2 Corinthians 12:15 (ASV)

Passage

And I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If I love you more abundantly, am I loved the less?

Nearby Context

2 Corinthians 12:13 For what is there wherein ye were made inferior to the rest of the churches, except [it be] that I myself was not a burden to you? forgive me this wrong.

2 Corinthians 12:14 Behold, this is the third time I am ready to come to you; and I will not be a burden to you: for I seek not yours, but you: for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children.

2 Corinthians 12:15 And I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If I love you more abundantly, am I loved the less?

2 Corinthians 12:16 But be it so, I did not myself burden you; but, being crafty, I caught you with guile.

2 Corinthians 12:17 Did I take advantage of you by any one of them whom I have sent unto you?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "most", "gladly", "spend", "spent", "souls", "love", "abundantly", and "loved". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "most" and "gladly", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "Behold this is the third time I..." into verse 16's "But be it so I did not...", so "most" and "gladly" belong inside that flow. In 2 Corinthians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "most" and "gladly" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.