2 Corinthians 4-5 - LSB - Legacy Standard Bible

2 Corinthians 4-5

The Gospel of the Glory of Christ

Therefore, since we have this ^aministry, as we ^breceived mercy, we ^cdo not lose heart, 2 but we have renounced the ^ahidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness or ^badulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth ^ccommending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our ^agospel is ^bveiled, it is veiled ¹to ^cthose who are perishing, 4 in whose case ^athe god of ^bthis age has ^cblinded the minds of the unbelieving ¹so that they might not see the ^dlight of the gospel of the ^eglory of Christ, who is the ^fimage of God. 5 For we ^ado not preach ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves ¹for the sake of Jesus. 6 For God, who said, “^aLight shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has ^bshone in our hearts to give the ^cLight of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in ^aearthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of ^bthe power will be of God and not from ourselves; 8 ^ain every way afflicted, but not ^bcrushed; ^cperplexed, but not despairing; 9 ^apersecuted, but not ^bforsaken; ^cstruck down, but not destroyed; 10 ^aalways carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that ^bthe life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. 11 For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death works in us, but life in you.
13 But having the same ^aspirit of faith, according to what is written, “^bI believed, therefore I spoke,” we also believe, therefore we also speak, 14 knowing that He who ^araised the Lord Jesus ^bwill raise us also with Jesus and will ^cpresent us with you. 15 For all things are ^afor your sakes, so that the grace which is ¹^bspreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God.
16 Therefore we ^ado not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our ^binner man is ^cbeing renewed day by day. 17 For our momentary, ^alight affliction is working out for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, 18 while we ^alook not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

The Temporal and Eternal

For we know that if ¹the ^aearthly ^btent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house ^cnot made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For indeed in this we ^agroan, longing to be ^bclothed with our dwelling from heaven, 3 inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked. 4 For indeed while we are in this tent, we ^agroan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be ^bclothed, so that what is ^cmortal will be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who ^agave to us the Spirit as a ¹pledge.
6 Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that ^awhile we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— 7 for ^awe walk by faith, not by ¹sight— 8 we are of good courage and ^aprefer rather to be absent from the body and ^bto be at home with the Lord. 9 Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be ^apleasing to Him. 10 For we must all appear before ^athe judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for ¹his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
11 So then, knowing the ^afear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we ¹have been made manifest to God; and I hope that we ¹have been ^bmade manifest also in your consciences. 12 We are not ^aagain commending ourselves to you but are giving you an ^bopportunity to boast of us, so that you will have an answer for those who boast in appearance and not in heart. 13 For if we ¹are ^aout of our mind, it is for God, or if we are of right mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ ^acontrols us, having concluded this, that ^bone died for all, therefore all died. 15 And He died for all, so that they who live would no longer ^alive for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.
16 Therefore from now on we recognize no one ¹^aaccording to the flesh; even though we have known Christ ¹according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. 17 Therefore if anyone is ^ain Christ, he is ^ba new creation; ^cthe old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 18 Now ^aall these things are from God, ^bwho reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ^cministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, that ^aGod was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, ^bnot counting their transgressions against them, and ¹He has ²committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20 So then, we are ^aambassadors for Christ, ^bas God is pleading through us. We beg you on behalf of Christ, be ^creconciled to God. 21 He made Him who ^aknew no sin to be ^bsin on our behalf, so that we might become the ^crighteousness of God in Him.