14. even though you now understand it only partially. We are your reason to be proud, as you will be our reason to be proud on the day of our Lord Jesus.
15. Confident of this, I had previously wanted to visit you so that you could benefit twice.
16. My plans had been to go from the city of Corinth to the province of Macedonia. Then from Macedonia I had planned to return to you again in Corinth and have you support my trip to Judea.
17. You don’t think that I made these plans lightly, do you? Do you think that when I make plans, I make them in a sinful way? Why would I say that something is true when it isn’t?
18. You can depend on God. Our message to you isn’t false; it’s true.
19. God’s Son, Jesus Christ, whom I, Silvanus, and Timothy told you about, was true not false. Because of him our message was always true.
20. Certainly, Christ made God’s many promises come true. For that reason, because of our message, people also honor God by saying, “Amen!”
21. God establishes us, together with you, in a relationship with Christ. He has also anointed us.
22. In addition, he has put his seal ⌊of ownership⌋ on us and has given us the Spirit as his guarantee.
23. I appeal to God as a witness on my behalf, that I stayed away from Corinth because I wanted to spare you.
24. It isn’t that we want to have control over your Christian faith. Rather, we want to work with you so that you will be happy. Certainly, you are firmly established in the Christian faith.