2 Corinthians 6:6-10 – How To Serve God

Translation & Sermon by Nate Wilson for Christ The Redeemer Church, Manhattan, KS, 4 Jan. 2026
Underlined words in Scripture quotes indicate words that are in common with the Greek text of the sermon passage. Otherwise, underlining indicates words to emphasize when reading this transcript out loud.
Omitting greyed-out text should reduce read-aloud time to about 40 minutes.

Introduction

• Read my translation of the passage, starting at 2 Corinthians 6:4
  ...but, in everything recommending ourselves as ministers of God, in much perseverance, in stresses, in forced circumstances, in restrictions, in wounds, in imprisonments, in upheavals, in labours, in night-watches, in fastings, by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by practicality, by the Holy Spirit, by un-hypocritical love, using the word of truth, using the power of God, using the armaments of righteousness for the right hand and for the left, through adulation and dishonor, through being spoken-ill-of and being spoken-well-of, as being in error yet true, as unknown, yet well-known, as dying yet, see, we are alive, as being punished, yet not put to death, as grieving yet always rejoicing, as poor, yet making many rich, as having nothing, yet possessing all!

• At the beginning of chapter 6, Paul and Timothy introduced us to three negative conditions for the Gospel to spread: 1) The people of God need to stop thinking God will not save, 2) They need to stop tripping up non-Christians with scandals, and 3) They must persevere through difficult circumstances. In verses 6-10, the apostles continue the list with nine positive conditions and nine paradoxes.

• In verse 6, although the Greek preposition before each word in the list remains the same as the ones used in verses 4 & 5, its meaning changes from “in the circumstance of” to “with a certain manner of.” In verses 4 & 5, Paul and Timothy were listing various circumstances during which they recommended themselves as ministers of God; in verse 6, they list the kinds of attitudes they displayed during these circumstances, which commend them as ministers of God.

v. 6 The manner in which we should serve God

• The first of these attitudes/manners is: ἐν ἁγνότητι “in purity.”

  • This unusual Greek word is based on the common Greek word for moral “purity,” which is used to describe God’s faithful people throughout Scripture, for instance:

    • Psalm 19:9 “The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring for ever…” (Brenton’s English translation of the Greek Septuagint)

    • Proverbs 15:26 “...the sayings of the pure are held in honour.” (Brenton)

    • “Purity” entails not having sinful attitudes and actions mixed in with your service.

  • It was characteristic of the ministry of the Apostles: Paul wrote in

    • 2 Cor. 1:12 “For this is our cause for celebration – the testimony of our conscience, that in single-mindedness and integrity¹ from God we conducted ourselves…” (NAW)

    • 1 Thess. 2:10 “You are witnesses, and God also, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly² we behaved ourselves among you who believe...” (NKJV)

  • And it is expected of all Christians too:

    • James 3:17 “[T]he wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and of good fruits, impartial in judgment, and without hypocrisy...” (NAW)

    • 1 Peter 3:1 “...[W]ives [should ‘honor all’] by submitting yourselves to your own husbands… [with a] respectful, pure lifestyle.” (NAW)

    • 1 John 3:3 “And everyone who has this hope in Him is purifying himself just as He [Jesus] is pure.” (NAW)

    • Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-- meditate on these things.” (NKJV)

• The second manner in which the Apostles served God and provided an example for us is ἐν γνώσει “in knowledge/understanding³.”

  • Serving God is not an ecstatic experience in which you turn off your mind; it involves using the brains God gave you to act wisely, appropriately and strategically.

  • In Luke 1:76-77, Zecharias said of John the Baptizer, “...you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, To give knowledge of salvation to His people By the remission of their sins…” (NKJV)

  • This knowledge of Jesus and His salvation is the engine which drove Paul’s ministry, and he was passionate about sharing that “knowledge” with others:

    • 1 Cor. 1:4-6 “I am thanking my God always concerning y'all, on account of the grace of God which was given you by Jesus Christ, so that in everything, y'all were enriched by Him in every word and in every bit of knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed by you…” (NAW)

    • 2 Corinthians 2:14 “But, there is grace with God... Who reveals the aroma of the knowledge of Him through us in every place!” (NAW, cf. 4:6 & 11:6)

  • Then, once Paul had imparted that knowledge of Jesus and salvation, he was confident that his listners now carried that knowledge, and with it, the ability to minister to others.

    • Romans 15:14 “Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness⁴, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.” (NKJV, cf. 2 Peter 1:5)

• After purity and knowledge, the third manner in which the apostles modeled service to God is ἐν μακροθυμίᾳ “by patience” or literally “long-suffering.⁵”

  • God gives us this “patience” as a “fruit of the Holy [Spirit].” Notice how many of the same manners of service in 2 Cor. 6:6 are in Galatians 5:22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness...” (NKJV)

  • Thus equipped by God’s Spirit, we can be patient:

    • Colossians 1:11 “...strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy...” (NKJV)

    • 1 Corinthians 13:4 “Love suffers long, Love practices kindness...” (NAW)

    • Ephesians 4:1-3 “[W]alk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness⁶, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (NKJV)

    • Colossians 3:12 “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering…” (NKJV)

  • And, we are exhorted to learn this long-suffering patience from the examples of the prophets and apostles in the Bible:

    • James 5:10 “Brothers, start taking the prophets (who made utterance in the name of the Lord) as examples of suffering and of patience.” (NAW)

    • and in 2 Timothy 3:10 the Apostle Paul obsereved, “...you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance…” (NKJV)

    • Hebrews 6:12 “[B]ecome... imitators of those who, through faith and longsuffering, are inheriting the promises.” (NAW)

  • Study the Bible stories to learn examples of patience and appropriate from the Lord patience so that you can minister to others over long periods of time without irratibility or explosions of anger.

• The fourth characteristic of exemplary service to God is ἐν χρηστότητι “with kindness/ goodness/usefulness.”

  • We don’t really have a word in English with the exact same meaning, but if you combine the ideas of being kind and practical at the same time – doing good that is actually useful, you can get a sense of this Greek word.

  • The Bible emphasizes that this “kindness” comes from God in the first place:

    • Psalm 119:65-68 “Thou hast wrought kindly with thy servant, o Lord, according to thy word. Teach me kindness, and instruction, and knowledge: for I have believed thy commandments... Good art thou, O Lord; therefore in thy goodness teach me thine ordinances.” (Brenton)

    • Rom. 2:4 ...the kindness of God leads you to repentance…” (NKJV, cf. 1 Tim. 1:16)

    • Ephesians 2:4-7 “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” (NKJV)

    • Titus 3:3-7 “For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (NKJV)

  • Therefore, Psalm 37:3 “Trust in Yahweh and do what is good/kind/practical. Settle down on the land and associate with faithfulness…” (NAW)

• After “purity,” “knowledge,” “patience” and “kindness,” the fifth manner of serving God is ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ “In/by the Holy Spirit⁷.”

  • This means serving God, not based on our own ideas and strength but in partnership with – under the guidance of – using the character and power of – “the Holy Spirit.”

  • Paul once again led by example in this area:

    • In 1 Cor. 2:4 he wrote, “...my word and my preaching were not in persuasive words of human wisdom, but rather in a demonstration of the Spirit and of power” (NAW)

    • In Romans 15:19 he adds, “in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.” (NKJV)

    • And in 1 Thess. 1:5 “For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake.” (NKJV)⁸

  • Then Paul anticipated that all his converts would likewise serve God under the influence and power of the Holy Spirit,

    • In 1 Corinthians 12:3 he wrote that “...no one is able to say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except in the Holy Spirit.” (NAW)

    • and in Romans 15:16 he wrote that his goal in ministry was “...that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.” (NKJV) The Holy Spirit takes the imperfect work and service you do together with Him and sanctifies it so that our heavenly Father is perfectly pleased with your sacrifices!

    • And that goes for our prayers too: Jude 1:20-21 “But loved ones, as for y'all, building yourselves on in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, anticipating the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” (NAW)

  • Apart from Him you can do nothing. (cf. John 15)

• The sixth and final attitude modeled by the apostles as they served God is ἐν ἀγάπῃ ἀνυποκρίτῳ “with love that is unfeigned/sincere/genuine.”

  • The Greek word Paul and Timothy use to describe this love is based on the word for “hypocrite” with an alpha privative prefix to give it the opposite meaning.

  • You may remember Jesus castigating the religious leaders of His day using the same Greek word without the privative prefix:

    • Matthew 6:2-5 ...whenever you do charity, you should not trumpet before yourself as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the avenues in order that they might be glorified by men. I'm telling you truly, they are holding out on their reward. But as for you, when doing charity, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, in order that your charity might be in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And whenever y'all pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites that love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets in order that they might be put in the limelight by men…” (NAW)

    • Matthew 15:7-9 “Hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied well concerning you, saying, 'This people is honoring me with their lips, yet their heart keeps far away from me. And it is in vain that they are devoting themselves me while teaching commandments of men for doctrines.'” (NAW)

    • Matthew 23:23-28 “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because y'all are tithing your mint and your dill and your cumin, yet y'all are letting go of the weight­ier matters of the law: the justice and the mercy and the faithfulness. Now, it was necessary to do these things, while not letting go of those things either. Blind trail-guides who strain out the gnat but swallow down the camel! Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypo­crites, because y'all are cleaning the exterior of the cup and of the saucer, but interiorly they are loaded with stealing and injustice. Blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and the saucer in order that the outside of them might also become clean. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because y'all are com­parable to whitewashed tombs, which have a beautiful exterior shine, but interiorly are loaded with dead men's bones and every [kind of] unclean thing. In this way you yourselves also make a shining exterior appearance as righteous to men, but interior­ly y'all are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” (NAW)

    • Service to God should not be done in order to look good in front of other people by hiding sin, being showy with good works, and emphasizing man-made traditions. Un-hypocritical love does not do things just to get praise, respect, and kick-backs.

  • Our service to God should be done simply because we love God and are grateful to Him for saving us.

    • Rom. 12:9 “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.” (NKJV)

    • 1 John 3:18 “My dear children, let us neither love in word nor in talk, but rather in work and truth.” (NAW)

    • 1 Peter 1:22 “...through the Spirit in un-hypocritical brotherly fondness, start fervently loving each other from a clean [καθαρᾶς] heart...” (NAW)

    • 1 Timothy 1:5 “... love from a clean heart, from a good conscience, and from unhypocritical faith...” (NAW)

  • This is all the more important when the people we serve misinterpret us and unfairly criticize us when we try to do what is good. Fake love won’t persevere through that, but sincere love will, because it is powered by God whose love is genuine.

• Now, in addition to serving God in a pure, knowledgeable, patient, practical, Spiritual, and sincere way, God also gives us resources to use in serving Him. In verse 7, Paul and Timothy transition from the attitudes in our hearts to the tools we will use to serve His kingdom.

v. 7 The Resources We Must Use To Serve

• The first is ἐν⁹ λόγῳ ἀληθείας “in/by truthful speech/using the word of truth.”

  • Every message revealed to us by God in His Word is true and therefore worthy of our trust:

    • Proverbs 22:21 affirms that Old Testament Scripture is “the words of truth,”

    • and Jesus also affirmed to His Father in John 17:17 “...Thy word is truth.”

  • But this phrase “word of truth” is used particularly in the Bible to describe God’s message of how He saves us:

    • Psalm 119:41-43 “[L]et thy mercy come upon me, O Lord; even thy salvation, according to thy word... for I have trusted in thy words. And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth; for I have hoped in thy judgments.” (Brenton)

    • Ephesians 1:13 “In whom also you having heard the word of the truth the good news of your salvation, in whom also you having believed, were sealed in the Holy Spirit of the promise...” (NAW)

    • Colossians 1:5 “...the hope which is being stored up to you in the heavens, which you first heard through the Word of the truth of the Gospel...” (NAW)

    • James 1:18 “After planning it, He gave birth to us by means of the word of truth in order for us to be a particular firstfruit from among His creations.” (NAW)

    • In 2 Timothy 2:15 Paul exhorted a young preacher to “Be diligent to present your­self approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (NKJV) Preaching the gospel is “dividing the word of truth.”

    • And of himself and Timothy, Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:2 “instead, we renounced the shameful secrets, not walking in craftiness or misleading with the word of God, but rather using the revelation of the truth¹⁰...” (NAW)

  • This “word of truth,” the gospel, is your first and foremost tool in serving God.

    • Ephesians 6:17 “...take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God…” (NKJV) Take it up!

    • Speak and write and act out the “good news” that Jesus died “to save sinners” from the wrath of God, so that “whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have ever­lasting life!”¹¹

    • Brothers and sisters, use the Word of Truth! The words of men are chaff. The lines of actors will not save. The great conversations of philosophers will not “abide forever” like the Word of the Lord will (1 Pet. 1:24). The words of pundits and podcasters are not all true. Focus on the Bible and share its good news!

• In addition to the “word of truth,” we must also use δυνάμει θεοῦ “the power of God” to serve in His kingdom.

  • That means not operating in your own human strength, but using God’s power to do God’s work. In Acts 3:2-15 “...a certain man, lame from his mother's womb... seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms. And fixing his eyes on him... Peter said, ‘...Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.’ And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength... Now as the lame man... was healed... all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon's, greatly amazed. So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: ‘Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus… And His name... has made this man strong...’” (NKJV)

  • In all three synoptic gospels, the “power” of the “Son of Man to forgive sins” is highlighted (Matt. 9:6; Mk. 2:10; Lk. 5:24), and Jesus’ power to save is underscored by Paul in 1 Cor­inthians 1:18 “For the word – the one of the cross – to those who are being destroyed is stupidity, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God… 2:1-5 And when I came to you, brothers... I did not decide to know anything among y'all except Jesus Christ – and Him having been crucified... and my word and my preaching were not in persuasive words of human wisdom, but rather in a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, in order that your faith might not exist in the wisdom of men, but rather in the power of God.” (NAW)

  • And that power of God not only provides the initial salvation from the power of Satan and sin, but also the sustaining power to keep us living in Christ until He returns and into eternity!¹²

    • 2 Corinthians 10:4 “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds… 13:4 For though He [Christ] was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by¹³ the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you.” (NKJV)

    • 2 Timothy 1:8 “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God...” (NKJV)

    • for, as 1 Peter 1:5 says, “y'all... are protected by God's power through faith for the purpose of a prepared salvation to be revealed during the final time.” (NAW)

  • So, as you go about your work – whether it’s in your house, or in town, or on the Internet, seek for God to do through you what you cannot do yourself – bring life from the dead and save people from the power of sin and the Devil.

• In addition to the “word of truth” and the “power of God,” the third tool that we use to serve God is τῶν ὅπλων τῆς δικαιοσύνης τῶν δεξιῶν καὶ ἀριστερῶν “the armor/weapons of righteousness on the left and on the right.¹⁴”

  • Both defensive “armor” and offensive “weapons” are included in this Greek word hoplwn. For instance, Ezekiel 39:9 contains a list of hoplwn which includes “shields... spears... bows... arrows... staves, and lances.” And Ezekiel chapters 26 & 32 also mention “swords” as part of this kind of “armament.”

  • This fits with what we read in Ephesians 6:11-18 “Put on the whole armor [πανοπλίαν – a compound of the Greek word for “all” and the Greek word for “armor/weapons.”] of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the prep­aration of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit...” (NKJV, cf. 1 Thess. 5:8)

  • In Romans 13:12 Paul also wrote: “The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor[weapons] of light… 6:13 And do not present your members as instruments[weapons] of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.” (NKJV) When Christ saved you and you “became the righteous­ness of God in Christ” (2 Cor. 5:21), every part of your body become weapons of right­eousness to do God’s will on this earth!

  • As for the bit about “the right and left,”

    • The only other time in the Greek Bible that these words for “right” and “left” occur with the word for “armor/weapons” is 2 Chronicles 23:9-11 “[When] Jehoiada the priest gave to the captains of hundreds the spears and the large and small shields which had belonged to King David, that were in the temple of God. Then he set all the people, every man with his weapon in his hand, from the right side of the temple to the left side of the temple, along by the altar and by the temple, all around the king. And they brought out [Joash] the king's son, put the crown on him, gave him the Testimony, and made him king…” (NKJV) In that sense, the little king was protected on all sides.

    • It’s the opposite of the judgment of God in Ezekiel 39:3, when God said, “...I will knock the bow out of your left hand, and cause the arrows to fall out of your right hand.” (NKJV) God gives Christians “armaments of righteousness” to fill both hands: the “shield of faith” in your left and the “sword of the Word” in your right.¹⁵

    • He also gives protection on all sides with your “breastplate of righteousness,” your “helmet of salvation,” and your “shoes of the... Gospel.”¹⁶

    • Isaiah 30:21 “And your ears will hear a word from behind you to say, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ whether you go right or whether you go left…” and 54:3 “...right and left you will burst forth, and your descendents will take over the nations…”

vs. 8-10 Right- and Left-handed Blessings under which we Serve

• The idea of “left and right” also segues into a list of 9 paradoxes (“left-handed” blessings¹⁷ and “right-handed” blessings, as it were), returning to the wide range of circumstances (both positive and negative) under which the Apostles served, and under which every follower of Jesus must be willing to serve God:

  • “through honor and dishonor,

  • through being spoken-ill-of and being spoken-well-of,

  • as being in error yet true,

  • as unknown, yet well-known,

  • as dying yet, see, we are alive,

  • as being punished, yet not put to death,

  • as grieving yet always rejoicing,

  • as poor, yet making many rich,

  • as having nothing, yet possessing all!”

• This is so similar to the list of circumstances in verses 4-5 that I won’t go into detail on these here, but I would like to conclude with the three best nuggets I picked up from my historical mentors as I studied their meditations on 2 Corinthians:

• “[W]e stand in need of the grace of God to arm us against the temptations of honour on the one hand, so as to bear good report without pride, and of dishonour on the other hand, so as to bear reproaches without impatience or recrimination… Such a paradox is a Christian's life, and through such a variety of conditions and reports lies our way to heaven; and we should be careful in all these things to approve ourselves to God.” ~Matthew Henry, 1714 AD
  Look to God for the grace to be able to handle both honor and dishonor! The next two quotes focus on keeping the end-goal of our faith in mind:

• “Now these things he says, to instruct us not to be disturbed at the opinions of the many, though they call us ‘deceivers,’ though they ‘know us not,’ though they count us ‘condemned’ and ‘appointed unto death,’ to be ‘in sorrow,’ to be in ‘poverty,’ to ‘have nothing,’ to be (us, who are in cheerfulness) ‘desponding:’ because that even the sun is not clear to the blind, nor the pleasure of the sane intelligible to the mad. For the faithful only are right judges of these matters, and are not pleased and pained at the same things as other people. For if any one who knew nothing of the games were to see a boxer, having wounds upon him and wearing a crown; he would think him in pain on account of the wounds, not understanding the pleasure the crown would give him. And these therefore, because they know what we suffer but do not know for what we suffer them, naturally suspect that there is nought besides these; for they see indeed the wrestling and the dangers, but not the prizes and the crowns and the subject of the contest… our Lord Jesus Christ [as we do].” ~John Chrysostom, c. 400 AD

• “But no sorrow, no disappointment, however severe, could ever interrupt, let alone extin­guish, the joy of [Paul’s] salvation with its vision of unclouded glory to come, for this joy was founded upon the sovereign supremacy of God, who overrules all things and causes them to work together for good for those He has called (Rom. 8:18, 28). Had his work been a mere work of man, the Apostle might have had frequent cause for despair; but as it was God's work, the end was assured, and the ultimate perspective allowed room only for joy and confidence and victory. Hence the constancy and permanence (‘always’) of the Apostle's rejoicing...” ~Phillip Hughes, 1962 AD May we also rejoice to serve our Lord in the same circumstances, attitudes, and tools!

Appendix on vs. 8-10

v. 8a διὰ δόξης καὶ ἀτιμίας “through/by glory/honor/adulation and dishonor”

• 2 Corinthians 11:21 “I speak as concerning reproach…” (KJV)

• 1 Corinthians 4:10-11 “We are stupid on account of Christ; but y'all are smart in Christ. We are weak, but y'all are strong. Y'all are illustrious, but we are dishonored. Even up to this very hour we continue to be hungry and thirsty, and we are poorly-dressed and beaten up and we are vagrants...” (NAW)

• 2 Corinthians 12:10 “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches [ὕβρεσιν], in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (NKJV)

• Hebrews 13:13 “So now, let's keep going out to Him outside the camp, bearing ridicule [ὀνειδισμὸν] for Him” (NAW)

• “[T]here have been few men of heroism that have not fallen back, on being irritated by in­sults... We must, it is true, have a regard to good character, but it must be only in so far as the edification of our brethren requires it, and in such a way as not to be dependent on reports — nay more, so as to maintain in the same even course in honor and in dishonor.” ~J. Calvin

v. 8b διὰ δυσφημίας καὶ εὐφημίας “through being spoken ill of/evil/bad report/slan­der and being spoken well of/good report/praise”

• 1 Corinthians 4:13 “When we are slandered¹⁸ we continue to exhort. We have become like trash swept off the earth everybody's scapegoat until now.” (NAW)

• Romans 3:8 “And why not say, ‘Let us do evil that good may come’? as we are slanderously [βλασφημουμεθα] reported and as some affirm that we say. Their condemnation is just.” (NKJV)

• Acts 28:22 “But we desire to hear from you what you think; for concerning this sect, we know that it is spoken against [αντιλεγεται ] everywhere.” (NKJV)

v. 8c ὡς πλάνοι καὶ ἀληθεῖς “as being in error/deceivers/impostors yet true/genuine”

• Matthew 27:63 “Sir, we were reminded that that erratic man said while He was still living, After three days I am being resurrected.” (NAW)

• 2 Cor. 1:18 “But God is trustworthy, so our message to y'all was not ‘Yes’ AND ‘No’” (NAW)

• 2 Corinthians 4:2 “...we renounced the shameful secrets, not walking in craftiness or misleading with the word of God, but rather using the revelation of the truth, endorsing ourselves to every person's conscience in the sight of God.” (NAW)

• “In the Clementines St. Paul is expressly described by his adversaries as planos and as dissem­inating deceit (planēn)” ~A.T. Robertson, 1933 AD (quoting “Bernard,” cf. Vincent in Endnotes.)

• “Had not the same slander been falsely charged against his Master whom he had been called to follow (Mt. 27:63)? It has always been the work of Satan and his servants to attempt to overthrow the truth of God by calling it falsehood [deception].” ~P.E. Hughes

v. 9a ὡς ἀγνοούμενοι καὶ ἐπιγινωσκόμενοι “as unknown, yet well-known”

• 2 Corinthians 11:6 “Even though I am untrained in speech, yet I am not in knowledge. But we have been thoroughly manifested [φανερω-] among you in all things.” (NKJV)

• “It is true that the same verb is used in 1:13f. in the sense of “‘knowledge’, but its proper force here is indicated by its use in I Cor. 13:12: ‘Now I know in part, but then I shall know fully even as also I am fully known (sc. by God)”. Thus we understand Paul to mean here that, though unknown and unacknowledged in the world, he is fully known by God. This accords well with what he subsequently wrote to Timothy: ‘The firm foundation of God standeth, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are His’ (II Tim. 2:19… [cf.] Jn. 10:14).” ~P.E. Hughes

v.9b ὡς ἀποθνῄσκοντες καὶ ἰδοὺ ζῶμεν “as dying yet, Behold, we are alive!”

• 2 Corinthians 1:8 “Now, we don't want y'all to be ignorant, brothers, concerning our distress which happened to us in Asia: that we were weighed down to the extreme – beyond ability – such that we despaired even of life.” (NAW)

• 2 Corinthians 4:10-11 “Always carrying around the dead-state of the Lord Jesus in our body, in order that the life of Jesus might also be brought to light in our body. For we the living are always being given over to death on account of Jesus, in order that the life of Jesus might also be brought to light in our death-prone flesh.” (NAW)

• Romans 8:36 “As it is written: ‘For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.’” (NKJV)

v. 9c ὡς παιδευόμενοι καὶ μὴ θανατούμενοι

• Psalm 118:17-18 “I shall not die, but live, And declare the works of the LORD. The LORD has chastened me severely, But He has not given me over to death.” (NKJV)

• 1 Corinthians 11:32 “But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.” (NAW)

v. 10

• John 16:22 “Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.” (NKJV)

• Matthew 5:12 “Keep rejoicing and leaping for joy, because your reward is bountiful in heaven, for they hunted down the prophets before you in the same way.” (NAW)

• Colossians 1:24 “I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions [θλιψεων] of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church” (NKJV)

• Acts 16:25 “But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.” (NKJV)

• 2 Corinthians 7:4 “Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my boasting on your behalf. I am filled with comfort. I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation.” (NKJV)

• 1 Thessalonians 1:6 “And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit...” (NKJV)

• James 1:2 “Start considering it to be all joy, my brothers, whenever you happen to encoun­ter various trials...” (NAW)

• 1 Peter 4:13 “but rather, just as y'all have fellowship with the sufferings of Christ, keep rejoicing, in order that also in the unveiling of His glory, y'all may rejoice while jumping for joy.” (NAW)

v.10b ὡς πτωχοὶ πολλοὺς δὲ πλουτίζοντες “as poor, yet making many rich”

• 2 Corinthians 8:9 “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” (NKJV)

• Revelation 2:9 “I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich)...” (NKJV)

• 1 Corinthians 1:5 “...so that in everything, y'all were enriched by Him in every word and in every bit of knowledge...” (NAW)

• James 2:5 “Listen, my beloved brothers: Has not God chosen those who are destitute /in\ regards to the world to be rich in faith and to be those who inherit the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?” (NAW)

v. 10c ὡς μηδὲν ἔχοντες καὶ πάντα κατέχοντες “as having nothing, yet possessing all things”

• 1 Cor. 7:30 “and those who weep like those who are not weeping, and those who rejoice like those who are not rejoicing, and those who shop like those who do not own anything.” (NAW)

• Hebrews 10:34 “for y'all suffered together with my chains also, and y'all accepted the robbery of your possessions [υπαρχοντων] with joy, knowing to have for yourselves a possession [υπαρξιν] that is better and lasting.” (NAW)

2 Corinthians 6:6-10 – Comparison of Textual Traditions & Versions^A