the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Bible Dictionaries
Confidence
Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament
or The term ‘confidence’ (‘confident,’ ‘confidently’) is in the Revised Version of the NT almost wholly confined to the Pauline Epistles, the only exception being Hebrews 3:14, In Authorized Version it renders παρρησία of 1 John 2:28; 1 John 5:14, but is replaced in Revised Version by ‘boldness’ (q.v. [Note: quod vide, which see.] ). The verb θαρρεῖν of 2 Corinthians 5:6 ff. in Authorized Version is rendered by ‘to be confident’; in Revised Version ‘to be of good courage’ is substituted. In Revised Version of 1 Timothy 1:7 and Titus 3:8 διαβεβαιοῦσθαι is now rendered ‘confidently affirm.’ In both Authorized Version and Revised Version ‘confidence’ is three times employed to render the difficult and many-sided word ὑπόστασις (2 Corinthians 9:4; 2 Corinthians 11:17, Hebrews 3:14).
The words, however, that most concern us here are πεποιθέναι, ‘to be confident,’ and πεποίθησις, ‘confidence,’ the latter being in the NT an exclusively Pauline word and found only once in the Septuagint (2 Kings 18:19). They both belong to the language of deep personal feeling, and it is not surprising that they appear more frequently in 2 Cor. and Phil. than in all the other Epistles put together. The confidence cherished by St. Paul is a state of mind springing out of faith and rising to the firm persuasion that God’s purposes with himself, with is converts, and with all that pertains to the kingdom of Christ are right and cannot fail of accomplishment. In this ‘confidence’ he enjoys his boldness in Christ and access through Christ to God (Ephesians 3:12). He is ‘confident of this very thing, that he which began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ’ (Philippians 1:8). His ‘confidence’ as regards himself (Philippians 2:24, Authorized Version and Revised Version ‘trust’), and as regards his converts and their compliance with his counsels, is in God (Galatians 5:10, 2 Thessalonians 3:4, Philemon 1:21). It comes from union with Christ, and has God for its ultimate goal (2 Corinthians 3:4) Clement in 1 Corinthians (xxvi. 1) speaks of those who have served God religiously ‘in the confidence of an honest faith.’ He mentions, too, many wonderful gifts of God-‘life in immortality, splendour in righteousness, truth in boldness, faith in confidence, and temperance in sanctification’ (xxxv. 2).
Whilst there is such a confidence, there is also a confidence which is misplaced-confidence in ourselves (Romans 2:19, 2 Corinthians 1:9), in the flesh (Philippians 3:3 f.), the confidence of which Hermas says (Sim. ix. 22. 3) that ‘vain confidence is a great demon.’
T. Nicol.
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Hastings, James. Entry for 'Confidence'. Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/hdn/c/confidence.html. 1906-1918.
