Chapter 7

¹ Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from anything that can defile flesh or spirit, and thereby make our holiness perfect in the fear of God.

Trust Reestablished. ² Make room in your hearts for us. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one. ³ I do not say this to condemn you, for I have already told you that your place in our hearts is secure, so that we will live together and we will die together. ⁴ I have great confidence in you, and I boast about you with intense pride. Despite all of our afflictions, I am greatly encouraged and overflowing with joy.

^5 [a]Even when we arrived in Macedonia, we were unable to rest our bodies, for we were afflicted in every way: conflicts on the outside and fears on the inside. ⁶ But God, who comforts the downcast, encouraged us by the arrival of Titus— ⁷ and not merely by his arrival but also by the encouragement he received from you. He told us of your longing for me, your deep regrets, and your zeal for me, all of which cause me even greater joy.

⁸ Even if I did cause you sorrow with my letter, I do not regret it. I did regret this letter briefly, but, having come to realize that you were sorrowful only for a short time, ⁹ I now am able to rejoice, not because you were grieved but because your sorrow led to repentance. For you were sorrowful in a godly way and so received no harm because of us. ¹⁰ Such godly sorrow results in repentance that leads to salvation and causes no regret, whereas worldly sorrow produces death.

¹¹ For see what earnestness this godly sorrow has produced for you, what eagerness to repent, what indignation, what fear, what yearning, what zeal, what desire to see justice done. In every way, you have proved your innocence in this matter.

¹² Therefore, even though I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who committed the offense or on account of the one who was wronged, but rather that you should be fully aware of your zeal for us in the sight of God. ¹³ In this we have been greatly encouraged.

In addition to being encouraged ourselves, we rejoiced still more at the joy of Titus, because his mind has been completely refreshed by all of you. ¹⁴ Anything I may have said to him in boasting about you has not caused me to feel ashamed. But just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting to Titus has proved equally true. ¹⁵ And his affection for you grows even more as he recalls the obedience of all of you and how you welcomed him in fear and trembling. ¹⁶ I rejoice because I can rely completely on you.