Having mentioned in verses 4 and 5 the difficulties encountered in his ministry, he now turns to a list of positive characteristics.
Good News Translation adds the word “our” to the list of qualities that follow, since Paul is referring to himself and his colleagues.
Purity: this refers to moral virtue. The adjectival form of this word is found in 7.11, where it entails moral integrity, and in 11.2, where it involves the chastity of a bride. Languages use various expressions to represent this virtue. One language speaks of a “clean heart,” while another says “we do nothing that brings shame.”
Knowledge: what is involved here is the understanding that God gives, not just the knowledge of facts.
Forbearance: the basic sense of this word is “patience” (Good News Translation), without complaining. In the context here, forbearance includes the idea of being patient with the weaknesses and criticisms of other people. Kindness differs from forbearance in the aspect of actively showing goodwill by helping others.
In a list of human virtues it is strange that Paul includes the Holy Spirit. For this reason some interpreters take this to be the human spirit. Barrett says “in a holy spirit,” and New Revised Standard Version says “holiness of spirit.” If the reference is to the Holy Spirit, the sense is “by being imbued with the Holy Spirit” (God’s New Covenant) or “with gifts of the Spirit” (New English Bible and Nueva Biblia Española). Though either the Holy Spirit or the human spirit seems equally possible, translators should probably choose the Holy Spirit, because it is the most common translation in many languages (Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, Good News Translation, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Bible en français courant, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy). Translators may find it helpful to expand these words as in Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, “by the presence of the Holy Spirit in us,” or Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente “showing … the presence of the Holy Spirit….”
Genuine love: some other renderings are “sincere love” (New International Version), “unaffected love” (Revised English Bible), and “authentic love” (Anchor Bible). Contemporary English Version says “our love has been real.” In some languages this may be stated in a negative way somewhat similar in meaning to the Revised English Bible rendering: “love that is not deceitful.”
Good News Translation repeats the words “we have shown ourselves to be God’s servants” from verse 4 in order to help the reader remember the purpose of this long list in verses 4-10. But see the comment on the TEV translation of 6.4a. In some languages it will be more natural to put this at the beginning of the verse.
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellingworth, Paul. A Handbook on Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .