the Week of Proper 21 / Ordinary 26
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2 Corinthians 3:5
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Now we know we ain't qualified or worthy of this task, but we tell you it is God working through us that allows all these good works.
Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God,
Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God,
Not as if we were able by ourselves to do anything for which we might take the credit; but our power comes from God;
not that we are competent of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but our competency [is] of God;
It is not that we are competent in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our competence is from God.
not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to account anything as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God;
Not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to think any thing as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God:
not that of ourselves we are competent to decide anything by our own reasonings, but our competency comes from God.
Not that wee are sufficient of our selues to thinke any thing as of our selues: but our sufficiencie is of God:
not that we are sufficient of ourselves to reason out anything as being out of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God,
not that I am sufficient of myself to effect any thing by the strength of my own reason: but my sufficiency is from God.
Not that we are sufficiently qualified in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency and qualifications come from God.
not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to account anything as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God;
Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our competence is from God,
not that we are sufficient of oure selves to thinke enythinge as it were of oure selves: but oure ablenes cometh of God
not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to account anything as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God;
Not that we are sufficient by ourselves to think any thing as from ourselves; but our sufficiency [is] from God;
not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything, as of ourselves, but our sufficiency [is] of God,
We are not saying that we can do this work ourselves. It is God who makes us able to do all that we do.
Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as if it were coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God,
Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim that anything comes from us, but our competence comes from God.
We don't have the right to claim that we have done anything on our own. God gives us what it takes to do all that we do.
It is not that we are competent in ourselves to count anything as having come from us; on the contrary, our competence is from God.
Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God,
Not that we are sufficient of our selues, to thinke any thing, as of our selues: but our sufficiencie is of God,
Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our strength comes from God,
not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to account anything as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God;
By ourselves we are not qualified to claim that anything comes from us. Rather, our credentials come from God,John 15:5; 1 Corinthians 15:10; 2 Corinthians 2:16; Philippians 2:13;">[xr]
For we are not sufficient to think any thing as of ourselves; but our power is from Aloha,
Not that we are sufficient to think any thing as of ourselves; but our efficiency is from God:
Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God,
It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God.
We know we are not able in ourselves to do any of this work. God makes us able to do these things.
not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to account anything as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God;
Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our competence is from God,
Not that, of our own selves, sufficient, are we, to reckon anything as of ourselves, but, our sufficiency, is of God; -
Not that we are sufficient to think any thing of ourselves, as of ourselves: but our sufficiency is from God.
Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;
Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God,
Not that we are sufficiet of our selues to thynke any thyng as of our selues: but our ablenesse is of God,
I don't mean that we are able to do anything good ourselves. It is God who makes us able to do all that we do.
Not that we are adequate in ourselves so as to consider anything as having come from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God,
There is nothing in us that allows us to claim that we are capable of doing this work. The capacity we have comes from God;
not that we ben sufficient to thenke ony thing of vs, as of vs, but oure sufficience is of God.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
that: 2 Corinthians 2:16, 2 Corinthians 4:7, Exodus 4:10, John 15:5
but: 2 Corinthians 12:9, Exodus 4:11-16, Jeremiah 1:6-10, Matthew 10:19, Matthew 10:20, Luke 21:15, Luke 24:49, 1 Corinthians 3:6, 1 Corinthians 3:10, 1 Corinthians 15:10, Philippians 2:13, Philippians 4:13, James 1:17
Reciprocal: Genesis 41:16 - It is not Exodus 3:11 - General Deuteronomy 1:12 - General Judges 11:11 - uttered Judges 16:20 - the Lord 1 Samuel 17:45 - in the name 1 Kings 3:9 - who is able 1 Chronicles 15:26 - God 1 Chronicles 29:14 - who am I 2 Chronicles 1:10 - for who can Nehemiah 7:5 - put into mine Psalms 18:32 - girdeth Psalms 78:72 - guided Psalms 119:125 - give Acts 3:12 - as Acts 20:19 - with all Romans 1:5 - we have 1 Corinthians 12:3 - no man 2 Corinthians 1:9 - that 2 Corinthians 10:4 - mighty Galatians 6:3 - when 1 Timothy 1:12 - who
Cross-References
But of ye tre of knowlege of good and euell, shalt thou not eate. For loke in what daye so euer thou eatest therof, thou shalt dye the death.
Then sayde the woman vnto the serpent: We eate of the frute of the trees in the garden:
But as for the frute of the tre that is in the myddes of the garden, God hath sayde: Eate not ye of it, and touch it not, lest ye dye.
And the woman sawe that ye tre was good to eate of, and lustye vnto the eyes, and a pleasaunt tre to make wyse, and toke of the frute of it, and ate, and gaue vnto hir husbande also therof, and he ate.
Then were the eyes of them both opened, and they perceaued that they were naked, and sowed fygge leaues together, and made them apurns.
And he saide: I herde thy voyce in the garden, and was afrayed, because I am naked, and therfore I hyd my self.
And the LORDE God sayde vnto the woman: wherfore hast thou done this? The woman sayde: the serpent disceaued me so, that I ate.
Then sayde the LORDE God vnto the serpent: Because thou hast done this, cursed be thou aboue all catell and aboue all beastes of the felde. Vpon thy bely shalt thou go, & earth shalt thou eate all the dayes of thy life.
And I wyll put enemyte betwene the and the woman, and betwene yi sede and hir sede. The same shal treade downe thy heade, and thou shalt treade him on the hele.
And the LORDE God sayde: lo, Adam is become as it were one of vs, & knoweth good & euell. But now lest he stretch his hande, and take also of the tre of life, and eate, and lyue for euer.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
Not that we are sufficient of ourselves,.... Though we are sufficient for this work to which God has called us, and have such trust and confidence that he has blessed and owned us, and done such great things by us; yet we do not ascribe anything to ourselves, to any power of ours, to any self-sufficiency in us: for "we are not sufficient of ourselves" neither for the work of the ministry, nor for the conversion of sinners, nor for faith and hope in God, nor for any spiritual work whatever; not even to think anything as of ourselves; any good thing, either for our own use and benefit, or for the advantage of others; we are not able of ourselves to meditate with judgment and affection upon the word of God, to study the Scriptures, to collect from them things fit for the ministry; and much less with freedom and boldness to speak of them to edification; and still less able to impress them upon the heart: for though you who are the epistle of Christ are ministered by us, yet not by any power and self-sufficiency of ours;
but our sufficiency is of God; to think, to speak, and to act for his glory.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Not that we are sufficient of ourselves - This is evidently designed to guard against the appearance of boasting, or of self-confidence. He had spoken of his confidence; of his triumph; of his success; of his undoubted evidence that God had sent him. He here says, that he did not mean to be understood as affirming that any of his success came from himself, or that he was able by his own strength to accomplish the great things which had been effected by his ministry. He well knew that he had no such self-sufficiency; and he would not insinuate, in the slightest manner, that he believed himself to be invested with any such power, compare note on John 15:5.
To think anything - (λογίσασθαι τι logisasthai ti). The word used here means properly to reason, think, consider; and then to reckon, count to, or impute to anyone. It is the word which is commonly rendered impute; see it explained more fully in the note on Romans 4:5. Robinson (Lexicon) renders it in this place, “to reason out, to think out, to find out by thinking.” Doddridge renders it, “to reckon upon anything as from ourselves.” Whitby renders it, “to reason; as if the apostle had said, We are unable by any reasoning of our own to bring people to conversion. Macknight gives a similar sense. Locke renders it, “Not as if I were sufficient of myself, to reckon upon anything as from myself:” and explains it to mean that Paul was not sufficient of himself by any strength of natural parts to attain the knowledge of the gospel truths which he preached. The word may be rendered here, to reckon, reason, think, etc.; but it should be confined to the immediate subject under consideration. It does not refer to thinking in general; or to the power of thought on any, and on all subjects - however true it may be in itself but to the preaching the gospel. And the expression may be regarded as referring to the following points, which are immediately under discussion:
(1) Paul did not feel that he was sufficient of himself to have reasoned or thought out the truths of the gospel. They were communicated by God.
(2) He had no power by reasoning to convince or convert sinners. That was all of God.
(3) He had no right to reckon on success by any strength of his own. All success was to be traced to God. It is, however, also true, that all our powers of thinking and reasoning are from God; and that we have no ability to think clearly, to reason calmly, closely, and correctly, unless he shall preside over our minds and give us clearness of thought. How easy is it for God to disarrange all our faculties, and produce insanity! How easy to suffer our minds to become unsettled, bewildered, and distracted with a multiplicity of thoughts! How easy to cause every thing to appear cloudy, and dark, and misty! How easy to affect our bodies with weakness, langor, disease, and through them to destroy all power of close and consecutive thought! No one who considers on how many things the power of close thinking depends, can doubt that all our sufficiency in this is from God; and that we owe to him every clear idea on the subjects of common life, and on scientific subjects, no less certainly than we do in the truths of religion, compare the case of Bezaleel and Aholiab in common arts, Exodus 31:1-6, and Job 32:8.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse 2 Corinthians 3:5. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves — We do not arrogate to ourselves any power to enlighten the mind or change the heart, we are only instruments in the hand of God. Nor was it possible for us apostles to think, to invent, such a scheme of salvation as is the Gospel; and if we even had been equal to the invention, how could we have fulfilled such promises as this scheme of salvation abounds with? God alone could fulfil these promises, and he fulfils only those which he makes himself. All these promises have been amen-ratified and fulfilled to you who have believed on Christ Jesus according to our preaching; therefore, ye are God's workmanship and it is only by God's sufficiency that we have been able to do any thing. This I believe to be the apostle's meaning in this place, and that he speaks here merely of the Gospel scheme, and the inability of human wisdom to invent it; and the words λογισασθαι τι, which we translate to think any thing, signify, properly, to find any thing out by reasoning; and as the Gospel scheme of salvation is the subject in hand, to that subject the words are to be referred and limited. The words, however, contain also a general truth; we can neither think, act, nor be, without God. From him we have received all our powers, whether of body or of mind, and without him we can do nothing. But we may abuse both our power of thinking and acting; for the power to think, and the power to act, are widely different from the act of thinking, and the act of doing. God gives us the power or capacity to think and act, but he neither thinks nor acts for us. It is on this ground that we may abuse our powers, and think evil, and act wickedly; and it is on this ground that we are accountable for our thoughts, words, and deeds.
