Reaffirm Your Love

1But I determined with myself, not to come to you again in grief: 2for if I grieve you, who is it that maketh me glad, but he that is grieved by me? 3And I wrote this to you, that when I come I may not have grief from those of whom I ought to receive joy, being persuaded concerning all of you, that my joy is the joy of you all. 4For through much affliction and distress of heart I wrote to you with many tears; not that ye might be grieved, but that ye might know the love with which I abound towards you.

5And if any one hath caused grief, it hath grieved me only as to part of you, (that I may not overcharge you 6all) though sufficient to such a one is the censure passed on him by many. 7So that on the contrary, ye ought rather to forgive and comfort him, least such a one should be swallowed up with excessive sorrow. 8Wherefore I beseech you to confirm your love to him. 9For to this end also did I write, that I might have proof of you, whether ye are obedient in all things. 10And to whom ye forgive any thing, I also forgive it: for if I have forgiven any thing, I forgave it him, to whom I did forgive it, for your sakes, in the person of Christ; that we might not be foiled by Satan: 11for we are not ignorant of his devices.

Triumph in Christ

12So that when I came to Troas on account of the gospel of Christ, and a door was opened to me in the Lord, 13yet I had no rest in my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother there; but taking my leave of them, I went away into Macedonia.

14But thanks be to God, who always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and spreadeth the odor of his knowledge by us in every place. 15For we are the sweet odor of Christ unto God, in them that are saved, yea and in them that perish: 16to these indeed we are an odor of death to death; to those an odor of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things? 17For we are not like many who adulterate the word of God: but as with sincerity, but as from God, and in the sight of God, we speak concerning Christ.