But I haven’t used any of those rights. And I’m not writing this because I want you to do things like that for me. I’d rather die than let anyone take away the satisfaction I get from bragging about this.
Other people might be your guardians in Christ, but even if there were 10,000 of them, you still wouldn’t have many fathers. I became your father in Christ Jesus by telling you the good news.
And we urge you, brothers and sisters, to warn certain people who don’t want to work and who are being disruptive. Encourage those who have lost hope, help those who are weak, and be patient with everyone.
Christ is the one we preach about. With all the wisdom we have, we warn and teach everyone so that when we bring them to God, they will be like Christ. We want them to be mature in Christ.
All this time, have you been thinking that I’ve been speaking up for myself? No, I’ve been speaking with God as my witness, as a believer in Christ. Dear friends, everything I do is to help you become stronger.
That’s the reason why I’ve sent Timothy to you. He’s like a son to me, and I love him. He’s faithful in serving the Lord. He’ll remind you of the way I live as a servant of Christ Jesus. I myself follow what I teach everywhere in all the churches.
My dear children, I’m writing this to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, then we have a friend who speaks to the Father for us. He’s Jesus Christ, the Blameless One