2Cor 1:23 Cross References

2 Corinthians 1:23

23: Now I call upon God as my witness that I am telling the truth. The reason I didn't return to Corinth was to spare you from a severe rebuke.

God knows how often I pray for you. Day and night I bring you and your needs in prayer to God, whom I serve with all my heart by telling others the Good News about his Son.

You must believe what I am saying, for I declare before God that I am not lying.

Which do you choose? Should I come with punishment and scolding, or should I come with quiet love and gentleness?

I have already warned those who had been sinning when I was there on my second visit. Now I again warn them and all others, just as I did before, that this next time I will not spare them.

I am writing this to you before I come, hoping that I won't need to deal harshly with you when I do come. For I want to use the authority the Lord has given me to build you up, not to tear you down.

For I am afraid that when I come to visit you I won't like what I find, and then you won't like my response. I am afraid that I will find quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfishness, backstabbing, gossip, conceit, and disorderly behavior.

In the presence of Christ, I speak with utter truthfulness--I do not lie--and my conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm that what I am saying is true.

Hymenaeus and Alexander are two examples of this. I turned them over to Satan so they would learn not to blaspheme God.

And we will punish those who remained disobedient after the rest of you became loyal and obedient.
The trouble with you is that you make your decisions on the basis of appearance. You must recognize that we belong to Christ just as much as those who proudly declare that they belong to Christ.
I may seem to be boasting too much about the authority given to us by the Lord. But this authority is to build you up, not to tear you down. And I will not be put to shame by having my work among you destroyed.
Now this is not just an attempt to frighten you by my letters.
For some say, "Don't worry about Paul. His letters are demanding and forceful, but in person he is weak, and his speeches are really bad!"

Then you must cast this man out of the church and into Satan's hands, so that his sinful nature will be destroyed and he himself will be saved when the Lord returns.

God, the Father of our Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever, knows I tell the truth.

Never once did we try to win you with flattery, as you very well know. And God is our witness that we were not just pretending to be your friends so you would give us money!

I hope it won't be necessary, but when I come I may have to be very bold with those who think we act from purely human motives.

So I said to myself, "No, I won't do it. I won't make them unhappy with another painful visit."
For if I cause you pain and make you sad, who is going to make me glad?
That is why I wrote as I did in my last letter, so that when I do come, I will not be made sad by the very ones who ought to give me the greatest joy. Surely you know that my happiness depends on your happiness.

God knows how much I love you and long for you with the tender compassion of Christ Jesus.

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