2 Corinthians 6
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 6
1 As his coworkers, we urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 For he says,
“In an acceptable time I have listened to you,
and on the day of salvation I have helped you.”
Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.[a]
Ministers of God. 3 We avoid placing obstacles in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry. 4 On the contrary, in everything we do we present ourselves as ministers of God: in steadfast perseverance; in afflictions, hardships, and distress; 5 in floggings, imprisonments, and riots; in labors, sleepless nights, and fasts; 6 in purity, knowledge, patience, and kindness; in holiness of spirit, genuine love, 7 truthfulness, and the power of God.
We wield weapons of righteousness with right hand and left,[b] 8 in times of honor or dishonor, praise or insult. We are regarded as impostors, and yet we speak the truth; 9 as unknown men, and nevertheless we are well known; as dying, and behold we live on; as scourged, but we are not put to death; 10 as sorrowful, and yet we are always rejoicing; as poor, and yet we make many rich;[c] as having nothing, and yet we possess everything.
Relations Have Been Established[d]
11 Paul’s Heart Is Wide Open. O Corinthians, we have spoken frankly to you, and we have opened our heart to you. 12 We are not withholding our love from you, but you have withheld yours from us. 13 I speak to you as my children. In return, also open wide your hearts to us.
14 What Relation Can There Be between Righteousness and Iniquity? Do not associate with unbelievers.[e] For what basis can there be for a partnership between righteousness and lawlessness? What do light and darkness have in common? 15 Can Christ ever be in accord with Beliar?[f] What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16 Can there be an agreement between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God, and for this we have God’s word:
“I will live in them and walk among them.
I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.
17 Therefore, come out from their midst
and separate yourselves from them,
says the Lord.
Do not touch anything unclean,
and I will welcome you.
18 I will be a father to you,
and you shall be my sons and daughters,
says the Lord Almighty.”
Footnotes
- 2 Corinthians 6:2 This verse does not exclude from grace and salvation those people who lived before Christ’s coming. For they received the promises that were later fulfilled in Christ (2 Cor 1:20) and saw and welcomed their fulfillment from a distance (see Jn 8:56; Heb 11:13).
- 2 Corinthians 6:7 Weapons . . . with right hand and left: with the right hand, offensive weapons (the sword); with the left, defensive weapons (the shield).
- 2 Corinthians 6:10 We make many rich: i.e., rich toward God, for true wealth does not consist in worldly possessions (see Lk 12:15, 21). Even if believers have none of the world’s goods, they possess everything in him who is Lord of all (see 1 Cor 1:4f; 3:21-23; Eph 2:7; 3:8; Phil 4:19; Col 2:3).
- 2 Corinthians 6:11 After the gripping testimony concerning the apostolate and its mystery, the Letter returns to concrete situations of the community of Corinth. Moving appeals, pastoral concern, and profound attachment come to the fore in these lines.
- 2 Corinthians 6:14 Do not associate with unbelievers: Paul is here thinking of the Old Testament prohibition on intermingling (Deut 22:10ff). The false teachers among the Corinthians are servants of Satan; hence, believers should not associate with them, for such association will destroy the harmony and fellowship that unite them in Christ.
- 2 Corinthians 6:15 Beliar: (= nothingness, uselessness) is a Greek variant of the Hebrew “Belial,” which designates idols and Satan, a title used for Satan in the writings of Qumran. This passage may have been taken from another Letter of Paul to the Corinthians. The passage interweaves several citations from the Old Testament (which are in order: Lev 26:11-12; Ezek 37:27; Isa 52:11; Jer 51:45; 2 Sam 7:14; Jer 31:9; Isa 43:6).
