From the early Church Fathers to now.
3 Patristic · 1 Orthodox · 1 Catholic
“And such confidence we have, through Christ, towards God.”
“Yet because it was a great thing he had uttered, he therefore quickly checks himself, saying, "And such confidence have we through Christ to Godward," And again refers all to God: for it is Christ, saith he, Who is the Author of these things to us.”
“The apostle Paul, after describing in a few words the benefits of God, states in conclusion: "And for such offices, who is sufficient?" Whence he also says in another place: "Such is the assurance we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything, as from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God. He also it is who made us fit ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the spirit; for the letter kills, but the spirit gives life." Do we still dare to boast about the free will and treat with insult the benefits of God the Giver, when the chosen vessel [Paul] also writes very clearly: "But we carry this treasure in vessels of clay, to show that the abundance of our power is God's and not ours"?”
“Since he showed that the New Testament is above the Old, and it was natural to conclude that we too — the apostles, ministers of the New Testament — are above Moses, who served the Old Testament, but this seemed arrogant, he says: nothing is ours, but our "confidence," that is, our boasting is "in God through Christ." For Christ is the reason that we boast in God, and nothing is ours, not even the slightest thing. This very thought he expresses with the words: "we are not sufficient to think anything of ourselves." Our strength, he says, is from God: He made us "sufficient," that is, He strengthened us, made us capable of serving this great divine work — the New Testament.”
“Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Above, the Apostle excused himself, that he was not seeking his own glory, because he did not need it; here he proves that he is not seeking his own glory. Indeed, everything good he does he attributes not to himself but to God. In regard to this he does two things: first, he attributes all the good he has and does to God; secondly, he gives the reason for this. He says, therefore: I say that we do not need letters of recommendation and that you are our letter ministered by us. Nor do we seek our glory, but Christ's. Such is the confidence, i.e. to say such things, that we have through Christ toward God, i.e., we refer it to God. Or I have such confidence in God, by whose power I say these things, because he works in me, and the confidence we have through Christ, through whom we have access to the Father, as it says in Romans (5:2), who unites us to God: "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord" (Jer. 17:7). And I have this confidence because I am united to God through Christ: "I will act confidently in him" (Ps. 11:6, Vulgate).”
“Paul's purpose was to show that the ancient prophets did not have this position of trust in God's eyes, because theirs was a preparing ministry.”
The in-app commentary runs from the Fathers to the early-modern record, then stops — that's where the public-domain sources end, not where the reading does. For the modern reading, follow the sources directly.