Reaffirm Your Love

1But I decided this [a]for my own sake, that I would not come to you in sorrow again. 2For if I cause you sorrow, who then will be the one making me glad but the one who is made sorrowful by me? 3This is the very thing I wrote you, so that when I came, I would not have sorrow from those who ought to make me rejoice; having confidence in you all that my joy was the joy of you all. 4For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears; not so that you would be made sorrowful, but that you might know the love which I have especially for you.

5But if anyone has caused sorrow, he has caused sorrow not for me, but in some degree—[b]not to say too much—for all of you. 6Sufficient for such a person is this punishment which was imposed by the majority, 7so that on the other hand, you should rather forgive and comfort him, otherwise such a person might be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love for him. 9For to this end I also wrote, so that I might [c]put you to the test, whether you are obedient in all things. 10But one whom you forgive anything, I also forgive; for indeed what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did so for your sakes in the presence of Christ, 11so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.

12Now when I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ and when a door was opened for me in the Lord, 13I had no rest for my spirit, not finding Titus my brother; but saying goodbye to them, I went on to Macedonia.

14But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us reveals the fragrance of the knowledge of Him in every place. 15For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing: 16to the one an [d]aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things? 17For we are not like the many, [e]peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God.