Reaffirm Your Love 1 UST { I have not visited you} because I have chosen to avoid visiting you if it hurts you and me like it did last time{ I visited you}. BSB BSB: So I made up my mind not to make another painful visit to you.
2 UST { I chose not to visit you again} because, when I hurt you, I have hurt the only people who can make me glad. BSB BSB: For if I grieve you, who is left to cheer me but those whom I have grieved?
3 UST I already wrote{ in my previous letter} what I am now saying{ to you}.{ I wrote those things} so that, when I next visited you, you would not hurt me, and I would be glad about you as I should.{ I wrote those things because} I was sure about all of you that you would be glad when I was glad. BSB BSB: I wrote as I did so that on my arrival I would not be grieved by those who ought to make me rejoice. I had confidence in all of you, that you would share my joy.
4 UST I suffered greatly and hurt inside when I wrote{ that previous letter} to you. In fact, I wept{ while I wrote it}.{ I sent it to you} so that you would realize how much I care for you. I did not intend to hurt you. BSB BSB: For through many tears I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart, not to grieve you but to let you know how much I love you.
5 UST However, the person who has hurt others did not really hurt me. Rather, that person hurt some{ of you}.{ I use the word“some”} so that I do not include all of you{ as those whom that person hurt}. BSB BSB: Now if anyone has caused grief, he has not grieved me but all of you—to some degree, not to overstate it.
6 UST Most of you together have disciplined that person.{ You do not need to do} anything more. BSB BSB: The punishment imposed on him by the majority is sufficient for him.
7 UST So then, instead{ of disciplining that person}, you should now forgive and encourage that person. Otherwise, the person will become very sad and give up. BSB BSB: So instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.
8 UST Therefore, I encourage you to show publicly that you care for that person. BSB BSB: Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love for him.
9 UST Another reason for which I wrote{ that previous letter} was in order that I could find out for sure if you would do everything that I asked{ you to do}. BSB BSB: My purpose in writing you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything.
10 UST In the end, when you forgive any person for anything, I too forgive that person. In fact, I have forgiven{ that person} for what{ that person did}, even though it was basically nothing.{ I did that} to help you, as the Messiah desires. BSB BSB: If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And if I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven it in the presence of Christ for your sake,
11 UST { We should forgive others} so that Satan will not control us. Indeed, we know all about his plans{ to control us}. BSB BSB: in order that Satan should not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.
Triumph in Christ 12 UST { To return to how I traveled,} when I arrived in the city of Troas, the Lord Jesus made it possible for me to proclaim the good news about the Messiah effectively. BSB BSB: Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and a door stood open for me in the Lord,
13 UST However, since my fellow believer Titus was not{ in the city of Troas}, I continued to be anxious about{ what happened when he visited you}. Therefore, I said goodbye to the believers there and left to travel to the region of Macedonia. BSB BSB: I had no peace in my spirit, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said goodbye to them and went on to Macedonia.
14 UST Now we praise God!{ He is the one} who, because he has united us to the Messiah, continually includes us as he conquers{ his enemies}. Further, he uses us to reveal to people in many places what God is like. BSB BSB: But thanks be to God, who always leads us triumphantly as captives in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him.
15 UST In fact, we are like a pleasant smell that comes from Christ and that pleases God.{ We are like this smell} when we are with people whom God is rescuing and when we are with people who are passing away. BSB BSB: For we are to God the sweet aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.
16 UST Those{ who are passing away think that we are like} a smell that comes from a dead body and that causes people to die. On the other hand, those{ whom God is rescuing think that we are like} a smell that comes from a living thing and that causes people to live. No one can perfectly{ proclaim the good news in that way}! BSB BSB: To the one we are an odor that brings death, to the other a fragrance that brings life. And who is qualified for such a task?
17 UST { You can tell that we do not do so perfectly} because we do not sell the message that God has given us for money, like many other people do. Rather, we only want to serve God, not to gain something. Indeed,{ we proclaim the good news} because that is what God sent us{ to do}. So, as those whom God has united to the Messiah, we proclaim{ the good news} to please God{, not people}. BSB BSB: For we are not like so many others, who peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as men sent from God.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.