Instead, we refuse to do secret and shameful things. We don’t trick anyone, and we don’t twist God’s word. We do just the opposite! We present the truth plainly so that everyone can judge us in their own conscience before God.
With God’s help, we’ve acted toward everyone, and especially toward you, honorably and honestly. We can say that with pride and a clear conscience. We’ve depended on God’s grace and not on the world’s wisdom.
We serve God in times of glory and shame, whether the things people say about us are good or bad. We’re genuine, but people treat us as if we were fakes.
In fact, you even put up with anyone who makes you a slave or uses you or takes advantage of you. You put up with those who claim to be better than you, and even with those who slap you in the face.