1 Corinthians 5:3

What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?

For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in the spirit, rejoicing and seeing your order, and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.

Withstand him steadfast in your faith, knowing that your brothers who are in the world are undergoing the same sufferings.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls.

Let all things be done decently and in order.

Yes, I beg you that I may not, when present, show courage with the confidence with which I intend to be bold against some, who consider us to be walking according to the flesh.

For, “His letters”, they say, “are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech is despised.”

that again when I come my God would humble me before you, and I would mourn for many of those who have sinned before now, and not repented of the uncleanness, sexual immorality, and lustfulness which they committed.

But he said, “As Yahweh lives, before whom I stand, I will receive none.” He urged him to take it; but he refused.

Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service.

Watch! Stand firm in the faith! Be courageous! Be strong!

But I call God for a witness to my soul, that I didn’t come to Corinth to spare you.

Behold, I, Paul, tell you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will profit you nothing.

But we, brothers, being bereaved of you for a short season, in presence, not in heart, tried even harder to see your face with great desire,

Therefore when we couldn’t stand it any longer, we thought it good to be left behind at Athens alone,

But when Timothy came just now to us from you, and brought us glad news of your faith and love, and that you have good memories of us always, longing to see us, even as we also long to see you,

Also the burnt offerings were in abundance, with the fat of the peace offerings, and with the drink offerings for every burnt offering. So the service of Yahweh’s house was set in order.

and might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that didn’t make their hearts loyal, whose spirit was not steadfast with God.

For their heart was not right with him, neither were they faithful in his covenant.

Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King comes to you! He is righteous, and having salvation; lowly, and riding on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.

Now I don’t desire to have you unaware, brothers, that I often planned to come to you, and was hindered so far, that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles.

Now I beg you, brothers, through the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfected together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

Brothers, even if a man is caught in some fault, you who are spiritual must restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; looking to yourself so that you also aren’t tempted.

For now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord.

The Lord’s servant must not quarrel, but be gentle toward all, able to teach, patient,

For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence firm to the end,

This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and entering into that which is within the veil;

that I will not take a thread nor a sandal strap nor anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’

Yahweh said to Moses, “They shall offer their offering, each prince on his day, for the dedication of the altar.”

He said to him, “Didn’t my heart go with you, when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and olive groves and vineyards, and sheep and cattle, and male servants and female servants?

One of his servants said, “No, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.”

But the king shall rejoice in God. Everyone who swears by him will praise him, for the mouth of those who speak lies shall be silenced.

Truth’s lips will be established forever, but a lying tongue is only momentary.

Lying lips are an abomination to Yahweh, but those who do the truth are his delight.

A whip is for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the back of fools!

Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, and cast out demons. Freely you received, so freely give.

Jesus answered him, “If I have spoken evil, testify of the evil; but if well, why do you beat me?”

Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and died. Great fear came on all who heard these things.

But Peter asked her, “How is it that you have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.”

Now the passage of the Scripture which he was reading was this, “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter. As a lamb before his shearer is silent, so he doesn’t open his mouth.

I coveted no one’s silver, gold, or clothing.

In all things I gave you an example, that so laboring you ought to help the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

But I write the more boldly to you in part, as reminding you, because of the grace that was given to me by God,

are to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Having therefore such a hope, we use great boldness of speech,

Working together, we entreat also that you do not receive the grace of God in vain,

Now I Paul, myself, entreat you by the humility and gentleness of Christ, I who in your presence am lowly among you, but being absent am bold toward you.

and being in readiness to avenge all disobedience when your obedience is made full.

Do you look at things only as they appear in front of your face? If anyone trusts in himself that he is Christ’s, let him consider this again with himself, that even as he is Christ’s, so we also are Christ’s.

Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters when we are absent, such are we also in deed when we are present.

Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself that you might be exalted, because I preached to you God’s Good News free of charge?

I speak by way of disparagement, as though we had been weak. Yet in whatever way anyone is bold (I speak in foolishness), I am bold also.

If I must boast, I will boast of the things that concern my weakness.

On behalf of such a one I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except in my weaknesses.

For I am afraid that by any means, when I come, I might find you not the way I want to, and that I might be found by you as you don’t desire, that by any means there would be strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, whisperings, proud thoughts, or riots,

I have said beforehand, and I do say beforehand, as when I was present the second time, so now, being absent, I write to those who have sinned before now, and to all the rest, that, if I come again, I will not spare;

For this cause I write these things while absent, that I may not deal sharply when present, according to the authority which the Lord gave me for building up, and not for tearing down.

but you know that because of weakness in the flesh I preached the Good News to you the first time.

For this cause I, Paul, am the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles,

I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called,

I know how to be humbled, and I also know how to abound. In everything and in all things I have learned the secret both to be filled and to be hungry, both to abound and to be in need.

But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother cherishes her own children.

Finally then, brothers, we beg and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, that you abound more and more.

The greeting of me, Paul, with my own hand, which is the sign in every letter: this is how I write.

to speak evil of no one, not to be contentious, to be gentle, showing all humility toward all men.

Avoid a factious man after a first and second warning,

But I exhort you, brothers, endure the word of exhortation; for I have written to you in few words.

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by his good conduct that his deeds are done in gentleness of wisdom.

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceful, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

Beloved, I beg you as foreigners and pilgrims, to abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

Servants, be in subjection to your masters with all respect: not only to the good and gentle, but also to the wicked.

but in the hidden person of the heart, in the incorruptible adornment of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.

Therefore if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words. Not content with this, neither does he himself receive the brothers, and those who would, he forbids and throws out of the assembly.

I John, your brother and partner with you in the oppression, Kingdom, and perseverance in Christ Jesus, was on the isle that is called Patmos because of God’s Word and the testimony of Jesus Christ.

But I determined this for myself, that I would not come to you again in sorrow.