Confidence The term ‘confidence’ (‘confident,’ ‘confidently’) is in the RV [Note: V Revised Version.] of the NT almost wholly confined to the Pauline Epistles, the only exception being Hebrews 3:14, In AV [Note: V Authorized Version.] it renders παρρησία of 1 John 2:28 and 5:14, but is replaced in RV [Note: V Revised Version.] by ‘boldness’ (q.v. [Note: .v. quod vide, which see.]). The verb θαρρε ῖ ν of 2 Corinthians 5:6 ff. in AV [Note: V Authorized Version.] is rendered by ‘to be confident’; in RV [Note: V Revised Version.] ‘to be of good courage’ is substituted. In RV [Note: V Revised Version.] of 1 Timothy 1:7 and Titus 3:8 διαβεβαιο ῦ σθαι is now rendered ‘confidently affirm.’ In both AV [Note: V Authorized Version.] and RV [Note: V Revised Version.] ‘confidence’ is three times employed to render the difficult and many-sided word ὑ πόστασις (2 Corinthians 9:4; 2 Corinthians 11:17, Hebrews 3:14).
The words, however, that most concern us here are πε π οιθέναι, ‘to be confident,’ and πε π οίθησις, ‘confidence,’ the latter being in the NT an exclusively Pauline word and found only once in the LXX [Note: XX Septuagint.] (2 K 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, AV [Note: V Authorized Version.] and RV [Note: V 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.