absent ,
lest being present I should use sharpness ,
according to the authority which the Lord has given me for edification and not for destruction .
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Finally ,
brethren ,
farewell .
Become complete .
Be of good comfort ,
be of one mind ,
live in peace ;
and the God of love and peace will be with you .
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Greet one another with a holy kiss .
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All the saints greet you .
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The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ ,
and the love of God ,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all .
Amen .
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