2 Corinthians 4:13

Spirit of faith. The same faith as that expressed in the OT quotation, “I believed, and therefore have I spoken.” Paul writes to the Corinthians with a profound sense of conviction and in earnest hope that they will heed his counsel.

It is written. The quotation is from Ps. 116:10. This psalm had evidently been his stay and comfort. Both Paul and David had proved, and thus were convinced of, the goodness and love of God. Both experienced trial, suffering, and deliverance, and both spoke with conviction. The nearness of death is no hindrance to the joyous expression of a living faith. The lives of all the great men and women of the Bible sparkle with this spirit of triumph, this mood of buoyancy and radiance. They express joyful gratitude to God even in the midst of loss and persecution. The lives of all Christians who have experienced the love of God become joyfully expressive of that love and power. It is natural and easy for the tongue to express what the mind knows and the heart feels. The man who speaks what he does not believe is a hypocrite, whereas the man who believes what he will not speak is a coward.