The Light of the Gospel

1 Therefore, having ^xthis ministry ^yby the mercy of God,¹ we do not lose heart. 2 But we have renounced ^zdisgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice² cunning or ^ato tamper with God’s word, but ^bby the open statement of the truth ^cwe would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even ^dif our gospel is veiled, ^eit is veiled to ^fthose who are perishing. 4 In their case ^gthe god of this world ^dhas blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing ^hthe light of ⁱthe gospel of the glory of Christ, ^jwho is the image of God. 5 For what ^kwe proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ^lourselves as your servants³ for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, ^m“Let light shine out of darkness,” ⁿhas shone in our hearts to give ^othe light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Heals a Boy with an Unclean Spirit

14 ^jAnd when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. 15 And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, ^kwere greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. 16 And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” 17 And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has ^la spirit that makes him mute. 18 And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and ^mthey were not able.” 19 And he answered them, “O ⁿfaithless generation, ⁿhow long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” 20 And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it ^oconvulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. 21 And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But ^pif you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23 And Jesus said to him, ^p“‘If you can’! ^qAll things are possible for one who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out¹ and said, “I believe; ^rhelp my unbelief!” 25 And when Jesus saw that ^sa crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, ^t“You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” 26 And after crying out and ^oconvulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” 27 But Jesus ^utook him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. 28 And when he had ^ventered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” 29 And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”²

12 For ^pnow we see in a mirror dimly, but ^qthen face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as ^rI have been fully known.