CHAPTER 7
Therefore,
beloved,
since we have
these
promises,
let us cleanse
ourselves
from
everything that
defiles
body
and
spirit,
perfecting
holiness
in
the fear
of God.
Make room for us in your hearts.
We have wronged
no one,
we have corrupted
no one,
we have exploited
no one.
I do not say this
to
condemn you.
I have said before
that
you so occupy
our
hearts
that
we live
and
die together with you.
Great is
my
confidence
in
you;
great is
my
pride
in
you;
I am filled
with encouragement;
in
all
our
troubles
my joy overflows.
For
when
we
arrived
in
Macedonia,
our
bodies
had
no
rest,
but
we were pressed
from
every direction—
conflicts
on the outside,
fears
within.
and
not
only
by
his
arrival,
but
also
by
the
comfort
he had received
from
you.
He told us about
your
longing,
your
mourning,
and your
zeal
for
me,
so that
I
rejoiced
all the more.
Even
if
I caused you sorrow
by
my
letter,
I do not regret it.
Although
I did regret it,
I now see
that
my
letter
caused
you
sorrow,
but only
for
a short time.
And now
I rejoice,
not
because
you were made sorrowful,
but
because
your sorrow
led you to
repentance.
For
you felt the sorrow
that God had intended,
and so
were not harmed
in
any way
by
us.
Godly
sorrow
brings
repentance
that leads to
salvation
without regret,
but
worldly
sorrow
brings
death.
Consider what
this
godly
sorrow
has produced
in you:
what
earnestness,
what
eagerness to clear yourselves,
what
indignation,
what
alarm,
what
longing,
what
zeal,
what
vindication!
In
every way
you have proved
yourselves
to be
innocent
in this
matter.
So
even
though
I wrote
to you,
it was not
on account of
the one who
did wrong
or
the one who
was harmed,
but rather
that
your
earnestness
on our behalf
would be made clear
to
you
in the sight
of God.
On account of
this,
we are encouraged.
In addition to
our
own
encouragement,
we were even more delighted
by
the
joy
of Titus.
For
his
spirit
has been refreshed
by
all
of you.
Indeed,
I was not embarrassed
by anything
I had boasted
to him
about
you.
But
just as
everything
we said
to you
was true,
so
our
boasting
to
Titus
has proved to be
TRUE
as well.
And
his
affection
for
you
is
even greater
when he remembers
that
you were
all
obedient
as you welcomed
him
with
fear
and
trembling.