Letters to the Churches

so that, on the contrary, it is rather for you to forgive and to comfort, lest by over abundant sorrow such a one may be swallowed up;

wherefore, I call upon you to confirm love to him,

for, for this also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether in regard to all things ye are obedient.

And to whom ye forgive anything--I also; for I also, if I have forgiven anything, to whom I have forgiven it , because of you--in the person of Christ-- I forgive it,

that we may not be over-reached by the Adversary, for of his devices we are not ignorant.

And having come to Troas for the good news of the Christ, and a door to me having been opened in the Lord,

I have not had rest to my spirit, on my not finding Titus my brother, but having taken leave of them, I went forth to Macedonia;

and to God are thanks, who at all times is leading us in triumph in the Christ, and the fragrance of His knowledge He is manifesting through us in every place,

because of Christ a sweet fragrance we are to God, in those being saved, and in those being lost;

to the one, indeed, a fragrance of death to death, and to the other, a fragrance of life to life; and for these things who is sufficient?

for we are not as the many, adulterating the word of God, but as of sincerity--but as of God; in the presence of God, in Christ we do speak.

Do we begin again to recommend ourselves, except we need, as some, letters of recommendation unto you, or from you?

our letter ye are, having been written in our hearts, known and read by all men,

manifested that ye are a letter of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not in the tablets of stone, but in fleshy tablets of the heart,

and such trust we have through the Christ toward God,

not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything, as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God,

who also made us sufficient to be ministrants of a new covenant, not of letter, but of spirit; for the letter doth kill, and the spirit doth make alive.

and if the ministration of the death, in letters, engraved in stones, came in glory, so that the sons of Israel were not able to look stedfastly to the face of Moses, because of the glory of his face--which was being made useless,

how shall the ministration of the Spirit not be more in glory?

for if the ministration of the condemnation is glory, much more doth the ministration of the righteousness abound in glory;

for also even that which hath been glorious, hath not been glorious--in this respect, because of the superior glory;

for if that which is being made useless is through glory, much more that which is remaining is in glory.

Having, then, such hope, we use much freedom of speech,

and are not as Moses, who was putting a vail upon his own face, for the sons of Israel not stedfastly to look to the end of that which is being made useless,

but their minds were hardened, for unto this day the same vail at the reading of the Old Covenant doth remain unwithdrawn--which in Christ is being made useless--