Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
The Second Letter to the Corinthians, Chapter six through nine,
from the twentieth century New Testament. This is a LibriVox recording.
All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording
by J. A. Carter www dot authentic light dot org.
(00:26):
The twentieth century New Testament by a company of about
twenty scholars, The Second Letter to the Corinthians, chapter six
through nine. Chapter six. Therefore, as God's fellow workers, we
also appeal to you not to receive his loving kindness
in vain. For he says, at the time of acceptance,
(00:47):
I listen to THEE, and on the day of deliverance,
I help THEE. Now is the time for acceptance. Now
is the day of deliverance. Never do we put an
obstacle in any one's way, that no fault may be
found with our ministry. Now we are trying to commend
ourselves under all circumstances, as God's ministers should in many
an hour of endurance, in troubles, in hardships and difficulties,
(01:10):
in floggings, in imprisonments, in riots, in toils, in sleepless nights,
in fastings, by purity, by knowledge, by patience, by kindliness,
by holiness of spirit, by unfeigned love, by the message
of truth, and by the power of God, by the
weapons of righteousness. In the right hand and in the left,
(01:31):
amid honor and disrepute, amid slander and praise. Regarded as deceivers,
yet proved to be true, as unknown yet well known,
as at death's door. Yet see we are living as chastised,
yet not killed, as saddened, yet always rejoicing, as poor,
yet in riching many, as having nothing, and yet possessing
(01:54):
all things. We have been speaking freely to you, men
of Corinth. We have opened our heart. There is room
there for you, Yet there is no room in your
love for us. Can you not, in return I appeal
to you, as I should to children, Open your hearts
to us. Do not enter into inconsistent relationships with those
(02:16):
who reject the faith. For what partnership can there be
between righteousness and lawlessness? Or what has light to do
with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and belile,
Or what can those who accept the faith have in
common with those who reject it? What agreement can there
be between the temple of God and idols, and we
are a temple of the Living God. That is what
(02:38):
God meant when he said, I will dwell among them
and walk among them, and I will be their God,
and they will be my people. Therefore, come out from
among the nations, and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord,
and touch nothing impure. And I will welcome you, and
I will be a father to you, and you shall
be my sons and daughters, says the Lord. The Rule
(03:00):
of All Chapter seven. With these promises, dear friends, let
us purify ourselves from everything that pollutes either body or spirit,
and in deepest reverence for God, aim at perfect holiness.
Make room for us in your hearts. In no instance
have we ever wronged or harmed or taken advantage of
any one. I am not saying this to condemn you. Indeed,
(03:23):
I have already said that you are in our very
heart to live and die together. I have the utmost
confidence in you. I am always boasting about you. I
am full of encouragement, and in spite of all our troubles,
my heart is overflowing with happiness. Ever since I reached Macedonia,
we have had no rest in body or mind, on
every side, there have been troubles conflicts without anxieties within.
(03:48):
But God, who encourages the downcast, has encouraged us by
the arrival of Titus. And it is not only by
his arrival that we are encouraged, but also by the
encouragement which he received from you. For he tells us
of your strong affection, your penitence, and your zeal on
my behalf, so that I am happier still. For though
I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not
(04:09):
regret it, even if I were inclined to regret it.
For I see that my letter did cause you sorrow,
though only for a time. I am glad now, not
because of the sorrow it caused you, but because your
sorrow brought you to repentance. For it was God's will
that you should feel sorrow in order that you should
not suffer loss in any way at our hands. For
(04:29):
when sorrow is in accordance with God's will, it results
in a repentance leading to salvation, and which will never
be regretted. The sure result of the sorrow that the
world knows is death. Foresee what results that other sorrow,
sorrow and accordance with God's will has had in your case.
What earnestness it produced? What explanations, what strong feeling, what alarm?
(04:51):
What longing? What eagerness, what readiness to punish? You have
proved yourselves altogether free from guilt in that matter. So then,
even though I I did right you, it was not
for the sake of the wrong doer, or of the
man who was wronged, but to make you conscious, in
the sight of God, of your own earnest care for us.
And it is this that has encouraged us. In addition
(05:12):
to the encouragement that this gave us, we were made
far happier still by the happiness of Titus, for his
heart has been cheered by you all. Although I have
been boasting a little to him about you, you did
not put me to shame. But just as everything we
had said to you is true, so our boasting to
Titus about you has also proved to be the truth.
And his affection for you is all the greater as
(05:35):
he remembers the deference that you all showed him and
recalls how you received him with anxious care. I am
glad that I can feel perfect confidence in you. Chapter eight.
We would remind you brothers of the love that God
has shown to the churches in Macedonia. How tried though
they were by many a trouble, their overflowing happiness and
(05:56):
even their deep poverty resulted in a flood of generosity.
I can bear witness that to the full extent of
their power, and even beyond their power, spontaneously and with
many an appeal to us for permission, they showed their
love and contributed their share toward the fund for their
fellow Christians. And that not only in the way we
had expected, but first they gave themselves to the Lord
(06:16):
and to us also in accordance with God's will. And
this led us to urge upon Titus that as he
had started the work for you, he should also see
to the completion of this expression of your love. And
remembering how you excel in everything, in faith, in teaching
and knowledge, in unfailing earnestness, and in the affection that
we have awakened in you, I ask you to excel
(06:37):
also in this expression of your love. I am not
laying a command upon you, but I am making use
of the earnestness shown by others to test the genuineness
of your affection for you do not forget the loving
kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ. How that for your sakes,
although he was rich, he became poor, so that you
also might become rich through his poverty. I am only
(06:59):
making suggestions on this matter, but this is the best
course for you, since you were a year before others,
not only in taking action, but also in showing your
readiness to do so. And now I want you to
complete the work so that its completion may correspond with
your willing readiness, in proportion, of course, to your means.
For where there is willingness, a man's gift is valued
(07:20):
by its comparison with what he has, and not with
what he has not. For our object is not to
give relief to others and bring distress on you, but
by equalizing matters, to secure that on the present occasion
what you can spare may supply their need, so that
at another time what they can spare may supply your need,
and thus matters may be equalized. As Scripture says, the
(07:42):
man who had much had nothing over, and the man
who had little did not lack. I thank God for
inspiring Titus with the same keen interest in your welfare
that I have for Titus has responded to my appeals,
and in his great earnestness, is starting to go to
you of his own accord. We are sending with him
the other whose fame in the service of the good
News has spread through all the churches. And not only that,
(08:04):
but he has been elected by the churches to accompany
us on our journey in connection with this expression of
your love, which we are personally administering to the honor
of the Lord, and to show our deep interest. What
we are specially guarding against is that any fault should
be found with us in regard to our administration of
this charitable fund, for we are trying to make arrangements
which shall be right, not only in the eyes of
(08:25):
the Lord, but also in the eyes of men. We
are also sending with them another of our brothers, whose
earnestness we have many a time proved in many ways,
and whom we now find even more earnest by his
great confidence in you. If I must say anything about Titus,
he is my intimate companion, and he shares my work
for you. If it is our brothers, they are delegates
of the churches and honor to Christ show them therefore
(08:47):
so that the churches may see it the proof of
your affection and the ground for our boasting to them
about you Chapter nine, with reference indeed to the fund
for your fellow Christians. It is quite superfluous for me
to say anything to you. I know, of course your
willingness to help, and I am always boasting of it
to the Macedonians. I tell them that you in Greece
have been ready for a year past, and it was
(09:09):
really your zeal that stimulated most of them. So my
reason for sending our brothers is to prevent what we
said about you from proving in this particular matter an
empty boast, and to enable you to be as well
prepared as I have been saying that you are. Otherwise,
if any Macedonians were to come with me and find
you unprepared, we to say nothing of you should feel
ashamed of our present confidence. Therefore, I think it necessary
(09:32):
to urge the brothers to go to you in advance
and to complete the arrangements for the gift which you
have already promised, so that it may be ready as
a gift before I come, and not look as if
it were being given under pressure. Remember the saying scanty sowing,
scanty harvest, plentiful sowing, plentiful harvest. Let everyone give as
he is determined beforehand, not grudgingly or under compulsion, For
(09:56):
God loves a cheerful giver. God has power to shower
all kinds of blessings upon you, so that having under
all circumstances, and on all occasions, all that you can need,
you may be able to shower all kinds of benefits
upon others. As Scripture says, he scattered broadcast he gave
to the poor. His righteousness continues forever. And He who
(10:17):
supplies seed to the sower and bread for eating, will
supply you with seed and cause it to increase, and
will multiply the fruits of your righteousness. Rich in all
things yourselves, you will be able to show liberality to all, which,
with our help, will cause thanksgiving to be offered to God.
For the rendering of a public service such as this
not only relieves the needs of your fellow Christians, but
(10:40):
also results in the offering to God of many a thanksgiving.
Through the evidence afforded by the service thus rendered, You
cause men to praise God for your fidelity to your
profession of faith in the good news of the Christ,
as well as for the liberality of your contributions for
them and for all others. And they also, in their
prayers for you, express their longing to see you because
(11:01):
of the surpassing love of God displayed toward you. All
thanks to God for his inestimable gift. End of chapter
six through nine.
The Second Letter to the Corinthians, Chapter six through nine,
from the twentieth century New Testament. This is a LibriVox recording.
All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording
by J. A. Carter www dot authentic light dot org.
(00:26):
The twentieth century New Testament by a company of about
twenty scholars, The Second Letter to the Corinthians, chapter six
through nine. Chapter six. Therefore, as God's fellow workers, we
also appeal to you not to receive his loving kindness
in vain. For he says, at the time of acceptance,
(00:47):
I listen to THEE, and on the day of deliverance,
I help THEE. Now is the time for acceptance. Now
is the day of deliverance. Never do we put an
obstacle in any one's way, that no fault may be
found with our ministry. Now we are trying to commend
ourselves under all circumstances, as God's ministers should in many
an hour of endurance, in troubles, in hardships and difficulties,
(01:10):
in floggings, in imprisonments, in riots, in toils, in sleepless nights,
in fastings, by purity, by knowledge, by patience, by kindliness,
by holiness of spirit, by unfeigned love, by the message
of truth, and by the power of God, by the
weapons of righteousness. In the right hand and in the left,
(01:31):
amid honor and disrepute, amid slander and praise. Regarded as deceivers,
yet proved to be true, as unknown yet well known,
as at death's door. Yet see we are living as chastised,
yet not killed, as saddened, yet always rejoicing, as poor,
yet in riching many, as having nothing, and yet possessing
(01:54):
all things. We have been speaking freely to you, men
of Corinth. We have opened our heart. There is room
there for you, Yet there is no room in your
love for us. Can you not, in return I appeal
to you, as I should to children, Open your hearts
to us. Do not enter into inconsistent relationships with those
(02:16):
who reject the faith. For what partnership can there be
between righteousness and lawlessness? Or what has light to do
with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and belile,
Or what can those who accept the faith have in
common with those who reject it? What agreement can there
be between the temple of God and idols, and we
are a temple of the Living God. That is what
(02:38):
God meant when he said, I will dwell among them
and walk among them, and I will be their God,
and they will be my people. Therefore, come out from
among the nations, and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord,
and touch nothing impure. And I will welcome you, and
I will be a father to you, and you shall
be my sons and daughters, says the Lord. The Rule
(03:00):
of All Chapter seven. With these promises, dear friends, let
us purify ourselves from everything that pollutes either body or spirit,
and in deepest reverence for God, aim at perfect holiness.
Make room for us in your hearts. In no instance
have we ever wronged or harmed or taken advantage of
any one. I am not saying this to condemn you. Indeed,
(03:23):
I have already said that you are in our very
heart to live and die together. I have the utmost
confidence in you. I am always boasting about you. I
am full of encouragement, and in spite of all our troubles,
my heart is overflowing with happiness. Ever since I reached Macedonia,
we have had no rest in body or mind, on
every side, there have been troubles conflicts without anxieties within.
(03:48):
But God, who encourages the downcast, has encouraged us by
the arrival of Titus. And it is not only by
his arrival that we are encouraged, but also by the
encouragement which he received from you. For he tells us
of your strong affection, your penitence, and your zeal on
my behalf, so that I am happier still. For though
I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not
(04:09):
regret it, even if I were inclined to regret it.
For I see that my letter did cause you sorrow,
though only for a time. I am glad now, not
because of the sorrow it caused you, but because your
sorrow brought you to repentance. For it was God's will
that you should feel sorrow in order that you should
not suffer loss in any way at our hands. For
(04:29):
when sorrow is in accordance with God's will, it results
in a repentance leading to salvation, and which will never
be regretted. The sure result of the sorrow that the
world knows is death. Foresee what results that other sorrow,
sorrow and accordance with God's will has had in your case.
What earnestness it produced? What explanations, what strong feeling, what alarm?
(04:51):
What longing? What eagerness, what readiness to punish? You have
proved yourselves altogether free from guilt in that matter. So then,
even though I I did right you, it was not
for the sake of the wrong doer, or of the
man who was wronged, but to make you conscious, in
the sight of God, of your own earnest care for us.
And it is this that has encouraged us. In addition
(05:12):
to the encouragement that this gave us, we were made
far happier still by the happiness of Titus, for his
heart has been cheered by you all. Although I have
been boasting a little to him about you, you did
not put me to shame. But just as everything we
had said to you is true, so our boasting to
Titus about you has also proved to be the truth.
And his affection for you is all the greater as
(05:35):
he remembers the deference that you all showed him and
recalls how you received him with anxious care. I am
glad that I can feel perfect confidence in you. Chapter eight.
We would remind you brothers of the love that God
has shown to the churches in Macedonia. How tried though
they were by many a trouble, their overflowing happiness and
(05:56):
even their deep poverty resulted in a flood of generosity.
I can bear witness that to the full extent of
their power, and even beyond their power, spontaneously and with
many an appeal to us for permission, they showed their
love and contributed their share toward the fund for their
fellow Christians. And that not only in the way we
had expected, but first they gave themselves to the Lord
(06:16):
and to us also in accordance with God's will. And
this led us to urge upon Titus that as he
had started the work for you, he should also see
to the completion of this expression of your love. And
remembering how you excel in everything, in faith, in teaching
and knowledge, in unfailing earnestness, and in the affection that
we have awakened in you, I ask you to excel
(06:37):
also in this expression of your love. I am not
laying a command upon you, but I am making use
of the earnestness shown by others to test the genuineness
of your affection for you do not forget the loving
kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ. How that for your sakes,
although he was rich, he became poor, so that you
also might become rich through his poverty. I am only
(06:59):
making suggestions on this matter, but this is the best
course for you, since you were a year before others,
not only in taking action, but also in showing your
readiness to do so. And now I want you to
complete the work so that its completion may correspond with
your willing readiness, in proportion, of course, to your means.
For where there is willingness, a man's gift is valued
(07:20):
by its comparison with what he has, and not with
what he has not. For our object is not to
give relief to others and bring distress on you, but
by equalizing matters, to secure that on the present occasion
what you can spare may supply their need, so that
at another time what they can spare may supply your need,
and thus matters may be equalized. As Scripture says, the
(07:42):
man who had much had nothing over, and the man
who had little did not lack. I thank God for
inspiring Titus with the same keen interest in your welfare
that I have for Titus has responded to my appeals,
and in his great earnestness, is starting to go to
you of his own accord. We are sending with him
the other whose fame in the service of the good
News has spread through all the churches. And not only that,
(08:04):
but he has been elected by the churches to accompany
us on our journey in connection with this expression of
your love, which we are personally administering to the honor
of the Lord, and to show our deep interest. What
we are specially guarding against is that any fault should
be found with us in regard to our administration of
this charitable fund, for we are trying to make arrangements
which shall be right, not only in the eyes of
(08:25):
the Lord, but also in the eyes of men. We
are also sending with them another of our brothers, whose
earnestness we have many a time proved in many ways,
and whom we now find even more earnest by his
great confidence in you. If I must say anything about Titus,
he is my intimate companion, and he shares my work
for you. If it is our brothers, they are delegates
of the churches and honor to Christ show them therefore
(08:47):
so that the churches may see it the proof of
your affection and the ground for our boasting to them
about you Chapter nine, with reference indeed to the fund
for your fellow Christians. It is quite superfluous for me
to say anything to you. I know, of course your
willingness to help, and I am always boasting of it
to the Macedonians. I tell them that you in Greece
have been ready for a year past, and it was
(09:09):
really your zeal that stimulated most of them. So my
reason for sending our brothers is to prevent what we
said about you from proving in this particular matter an
empty boast, and to enable you to be as well
prepared as I have been saying that you are. Otherwise,
if any Macedonians were to come with me and find
you unprepared, we to say nothing of you should feel
ashamed of our present confidence. Therefore, I think it necessary
(09:32):
to urge the brothers to go to you in advance
and to complete the arrangements for the gift which you
have already promised, so that it may be ready as
a gift before I come, and not look as if
it were being given under pressure. Remember the saying scanty sowing,
scanty harvest, plentiful sowing, plentiful harvest. Let everyone give as
he is determined beforehand, not grudgingly or under compulsion, For
(09:56):
God loves a cheerful giver. God has power to shower
all kinds of blessings upon you, so that having under
all circumstances, and on all occasions, all that you can need,
you may be able to shower all kinds of benefits
upon others. As Scripture says, he scattered broadcast he gave
to the poor. His righteousness continues forever. And He who
(10:17):
supplies seed to the sower and bread for eating, will
supply you with seed and cause it to increase, and
will multiply the fruits of your righteousness. Rich in all
things yourselves, you will be able to show liberality to all, which,
with our help, will cause thanksgiving to be offered to God.
For the rendering of a public service such as this
not only relieves the needs of your fellow Christians, but
(10:40):
also results in the offering to God of many a thanksgiving.
Through the evidence afforded by the service thus rendered, You
cause men to praise God for your fidelity to your
profession of faith in the good news of the Christ,
as well as for the liberality of your contributions for
them and for all others. And they also, in their
prayers for you, express their longing to see you because
(11:01):
of the surpassing love of God displayed toward you. All
thanks to God for his inestimable gift. End of chapter
six through nine.
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