Watchings refer to sleeplessness, such as those experienced by the apostles in Acts 16:25; 20:7-11, 31; and 2 Thessalonians 3:8. Paul refers to this in 2 Corinthians 11:27, speaking of “in watchings often.” This refers to a situation where there is either no way to get sleep or no time to sleep. This was an aspect of Paul’s living.
The fastings in verse 5 do not refer to fasting for prayer. These are the fastings due to the lack of food. In 11:27 fastings are mentioned along with labor and hardship, watchings, and hunger and thirst. Since fastings are listed with hardships, they must refer to involuntary fasting due to lack of food. Hence, they differ from hunger. Hunger may refer to a situation in which there is no way to obtain food; involuntary fasting may refer to a situation of poverty.
Verse 6 continues, “In pureness, in knowledge, in longsuffering, in kindness, in a holy spirit, in unfeigned love.” Pureness here is related to motive. In his motive Paul was pure.
The word pureness in this verse implies a great deal. If our intention is not single, it is not pure. If in our motive we are for something other than the Lord Himself, our motive is not pure. Likewise, if our goal is to gain something other than the glory of God, our goal is not pure. Pureness indicates that we care for nothing except God and His glory.
Knowledge, of course, is a matter of the mind. Paul’s inclusion of “in knowledge” indicates that no minister of the New Testament should be an unintelligent person. As new covenant ministers, we need to be quite knowledgeable. For this reason, I encourage the young people to get a proper education and to learn foreign languages. In particular, if you would be used by the Lord, you need to gain the knowledge of Greek or Hebrew. It is also helpful to study history. No doubt, we need to study the Bible and learn the proper biblical revelation. In order to be new covenant ministers, we need to be knowledgeable.
It is difficult to differentiate endurance from longsuffering. Endurance may emphasize the strength or capacity to bear suffering, and longsuffering may emphasize the duration of that suffering. In order to be a minister of the New Testament, we must realize that nothing can be accomplished for God’s eternal purpose without suffering. From the time of man’s fall, everything in human life is accomplished through suffering. According to Genesis 3, women suffer in childbearing. Suffering is necessary in raising our children. Of course, we who are parents enjoy our children. When a mother embraces her little child or looks upon him while he is sleeping, she is very happy. Nevertheless, it is a fact that children cause trouble to their parents. It may be that in the raising of children there is more suffering than enjoyment. Moreover, also according to Genesis 3, man must labor to earn a living, for the ground brings forth thorns and thistles. It seems that in a field weeds always grow better than the things we plant. This is a sign of the troubles, the sufferings, of human living.
All people, the rich and the poor alike, have troubles. If as ministers of the new covenant we would help others in their suffering, how can we avoid suffering? We cannot be an exception. Instead, we must suffer and eventually experience longsuffering. Never think that as a minister you can avoid suffering. You will have some joy in your married life or family life, but you will also have suffering, probably more suffering than joy. Actually, a new covenant minister suffers more than others do. As a minister, he is one who should live a proper human life as the Lord Jesus did. The Lord suffered more than anyone else. To live a genuine human life is to suffer. Human life is a life not mainly of enjoyment but of suffering. The more we live a human life to minister Christ to others, the more we shall suffer. Hence, we need the qualification of longsuffering.
I believe that in Paul’s thought there is a connection between longsuffering and kindness. Usually when we are suffering we do not have the capacity to care for others. But kindness implies that we are for others. I believe that Paul’s concept is that while we are suffering, we also need to take care of others and be kind to them. We are in longsuffering and also in kindness. Even when we are suffering, we should still be kind to others.
Most versions understand the spirit in verse 6 to refer to the Holy Spirit. Thus, they capitalize the words holy and spirit. But here, according to the context, Paul does not refer to God’s Spirit, but to our spirit. This means that our spirit must be holy. The words “a holy spirit” refer to the apostles’ regenerated spirit.
Love is a matter of the heart. In this verse we have the motive, the mind, the heart, and the spirit. With stripes on the body (v. 5) and knowledge of the mind and love of the heart, the entire being of the apostles, including body, soul, and spirit, is exercised in their life for carrying out their ministry. In order to be ministers of the new covenant, our whole being, our body, soul, and spirit, must be right.
In verse 7 Paul says, “In the word of truth, in the power of God.” Truth here refers to the reality of the new covenant. Truth means reality and denotes all the real things revealed in God’s Word, which are mainly Christ as the embodiment of God and the church as the Body of Christ. The word of truth is the utterance, the expression, of the divine reality as revealed in the New Testament.
The power of God matches the word of truth. The word of truth without the power of God is merely knowledge in letters. In the power of God it becomes reality. The power is the Spirit of God, even God Himself.