Thanksgiving to God for His Enduring Mercy

Christ’s Epistle^(A)

3 Do ^(B)we begin again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as some others, ^(C)epistles of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you? ^2 (D)You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; ³ clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ^(E)ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not ^(F)on tablets of stone but ^(G)on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.

The Spirit, Not the Letter

⁴ And we have such trust through Christ toward God. ^5 (H)Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but ^(I)our sufficiency is from God, ⁶ who also made us sufficient as ^(J)ministers of ^(K)the new covenant, not ^(L)of the letter but of the ^[a]Spirit; for ^(M)the letter kills, ^(N)but the Spirit gives life.

Glory of the New Covenant

⁷ But if ^(O)the ministry of death, ^(P)written and engraved on stones, was glorious, ^(Q)so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, ⁸ how will ^(R)the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? ⁹ For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry ^(S)of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. ¹⁰ For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. ¹¹ For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious.

¹² Therefore, since we have such hope, ^(T)we use great boldness of speech— ¹³ unlike Moses, ^(U)who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at ^(V)the end of what was passing away. ¹⁴ But ^(W)their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. ¹⁵ But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. ¹⁶ Nevertheless ^(X)when one turns to the Lord, ^(Y)the veil is taken away. ¹⁷ Now ^(Z)the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is ^(AA)liberty. ¹⁸ But we all, with unveiled face, beholding ^(AB)as in a mirror ^(AC)the glory of the Lord, ^(AD)are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as ^[b]by the Spirit of the Lord.

The Light of Christ’s Gospel

4 Therefore, since we have this ministry, ^(AE)as we have received mercy, we ^(AF)do not lose heart. ² But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor ^[c]handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth ^(AG)commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. ³ But even if our gospel is veiled, ^(AH)it is veiled to those who are perishing, ⁴ whose minds ^(AI)the god of this age ^(AJ)has blinded, who do not believe, lest ^(AK)the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, ^(AL)who is the image of God, should shine on them. ^5 (AM)For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ^(AN)ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake. ⁶ For it is the God ^(AO)who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has ^(AP)shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Cast Down but Unconquered

⁷ But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, ^(AQ)that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. ⁸ We are ^(AR)hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹ persecuted, but not ^(AS)forsaken; ^(AT)struck down, but not destroyed— ^10 (AU)always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, ^(AV)that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. ¹¹ For we who live ^(AW)are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. ¹² So then death is working in us, but life in you.

¹³ And since we have ^(AX)the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, ^(AY)“I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak, ¹⁴ knowing that ^(AZ)He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you. ¹⁵ For ^(BA)all things are for your sakes, that ^(BB)grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.

Seeing the Invisible

¹⁶ Therefore we ^(BC)do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is ^(BD)being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For ^(BE)our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, ^18 (BF)while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Assurance of the Resurrection

5 For we know that if ^(BG)our earthly ^[d]house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house ^(BH)not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. ² For in this ^(BI)we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our ^[e]habitation which is from heaven, ³ if indeed, ^(BJ)having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. ⁴ For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, ^(BK)but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. ⁵ Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also ^(BL)has given us the Spirit as ^[f]a guarantee.

⁶ So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. ⁷ For ^(BM)we walk by faith, not by sight. ⁸ We are confident, yes, ^(BN)well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

The Judgment Seat of Christ

⁹ Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. ^10 (BO)For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, ^(BP)that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. ¹¹ Knowing, therefore, ^(BQ)the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences.

Be Reconciled to God

¹² For ^(BR)we do not commend ourselves again to you, but give you opportunity ^(BS)to boast on our behalf, that you may have an answer for those who boast in appearance and not in heart. ¹³ For ^(BT)if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; or if we are of sound mind, it is for you. ¹⁴ For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that ^(BU)if One died for all, then all died; ¹⁵ and He died for all, ^(BV)that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

^16 (BW)Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, ^(BX)yet now we know Him thus no longer. ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone ^(BY)is in Christ, he is ^(BZ)a new creation; ^(CA)old things have passed away; behold, all things have become ^(CB)new. ¹⁸ Now all things are of God, ^(CC)who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, ¹⁹ that is, that ^(CD)God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not ^[g]imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

²⁰ Now then, we are ^(CE)ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. ²¹ For ^(CF)He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become ^(CG)the righteousness of God in Him.