2 Corinthians 12:20

not lagging in diligence; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;

Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but only what is good for building others up as the need may be, that it may give grace to those who hear.

So, then, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger;

that you put away, as concerning your former way of life, the old man that grows corrupt after the lusts of deceit,

For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

Therefore, putting away all filthiness and overflowing of wickedness, receive with humility the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

For where jealousy and selfish ambition are, there is confusion and every evil deed.

He who covers an offense promotes love; but he who repeats a matter separates best friends.

Death and life are in the power of the tongue; those who love it will eat its fruit.

For lack of wood a fire goes out. Without gossip, a quarrel dies down.

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

For first of all, when you come together in the assembly, I hear that divisions exist among you, and I partly believe it.

For to this end I also wrote, that I might know the proof of you, whether you are obedient in all things.

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.

Beware of the dogs; beware of the evil workers; beware of the false circumcision.

They scoff and speak with malice. In arrogance, they threaten oppression.

A wrathful man stirs up contention, but one who is slow to anger appeases strife.

An angry man stirs up strife, and a wrathful man abounds in sin.

Because iniquity will be multiplied, the love of many will grow cold.

Flee sexual immorality! “Every sin that a man does is outside the body,” but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.

If I speak with the languages of men and of angels, but don’t have love, I have become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal.

His affection is more abundantly toward you, while he remembers all of your obedience, how with fear and trembling you received him.

“Be angry, and don’t sin.” Don’t let the sun go down on your wrath,

nor filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not appropriate, but rather giving of thanks.

But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t boast and don’t lie against the truth.

by which he has granted to us his precious and exceedingly great promises; that through these you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world by lust.

but chiefly those who walk after the flesh in the lust of defilement and despise authority. Daring, self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries;

For if, after they have escaped the defilement of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in it and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.

Everyone who sins also commits lawlessness. Sin is lawlessness.

“I know your works, and your toil and perseverance, and that you can’t tolerate evil men, and have tested those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and found them false.

“ ‘When you offer an offering of a meal offering baked in the oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with oil.

Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking lies.

The words of a gossip are like dainty morsels: they go down into a person’s innermost parts.

being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, malice; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil habits, secret slanderers,

For it has been reported to me concerning you, my brothers, by those who are from Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you.

for you are still fleshly. For insofar as there is jealousy, strife, and factions among you, aren’t you fleshly, and don’t you walk in the ways of men?

Because of this I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways which are in Christ, even as I teach everywhere in every assembly.

Yet if the unbeliever departs, let there be separation. The brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has called us in peace.

Only, as the Lord has distributed to each man, as God has called each, so let him walk. So I command in all the assemblies.

Brothers, don’t be children in thoughts, yet in malice be babies, but in thoughts be mature.

Let all things be done decently and in order.

Now the deeds of the flesh are obvious, which are: adultery, sexual immorality, uncleanness, lustfulness,

Put to death therefore your members which are on the earth: sexual immorality, uncleanness, depraved passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

Don’t lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old man with his doings,

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. The Lord be with you all.

Their wives in the same way must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, and faithful in all things.

and that older women likewise be reverent in behavior, not slanderers nor enslaved to much wine, teachers of that which is good,

Therefore let’s also, seeing we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let’s run with perseverance the race that is set before us,

Don’t grumble, brothers, against one another, so that you won’t be judged. Behold, the judge stands at the door.

For, “He who would love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit.

that you no longer should live the rest of your time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.

having eyes full of adultery, and who can’t cease from sin; enticing unsettled souls; having a heart trained in greed; children of cursing;

knowing this first, that in the last days mockers will come, walking after their own lusts

Yet in the same way, these also in their dreaming defile the flesh, despise authority, and slander celestial beings.

“I know your works (behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one can shut), that you have a little power, and kept my word, and didn’t deny my name.

“I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot.

Cease from anger, and forsake wrath. Don’t fret; it leads only to evildoing.

He who loves disobedience loves strife. One who builds a high gate seeks destruction.

But if you bite and devour one another, be careful that you don’t consume one another.

but now you also put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and shameful speaking out of your mouth.

Putting away therefore all wickedness, all deceit, hypocrisies, envies, and all evil speaking,

In the shelter of your presence you will hide them from the plotting of man. You will keep them secretly in a dwelling away from the strife of tongues.

All who hate me whisper together against me. They imagine the worst for me.

A perverse man stirs up strife. A whisperer separates close friends.

The north wind produces rain; so a backbiting tongue brings an angry face.

Love is patient and is kind. Love doesn’t envy. Love doesn’t brag, is not proud,

for God is not a God of confusion, but of peace, as in all the assemblies of the saints.

Our hope for you is steadfast, knowing that, since you are partakers of the sufferings, so you are also of the comfort.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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;

But I hope that you will know that we aren’t disqualified.

Let’s not become conceited, provoking one another, and envying one another.

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, outcry, and slander be put away from you, with all malice.

Do all things without complaining and arguing,

Let no one rob you of your prize by self-abasement and worshiping of the angels, dwelling in the things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,

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

For we were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.

Don’t speak against one another, brothers. He who speaks against a brother and judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge.

For, uttering great swelling words of emptiness, they entice in the lusts of the flesh, by licentiousness, those who are indeed escaping from those who live in error;

These are murmurers and complainers, walking after their lusts—and their mouth speaks proud things—showing respect of persons to gain advantage.

Some indeed preach Christ even out of envy and strife, and some also out of good will.

doing nothing through rivalry or through conceit, but in humility, each counting others better than himself;