Cleanse Yourselves in Holiness

1Since we have these promises, dear friends, let’s cleanse ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit by becoming mature in our holy fear of God.

Encouraged by the Corinthians

2Make room for us in your hearts!a We have not treated anyone unjustly, harmed anyone, or cheated anyone. 3I am not saying this to condemn you. I told you before that you are in our hearts to die together and to live together. 4I have great confidence in you. I am very proud of you. I am very much encouraged. I am overjoyed in all our troubles.

5For even when we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest. We suffered in a number of ways. Outwardly there were conflicts, inwardly there were fears. 6Yet God, who comforts those who feel miserable, comforted us by the arrival of Titus, 7and not only by his arrival but also by the comfort he had received from you. He told us about your longing for me, your sorrow, and your eagerness to take my side, and this made me even happier.

8If I made you sad with my letter, I do not regret it, although I did regret it then. I see that the letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while. 9Now I am happy, not because you had such sorrow, but because your sorrow led you to repent. For you were sorry in a godly way, and so you were not hurt by us in any way. 10For having sorrow in a godly way results in repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regrets. But the sorrow of the world produces death.

11See what great earnestness godly sorrow has produced in you! How ready you are to clear yourselves, how indignant, how alarmed, how full of longing and enthusiasm, how eager to seek justice! In every way you have demonstrated that you are innocent in this matter. 12So, even though I wrote to you, it wasn’t because of the man who did the wrong or because of the man who was hurt. Instead, I wrote to you so that your devotion to us might be made perfectly clear to you before God.

13This is what comforted us. In addition to our own comfort, we were even more delighted at the joy of Titus, because his spirit had been set at rest by all of you. 14For if I have been doing some boasting about you to him, I have never been ashamed of it. Moreover, since everything we told you was true, our boasting to Titus has also proved to be true. 15His affection for you is even greater as he remembers how obedient all of you were and how you welcomed him with fear and trembling. 16I rejoice that I can have complete confidence in you.