1 Corinthians 1:6 kjv

Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you:

1 Corinthians 1:6 nkjv

even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you,

1 Corinthians 1:6 niv

God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you.

1 Corinthians 1:6 esv

even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you ?

1 Corinthians 1:6 nlt

This confirms that what I told you about Christ is true.

1 Corinthians 1 verses

1 Corinthians 1 6 Meaning

The verse indicates that the preaching of the Gospel, known as the "testimony of Christ," received divine authentication and was established as true within the Corinthian believers. This confirmation was not based on human eloquence or persuasion but on God's active work among them, demonstrably seen in their spiritual enrichment and the manifestation of His power in their lives.

1 Corinthians 1 6 Context

Paul opens his first letter to the Corinthians with a customary but profound thanksgiving (1 Cor 1:4-9). This thanksgiving is strategically placed. Despite the pervasive problems within the Corinthian church—ranging from deep divisions, immorality, and internal disputes to abuses of spiritual gifts and doctrinal errors—Paul begins by affirming God's genuine work among them. He highlights the authentic grace and rich spiritual blessings they initially received when the Gospel was first proclaimed. This verse specifically notes that their spiritual endowments (described in verse 5 as enrichment in speech and knowledge) were directly tied to and served as evidence for the confirmation of Christ's testimony within them. This positive affirmation serves as a crucial theological and rhetorical foundation, reminding the Corinthians of God's faithful work which authenticated the very Gospel message Paul would now use to address their un-Christlike behavior and doctrine. Historically, this community was located in a prominent, worldly Greek city, making them highly susceptible to pagan influences and valuing human wisdom and rhetorical prowess, which the divine confirmation directly challenged.

1 Corinthians 1 6 Word analysis

• καθὼς (kathōs): "Even as," "just as," "according as." This word serves as a conjunction, creating a direct causal or consequential link between the Corinthian believers' spiritual enrichment (v. 5) and the confirmation of Christ's testimony. Their abundant gifts are the visible manner in which the Gospel was validated.
• ἐβεβαιώθη (ebebaiōthē): "Was confirmed," "was established," "was made firm." This verb is in the aorist passive voice, indicating that the action was completed in the past and that God was the agent of this confirmation, not human effort. It implies the Gospel's message was not merely verbally transmitted but divinely authenticated and proved true in a demonstrable way, highlighting its inherent stability and trustworthiness.
• τὸ μαρτύριον (to martyrion): "The testimony," "the witness," "the evidence." In this context, it refers to the Gospel message—the objective, authoritative proclamation concerning Jesus Christ. It is the good news about His life, sacrificial death, resurrection, and present Lordship, as taught by the apostles. This "testimony" carries the weight of a divine pronouncement.
• τοῦ Χριστοῦ (tou Christou): "of Christ." This genitive phrase primarily signifies the content of the testimony, meaning the witness or message concerning Christ. It points to Christ Himself as the central subject and focal point of this divine truth.
• ἐν ὑμῖν (en hymin): "in you," "among you." This prepositional phrase indicates that the confirmation was an internal, lived experience within the Corinthian believers, both individually and collectively as a community. It signifies that the Gospel was not just externally declared to them but actively rooted and demonstrated within their very existence and experiences.

Words-group by words-group analysis

• "even as the testimony of Christ": This phrase directly links their experienced spiritual blessings (v. 5) to the profound, divine message concerning Jesus. It clarifies that their enrichment and giftedness are not accidental, but inextricably bound to the objective truth of the Gospel proclaimed about Christ, underscoring that their gifts serve as proof of that very truth.
• "was confirmed": This key phrase underscores the divine agency behind the validation of the Gospel. It communicates that the message of Christ was divinely authenticated and proven, not by human rhetoric or intellectual persuasion, but by the power of God manifested among them. It contrasts the steadfast truth of the Gospel with the fleeting nature of human wisdom and philosophies prevalent in Corinth.
• "in you": This highlights the immediate and personal nature of the Gospel's authentication. The divine confirmation was not an abstract concept but a tangible reality within the lives of the Corinthian believers. Their conversion, their reception of the Holy Spirit, and their exercise of spiritual gifts collectively served as living proof that the Gospel they had received was true and powerful, distinguishing it from mere religious teaching.

1 Corinthians 1 6 Bonus section

• The passive voice of "was confirmed" emphasizes that God is the primary actor in establishing the Gospel's truth. This removes the burden from Paul to prove the message through his own wisdom (a common desire in Greek culture) and places it squarely on divine attestation.
• This verse counters a potentially misguided Corinthian pride in their spiritual gifts. While they boasted in their gifts, Paul points out that these gifts were ultimately manifestations of God's work confirming His own testimony, thereby redirecting their focus from themselves to the source and purpose of the gifts, which is Christ and His Gospel.
• The phrase "testimony of Christ" would have resonated powerfully in a city that had previously been "a place of considerable legal activity" (historical context). Just as a testimony would be given and validated in a court, so the divine "testimony" of Christ was legally and experientially proven.

1 Corinthians 1 6 Commentary

1 Corinthians 1:6 acts as a cornerstone in Paul's pastoral strategy for the wayward Corinthian church. Despite acknowledging their widespread issues, Paul commences by reminding them of God's immutable faithfulness and the powerful inception of their faith. The "testimony of Christ" refers to the core Gospel message: the crucified and resurrected Lord. Paul asserts that this very message "was confirmed in you," meaning it was not merely intellectually accepted by them but was supernaturally validated and firmly established in their communal experience by God's own power. This divine authentication likely materialized through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, visible spiritual gifts (mentioned in verse 5), and the transformational evidence of changed lives that marked their initial reception of the Gospel. By recalling this foundational divine work, Paul reminds them that their very spiritual existence is a testament to the Gospel's veracity. This serves as a critical point of appeal for Paul; he roots his subsequent rebukes and doctrinal corrections not in his own authority or their shortcomings, but in the undeniably true Gospel which God Himself authenticated among them from the beginning. It subtly calls them back to their initial experience of God's truth, providing a solid, irrefutable basis for the practical exhortations that follow.