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The Temple of the Living God

14 Stay away from people who are not followers of the Lord! Can someone who is good get along with someone who is evil? Are light and darkness the same? 15 Is Christ a friend of Satan?[a] Can people who follow the Lord have anything in common with those who don't? 16 (A) Do idols belong in the temple of God? We are the temple of the living God, as God himself says,

“I will live with these people
    and walk among them.
I will be their God,
and they will be
    my people.”

17 (B) The Lord also says,

“Leave them and stay away!
Don't touch anything
    that isn't clean.
Then I will welcome you
18     (C) and be your Father.
You will be my sons
    and my daughters,
as surely as I am God,
    the All-Powerful.”

My friends, God has made us these promises. So we should stay away from everything that keeps our bodies and spirits from being clean. We should honor God and try to be completely like him.

The Church Makes Paul Happy

Make a place for us in your hearts! We haven't mistreated or hurt anyone. We haven't cheated anyone. I am not saying this to be hard on you. But, as I have said before, you will always be in our thoughts, whether we live or die. I trust you completely.[b] I am always proud of you, and I am greatly encouraged. In all my trouble I am still very happy.

(D) After we came to Macedonia, we didn't have any chance to rest. We were faced with all kinds of problems. We were troubled by enemies and troubled by fears. But God cheers up people in need, and this is what he did when he sent Titus to us. Of course, we were glad to see Titus, but what really made us glad is the way you cheered him up. He told how sorry you were and how concerned you were about me. And this made me even happier.

Footnotes

  1. 6.15 Satan: The Greek text has “Beliar,” which is another form of the Hebrew word “Belial,” meaning “wicked” or “useless.” The Jewish people sometimes used this as a name for Satan.
  2. 7.4 I trust you completely: Or “I have always spoken the truth to you” or “I can speak freely to you.”

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