Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim that anything comes from us, but our competence comes from God.
Parallel translations
- WEB not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to account anything as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God;
- KJV Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;
- NKJV Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God,
- NASB Not that we are adequate in ourselves so as to consider anything as having come from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God,
- NLT It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Paul claims no competence in himself; his sufficiency for ministry comes entirely from God. Human adequacy for God's work is a gift, not an achievement.
Overview
Answering his earlier question, 'Who is sufficient?', Paul confesses that he cannot even claim a single thought as coming from his own resources. All capability for gospel work is given by God. This radical dependence is foundational to faithful ministry and to the Christian life, which lives wholly by grace.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- 2 Cor 12:9But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me.
- Phil 4:13I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.
- 1 Cor 15:10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not in vain. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.
- Phil 2:13For it is God who works in you to will and to act on behalf of His good purpose.
- John 15:5I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.
- Jas 1:17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow.
- Matt 10:19–20But when they hand you over, do not worry about how to respond or what to say. In that hour you will be given what to say.
- 1 Cor 3:6I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.
- Luke 21:15For I will give you speech and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.
- Exod 4:10–16“Please, Lord,” Moses replied, “I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since You have spoken to Your servant, for I am slow of speech and tongue.”
- Jer 1:6–10“Ah, Lord GOD,” I said, “I surely do not know how to speak, for I am only a child!”
- 2 Cor 4:7Now we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this surpassingly great power is from God and not from us.
- 1 Cor 3:10By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one must be careful how he builds.
- Luke 24:49And behold, I am sending the promise of My Father upon you. But remain in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
- 2 Cor 2:16To the one, we are an odor of death and demise; to the other, a fragrance that brings life. And who is qualified for such a task?
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
In Christ all God's promises are 'Yes and Amen'; though rich, he became poor to make us rich, and in him God reconciles the world, making us new creations.
How 2 Corinthians 3:5 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.