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God's Suffering Servants

¹ Now because we are fellow workers, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain. ² For he says, "I heard you at the acceptable time, and in the day of salvation I helped you." Look, now is the acceptable time; look, now is the day of salvation! ³ We do not give anyone an occasion for taking an offense in anything, so that no fault may be found with our ministry. ⁴ But as God's servants, we have commended ourselves in every way, with great endurance, in persecutions, in difficulties, in distresses, ⁵ in beatings, in imprisonments, in riots, in troubles, in sleepless nights, in hunger, ⁶ by purity, by knowledge, by patience, by benevolence, by the Holy Spirit, by genuine love, ⁷ by truthful teaching, by the power of God, with weapons of righteousness both for the right hand and for the left, ⁸ through glory and dishonor, through slander and praise; regarded as impostors, and yet true; ⁹ as unknown, and yet well-known; as dying and yet—see!—we continue to live; as those who are scourged and yet not executed; ¹⁰ as sorrowful, but always rejoicing, as poor, but making many rich, as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

¹¹ We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians; our heart has been opened wide to you. ¹² Our affection for you is not restricted, but you are restricted in your affections for us. ¹³ Now as a fair exchange—I speak as to my children—open wide your hearts to us also.

Unequal Partners

¹⁴ Do not become partners with those who do not believe, for what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship does light have with darkness? ¹⁵ And what agreement does Christ have with Beliar? Or what does a believer share in common with an unbeliever? ¹⁶ And what mutual agreement does the temple of God have with idols? For we are the temple of the living God, just as God said, "I will live in them and will walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people." ¹⁷ Therefore "come out from their midst, and be separate," says the Lord, "and touch no unclean thing, and I will welcome you, ¹⁸ and I will be a father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters," says the All-Powerful Lord.