by the power of signs and wonders, and by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.
For if someone comes to you and preaches a different message about Jesus than the one we preached, or if you receive a different spirit than the one you received, or a different gospel than the one you accepted, you bear with it well enough.
The reason I am writing these things to you while I am absent is so that, when I am present, I will not need to be harsh in my use of authority, which the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down.
Now if you forgive anyone of anything, I also forgive him. For if I have forgiven anyone of anything, I have done it for your sakes in the presence of Christ,
For I wrote to you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you sorrow, but to let you know the abundant love I have for you.
You show that you are a letter from Christ, delivered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not on stone tablets, but on tablets of human hearts.
For God, who commanded light to shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in regard to the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to catch a glimpse of these things.
Since you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth through the Spirit, resulting in genuine brotherly love, love one another deeply, from a pure heart.