2 Corinthians 6

KJV · Chapter 6/13

¹We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

²(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

³Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed:

⁴But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses,

⁵In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings;

⁶By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned,

⁷By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,

⁸By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true;

⁹As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed;

¹⁰As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

¹¹O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged.

¹²Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels.

¹³Now for a recompence in the same, (I speak as unto my children,) be ye also enlarged.

¹⁴Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

¹⁵And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

¹⁶And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

¹⁷Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

¹⁸And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Paul describes the countless hardships he faced as a servant of God, showing integrity in the midst of extreme trials. He then appeals to the Corinthians not to be bound together with unbelievers in incompatible ways, and opens his heart to ask for reciprocal affection.

Explanation

The long list of sufferings and paradoxes (“as poor, yet making many rich... as having nothing, and yet possessing all things”) functions as a credential of ministerial authenticity: Paul proves his integrity not through success or comfort, but through faithful perseverance amid adversity. The instruction not to be “unequally yoked together with unbelievers” (v.14) draws on an agricultural image of two oxen of different strength or size trying to plow together, illustrating how foundational partnerships incompatible with faith can harm one's witness and spiritual walk. The chapter ends with Paul asking the Corinthians for reciprocal emotional openness, showing how deeply intertwined ministry and affection were for him. Today's application involves discernment about alliances and commitments that could compromise faithfulness to God.

Fun facts

The combined quotation of several Old Testament texts in verses 16-18 (including Leviticus, Isaiah, and Ezekiel) is an example of how New Testament writers often wove related passages together to reinforce a single theological argument.
The expression 'be ye not unequally yoked together' has become, throughout Christian history, a common reference in discussions about marriage between believers and unbelievers, although Paul's original context is broader, dealing with alliances and commitments in general.

Verse-by-verse explanation

2 Corinthians 6:1He continues the appeal from the end of chapter 5: since God offered this reconciliation freely, Paul asks the Corinthians not to let that grace pass without real effect in their lives.
2 Corinthians 6:2Paul quotes the prophet Isaiah, who spoke of “a time accepted” and “the day of salvation,” God's right moment to act. He applies this to the present, saying that the foretold time has now come with the preaching of the gospel.
2 Corinthians 6:3He explains his extreme care not to give any cause for scandal: he wants to protect the credibility of his preaching work, so no one has reason to criticize him.
2 Corinthians 6:4He begins a list of practical proofs that he is a genuine minister of God: patience amid sufferings, afflictions, and various needs — the following verses continue the list.
2 Corinthians 6:5He continues the list of real hardships Paul faced: beatings, imprisonments, riots, hard labor, sleepless nights, and fasting — a very concrete picture of the physical cost of his work.
2 Corinthians 6:6The list shifts from physical suffering to character qualities: purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, and unfeigned love — all of this, Paul says, also proves his integrity.
2 Corinthians 6:7He continues listing his credentials: speaking the truth, acting in God's power, using weapons of righteousness both to attack and to defend (“on the right hand and on the left”), a military image of being ready on every side.
2 Corinthians 6:8He describes how he is seen in opposite ways depending on who is looking: treated with honor by some and dishonor by others, called a deceiver by some even though he is sincere.
2 Corinthians 6:9Paul describes an apostle's daily life as a list of contrasts — honor and dishonor, dying and living, poor and making others rich — to show how the Christian life, seen from outside, seemed full of contradictions that only made sense through faith.
2 Corinthians 6:10He closes the list of contrasts: sorrowful yet always rejoicing, poor yet making many rich, having nothing yet possessing everything — the Christian life, seen from outside, seems full of contradictions that only make sense through faith.
2 Corinthians 6:11He shifts tone, from a list of hardships to a direct emotional appeal: Paul says he speaks to the Corinthians with an open heart, holding nothing back.
2 Corinthians 6:12He explains that any distance between them doesn't come from Paul's side, but from the Corinthians themselves, who are closing themselves off emotionally.
2 Corinthians 6:13He asks for reciprocity, treating the Corinthians as children: since he has opened himself so much, he asks that they open themselves back to him, to the same degree.
2 Corinthians 6:14The phrase “unequally yoked” is an image drawn from the law that forbade harnessing an ox and a donkey together to the same plow, animals of different strength and pace (Deuteronomy 22:10). Paul uses this to warn against partnerships that bind a Christian too tightly to someone who doesn't share the same faith.
2 Corinthians 6:15“Belial” was a name used at the time to refer to the devil or the forces of evil. Paul asks what Christ has to do with Belial, reinforcing the contrast of the unequal yoke from the previous verse.
2 Corinthians 6:16A rhetorical question reinforcing the warning against alliances with those who don't share the faith: just as a temple doesn't fit with idols, Christians, “the temple of the living God,” shouldn't mix with practices contrary to God.
2 Corinthians 6:17He quotes Old Testament prophets (such as Isaiah 52) calling for separation from impure practices, promising that God receives those who make that choice.
2 Corinthians 6:18He completes the previous quotation with a promise of family relationship: God becomes a Father to those who separate from such practices, and they become His sons and daughters.

Chapters

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