¹ We live by faith Now then, we know that though our earthly, tent-like ‘house’ may be destroyed, we have a building from God (not a handmade house), eternal in the heavens.

² Further, in this one we do groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly habitation;

³ since, obviously, once clothed we will not be found naked.

⁴ Yes, being in this ‘tent’ is a burden, so we groan—not enough to want to strip, but to be really clothed; that what is mortal may be swallowed up by the Life. This paragraph relates only to the redeemed; only we have the prospect of improving our ‘clothing’. As for the lost, the mortal will be swallowed up by the Death, and they will be left naked (but not cease to exist).

⁵ Now it is God who has prepared us for this very purpose, who also has given us the down payment of the Spirit. If you don’t have the Holy Spirit, you don’t have a ‘contract’.

⁶ So we are always confident, even knowing that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord’s home

⁷ —we walk by faith, not by sight—

⁸ indeed, we are confident in preferring to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

⁹ Yes, that is why we make it our aim (whether at home or away from it) to be well pleasing to Him.

¹⁰ Because we must all be exposed before Christ’s Judgment Seat, that each one may receive his due for the things he did while in the body, whether good or bad. If we are wise, like Paul, we will never forget the Accounting. He was ‘confident’ that upon leaving his physical body he would be at home with the Lord. To have the same confidence we also must consciously live so as to be well pleasing to Him.

¹¹ Therefore, since we know the Lord’s intimidation, God’s holiness is an aggressive quality that attacks anything evil that tries to approach. That holiness is truly intimidating, and we will all be judged by it. Jonathan Edwards preached on that basis, with extraordinary effect, but there are few in our day who follow his example. On a lower level, worldly people tend to feel uncomfortable in the presence of someone who is holy, sometimes to the point of reacting aggressively. we try to convince people. Why Christ died We are well known to God, and I hope in your consciences as well.

¹² We are not commending ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity of boasting on our behalf, that you may have an answer for those who boast in appearance and not in heart. Paul will enlarge on this later on in the letter.

¹³ If we are ‘out of our senses’, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you.

¹⁴ For Christ’s love impels us, having concluded this: if One died for all it follows that all died; They all died in Him; just like all sinned in Adam.

¹⁵ and He died for all so that those who now live should no longer live for themselves but for the One who died for all and was raised again. The clearest statements giving why Christ died begin with Romans 14:9, “that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living”; followed by this verse, that we should no longer live for ourselves, but for Him. Philippians 2:8-11 refers to the final victory. Hebrews 2:14 refers to destroying Satan; saving us from hell is a by-product.

¹⁶ We are Christ’s ambassadors So then, from now on we regard no one from a fleshly perspective—even if we have ‘known’ Christ in this way, we do so no longer The unregenerate are forever trying to explain or understand Jesus in purely humanistic terms. —

¹⁷ so then, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; the old things have passed on; look, all has become new! This is neither immediate nor automatic; it is potential. No benefit of the shed blood of God’s Lamb is automatic; it must be appropriated.

¹⁸ And that ‘all’ is from the God who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ and given us the ministry of the reconciliation, Yes, the reconciliation—no other reconciling compares with reconciling men to God.

¹⁹ namely that in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful! not imputing their trespasses to them, including committing to us the message of this reconciliation.

²⁰ So then, we are Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God!

²¹ Because He made the One who did not know sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become God’s righteousness. Here we are face to face with the mystery of our redemption. Jesus, God’s Son, never sinned, did not ‘know’ sin, experientially, but He was “made to be sin” on our behalf. It is a grim picture, as though on the cross He was changed into a bundle of sin. How can we ‘measure’ or understand such love? It is beyond our comprehension. As Romans 11:33 expresses it: “Oh the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!”

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¹ So working together ‘Working together’ with whom? Presumably with other ambassadors, but also with God. we really urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain,

² for He says: “At a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I aided you.” Well, right now is a really favorable time; indeed, the day of salvation is now ! See Isaiah 49:8. The ‘window’ of opportunity for any individual does not last forever.

³ What it costs to be Christ’s ambassadors (We give no occasion for offense in anything, that the ministry not be faulted;

⁴ rather we commend ourselves as God’s servants in every way with great endurance—in afflictions, in hardships, in distress,

⁵ in beatings, in imprisonments, in tumults, in hard work, in sleepless nights, in fastings;

⁶ by purity, by knowledge, by patience, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love,

⁷ by truthful speech, by God’s power, with the weapons of the righteousness in the right hand and in the left; Why right and left? A right-handed soldier would have a shield in his left hand, for defense, with a sword or spear in his right, for offense—our weapons are for both offense and defense.

⁸ through glory and dishonor, through defamation and good repute; as ‘deceivers’ and true,

⁹ as unknown and well known, as dying and we live on, as chastened and not killed;

¹⁰ as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing and yet possessing everything!) Well, well, well, there really ought to be an easier way to make a living! Well, it depends on what kind of living quarters you want in Heaven. When I get there I hope to see many individuals who can say to me, “You made me rich; thank you!”.

¹¹ an aside O Corinthians! We have spoken openly to you, our heart is open wide.

¹² You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted in your affections.

¹³ Now in return for the same (I speak as to children), you also be wide open.

¹⁴ Separation is a ‘must’ Do not enter a mismatch with unbelievers; This does not refer only to marriage, as the explanation that follows makes clear. for what do righteousness and lawlessness have in common? And what fellowship does light have with darkness?

¹⁵ And what agreement is there between Christ and Belial? Or what portion can a believer share with an unbeliever?

¹⁶ Further, what agreement can a temple of God have with idols? Because you are a temple of the living God, just as God said: “I will dwell in them and walk among them; I will be their God and they will by my people.” See Leviticus 26:12, Ezekiel 37:27.

¹⁷ Therefore, “Come out from among them and be separate,” says the Lord, “Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” See Isaiah 52:11, Ezekiel 20:34.

¹⁸ And, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be sons and daughters to me, says the LORD Almighty.” This appears to be an application based on several passages.

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¹ Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. “Perfecting holiness in the fear of God”—how long since you heard, or preached, a sermon on that?

² Titus, and the first letter Introduction Make room for us; we have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one.

³ I do not say this to condemn you; I have said before that you are in our hearts, whether to die together or to live together.

⁴ I have great confidence in you; I do a lot of boasting about you. I am filled with encouragement, overflowing with joy in spite of all our affliction.

⁵ Enter Titus Now indeed, when we came into Macedonia we had no physical rest, but were surrounded by affliction—conflicts on the outside, fears on the inside.

⁶ But the God who encourages the lowly encouraged us by the coming of Titus;

⁷ and not only by his coming, but also by how much he was encouraged over you as he reported to us your longing, your mourning, your zeal in my stead, so that I rejoiced even more.

⁸ The effect of the first letter Even though that letter caused you sorrow, I do not regret it (though I almost did), because I perceive that the letter made you sorry, though only for a while.

⁹ Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry as God intended, so as not to be harmed by us in any way.

¹⁰ Now godly sorrow produces repentance into salvation without regret, but the world’s sorrow produces death. The Creator made us with emotions, which when properly used are beneficial, but that under the world’s control are destructive.

¹¹ Just consider your own being caused to sorrow in a godly manner, how much diligence it produced in you—what self-defense, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have demonstrated yourselves to be clear in the matter.

¹² So even though I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the wrongdoer, nor for that of the victim, but, before God, so that your real commitment to us might be made clear to you. God’s agenda in dealing with us often includes several objectives.

¹³ We have been encouraged by all this. Titus again Because of your encouragement, we rejoiced all the more over the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all.

¹⁴ Because wherein I boasted to him about you, I was not put to shame, but just as everything we spoke to you was true, so also our boasting to Titus proved to be true.

¹⁵ Also, his affection for you is all the greater, as he remembers your collective obedience as you received him with fear and trembling.

¹⁶ I am so glad that I have complete confidence in you.

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¹ The collection for the church in Jerusalem The Macedonian example And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace of God that has been bestowed upon the congregations of Macedonia,

² that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their extreme poverty produced their extravagant, sincere generosity.

³ Because according to their ability, I bear witness, even beyond that ability, of their own accord,

⁴ they begged us with much entreaty to receive the gift, the sharing in the ministry to the saints

⁵ —and more than we had hoped, they first gave themselves to the Lord Is obeying the commands of Christ the exclusive privilege of the rich? How about the first believers, there in Jerusalem, were they rich or poor? It would appear that the vast majority were poor; so much so that the few well-to-do were selling their property to feed the rest. (That’s what gave rise to the case of Ananias and Sapphira [Acts 4:32-5:11].) They evidently didn’t want to leave Jerusalem, in spite of the Lord’s words recorded in Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:8. So God Himself sent the persecutions to disperse them. And they scattered, preaching as they went, poor though they were.In 2 Corinthians 8:1-5 we find an account that is very much to the point. Those Macedonian believers were very poor (“extreme poverty”). Furthermore, they were experiencing a “severe test of affliction”. Even so, they insisted on giving. From verse 4 it almost seems that Paul felt a bit embarrassed about asking them to give—they needed help themselves! But they insisted; they wanted to give. And they gave more than they properly could (“beyond their ability”). But how was that possible? They had the mentality of the Kingdom—in verse 5 we read that “first they gave themselves to the Lord”. And they must have understood the secret of God’s economy, as described in 2 Corinthians 9:8. (and due to God’s will, to us).

⁶ So we urged Titus that as he had made a beginning so he should also bring to completion in you this grace as well;

⁷ that as you excel in everything—in faith, in word, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us—that you excel in this grace too.

⁸ Christ’s example I am not giving a command, but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others.

⁹ For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for our Although some 60% of the Greek manuscripts, and most versions, have ‘your’ (thereby agreeing with the complement), I take it that the best line of transmission has ‘our’, that is more inclusive. sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.

¹⁰ So here is my advice in this (since already a year ago you began to give and to plan, this is to your advantage):

¹¹ now you must really finish the doing—not only of the enthusiastic planning but also of the completing—out of what you have

¹² (because when the intention is presented, it is acceptable according to what one may have, not what he doesn’t have).

¹³ Now this is not to distress you so as to relieve others,

¹⁴ but by way of balance—at this juncture your surplus alleviates their lack, so that later their surplus may alleviate your lack—yes, that there be balance;

¹⁵ as it is written: “He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little.” See Exodus 16:18. Maybe there was some sharing involved in that picture.

¹⁶ When handling money, avoid criticism Now thanks be to God who puts the same earnest care for you in the heart of Titus;

¹⁷ because he not only welcomed my appeal but being very diligent he went to you of his own accord. Evidently Titus was bearing this letter, and it was he who delivered it to them.

¹⁸ But we have sent together with him the brother whose praise in the Gospel is throughout all the congregations;

¹⁹ and not only that—he was actually chosen by the congregations as our traveling companion with this gift, that is being administered by us with a view to the glory of the Lord Himself, and to our own good-will,

²⁰ avoiding any criticism about how we are handling this abundance;

²¹ giving thought to blamelessness, not only before the Lord but also before men. As we say in Brazil, ‘all care is little’ when handling God’s money. Carelessness, not to mention dishonesty, reflects negatively on the Gospel. The Macedonian Christians took the matter seriously.

²² Further, we have sent with them our brother whom we have often proved to be diligent in many things, but now much more so, because of our There is no possessive pronoun in the Text to show whose confidence, so it could be ‘his’, but in the context it seems to me to be more likely to be ‘our’. great confidence in you.

²³ As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker toward you; as for our brothers, they are envoys of the congregations, a glory of Christ. An interesting concept—Paul affirms that Christ was proud of those men. Now that is a compliment that I would really like to hear: “he is a glory of Christ”.

²⁴ Therefore show the proof of your love (and of our boasting about you) to them as representatives of the congregations.

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¹ A little precaution Now concerning the ministry to the saints, it is unnecessary for me to write to you;

² for I know your readiness, about which I boast of you to the Macedonians, that Achaia has been ready since last year, and your zeal has stirred up the majority. Nothing like a good example.

³ Still, I have sent the brothers so that our boasting about you in this matter not prove to be empty, so that you may be ready, like I said

⁴ —if any Macedonians were to go with me and find you unprepared, we (not to mention, you!) would be put to shame by this confident boasting.

⁵ So I considered it necessary to urge the brothers to go to you in advance and finish preparing the ‘blessing’ you had promised, that it be ready, representing generosity and not stinginess.

⁶ Kingdom economics Now then, whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. All of chapters 8 and 9 of 2 Corinthians deal with money, in one way or another. But the description of how God’s economy operates begins at 9:6. This verse enunciates a fundamental principle that has global application. “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”Any farmer understands this. If he only plants a few beans that’s all he’ll get. If he wants more he has to plant more. Any businessman will also understand it. If he wants money he has to invest it. But there is one detail that can be quite bothersome—we must plant first, and reap later. It is better to tighten your belt than to eat the seed, no matter how hungry you are. Isn’t it obvious? If you eat the seed you won’t have anything to plant, and if you plant nothing you reap nothing!In the Creator’s goodness nature is often quite generous. I suppose corn is the champion. We usually plant three or four kernels in a hill, but suppose we just plant one. If that grain germinates we get one stalk. That stalk should produce two good ears (a third ear will likely be a nubbin). Now then, have you ever counted the number of kernels on an ear of corn? I have. A poor ear may have 300 kernels. A good ear will have around 500. A super ear can have up to 800! Let’s suppose our stalk gives us two good ears—we planted one kernel and get back 1,000! Isn’t that a deal? Even beans that only give us several dozen to one are a deal. That is God’s way.As already noted the context is financial, and verse 7 makes clear that when the author speaks of planting and harvesting he wants us to apply the principle to giving. “God loves a glad giver.” I believe the following conclusion is beyond reasonable doubt: whoever gives nothing receives nothing. Maybe that’s why many believers, including those in ‘full-time Christian service’, often seem to be in a financial bind. They don’t give; they never contribute. Luke 6:38 shows the reaction of men and Proverbs 3:9-10 that of God when someone gives.

⁷ Each one should give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a glad giver.

⁸ Further, God is able to make all ‘grace’ abound toward you, that always having all sufficiency in everything you may abound to every good work; I believe verse 8 gives the ‘secret’; let’s consider the meaning with care. It is God who is powerful, not we. He it is who will cause to abound, not we ourselves. And what He causes to abound to us is ‘all grace’. The grace in view here is the grace of giving (as in 2 Corinthians 8:1, “the grace of God given to the churches of Macedonia”, which was precisely the grace to give, even beyond their means). Now the Text piles up emphatic words: “always, all, sufficiency, everything, abound, every”. All that emphasis serves to guarantee two results: we ourselves should always have enough (at least), and we should be a significant channel of blessing to others. Let’s see how it works.I understand that it is as follows: God wants us to be channels, conduits through which He can send a flow of blessings, both material and spiritual, to others. Much of what we receive may not be intended for our own use—it has another address and we are supposed to pass the blessing along (the precise address must be discerned through the Spirit). When we get the point and cooperate with God, He sends more. The more sensitive and faithful we are, the more God sends, an ever increasing flow of blessings. But if God sends a blessing, suppose a sum of money, that has another destination and we choose not to understand, decide not to cooperate, if we retain it for ourselves we become like a water pipe that corrodes shut. (Now a plugged pipe is a sad thing; it has lost its reason for being.) With that, the flow of God’s grace through our lives is staunched, because He stops sending it. Sure. Why should God keep on sending if we won’t let it pass? Can it be that our churches are full of ‘plugged pipes’?When we cooperate with God He gains, the others gain, and we gain. But whoever holds back or abstains will be cheating himself, others and even God. Consider verses 9-14. Verse 9 is a quote from Psalm 112:9, bearing on the last clause of verse 8. Now verses 10 and 11: “He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed and increase the fruits of your righteousness, you being enriched in everything for all generosity, which produces thanksgiving to God through us.” This is marvelous! God even gives the seed to be planted, and lest we eat the seed He also gives us bread to eat. He wants us to plant, He wants to see fruit! When we are faithful and cooperate, then God not only meets our needs but augments our planting; in other words, He increases our generosity, or at least He will do so to the extent that we cooperate with His purpose. As a reasonable and proper consequence of this process God receives what He deserves: the beneficiaries give praise and thanks to Him.Verses 12 and 13 elaborate on this aspect. When we line ourselves up with God’s economy He receives the glory due Him, the needs of the saints are supplied, and we are blessed. First, the people who receive the benefits from our ministry will pray for us, and certainly God will listen to those prayers. Next, even if they don’t pray, our obedience will receive the effects of God’s faithfulness. This we know, not only from the promises and affirmations in this passage, but as an inference from God’s own interests—a faithful and useful ‘water pipe’ must not die of hunger.So there it is, my friends. God is no man’s debtor. That is worth repeating: God will not be anybody’s debtor! We are too small; He will not allow Himself to be in debt to the likes of us. We may rest assured: whoever gives much, receives much; whoever gives little, receives little; whoever gives nothing, . . . It seems to me that this principle, much like the tithe, works even when one’s motivation is selfish or self serving. However, I trust that the reader will agree that my whole appeal has been against selfishness. It is because of the “mercies of God” that we should present our lives as a “living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1). It is the privilege and pleasure of participating in God’s grace that should motivate us to give. I believe it is fair to say that our prosperity is in our own hands, at least in part (unfortunately it is also true that we may suffer because of others’ disobedience, just as they may suffer because of ours).

⁹ as it is written: “He has distributed around, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” See Psalm 112:9.

¹⁰ Now may He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food, supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the yield of your righteousness;

¹¹ as you are being enriched in everything so as to always be generous, which passing through us produces thanksgiving to God.

¹² Because the administration of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God

¹³ —on the basis of the proof that this service gives, they are glorifying God for the obedience of your confession into the Gospel of Christ, and for the generosity of your sharing with them and everybody—

¹⁴ and in their prayer for you, longing for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you.

¹⁵ Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! Amen!

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¹ Paul’s defense of his apostolic authority Weapons of spiritual warfare Now I, Paul, am myself appealing to you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ (I who am ‘humble when present’ among you, but ‘bold when absent’ toward you).

² Yes, I beg you, that when I am present I may not have to be bold with the confidence that I will ‘dare’ to visit upon some who think that we are walking in a fleshly manner.

³ Well, we do walk about in flesh, but we do not wage war that way, Well, at least we shouldn’t!

⁴ because the weapons of our warfare are not physical, but are powerful in God for demolishing strongholds: The subject of Biblical spiritual warfare is generally not well understood in Christian circles. Much of what has been written concerns defensive procedures, but this text speaks of demolishing strongholds (presumably the enemy’s, since no one will want to destroy his own), that has to do with taking the offensive.

⁵ demolishing sophistries and every arrogance that sets itself up against the knowledge of God; taking captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ;

⁶ being ready to punish every act of disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete. I suppose that the three gerunds—‘demolishing sophistries’, ‘taking captive every thought’ and ‘being ready to punish’—are some of our weapons, being grammatically subordinated to ‘demolishing strongholds’. In the context, the thoughts we take captive are not our own (though that also is a good thing to do), but those of the enemy’s servants.

⁷ Paul is criticized Do you only look at the ‘face’ of things? If anyone has persuaded himself that he is Christ’s, let him consider this again with himself, that just as he is Christ’s, so also we are Christ’s.

⁸ Now even if I boast a little to excess about our authority (which the Lord gave us for building up, not to tear you down), I will not act ashamed, He is not going to pretend to be ashamed of having overdone the boasting (in the event), since his greater concern here is to cut the ground from under his critics.

⁹ so as not to appear to agree that it is only with letters that I ‘terrify’ you.

¹⁰ Because some say, “His letters are ‘heavy’ and forceful, but his physical presence is weak, and his speech can be disdained.”

¹¹ Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters while absent is just what we will be in action when present.

¹² Proper limits for boasting Now we do not dare to class or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves; but they, measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves with themselves, are without understanding.

¹³ We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will stay within the boundaries that God assigned to us, a field that includes you.

¹⁴ For we are not overextending ourselves, as though we had not reached you, because we did indeed get to you with the Gospel of Christ;

¹⁵ nor do we boast ‘off limits’ in the labors of others, but we have hope that as your faith grows our boundaries will be greatly expanded through you,

¹⁶ so as to evangelize the regions beyond you Paul seems to be saying that his ability to expand the boundaries of his ‘field’ is somehow tied to their spiritual growth. Well, if the spiritual condition of one’s physical children can qualify or disqualify him (1 Timothy 3:4-5, 12), why should the same principle not hold for one’s spiritual children? Ouch! (not to boast in work already done in someone else’s field).

¹⁷ “He who boasts, let him boast in the LORD .” See Jeremiah 9:24.

¹⁸ Because it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but whom the Lord commends. Just because God uses or ‘blesses’ someone does not necessarily mean that He is approving of them.

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