For out of great distress and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears, not to make you sad, but to let you know the love that I have especially for you.

But we have rejected shameful hidden deeds, not behaving with deceptiveness or distorting the word of God, but by open proclamation of the truth we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience before God.

For see what this very thing, this sadness as God intended, has produced in you: what eagerness, what defense of yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what deep concern, what punishment! In everything you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.

But as you excel in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, and in all eagerness and in the love from us that is in you – make sure that you excel in this act of kindness too.

Therefore I thought it necessary to urge these brothers to go to you in advance and to arrange ahead of time the generous contribution you had promised, so this may be ready as a generous gift and not as something you feel forced to do.

Nor do we boast beyond certain limits in the work done by others, but we hope that as your faith continues to grow, our work may be greatly expanded among you according to our limits,

I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago (whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows) was caught up to the third heaven.

But as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.”

I do not mean that we rule over your faith, but we are workers with you for your joy, because by faith you stand firm.

But if anyone has caused sadness, he has not saddened me alone, but to some extent (not to exaggerate) he has saddened all of you as well.

so that now instead you should rather forgive and comfort him. This will keep him from being overwhelmed by excessive grief to the point of despair.

to the latter an odor from death to death, but to the former a fragrance from life to life. And who is adequate for these things?

Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? We don’t need letters of recommendation to you or from you as some other people do, do we?

You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone,

Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as if it were coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God,

For if there was glory in the ministry that produced condemnation, how much more does the ministry that produces righteousness excel in glory!

Now because we are fellow workers, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain.

Do not become partners with those who do not believe, for what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship does light have with darkness?

But God, who encourages the downhearted, encouraged us by the arrival of Titus.

For sadness as intended by God produces a repentance that leads to salvation, leaving no regret, but worldly sadness brings about death.