2 Corinthians 6

Working together, we entreat also that you do not receive the grace of God in vain.

For he says, “At an acceptable time I listened to you. In a day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is the acceptable time. Behold, now is the day of salvation.

We give no occasion of stumbling in anything, that our service may not be blamed,

but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God: in great endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses,

in beatings, in imprisonments, in riots, in labors, in watchings, in fastings,

in pureness, in knowledge, in perseverance, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in sincere love,

in the word of truth, in the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,

by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report, as deceivers and yet true,

as unknown and yet well known, as dying and behold—we live, as punished and not killed,

as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing and yet possessing all things.

Our mouth is open to you, Corinthians. Our heart is enlarged.

You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted by your own affections.

Now in return—I speak as to my children—you also open your hearts.

Don’t be unequally yoked with unbelievers, for what fellowship do righteousness and iniquity have? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness?

What agreement does Christ have with Belial? Or what portion does a believer have with an unbeliever?

What agreement does a temple of God have with idols? For you are a temple of the living God. Even as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk in them. I will be their God and they will be my people.”

Therefore “‘Come out from among them, and be separate,’ says the Lord. ‘Touch no unclean thing. I will receive you.

I will be to you a Father. You will be to me sons and daughters,’ says the Lord Almighty.”

Chapter overviewAI-generated

Overview.
This chapter calls believers to respond faithfully to the gospel’s urgent offer of reconciliation, emphasizing the apostolic ministry’s integrity amid suffering and urging the Corinthian church to pursue holiness through separation from idolatry and unbelief. Building on Paul’s defense of his apostolic ministry in chapter 5, it blends pastoral appeal with ethical exhortation, grounding both in the present reality of God’s saving favor and the believer’s identity as God’s temple.

Flow.

Paul begins with an urgent appeal not to receive God’s grace in vain, citing Isaiah to stress that now is the time of salvation (v. 1–2).
He then details the hardships and virtues that mark authentic ministry, presenting a paradoxical portrait of weakness and divine power (v. 3–10).
The tone shifts to personal affection as Paul urges the Corinthians to open their hearts in mutual trust (v. 11–13).
Finally, he calls for separation from unbelieving alliances, grounding the exhortation in the holiness of God’s dwelling among His people (v. 14–18).

Connections.
Following chapter 5, which establishes the ministry of reconciliation and the believer’s new identity in Christ, this chapter applies that reconciliation to the concrete life of the community, showing how gospel fidelity shapes conduct and relationships. The call to holiness and separation in verses 14–18 prepares the way for Paul’s renewed defense of his apostleship and appeal for restoration of relationship in chapter 7, where the theme of comfort in affliction and purity of devotion continues.

What it teaches.
The gospel must not be nullified by unresponsive hearts, for God’s promised salvation is realized now, in the “day of salvation” (WCF 17.3). True ministry and discipleship are marked not by worldly success but by endurance through suffering, moral integrity, and the Spirit’s power (WCF 16.2; HC LD 17). Believers, indwelt by the living God (; WCF 19.6), are called to purity in separation from idolatry, reflecting the holiness of God’s covenant promise: “I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (WCF 7.6; HC LD 31). The passage echoes Levitical and prophetic calls for separation (cf. ; ), now fulfilled in the gospel community as God’s temple (HC Q/A 54).

Apply.
Hold gospel relationships open and holy, shaped by the reality that God dwells among His people.

AI-generated. Not a substitute for Scripture, your pastor, or the confessions.