A Heretic's Notes from Paul's Second Letter to Corinth

God Is Black, And SHE Is Emptiness:

2.1.XX

Blessed be the God who comforts us in all our affliction,  so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. or we do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters of our affliction which came to us, That we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even to live.    Indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not have confidence in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead;  who rescued us from so great a peril of death, and will rescue us, on whom we have set our hope. And whom will yet rescue us.  who also sealed us and gave the pledge of the Spirit in our hearts.  But I call God as witness to my soul, that to spare you. 2.2.XX  But I determined this for my own sake, that I would not come to you again in sorrow.  For if I cause you sorrow, who then makes me glad but the one whom I made sorrowful?   I would not have sorrow from those who ought to make me rejoice; having confidence in you all that my joy would be the joy of you all.   For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears;  not so that you would be made sorrowful, but that you might know the love which I have abundantly for you.   But one whom you graciously forgive anything, I graciously forgive also.  For indeed what I have graciously forgiven, if I have graciously forgiven anything, I did it for your sakes.  But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession,  and manifests through us the aroma of the knowledge, In every place.  to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is sufficient for these things?   For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, in the sight of God, we speak.   2.3.XX  Are we beginning to commend ourselves again?  Or do we need, as some, letters of commendation to you or from you?     You are our letter, having been written in our hearts, known and read by all.  Being manifested that you are a letter, ministered to by us, having been written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of hearts of flesh. 

 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God,     who also made us sufficient as stewards of a new way, not of the letter but of the Spirit; For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.   Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness.  whenever a person turns to God, the veil is taken away.   Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. There in Spirit. In Breath.   But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the God Imago, Are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the God Imago, the Spirit.  2.4.XX We have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man and woman’s conscience, in the sight of God.  the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of the image of God.  The God Imago.  For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of The God Imago.  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves;    in every way afflicted, but not crushed;  perplexed, but not despairing;   persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;  always carrying about in the body the dying of The God Imago, so that the life of The God Imago also may be manifested in our body.    For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death.  So death works in us, but life too, through you.   “I believed, therefore I spoke,”   For all things are for your sakes, so that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God.  For Her Love knows no bounds.  Therefore we do not lose heart, though our outer being is decaying, yet our inner being is being renewed day by day.   For our momentary, light affliction is working out for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,   while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.  2.5.XX  For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands,  eternal in the heavens.   For indeed in this we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven,   inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked.  For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life.   Now SHE who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge.   Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body and beyond,  we walk by faith, not by sight.   We are of good courage and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Breath.  Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Her.  For if we are out of our mind, it is for God, or if we are of right mind, it is for you.   Therefore if anyone is in The God Imago, they are a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 2.6.XX  Behold, now is “the acceptable time” Behold, now is “the day of salvation”  but in everything commending ourselves as stewards of God, in much perseverance, in afflictions, in distresses, in hardships,   in beatings, in imprisonments, in disturbances, in labors, in sleeplessness, in hunger, in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Breath, in unhypocritical love,   n the word of truth, in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left,  by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; regarded as deceivers and yet true;  as unknown and yet well-known, as dying and yet behold, we live; as punished and yet not put to death,   as sorrowful but always rejoicing, as poor but making many rich, as having nothing and yet possessing all things.   Our mouth has spoken freely to you, our heart is opened wide.   You are not restrained by us, but you are restrained in your own affections.  what fellowship has light with darkness? For She, The Infinite Darkness,  Births all light, So that we may see, So that we may be. 2.7.XX  Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves.  Great is my boldness toward you; great is my boasting on your behalf. I have been filled with comfort; I am overflowing with joy in all our affliction.  For even when we came our flesh had no rest, but we were afflicted on every side— conflicts without, fears within. But God, who comforts the humbled, comforted us. For though I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it, though I did regret it—for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while  I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made to have godly sorrow, so that you might not suffer loss in anything.  For godly sorrow produces a sorrow without regret, leading to salvation,  but the sorrow of the world only brings about death.   I rejoice that in everything I am encouraged about you.  2.8.XX  Now, we make known to you the grace of God which has been given,  that in a great testing by affliction your abundance of joy and your deep poverty abounded unto the richness of your generosity.  But just as you abound in everything, in faith and word and knowledge and in all earnestness and in the love inspired in you, see that you abound in this gracious work also.   And I give my opinion in this matter, for this is profitable for you, who were the first to begin a year ago not only to do this, but also to desire to do it.  But now complete doing it also, so that just as there was the readiness to desire it, so there may be also the completion of it from what you have.  At this present time your abundance being a supply for their need, so that their abundance also may become a supply for your need, that there may be equality.    “He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little had no lack.” 2.9.XX  I know your readiness and your zeal.  Now this I say, they who sow sparingly will also reap sparingly, and they who sow with blessing will also reap with blessing.    Each one must do just as they have purposed in their heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.   And God is able to make every grace abound to you, so that in everything at every time having every sufficiency, you may have an abundance for every good deed;  

“They scattered abroad, They gave to the needy,

Their righteousness stands forever.”

 Now They who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed  and increase the harvest of your righteousness;  you will be enriched in everything for all generosity, which is bringing about thanksgiving to God.   Thanks be to God for Her indescribable gift!  2.10.XX Though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.   For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the tearing down of strongholds.  As we tear down speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to the obedience of The God Imago.   Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters when absent, such persons we are also in deed when present.  2.11.XX  But even if I am unskilled in word, yet I am not so in knowledge; in fact, in every way we have made this evident to you in all things. Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I proclaimed the gospel of God to you without charge?  I robbed churches by taking wages from them to guide you. And when I was present with you and was in need, I was not a burden to anyone;  and in everything I kept and will keep myself from being a burden to you.   Again I say, let no one think me foolish; but if you do, receive me even as foolish, so that I also may boast a little.   For you, being so wise, are bearing the foolish gladly.   For you bear it if anyone enslaves you, anyone devours you, anyone takes advantage of you, anyone exalts himself, anyone hits you in the face. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked —a night and a day—  I have spent in the deep.   I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers,  dangers from my countrymen, dangers in the city, dangers in the desolate places, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brothers I have been in labor and hardship, in many sleepless nights, in starvation and thirst, often hungry, in cold and without enough clothing. Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for The All.  Who is weak without my being weak? Who is made to stumble without my burning concern?  If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness.   The God and Mother of The God Imago, She who is blessed forever,  knows that I am not lying.

2.12.XX  I know of one in who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows—but one was caught up to the third heaven.   Was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which one is not permitted to speak.   On behalf of this one I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except in weaknesses.   For if I do wish to boast, I will not be foolish, for I will be speaking the truth; but I refrain from this, so that no one will consider me beyond what he sees in me or hears from me.   Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of The Adversary to torment me— to keep me from exalting myself!   Concerning this I pleaded with God three times that it might leave me.   And She has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of The Breath may dwell in me.   Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions and hardships, for the sake of The Breath, for when I am weak, then I am strong.    Here for this third time I am ready to come to you, and I will not be a burden to you; for I do not seek what is yours, but you. For children ought not to save up for their parents, but parents for their children.   So I will most gladly spend and be fully spent for your souls. If I love you more, am I to be loved less?    We speak in The Breath in the sight of God. And all these things, beloved, are for your building up.   For I am afraid that perhaps when I come I may find you to be not what I wish and may be found by you to be not what you wish; that perhaps there will be strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, slanders, gossip, arrogance, disturbances.   I am afraid that when I come again, God may humiliate me before you. 2.13.XX  The Breath is not weak toward you, but mighty in you.   Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize about yourselves that The God Imago is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?   Now we pray to God that you do no wrong, not that we ourselves may appear approved, but that you may do what is right, even though we may appear unapproved.   For we can do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth.   For we rejoice when we ourselves are weak but you are strong. This we also pray for, that you be restored.   Finally, rejoice! Be restored, be comforted, be clear-minded, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.  Greet one another with a holy kiss.  All the sages greet you.    The grace of the God Imago, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Breath, be with you all.