2 Corinthians 7:12

“ ‘You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him.

For though I was free from all, I brought myself under bondage to all, that I might gain the more.

But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by the manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

Brothers, if any among you wanders from the truth and someone turns him back,

For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears, not that you should be made to grieve, but that you might know the love that I have so abundantly for you.

It is even right for me to think this way on behalf of all of you, because I have you in my heart, because both in my bonds and in the defense and confirmation of the Good News, you all are partakers with me of grace.

bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, if any man has a complaint against any; even as Christ forgave you, so you also do.

For our exhortation is not of error, nor of uncleanness, nor in deception.

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.

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

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

I wish that you would bear with me in a little foolishness, but indeed you do bear with me.

I know a man in Christ, fourteen years ago (whether in the body, I don’t know, or whether out of the body, I don’t know; God knows), such a one caught up into the third heaven.

I have confidence toward you in the Lord that you will think no other way. But he who troubles you will bear his judgment, whoever he is.

that we may no longer be children, tossed back and forth and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error;

We have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you both do and will do the things we command.

Don’t count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and is able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

In covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words: whose sentence now from of old doesn’t linger, and their destruction will not slumber.

For God has put in their hearts to do what he has in mind, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God should be accomplished.

“ ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife. It is your father’s nakedness.

A man shall not take his father’s wife, and shall not uncover his father’s skirt.

When his friends heard it, they went out to seize him; for they said, “He is insane.”

For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience, that in holiness and sincerity of God, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God we behaved ourselves in the world, and more abundantly toward you.

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

Now thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and reveals through us the sweet aroma of his knowledge in every place.

Having regard for honorable things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.

We have sent with them our brother, whom we have many times proved earnest in many things, but now much more earnest, by reason of the great confidence which he has in you.

I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If I love you more abundantly, am I loved the less?

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 there isn’t another “good news.” Only there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the Good News of Christ.

But you know the proof of him, that as a child serves a father, so he served with me in furtherance of the Good News.

Remember your leaders, men who spoke to you the word of God, and considering the results of their conduct, imitate their faith.

But for the cowardly, unbelieving, sinners, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their part is in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside.

For every matter of trespass, whether it is for ox, for donkey, for sheep, for clothing, or for any kind of lost thing, about which one says, ‘This is mine,’ the cause of both parties shall come before God. He whom God condemns shall pay double to his neighbor.

‘Cursed is he who lies with his father’s wife, because he dishonors his father’s bed.’ All the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons brought a curse on themselves, and he didn’t restrain them.

Let the righteous strike me, it is kindness; let him reprove me, it is like oil on the head; don’t let my head refuse it; Yet my prayer is always against evil deeds.

One who rebukes a man will afterward find more favor than one who flatters with the tongue.

They trample on the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and deny justice to the oppressed; and a man and his father use the same maiden, to profane my holy name;

The enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.

but that we write to them that they abstain from the pollution of idols, from sexual immorality, from what is strangled, and from blood.

that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality, from which if you keep yourselves, it will be well with you. Farewell.”

serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears, and with trials which happened to me by the plots of the Jews;

As he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are crazy! Your great learning is driving you insane!”

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.

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

But as it is, I wrote to you not to associate with anyone who is called a brother who is a sexual sinner, or covetous, or an idolater, or a slanderer, or a drunkard, or an extortionist. Don’t even eat with such a person.

Or don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s Kingdom? Don’t be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexuals,

“Foods for the belly, and the belly for foods,” but God will bring to nothing both it and them. But the body is not for sexual immorality, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.

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

Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.

For if I make you grieve, then who will make me glad but he who is made to grieve by me?

I had no relief for my spirit, because I didn’t find Titus, my brother, but taking my leave of them, I went out into Macedonia.

I rejoice that in everything I am confident concerning you.

For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as Christ’s apostles.

For if I would desire to boast, I will not be foolish; for I will speak the truth. But I refrain, so that no man may think more of me than that which he sees in me or hears from me.

I have become foolish in boasting. You compelled me, for I ought to have been commended by you, for I am in no way inferior to the very best apostles, though I am nothing.

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.

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

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.

But sexual immorality, and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be mentioned among you, as becomes saints;

Have no fellowship with the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather even reprove them.

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

For God called us not for uncleanness, but in sanctification.

but if I wait long, that you may know how men ought to behave themselves in God’s house, which is the assembly of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even beyond what I say.

In the same way, wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; so that, even if any don’t obey the Word, they may be won by the behavior of their wives without a word,

I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality.

While Israel lived in that land, Reuben went and lay with Bilhah, his father’s concubine, and Israel heard of it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve.

“ ‘The man who lies with his father’s wife has uncovered his father’s nakedness. Both of them shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon themselves.

No, my sons; for it is not a good report that I hear! You make Yahweh’s people disobey.

David came to his house at Jerusalem; and the king took the ten women his concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in custody, and provided them with sustenance, but didn’t go in to them. So they were shut up to the day of their death, living in widowhood.

The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (for he was the firstborn; but, because he defiled his father’s couch, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel; and the genealogy is not to be listed according to the birthright.

How well you prepare your way to seek love! Therefore you have even taught the wicked women your ways.

In you have they uncovered their fathers’ nakedness. In you have they humbled her who was unclean in her impurity.

“If your brother sins against you, go, show him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained back your brother.

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles, that one has his father’s wife.

that there should be no division in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.

In this confidence, I was determined to come first to you, that you might have a second benefit,

And I wrote this very thing to you, so that, when I came, I wouldn’t have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you all, that my joy would be shared by all of you.

For we are not as so many, peddling the word of God. But as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God, we speak in Christ.

For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God. Or if we are of sober mind, it is for you.

I say this not to condemn you, for I have said before that you are in our hearts to die together and live together.

Nevertheless, he who comforts the lowly, God, comforted us by the coming of Titus,

For though I grieved you with my letter, I do not regret it, though I did regret it. For I see that my letter made you grieve, though just for a while.

But thanks be to God, who puts the same earnest care for you into the heart of Titus.

Why? Because I don’t love you? God knows.

Besides those things that are outside, there is that which presses on me daily: anxiety for all the assemblies.

Finally, brothers, rejoice! Be perfected. Be comforted. Be of the same mind. Live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.

(but how could someone who doesn’t know how to rule one’s own house take care of God’s assembly?)