Not that we are sufficient to think any thing of ourselves, as of ourselves: but our sufficiency is from God.
ουχ οτι ικανοι εσμεν αφ εαυτων λογισασθαι τι ως εξ εαυτων αλλ η ικανοτης ημων εκ του θεου
11 Church Fathers comment on this verse
"Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as from ourselves" (v. 5). See how here again he moderates his speech. This is because he possessed the virtue of humility in the highest degree.
Therefore, whenever he said something great about himself, he immediately tried in every way to soften what had been said. He does this here also, when he says, "not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as from ourselves."
"Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as from ourselves." For Christ is the cause of our boasting in God, and nothing is ours, not even the least thing.
He expresses precisely this thought in the words, "we are not sufficient to think anything from ourselves." "But our sufficiency is from God." Our power, he says, is from God. He made us sufficient, that is, He strengthened us and made us able to serve this great divine work, the New Covenant.
Therefore it lies within God's power, not man's, that men receive power to become children of God (Jn 1:12). They receive this power from Him who inspires pious thoughts in the human heart, from which faith working through love is born (Gal 5:6).
To receive and preserve this good, and to be constantly perfected in it to the very end, we must not think anything from ourselves as from ourselves. Our sufficiency is from God, in whose power are both our heart and our thoughts.
Not that we are sufficient to think anything from ourselves, but because wisdom is given to us from God.
The Apostle fittingly mentioned the God of all, because those who preached the contrary claimed that God was concerned with preserving the law. Therefore he says: we boldly hope in the God of all, because Christ has given us this boldness.
We do not think highly of ourselves, nor do we offer a preaching composed from our own thoughts.
Since the Lord's calling takes place before any human merits, He does not seek the worthy but Himself produces them. Therefore it is called a gift. Otherwise the matter would be one of justice.
It is good will that calls and draws us. We are unable to think or do anything useful to us unless we receive it from the Cause of good.
Thus the Apostle says: "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God."
Therefore let the madness of the Pelagians fall silent, lest in trying falsely to ascribe some soundness to the will, it be deprived of Him who grants gifts to it.
In this ministry, which you expect from us and return to us, I do not doubt that I receive help. Thus God, who awakens in us the desire and brings good works to completion, Himself makes me think worthily and speak worthily.
For good thoughts do not come because we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as from ourselves. Our sufficiency is from God.
Therefore we do not lack, for our sufficiency comes as a gift of mercy from Him in whom there is no lack.
As He has no need of our good, because He always gives abundantly, so He has no need to be given anything. For He gives what is not exhausted in Him.
There is no pleasing gift, whether in thought, word, or deed, that we could bring Him and that has not been granted by Him Himself.
The holy gift of God is always free, since no necessity based on human merits ever precedes it. Even if a man has merit, it comes from Him from whom is every good endowment and every gift (Jas 1:17).
No man is able either to think anything good or to do anything good, unless the pure gift of divine help has first been given to him.
For "God works in you both to will and to work for His good pleasure" (Phil 2:13), as Paul, the vessel of election, affirms.
In his teaching we also learn: "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God."
Thus God gives us good in sufficiency, and His fullness is not diminished when He generously grants us every good so that we may have it.
Everything created did not exist before it was created. Therefore one cannot have something before receiving it.
Since this cannot be done without Him who created all things, it is impossible either to will or to do good unless God continually deems us worthy of His help.
For in Him the good will takes its beginning. From Him comes the ability to accomplish good works. From Him comes firmness in an upright life.
By Him true humility of heart is given in this age, and in the age to come the blessedness of eternal reward. Thus those who are truly humble now may be blessed without end.
"Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as from ourselves." In relation to the Apostle's preaching, these words are his modest declaration that he is unable to accomplish anything by his own powers.
At the same time, they are the best expression of the fact that he preaches not a human word, but truly the word of God. Understood generally, this saying should convince the Christian that every good thing he does is accomplished by the power of God.
Second, Christian revelation does not depend in the least on the dignity or abilities of its preachers (2 Cor 3:4-5).
"Such confidence," that is, confidence that the revelation we preach will always be our highest glory in itself and the best commendation by its effects, "we have toward God through Christ, not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God."
Man "is not sufficient even to think anything good from himself, as from himself" (2 Cor 3:5). Sometimes he "serves God with the mind, but with the flesh the law of sin" (Rom 7:25).
Or "to will is present with him, but how to perform what is good he does not find." Or he acts, but "not the good that he wills" (Rom 7:18-19).
God knows, can, wills, and acts. Knowing better than we what we need, He often leads us where we do not know.
Willing our good more than we will it for ourselves, He often does with us what we do not desire.
"The Lord preserves the infants" in spirit (Ps 114:5), and "will command His angels" to "bear them up in their hands" (Ps 90:11-12).
He "feeds them with the milk of consolations" (Isa 66:11), and as soon as they "open their mouth wide," He "fills it" (Ps 80:11).
He sees our "enemies," who are "strong," and those who "hate" us, "establishing themselves more firmly" than we are.
He "goes before" us "in the day of our affliction" and "brings us out into a broad place" (Ps 17:18-20).
But do not think anything excessive about us. Despite all that is accomplished through us, we ourselves are nothing here.
Not only can we not devise anything from ourselves for a better action upon people, as from ourselves, but we do not even understand how everything is done.
The actions that proceed from us for salvation prove to be full. We appear to be fit and capable of accomplishing them. Yet this fitness and ability are not from us. Our sufficiency is from God.
He acts through us in Christ Jesus by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Theodoret writes: "We boldly hope in the God of all, because Christ gave us this boldness.
Yet we do not think highly of ourselves, nor do we offer a preaching composed from our own thoughts."
Saint Chrysostom says: "Again he ascribes everything to God and names Christ as the cause of all. He did not say: we have such confidence by which we ascribe one part to ourselves and another to God.
On the contrary, it is confidence by which we lay everything upon God and count it to Him. For our sufficiency is from God."
Here is the word of Oecumenius: "We have confidence, he says, we are bold, we rely completely upon God, being filled through Christ with animated boldness toward Him.
Yet of ourselves we are in no way sufficient to serve worthily in this ministry. We cannot even take into our mind the greatness of the deeds, much less understand anything in it."
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 18 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS