Bible in 90 Days

Christ Rose From the Dead

15 Brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the good news I preached to you. You received it and have put your faith in it. ² Because you believed the good news, you are saved. But you must hold firmly to the message I preached to you. If you don’t, you have believed it for nothing.

³ What I received I passed on to you. And it is the most important of all. Here is what it is. Christ died for our sins, just as Scripture said he would. ⁴ He was buried. He was raised from the dead on the third day, just as Scripture said he would be. ⁵ He appeared to Peter. Then he appeared to the 12 apostles. ⁶ After that, he appeared to more than 500 brothers and sisters at the same time. Most of them are still living. But some have died. ⁷ He appeared to James. Then he appeared to all the apostles. ⁸ Last of all, he also appeared to me. I was like someone who wasn’t born at the right time.

⁹ I am the least important of the apostles. I’m not even fit to be called an apostle. I tried to destroy God’s church. ¹⁰ But because of God’s grace I am what I am. And his grace was not wasted on me. No, I have worked harder than all the other apostles. But I didn’t do the work. God’s grace was with me. ¹¹ So this is what we preach, whether I or the other apostles who preached to you. And that is what you believed.

Believers Will Rise From the Dead

¹² We have preached that Christ has been raised from the dead. So how can some of you say that no one rises from the dead? ¹³ If no one rises from the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. ¹⁴ And if Christ has not been raised, what we preach doesn’t mean anything. Your faith doesn’t mean anything either. ¹⁵ More than that, we would be lying about God. We are witnesses that God raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if the dead are not raised. ¹⁶ If the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. ¹⁷ And if Christ has not been raised, your faith doesn’t mean anything. Your sins have not been forgiven. ¹⁸ Those who have died believing in Christ are also lost. ¹⁹ Do we have hope in Christ only for this life? Then people should pity us more than anyone else.

²⁰ But Christ really has been raised from the dead. He is the first of all those who will rise from the dead. ²¹ Death came because of what a man did. Rising from the dead also comes because of what a man did. ²² Because of Adam, all people die. So because of Christ, all will be made alive. ²³ But here is the order of events. Christ is the first of those who rise from the dead. When he comes back, those who belong to him will be raised. ²⁴ Then the end will come after Christ destroys all rule, authority and power. Then he will hand over the kingdom to God the Father. ²⁵ Christ must rule until he has put all his enemies under his control. ²⁶ The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. ²⁷ Scripture says that God “has put everything under his control.” (Psalm 8:6) It says that “everything” has been put under him. But it is clear that this does not include God himself. That’s because God put everything under Christ. ²⁸ When he has done that, the Son also will be under God’s rule. God put everything under the Son. In that way, God will be all in all.

²⁹ Suppose no one rises from the dead. Then what will people do who are baptized for the dead? Suppose the dead are not raised at all. Then why are people baptized for them? ³⁰ And why would we put ourselves in danger every hour? ³¹ I face death every day. That’s the truth. And here is something you can be just as sure of. I take pride in what Christ Jesus our Lord has done for you through my work. ³² Did I fight wild animals in Ephesus with nothing more than human hopes? Then what have I gotten for it? If the dead are not raised,

³³ Don’t let anyone fool you. “Bad companions make a good person bad.” ³⁴ You should come back to your senses and stop sinning. Some of you don’t know anything about God. I say this to make you ashamed.

The Body That Rises From the Dead

³⁵ But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? What kind of body will they have?” ³⁶ How foolish! What you plant doesn’t come to life unless it dies. ³⁷ When you plant something, it isn’t a completely grown plant that you put in the ground. You only plant a seed. Maybe it’s wheat or something else. ³⁸ But God gives the seed a body just as he has planned. And to each kind of seed he gives its own body. ³⁹ Not all earthly creatures are the same. People have one kind of body. Animals have another. Birds have another kind. Fish have still another. ⁴⁰ There are also heavenly bodies as well as earthly bodies. Heavenly bodies have one kind of glory. Earthly bodies have another. ⁴¹ The sun has one kind of glory. The moon has another kind. The stars have still another. And one star’s glory is different from that of another star.

⁴² It will be like that with bodies that are raised from the dead. The body that is planted does not last forever. The body that is raised from the dead lasts forever. ⁴³ It is planted without honor. But it is raised in glory. It is planted in weakness. But it is raised in power. ⁴⁴ It is planted as an earthly body. But it is raised as a spiritual body.

Just as there is an earthly body, there is also a spiritual body. ⁴⁵ It is written, “The first man Adam became a living person.” (Genesis 2:7) The last Adam became a spirit that gives life. ⁴⁶ What is spiritual did not come first. What is earthly came first. What is spiritual came after that. ⁴⁷ The first man came from the dust of the earth. The second man came from heaven. ⁴⁸ Those who belong to the earth are like the one who came from the earth. And those who are spiritual are like the heavenly man. ⁴⁹ We are like the earthly man. And we will be like the heavenly man.

⁵⁰ Brothers and sisters, here is what I’m telling you. Bodies made of flesh and blood can’t share in the kingdom of God. And what dies can’t share in what never dies. ⁵¹ Listen! I am telling you a mystery. We will not all die. But we will all be changed. ⁵² That will happen in a flash, as quickly as you can wink an eye. It will happen at the blast of the last trumpet. Then the dead will be raised to live forever. And we will be changed. ⁵³ Our natural bodies don’t last forever. They must be dressed with what does last forever. What dies must be dressed with what does not die. ⁵⁴ In fact, that is going to happen. What does not last will be dressed with what lasts forever. What dies will be dressed with what does not die. Then what is written will come true. It says, “Death has been swallowed up. It has lost the battle.” (Isaiah 25:8)

⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin. And the power of sin is the law. ⁵⁷ But let us give thanks to God! He gives us the victory because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done.

⁵⁸ My dear brothers and sisters, remain strong in the faith. Don’t let anything move you. Always give yourselves completely to the work of the Lord. Because you belong to the Lord, you know that your work is not worthless.

The Offering for the Lord’s People

16 Now I want to deal with the offering of money for the Lord’s people. Do what I told the churches in Galatia to do. ² On the first day of every week, each of you should put some money away. The amount should be in keeping with how much money you make. Save the money so that you won’t have to take up an offering when I come. ³ When I arrive, I will send some people with your gift to Jerusalem. They will be people you consider to be good. And I will give them letters that explain who they are. ⁴ If it seems good for me to go also, they will go with me.

What Paul Asks for Himself

⁵ After I go through Macedonia, I will come to you. I will only be passing through Macedonia. ⁶ But I might stay with you for a while. I might even spend the winter. Then you can help me on my journey everywhere I go. ⁷ I don’t want to see you now while I am just passing through. Instead, I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord allows it. ⁸ But I will stay at Ephesus until the day of Pentecost. ⁹ A door has opened wide for me to do some good work here. There are many people who oppose me.

¹⁰ Timothy will visit you. Make sure he has nothing to worry about while he is with you. He is doing the work of the Lord, just as I am. ¹¹ No one should treat him badly. Send him safely on his way so he can return to me. I’m expecting him to come back along with the others.

¹² I want to say something about our brother Apollos. I tried my best to get him to go to you with the others. But he didn’t want to go right now. He will go when he can.

¹³ Be on your guard. Remain strong in the faith. Be brave. ¹⁴ Be loving in everything you do.

¹⁵ You know that the first believers in Achaia were from the family of Stephanas. They have spent all their time serving the Lord’s people. Brothers and sisters, I am asking you ¹⁶ to follow the lead of people like them. Follow everyone who joins in the task and works hard at it. ¹⁷ I was glad when Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus arrived. They have supplied me with what you couldn’t give me. ¹⁸ They renewed my spirit, and yours also. People like them are worthy of honor.

Final Greetings

¹⁹ The churches in Asia Minor send you greetings.

Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly because of the Lord’s love. So does the church that meets in their house.

²⁰ All the brothers and sisters here send you greetings.

Greet one another with a holy kiss.

²¹ I, Paul, am writing this greeting with my own hand.

²² If anyone does not love the Lord, let a curse be on that person! Come, Lord!

²³ May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.

²⁴ I give my love to all of you who belong to Christ Jesus. Amen.

1 I, Paul, am writing this letter. I am an apostle of Christ Jesus just as God planned. Timothy our brother joins me in writing.

We are sending this letter to you, the members of God’s church in Corinth. It is also for all God’s holy people everywhere in Achaia.

² May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

Praise to the God Who Gives Comfort

³ Give praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! He is the Father who gives tender love. All comfort comes from him. ⁴ He comforts us in all our troubles. Now we can comfort others when they are in trouble. We ourselves receive comfort from God. ⁵ We share very much in the sufferings of Christ. So we also share very much in his comfort. ⁶ If we are having trouble, it is so that you will be comforted and renewed. If we are comforted, it is so that you will be comforted. Then you will be able to put up with the same suffering we have gone through. ⁷ Our hope for you remains firm. We know that you suffer just as we do. In the same way, God comforts you just as he comforts us.

⁸ Brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the hard times we had in Asia Minor. We were having a lot of trouble. It was far more than we could stand. We even thought we were going to die. ⁹ In fact, we felt as if we were under the sentence of death. But that happened so that we would not depend on ourselves but on God. He raises the dead to life. ¹⁰ God has saved us from deadly dangers. And he will continue to do it. We have put our hope in him. He will continue to save us. ¹¹ You must help us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks because of what will happen to us. They will thank God for his kindness to us in answer to the prayers of many.

Paul Changes His Plans

¹² Here is what we take pride in. Our sense of what is right and wrong tells us how we have acted. We have lived with honor and godly honesty. We have depended on God’s grace and not on the world’s wisdom. We lived that way most of all when we were dealing with you. ¹³ We are writing only what you can read and understand. And here is what I hope. ¹⁴ Up to this point you have understood some of the things we have said. But now here is what I hope for when the Lord Jesus returns. I hope that your pride in us will be the same as our pride in you. When this happens, you will understand us completely.

¹⁵ Because I was sure of this, I wanted to visit you first. Here is how I thought you would be helped twice. ¹⁶ I planned to visit you on my way to Macedonia. I would have come back to you from there. Then you would have sent me on my way to Judea. ¹⁷ When I planned all this, was I ready to change my mind for no good reason? No. I don’t make my plans the way the world makes theirs. In the same breath the world says both, “Yes! Yes!” and “No! No!”

¹⁸ But just as sure as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.” ¹⁹ Silas, Timothy and I preached to you about the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Our message did not say “Yes” and “No” at the same time. The message of Christ has always been “Yes.” ²⁰ God has made a great many promises. They are all “Yes” because of what Christ has done. So through Christ we say “Amen.” We want God to receive glory. ²¹ He makes both us and you remain strong in the faith because we belong to Christ. He anointed us. ²² He put his Spirit in our hearts and marked us as his own. We can now be sure that he will give us everything he promised us.

²³ I call God to be my witness. May he take my life if I’m lying. I wanted to spare you, so I didn’t return to Corinth. ²⁴ Your faith is not under our control. You remain strong in your own faith. But we work together with you for your joy. 2 ¹ So I made up my mind that I would not make another painful visit to you. ² If I make you sad, who is going to make me glad? Only you, the people I made sad. ³ What I wrote to you I wrote for a special reason. When I came, I didn’t want to be troubled by those who should make me glad. I was sure that all of you would share my joy. ⁴ I was very troubled when I wrote to you. My heart was sad. My eyes were full of tears. I didn’t want to make you sad. I wanted to let you know that I love you very deeply.

Forgive Those Who Make You Sad

⁵ Suppose someone has made us sad. In some ways, he hasn’t made me sad so much as he has made all of you sad. But I don’t want to put this too strongly. ⁶ He has been punished because most of you decided he should be. This punishment is enough. ⁷ Now you should forgive him and comfort him. Then he won’t be sad more than he can stand. ⁸ So I’m asking you to tell him again that you still love him. ⁹ I wrote to you for another special reason. I wanted to see if you could stand the test. I wanted to see if you could obey everything asked of you. ¹⁰ Anyone you forgive I also forgive. Was there anything to forgive? If so, I have forgiven it for your benefit, knowing that Christ is watching. ¹¹ We don’t want Satan to outsmart us. We know how he does his evil work.

Serving Under the New Covenant

¹² I went to Troas to preach the good news about Christ. There I found that the Lord had opened a door of opportunity for me. ¹³ But I still had no peace of mind. I couldn’t find my brother Titus there. So I said goodbye to the believers at Troas and went on to Macedonia.

¹⁴ Give thanks to God! He always leads us as if we were prisoners in Christ’s victory parade. Through us, God spreads the knowledge of Christ everywhere like perfume. ¹⁵ God considers us to be the pleasing smell that Christ is spreading. He is spreading it among people who are being saved and people who are dying. ¹⁶ To those who are dying, we are the smell of death. To those who are being saved, we are the perfume of life. Who is able to do this work? ¹⁷ Unlike many people, we aren’t selling God’s word to make money. In fact, it is just the opposite. Because of Christ we speak honestly before God. We speak like people God has sent.

3 Are we beginning to praise ourselves again? Some people need letters that speak well of them. Do we need those kinds of letters, either to you or from you? ² You yourselves are our letter. You are written on our hearts. Everyone knows you and reads you. ³ You make it clear that you are a letter from Christ. You are the result of our work for God. You are a letter written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God. You are a letter written not on tablets made out of stone but on human hearts.

⁴ Through Christ, we can be sure of this before God. ⁵ In ourselves we are not able to claim anything for ourselves. The power to do what we do comes from God. ⁶ He has given us the power to serve under a new covenant. The covenant is not based on the written Law of Moses. It comes from the Holy Spirit. The written Law kills, but the Spirit gives life.

The Greater Glory of the New Covenant

⁷ The Law was written in letters on stone. Even though it was a way of serving God, it led to death. But even that way of serving God came with glory. The glory lasted for only a short time. Even so, the people of Israel couldn’t look at Moses’ face very long. ⁸ Since all this is true, won’t the work of the Holy Spirit be even more glorious? ⁹ The law that condemns people to death had glory. How much more glory does the work of the Spirit have! His work makes people right with God. ¹⁰ The glory of the old covenant is nothing compared with the far greater glory of the new. ¹¹ The glory of the old lasts for only a short time. How much greater is the glory of the new! It will last forever.

¹² Since we have that kind of hope, we are very bold. ¹³ We are not like Moses. He used to cover his face with a veil. That was to keep the people of Israel from seeing the end of what was passing away. ¹⁴ But their minds were made stubborn. To this day, the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. The veil has not been removed. Only faith in Christ can take it away. ¹⁵ To this day, when the Law of Moses is read, a veil covers the minds of those who hear it. ¹⁶ But when anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. ¹⁷ Now the Lord is the Holy Spirit. And where the Spirit of the Lord is, freedom is also there. ¹⁸ None of our faces are covered with a veil. All of us can see the Lord’s glory and think deeply about it. So we are being changed to become more like him so that we have more and more glory. And this glory comes from the Lord, who is the Holy Spirit.

A Treasure in Clay Jars

4 So because of God’s mercy, we have work to do. He has given it to us. And we don’t give up. ² Instead, we have given up doing secret and shameful things. We don’t twist God’s word. In fact, we do just the opposite. We present the truth plainly. In the sight of God, we make our appeal to everyone’s sense of what is right and wrong. ³ Suppose our good news is covered with a veil. Then it is veiled to those who are dying. ⁴ The god of this world has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They can’t see the light of the good news that makes Christ’s glory clear. Christ is the likeness of God. ⁵ The message we preach is not about ourselves. Our message is about Jesus Christ. We say that he is Lord. And we say that we serve you because of Jesus. ⁶ God said, “Let light shine out of darkness.” (Genesis 1:3) He made his light shine in our hearts. His light gives us the light to know God’s glory. His glory is shown in the face of Christ.

⁷ Treasure is kept in clay jars. In the same way, we have the treasure of the good news in these earthly bodies of ours. That shows that the mighty power of the good news comes from God. It doesn’t come from us. ⁸ We are pushed hard from all sides. But we are not beaten down. We are bewildered. But that doesn’t make us lose hope. ⁹ Others make us suffer. But God does not desert us. We are knocked down. But we are not knocked out. ¹⁰ We always carry around the death of Jesus in our bodies. In that way, the life of Jesus can be shown in our bodies. ¹¹ We who are alive are always in danger of death because we are serving Jesus. This happens so that his life can also be shown in our earthly bodies. ¹² Death is at work in us. But life is at work in you.

¹³ It is written, “I believed, and so I have spoken.” (Psalm 116:10) We have that same spirit of faith. So we also believe and speak. ¹⁴ We know that God raised the Lord Jesus from the dead. And he will also raise us up with Jesus. And he will present both you and us to himself. ¹⁵ All this is for your benefit. God’s grace is reaching more and more people. So they will become more and more thankful. They will give glory to God.

¹⁶ We don’t give up. Our bodies are becoming weaker and weaker. But our spirits are being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ Our troubles are small. They last only for a short time. But they are earning for us a glory that will last forever. It is greater than all our troubles. ¹⁸ So we don’t spend all our time looking at what we can see. Instead, we look at what we can’t see. That’s because what can be seen lasts only a short time. But what can’t be seen will last forever.

Waiting for Our New Bodies

5 We know that the earthly tent we live in will be destroyed. But we have a building made by God. It is a house in heaven that lasts forever. Human hands did not build it. ² During our time on earth we groan. We long to put on our house in heaven as if it were clothing. ³ Then we will not be naked. ⁴ While we live in this tent of ours, we groan under our heavy load. We don’t want to be naked. Instead, we want to be fully dressed with our house in heaven. What must die will be swallowed up by life. ⁵ God has formed us for that very purpose. He has given us the Holy Spirit as a down payment. The Spirit makes us sure of what is still to come.

⁶ So here is what we can always be certain about. As long as we are at home in our bodies, we are away from the Lord. ⁷ We live by believing, not by seeing. ⁸ We are certain about that. We would rather be away from our bodies and at home with the Lord. ⁹ So we try our best to please him. We want to please him whether we are at home in our bodies or away from them. ¹⁰ We must all stand in front of Christ to be judged. Each one of us will be judged for what we do while in our bodies. We’ll be judged for the good things and the bad things. Then each of us will receive what we are supposed to get.

Christ Brings Us Back to God

¹¹ We know what it means to have respect for the Lord. So we try to help other people to understand it. What we are is plain to God. I hope it is also plain to your way of thinking. ¹² We are not trying to make an appeal to you again. But we are giving you a chance to take pride in us. Some people take pride in their looks rather than what’s in their hearts. If you take pride in us, you will be able to answer them. ¹³ Are we “out of our minds,” as some people say? If so, it is because we want to serve God. Does what we say make sense? If so, it is because we want to serve you. ¹⁴ Christ’s love controls us. We are sure that one person died for everyone. And so everyone died. ¹⁵ Christ died for everyone. He died so that those who live should not live for themselves anymore. They should live for Christ. He died for them and was raised again.

¹⁶ So from now on we don’t look at anyone the way the world does. At one time we looked at Christ in that way. But we don’t anymore. ¹⁷ When anyone lives in Christ, the new creation has come. The old is gone! The new is here! ¹⁸ All this is from God. He brought us back to himself through Christ’s death on the cross. And he has given us the task of bringing others back to him through Christ. ¹⁹ God was bringing the world back to himself through Christ. He did not hold people’s sins against them. God has trusted us with the message that people may be brought back to him. ²⁰ So we are Christ’s official messengers. It is as if God were making his appeal through us. Here is what Christ wants us to beg you to do. Come back to God! ²¹ Christ didn’t have any sin. But God made him become sin for us. So we can be made right with God because of what Christ has done for us.

6 We work together with God. So we are asking you not to receive God’s grace and then do nothing with it. ² He says,

I tell you, now is the time God has mercy. Now is the day he saves.

Paul’s Sufferings

³ We don’t put anything in anyone’s way. So no one can find fault with our work for God. ⁴ Instead, we make it clear that we serve God in every way. We serve him by standing firm in troubles, hard times and suffering. ⁵ We don’t give up when we are beaten or put in prison. When people stir up trouble in the streets, we continue to serve God. We work hard for him. We go without sleep and food. ⁶ We remain pure. We understand completely what it means to serve God. We are patient and kind. We serve him in the power of the Holy Spirit. We serve him with true love. ⁷ We speak the truth. We serve in the power of God. We hold the weapons of godliness in the right hand and in the left. ⁸ We serve God in times of glory and shame. We serve him whether the news about us is bad or good. We are true to our calling. But people treat us as if we were pretenders. ⁹ We are known, but people treat us as if we were unknown. We are dying, but we continue to live. We are beaten, but we are not killed. ¹⁰ We are sad, but we are always full of joy. We are poor, but we make many people rich. We have nothing, but we own everything.

¹¹ Believers at Corinth, we have spoken freely to you. We have opened our hearts wide to you. ¹² We are not holding back our love from you. But you are holding back your love from us. ¹³ I speak to you as if you were my children. It is only fair that you open your hearts wide to us also.

Paul Warns Against Worshiping False Gods

¹⁴ Do not be joined to unbelievers. What do right and wrong have in common? Can light and darkness be friends? ¹⁵ How can Christ and Satan agree? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? ¹⁶ How can the temple of the true God and the statues of other gods agree? We are the temple of the living God. God has said,

¹⁷ So,

¹⁸ And,

7 Dear friends, we have these promises from God. So let us make ourselves pure from everything that makes our bodies and spirits impure. Let us be completely holy. We want to honor God.

Paul Has Joy When the Church Turns Away From Sin

² Make room for us in your hearts. We haven’t done anything wrong to anyone. We haven’t caused anyone to sin. We haven’t taken advantage of anyone. ³ I don’t say this to judge you. I have told you before that you have an important place in our hearts. We would live or die with you. ⁴ I have spoken to you very honestly. I am very proud of you. I am very happy. Even with all our troubles, my joy has no limit.

⁵ When we came to Macedonia, we weren’t able to rest. We were attacked no matter where we went. We had battles on the outside and fears on the inside. ⁶ But God comforts those who are sad. He comforted us when Titus came. ⁷ We were comforted not only when he came but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us how much you longed for me. He told us about your deep sadness and concern for me. That made my joy greater than ever.

⁸ Even if my letter made you sad, I’m not sorry I sent it. At first I was sorry. I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while. ⁹ Now I am happy. I’m not happy because you were made sad. I’m happy because your sadness led you to turn away from your sins. You became sad just as God wanted you to. So you were not hurt in any way by us. ¹⁰ Godly sadness causes us to turn away from our sins and be saved. And we are certainly not sorry about that! But worldly sadness brings death. ¹¹ Look at what that godly sadness has produced in you. You are working hard to clear yourselves. You are angry and alarmed. You are longing to see me. You are concerned. You are ready to make sure that the right thing is done. In every way you have proved that you are not guilty in that matter. ¹² So even though I wrote to you, it wasn’t because of the one who did the wrong. It wasn’t because of the one who was hurt either. Instead, I wrote you so that in the sight of God you could see for yourselves how faithful you are to us. ¹³ All this encourages us.

We were also very glad to see how happy Titus was. You have all renewed his spirit. ¹⁴ I had bragged about you to him. And you have not let me down. Everything we said to you was true. In the same way, our bragging about you to Titus has also turned out to be true. ¹⁵ His love for you is even greater when he remembers that you all obeyed his teaching. You received him with fear and trembling. ¹⁶ I am glad I can have complete faith in you.

Giving Freely to the Lord’s People

8 Brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given to the churches in Macedonia. ² They have suffered a great deal. But in their suffering, their joy was more than full. Even though they were very poor, they gave very freely. ³ I tell you that they gave as much as they could. In fact, they gave even more than they could. Completely on their own, ⁴ they begged us for the chance to share in serving the Lord’s people in that way. ⁵ They did more than we expected. First they gave themselves to the Lord. Then they gave themselves to us because that was what God wanted. ⁶ Titus had already started collecting money from you. So we asked him to help you finish making your kind gift. ⁷ You do well in everything else. You do well in faith and in speaking. You do well in knowledge and in complete commitment. And you do well in the love we have helped to start in you. So make sure that you also do well in the grace of giving to others.

⁸ I am not commanding you to do it. But I want to test you. I want to find out if you really love God. I want to compare your love with that of others. ⁹ You know the grace shown by our Lord Jesus Christ. Even though he was rich, he became poor to help you. Because he became poor, you can become rich.

¹⁰ Here is my opinion about what is best for you in that matter. Last year you were the first to give. You were also the first to want to give. ¹¹ So finish the work. Then your desire to do it will be matched by your finishing it. Give on the basis of what you have. ¹² Do you really want to give? Then the gift is measured by what someone has. It is not measured by what they don’t have.

¹³ We don’t want others to have it easy at your expense. We want things to be equal. ¹⁴ Right now you have plenty in order to take care of what they need. Then they will have plenty to take care of what you need. The goal is to even things out. ¹⁵ It is written, “The one who gathered a lot didn’t have too much. And the one who gathered a little had enough.” (Exodus 16:18)

Paul Sends Titus to Corinth to Receive the Offering

¹⁶ God put into the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you. Thanks should be given to God for this. ¹⁷ Titus welcomed our appeal. He is also excited about coming to you. It was his own idea. ¹⁸ Along with Titus, we are sending another brother. All the churches praise him for his service in telling the good news. ¹⁹ He was also chosen by the churches to go with us as we bring the offering. We are in charge of it. We want to honor the Lord himself. We want to show how ready we are to help. ²⁰ We want to keep anyone from blaming us for how we take care of that large gift. ²¹ We are trying hard to do what both the Lord and people think is right.

²² We are also sending another one of our brothers with them. He has often proved to us in many ways that he is very committed. He is now even more committed because he has great faith in you. ²³ Titus is my helper. He and I work together among you. Our brothers are messengers from the churches. They honor Christ. ²⁴ So show them that you really love them. Show them why we are proud of you. Then the churches can see it.

9 I don’t need to write to you about giving to the Lord’s people. ² I know how much you want to help. I have been bragging about it to the people in Macedonia. I have been telling them that since last year you who live in Achaia were ready to give. You are so excited that it has stirred up most of them to take action. ³ But I am sending the brothers. Then our bragging about you in this matter will have a good reason. You will be ready, just as I said you would be. ⁴ Suppose people from Macedonia come with me and find out that you are not prepared. Then we, as well as you, would be ashamed of being so certain. ⁵ So I thought I should try to get the brothers to visit you ahead of time. They will finish the plans for the large gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a gift freely given. It will not be given by force.

Paul’s Advice to Give Freely

⁶ Here is something to remember. The one who plants only a little will gather only a little. And the one who plants a lot will gather a lot. ⁷ Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give. You shouldn’t give if you don’t want to. You shouldn’t give because you are forced to. God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸ And God is able to shower all kinds of blessings on you. So in all things and at all times you will have everything you need. You will do more and more good works. ⁹ It is written,

¹⁰ God supplies seed for the person who plants. He supplies bread for food. God will also supply and increase the amount of your seed. He will increase the results of your good works. ¹¹ You will be made rich in every way. Then you can always give freely. We will take your many gifts to the people who need them. And they will give thanks to God.

¹² Your gifts meet the needs of the Lord’s people. And that’s not all. Your gifts also cause many people to thank God. ¹³ You have shown yourselves to be worthy by what you have given. So other people will praise God because you obey him. That proves that you really believe the good news about Christ. They will also praise God because you share freely with them and with everyone else. ¹⁴ Their hearts will be filled with love for you when they pray for you. God has given you grace that is better than anything. ¹⁵ Let us give thanks to God for his gift. It is so great that no one can tell how wonderful it really is!

Paul Speaks Up for His Service to the Church

10 Christ is humble and free of pride. Because of this, I make my appeal to you. I, Paul, am the one you call “shy” when I am face to face with you. But when I am away from you, you think I am “bold” toward you. ² I am coming to see you. Please don’t make me be as bold as I expect to be toward some people. They think that I live the way the people of this world live. ³ I do live in the world. But I don’t fight my battles the way the people of the world do. ⁴ The weapons I fight with are not the weapons the world uses. In fact, it is just the opposite. My weapons have the power of God to destroy the camps of the enemy. ⁵ I destroy every claim and every reason that keeps people from knowing God. I keep every thought under control in order to make it obey Christ. ⁶ Until you have obeyed completely, I will be ready to punish you every time you don’t obey.

⁷ You are judging only by how things look on the surface. Suppose someone is sure they belong to Christ. Then they should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as they do. ⁸ Do I brag too much about the authority the Lord gave me? If I do, it’s because I want to build you up, not tear you down. And I’m not ashamed of that kind of bragging. ⁹ Don’t think that I’m trying to scare you with my letters. ¹⁰ Some say, “His letters sound important. They are powerful. But in person he doesn’t seem like much. And what he says doesn’t amount to anything.” ¹¹ People like that have a lot to learn. What I say in my letters when I’m away from you, I will do in my actions when I’m with you.

¹² I don’t dare to compare myself with those who praise themselves. I’m not that kind of person. They measure themselves by themselves. They compare themselves with themselves. When they do that, they are not wise. ¹³ But I won’t brag more than I should. God himself has given me an opportunity for serving. I will only brag about what I have done with that opportunity. This opportunity for serving also includes you. ¹⁴ I am not going too far in my bragging. I would be going too far if I hadn’t come to where you live. But I did get there with the good news about Christ. ¹⁵ And I won’t brag about work done by others. If I did, I would be bragging more than I should. As your faith continues to grow, I hope that my work among you will greatly increase. ¹⁶ Then I will be able to preach the good news in the areas beyond you. I don’t want to brag about work already done in someone else’s territory. ¹⁷ But, “The one who brags should brag about what the Lord has done.” (Jeremiah 9:24) ¹⁸ Those who praise themselves are not accepted. Those the Lord praises are accepted.

Paul and Those Who Pretend to Be Apostles

11 I hope you will put up with me in a little foolish bragging. Yes, please put up with me! ² My jealousy for you comes from God himself. I promised to give you to only one husband. That husband is Christ. I wanted to be able to give you to him as if you were a pure virgin. ³ But Eve’s mind was tricked by the snake’s clever lies. And here’s what I’m afraid of. Your minds will also somehow be led astray. They will be led away from your true and pure love for Christ. ⁴ Suppose someone comes to you and preaches about a Jesus different from the Jesus we preached about. Or suppose you receive a spirit different from the Spirit you received before. Or suppose you receive a different message of good news. Suppose it was different from the one you accepted earlier. You put up with those kinds of things easily enough.

⁵ I don’t think I’m in any way less important than those “super-apostles.” ⁶ It’s true that I haven’t been trained as a speaker. But I do have knowledge. I’ve made that very clear to you in every way. ⁷ I preached God’s good news to you free of charge. When I did that, I was putting myself down in order to lift you up. Was this a sin? ⁸ I received help from other churches so I could serve you. This was almost like robbing them. ⁹ When I was with you and needed something, I didn’t cause you any expense. The believers who came from Macedonia gave me what I needed. I haven’t caused you any expense at all. And I won’t ever do it. ¹⁰ I’m sure that the truth of Christ is in me. And I’m just as sure that nobody in Achaia will keep me from bragging. ¹¹ Why? Because I don’t love you? No! God knows I do!

¹² And I will keep on doing what I’m doing. That will stop those who claim they have things to brag about. They think they have a chance to be considered equal with us. ¹³ People like that are false apostles. They are workers who tell lies. They only pretend to be apostles of Christ. ¹⁴ That comes as no surprise. Even Satan himself pretends to be an angel of light. ¹⁵ So it doesn’t surprise us that Satan’s servants also pretend to be serving God. They will finally get exactly what they deserve.

Paul Brags About His Sufferings

¹⁶ I will say it again. Don’t let anyone think I’m a fool. But if you do, put up with me just as you would put up with a fool. Then I can do a little bragging. ¹⁷ When I brag about myself like this, I’m not talking the way the Lord would. I’m talking like a fool. ¹⁸ Many are bragging the way the people of the world do. So I will brag like that too. ¹⁹ You are so wise! You gladly put up with fools! ²⁰ In fact, you even put up with anyone who makes you a slave or uses you. You put up with those who take advantage of you. You put up with those who claim to be better than you. You put up with those who slap you in the face. ²¹ I’m ashamed to have to say that I was too weak for that!

Whatever anyone else dares to brag about, I also dare to brag about. I’m speaking like a fool! ²² Are they Hebrews? So am I. Do they belong to the people of Israel? So do I. Are they Abraham’s children? So am I. ²³ Are they serving Christ? I am serving him even more. I’m out of my mind to talk like this! I have worked much harder. I have been in prison more often. I have suffered terrible beatings. Again and again I almost died. ²⁴ Five times the Jews gave me 39 strokes with a whip. ²⁵ Three times I was beaten with sticks. Once they tried to kill me by throwing stones at me. Three times I was shipwrecked. I spent a night and a day in the open sea. ²⁶ I have had to keep on the move. I have been in danger from rivers. I have been in danger from robbers. I have been in danger from my fellow Jews and in danger from Gentiles. I have been in danger in the city, in the country, and at sea. I have been in danger from people who pretended they were believers. ²⁷ I have worked very hard. Often I have gone without sleep. I have been hungry and thirsty. Often I have gone without food. I have been cold and naked. ²⁸ Besides everything else, every day I am concerned about all the churches. It is a very heavy load. ²⁹ If anyone is weak, I feel weak. If anyone is led into sin, I burn on the inside.

³⁰ If I have to brag, I will brag about the things that show how weak I am. ³¹ I am not lying. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus knows this. May God be praised forever. ³² In Damascus the governor who served under King Aretas had their city guarded. He wanted to arrest me. ³³ But I was lowered in a basket from a window in the wall. So I escaped from the governor.

Paul’s Vision and His Painful Problem

12 We can’t gain anything by bragging. But I have to do it anyway. I am going to tell you what I’ve seen. I want to talk about what the Lord has shown me. ² I know a believer in Christ who was taken up to the third heaven 14 years ago. I don’t know if his body was taken up or not. Only God knows. ³ I don’t know if that man was in his body or out of it. Only God knows. But I do know that ⁴ he was taken up to paradise. He heard things there that couldn’t be put into words. They were things that no one is allowed to talk about. ⁵ I will brag about a man like that. But I won’t brag about myself. I will brag only about how weak I am. ⁶ Suppose I decide to brag. That would not make me a fool, because I would be telling the truth. But I don’t brag, so that no one will think more of me than they should. People should judge me by what I do and say. ⁷ God has shown me amazing and wonderful things. People should not think more of me because of it. So I wouldn’t become proud of myself, I was given a problem. This problem caused pain in my body. It is a messenger from Satan to make me suffer. ⁸ Three times I begged the Lord to take it away from me. ⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is all you need. My power is strongest when you are weak.” So I am very happy to brag about how weak I am. Then Christ’s power can rest on me. ¹⁰ Because of how I suffered for Christ, I’m glad that I am weak. I am glad in hard times. I am glad when people say mean things about me. I am glad when things are difficult. And I am glad when people make me suffer. When I am weak, I am strong.

Paul’s Concern for the People of Corinth

¹¹ I have made a fool of myself. But you made me do it. You should have praised me. Even though I am nothing, I am in no way less important than the “super-apostles.” ¹² While I was with you, I kept on showing you the actions of a true apostle. These actions include signs, wonders and miracles. ¹³ How were you less important than the other churches? The only difference was that I didn’t cause you any expense. Forgive me for that wrong!

¹⁴ Now I am ready to visit you for the third time. I won’t cause you any expense. I don’t want what you have. What I really want is you. After all, children shouldn’t have to save up for their parents. Parents should save up for their children. ¹⁵ So I will be very happy to spend everything I have for you. I will even spend myself. If I love you more, will you love me less? ¹⁶ In any case, I haven’t caused you any expense. But I’m so tricky! I have caught you by tricking you! Or so you think! ¹⁷ Did I take advantage of you through any of the men I sent to you? ¹⁸ I asked Titus to go to you. And I sent our brother with him. Titus didn’t take advantage of you, did he? Didn’t we walk in the same footsteps by the same Spirit?

¹⁹ All this time, have you been thinking that I’ve been speaking up for myself? No, I’ve been speaking with God as my witness. I’ve been speaking like a believer in Christ. Dear friends, everything I do is to help you become stronger. ²⁰ I’m afraid that when I come I won’t find you as I want you to be. I’m afraid that you won’t find me as you want me to be. I’m afraid there will be arguing, jealousy and fits of anger. I’m afraid each of you will focus only on getting ahead. Then you will tell lies about each other. You will talk about each other. I’m afraid you will be proud and cause trouble. ²¹ I’m afraid that when I come again my God will put me to shame in front of you. Then I will be sad about many who sinned earlier and have not turned away from it. They have not turned away from uncleanness, sexual sins and wild living. They have done all those things.

Final Warnings

13 This will be my third visit to you. Scripture says, “Every matter must be proved by the words of two or three witnesses.” (Deuteronomy 19:15) ² I already warned you during my second visit. I now say it again while I’m away. When I return, I won’t spare those who sinned earlier. I won’t spare any of the others either. ³ You are asking me to prove that Christ is speaking through me. He is not weak in dealing with you. He is powerful among you. ⁴ It is true that Christ was nailed to the cross because he was weak. But Christ lives by God’s power. In the same way, we share his weakness. But by God’s power we will live with Christ as we serve you.

⁵ Take a good look at yourselves to see if you are really believers. Test yourselves. Don’t you realize that Christ Jesus is in you? Unless, of course, you fail the test! ⁶ I hope you will discover that I haven’t failed the test. ⁷ I pray to God that you won’t do anything wrong. I don’t pray so that people will see that I have passed the test. Instead, I pray this so that you will do what is right, even if it seems I have failed. ⁸ I can’t do anything to stop the truth. I can only work for the truth. ⁹ I’m glad when I am weak but you are strong. I pray that there will be no more problems among you. ¹⁰ That’s why I write these things before I come to you. Then when I do come, I won’t have to be hard on you when I use my authority. The Lord gave me the authority to build you up. He didn’t give it to me to tear you down.

Final Greetings

¹¹ Finally, brothers and sisters, be joyful! Work to make things right with one another. Help one another and agree with one another. Live in peace. And the God who gives love and peace will be with you.

¹² Greet one another with a holy kiss.

¹³ All God’s people here send their greetings.

¹⁴ May the grace shown by the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. May the love that God has given us be with you. And may the sharing of life brought about by the Holy Spirit be with you all.

1 I, Paul, am writing this letter. I am an apostle. People have not sent me. No human authority has sent me. I have been sent by Jesus Christ and by God the Father. God raised Jesus from the dead. ² All the brothers and sisters who are with me join me in writing.

We are sending this letter to you, the members of the churches in Galatia.

³ May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. ⁴ Jesus gave his life for our sins. He set us free from this evil world. That was what our God and Father wanted. ⁵ Give glory to God for ever and ever. Amen.

There Is No Other Good News

⁶ I am amazed. You are so quickly deserting the one who chose you. He chose you to live in the grace that Christ has provided. You are turning to a different “good news.” ⁷ What you are accepting is really not the good news at all. It seems that some people have gotten you all mixed up. They are trying to twist the good news about Christ. ⁸ But suppose even we should preach a different “good news.” Suppose even an angel from heaven should preach it. Suppose it is different from the good news we gave you. Then let anyone who does that be cursed by God. ⁹ I have already said it. Now I will say it again. Suppose someone preaches a “good news” that is different from what you accepted. That person should be cursed by God.

¹⁰ Am I now trying to get people to think well of me? Or do I want God to think well of me? Am I trying to please people? If I were, I would not be serving Christ.

Paul Was Appointed by God

¹¹ Brothers and sisters, here is what I want you to know. The good news I preached does not come from human beings. ¹² No one gave it to me. No one taught it to me. Instead, I received it from Jesus Christ. He showed it to me.

¹³ You have heard how I lived earlier in my Jewish way of life. With all my strength I attacked the church of God. I tried to destroy it. ¹⁴ I was moving ahead in my Jewish way of life. I went beyond many of my people who were my own age. I held firmly to the teachings passed down by my people. ¹⁵ But God set me apart from before the time I was born. He showed me his grace by appointing me. He was pleased ¹⁶ to show his Son in my life. He wanted me to preach about Jesus among the Gentiles. When God appointed me, I decided right away not to ask anyone for advice. ¹⁷ I didn’t go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was. Instead, I went into Arabia. Later I returned to Damascus.

¹⁸ Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem. I went there to get to know Peter. I stayed with him for 15 days. ¹⁹ I didn’t see any of the other apostles. I only saw James, the Lord’s brother. ²⁰ Here is what you can be sure of. And God is even a witness to it. What I am writing you is not a lie.

²¹ Then I went to Syria and Cilicia. ²² The members of Christ’s churches in Judea did not know me in a personal way. ²³ They only heard others say, “The man who used to attack us has changed. He is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” ²⁴ And they praised God because of me.

Paul Is Accepted by the Apostles

2 Then after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem. This time I went with Barnabas. I took Titus along also. ² I went because God showed me what he wanted me to do. I spoke in private to those who are respected as leaders. I told them the good news that I preach among the Gentiles. I wanted to be sure I wasn’t running my race for no purpose. And I wanted to know that I had not been running my race for no purpose. ³ Titus was with me. He was a Greek. But even he was not forced to be circumcised. ⁴ This matter came up because some people had slipped in among us. They had pretended to be believers. They wanted to find out about the freedom we have because we belong to Christ Jesus. They wanted to make us slaves again. ⁵ We didn’t give in to them for a moment. We did this so that the truth of the good news would be kept safe for you.

⁶ Some people in Jerusalem were thought to be important. But it makes no difference to me what they were. God does not treat people differently. Those people added nothing to my message. ⁷ In fact, it was just the opposite. They recognized the task I had been trusted with. It was the task of preaching the good news to the Gentiles. My task was like Peter’s task. He had been trusted with the task of preaching to the Jews. ⁸ God was working in Peter as an apostle to the Jews. God was also working in me as an apostle to the Gentiles. ⁹ James, Peter and John are respected as pillars in the church. They recognized the special grace given to me. So they shook my hand and the hand of Barnabas. They wanted to show they accepted us. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles. They would go to the Jews. ¹⁰ They asked only one thing. They wanted us to continue to remember poor people. That was what I had wanted to do all along.

Paul Opposes Peter

¹¹ When Peter came to Antioch, I told him to his face that I was against what he was doing. He was clearly wrong. ¹² He used to eat with the Gentiles. But certain men came from a group sent by James. When they arrived, Peter began to draw back. He separated himself from the Gentiles. That’s because he was afraid of the circumcision group sent by James. ¹³ Peter’s actions were not honest, and other Jews in Antioch joined him. Even Barnabas was led astray.

¹⁴ I saw what they were doing. It was not in line with the truth of the good news. So I spoke to Peter in front of them all. “You are a Jew,” I said. “But you live like one who is not. So why do you force Gentiles to follow Jewish ways?”

¹⁵ We are Jews by birth. We are not sinful Gentiles. ¹⁶ Here is what we know. No one is made right with God by obeying the law. It is by believing in Jesus Christ. So we too have put our faith in Christ Jesus. This is so we can be made right with God by believing in Christ. We are not made right by obeying the law. That’s because no one can be made right with God by obeying the law.

¹⁷ We are seeking to be made right with God through Christ. As we do, what if we find that we who are Jews are also sinners? Does that mean that Christ causes us to sin? Certainly not! ¹⁸ Suppose I build again what I had destroyed. Then I would really be breaking the law.

¹⁹ By the law, I died as far as the law is concerned. I died so that I might live for God. ²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ. I don’t live any longer, but Christ lives in me. Now I live my life in my body by faith in the Son of God. He loved me and gave himself for me. ²¹ I do not get rid of the grace of God. What if a person could become right with God by obeying the law? Then Christ died for nothing!

Faith or Obeying the Law

3 You foolish people of Galatia! Who has put you under an evil spell? When I preached, I clearly showed you that Jesus Christ had been nailed to the cross. ² I would like to learn just one thing from you. Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law? Or did you receive the Spirit by believing what you heard? ³ Are you so foolish? You began by the Holy Spirit. Are you now trying to finish God’s work in you by your own strength? ⁴ Have you experienced so much for nothing? And was it really for nothing? ⁵ So I ask you again, how does God give you his Spirit? How does he work miracles among you? Is it by doing what the law says? Or is it by believing what you have heard? ⁶ In the same way, Abraham “believed God. God was pleased with Abraham because he believed. So his faith made him right with God.” (Genesis 15:6)

⁷ So you see, those who have faith are children of Abraham. ⁸ Long ago, Scripture knew that God would make the Gentiles right with himself. He would do this by their faith in him. He announced the good news ahead of time to Abraham. God said, “All nations will be blessed because of you.” (Genesis 12:3; 18:18; 22:18) ⁹ So those who depend on faith are blessed along with Abraham. He was the man of faith.

¹⁰ All who depend on obeying the law are under a curse. It is written, “May everyone who doesn’t continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law be under God’s curse.” (Deuteronomy 27:26) ¹¹ We know that no one who depends on the law is made right with God. This is because “the one who is right with God will live by faith.” (Habakkuk 2:4) ¹² The law is not based on faith. In fact, it is just the opposite. It teaches that “the person who does these things will live by them.” (Leviticus 18:5) ¹³ Christ set us free from the curse of the law. He did it by becoming a curse for us. It is written, “Everyone who is hung on a pole is under God’s curse.” (Deuteronomy 21:23) ¹⁴ Christ Jesus set us free so that the blessing given to Abraham would come to the Gentiles through Christ. He did it so that we might receive the promise of the Holy Spirit. The promised Spirit comes by believing in Christ.

The Law and the Promise

¹⁵ Brothers and sisters, let me give you an example from everyday life. No one can get rid of an official agreement between people. No one can add to it. It can’t be changed after it has been made. It is the same with God’s covenant agreement. ¹⁶ The promises were given to Abraham. They were also given to his seed. Scripture does not say, “and to seeds.” That means many people. It says, “and to your seed.” (Genesis 12:7; 13:15; 24:7) That means one person. And that one person is Christ. ¹⁷ Here is what I mean. The law came 430 years after the promise. But the law does not get rid of God’s covenant and promise. The covenant had already been made by God. So the law does not do away with the promise. ¹⁸ The great gift that God has for us does not depend on the law. If it did, it would no longer depend on the promise. But God gave it to Abraham as a free gift through a promise.

¹⁹ Then why was the law given at all? It was added because of human sin. And it was supposed to control us until the promised Seed had come. The law was given through angels, and a go-between was put in charge of it. ²⁰ A go-between means that there is more than one side to an agreement. But God didn’t use a go-between when he made his promise to Abraham.

²¹ So is the law opposed to God’s promises? Certainly not! What if a law had been given that could give life? Then people could become right with God by obeying the law. ²² But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin. It does so in order that what was promised might be given to those who believe. The promise comes through faith in Jesus Christ.

Children of God

²³ Before faith in Christ came, we were guarded by the law. We were locked up until this faith was made known. ²⁴ So the law was put in charge of us until Christ came. He came so that we might be made right with God by believing in Christ. ²⁵ But now faith in Christ has come. So the law is no longer in charge of us.