2 Corinthians 3:5 Meaning and Explanation
“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Paul confesses that he has no adequacy in himself even to claim his own thoughts; all his sufficiency comes from God.
What Does 2 Corinthians 3:5 Mean?
Explaining the confidence of the previous verse, Paul presses the point to its root. He will not let any credit rest on his own competence. Not even the capacity to think a worthy thought, he says, originates in himself.
Here is profound humility joined to profound hope. The work of ministry, and indeed every good thing the believer offers, has its source in God. This does not erase human effort but locates its wellspring rightly. When we are tempted either to despair at our weakness or to boast in our strength, this verse steadies us: our sufficiency is of God, who supplies what we lack and equips whom he calls.
2 Corinthians 3:5 in the Original Language
hikanotes (ἱκανότης), 'sufficiency' -- adequacy or competence to meet a task, here traced wholly to God.
Frequently Asked Questions About 2 Corinthians 3:5
What does 2 Corinthians 3:5 mean?
Paul confesses that he has no adequacy in himself even to claim his own thoughts; all his sufficiency comes from God.