Note: Words are shown in their original Greek order, which differs from English translations. This reflects the emphasis and structure of Scripture as originally written. Click any word to see its full lexicon entry.
1As God’s fellow workers, then, we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.
2For He says: “In the time of favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is the time of favor; now is the day of salvation!
14Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership can righteousness have with wickedness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness?
16What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.”
Second Corinthians 6 contains Paul's passionate appeal to the Corinthian believers to take their faith seriously and live it out with integrity. He begins by urging them not to waste God's grace, then describes his own apostolic sufferings and character as a model of genuine ministry. The chapter concludes with one of Scripture's clearest teachings on separation from unbelief—not isolation, but a firm boundary against compromising partnerships that would pull believers away from Christ. Throughout, Paul emphasizes that authentic Christianity requires both personal holiness and deliberate choices about our closest relationships.
Paul opens with a tender but urgent plea: don't let God's grace go to waste in your lives. He anchors this in Isaiah 49:8, reminding the Corinthians that now is the day of salvation—not tomorrow, not after you've sorted out your problems. The phrase "workers together with him" shows that believers are partners with God in the work of the Gospel. When we receive God's grace passively, failing to let it transform how we live and serve, we nullify its power. Paul is calling them (and us) to active, responsive faith.
Paul shifts to describe his own ministry as proof of his apostolic authenticity. Rather than boasting in privileges, he lists hardships: stripes, imprisonments, tumults, labors, watchings, fastings (vv. 4–5). Yet he also catalogs spiritual virtues—purity, knowledge, longsuffering, kindness, the Holy Ghost, and love unfeigned (vv. 6–7). The word unfeigned (Greek: anupokritos) means genuine, without hypocrisy.
Verses 8–10 present striking paradoxes that capture the Christian life: "as deceivers, and yet true"; "as dying, and behold, we live"; "as sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing." Paul isn't claiming he lived a double life; rather, he's showing how worldly judgment often misreads the faithful minister. True approval comes from God, not from human reputation. Application: Our spiritual integrity is proven not by comfort but by how we respond to suffering and opposition with Christ-like character.
Paul opens his heart to the Corinthians with transparency and affection, calling them "children." He tells them plainly: the barrier between us isn't my coldness toward you, but your own hesitation to fully trust me and my message. He invites them to enlarge their hearts toward him and toward God's truth in the same way he has enlarged his heart toward them. This is a pastor's gentle rebuke wrapped in love.
Paul now addresses a critical issue: the Corinthians' tendency toward close relationships with unbelievers. "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers" (v. 14) uses the image of oxen pulling in opposite directions. The rhetorical questions that follow—concerning righteousness and unrighteousness, light and darkness, Christ and Belial (Satan)—make the incompatibility clear.
Paul doesn't say "never associate with unbelievers," but rather warns against binding partnerships (marriage, close business ventures, spiritual mentorship) that would compromise faith. The temple analogy (vv. 16–17) emphasizes that believers themselves are God's dwelling place; therefore, separation from idolatry and spiritual compromise isn't legalism but worship. The promise of verses 17–18 is remarkable: obedience to separation brings the reward of God's fatherhood and His adoption into His family.
Application for Today
Today's believers must ask: Are we truly receiving God's grace and letting it work through us? Do our lives show the fruit of the Spirit even in difficulty? And crucially, are our closest relationships—marriage, business partners, spiritual mentors—drawing us closer to Christ or away? Paul calls us to radical allegiance to Jesus that shapes every major decision. This isn't about fear of the world; it's about love for God and clarity about who shapes our souls.
Study Notes — 2 Corinthians 6
5 sectionsSecond Corinthians 6 contains Paul's passionate appeal to the Corinthian believers to take their faith seriously and live it out with integrity. He begins by urging them not to waste God's grace, then describes his own apostolic sufferings and character as a model of genuine ministry. The chapter concludes with one of Scripture's clearest teachings on separation from unbelief—not isolation, but a firm boundary against compromising partnerships that would pull believers away from Christ. Throughout, Paul emphasizes that authentic Christianity requires both personal holiness and deliberate choices about our closest relationships.
Paul opens with a tender but urgent plea: don't let God's grace go to waste in your lives. He anchors this in Isaiah 49:8, reminding the Corinthians that now is the day of salvation—not tomorrow, not after you've sorted out your problems. The phrase "workers together with him" shows that believers are partners with God in the work of the Gospel. When we receive God's grace passively, failing to let it transform how we live and serve, we nullify its power. Paul is calling them (and us) to active, responsive faith.
Paul shifts to describe his own ministry as proof of his apostolic authenticity. Rather than boasting in privileges, he lists hardships: stripes, imprisonments, tumults, labors, watchings, fastings (vv. 4–5). Yet he also catalogs spiritual virtues—purity, knowledge, longsuffering, kindness, the Holy Ghost, and love unfeigned (vv. 6–7). The word unfeigned (Greek: anupokritos) means genuine, without hypocrisy.
Verses 8–10 present striking paradoxes that capture the Christian life: "as deceivers, and yet true"; "as dying, and behold, we live"; "as sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing." Paul isn't claiming he lived a double life; rather, he's showing how worldly judgment often misreads the faithful minister. True approval comes from God, not from human reputation. Application: Our spiritual integrity is proven not by comfort but by how we respond to suffering and opposition with Christ-like character.
Paul opens his heart to the Corinthians with transparency and affection, calling them "children." He tells them plainly: the barrier between us isn't my coldness toward you, but your own hesitation to fully trust me and my message. He invites them to enlarge their hearts toward him and toward God's truth in the same way he has enlarged his heart toward them. This is a pastor's gentle rebuke wrapped in love.
Paul now addresses a critical issue: the Corinthians' tendency toward close relationships with unbelievers. "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers" (v. 14) uses the image of oxen pulling in opposite directions. The rhetorical questions that follow—concerning righteousness and unrighteousness, light and darkness, Christ and Belial (Satan)—make the incompatibility clear.
Paul doesn't say "never associate with unbelievers," but rather warns against binding partnerships (marriage, close business ventures, spiritual mentorship) that would compromise faith. The temple analogy (vv. 16–17) emphasizes that believers themselves are God's dwelling place; therefore, separation from idolatry and spiritual compromise isn't legalism but worship. The promise of verses 17–18 is remarkable: obedience to separation brings the reward of God's fatherhood and His adoption into His family.
Today's believers must ask: Are we truly receiving God's grace and letting it work through us? Do our lives show the fruit of the Spirit even in difficulty? And crucially, are our closest relationships—marriage, business partners, spiritual mentors—drawing us closer to Christ or away? Paul calls us to radical allegiance to Jesus that shapes every major decision. This isn't about fear of the world; it's about love for God and clarity about who shapes our souls.