NOTES for Co2 13:8
What means the apostle, by saying that he himself and his brothers can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth? One would have been able of course to think that Paul, as every preacher of a new doctrine, is persuaded by his truth and is sure of the fact that the knowledge of truth and faithfulness in truth makes man stronger. He is persuaded and sure as all the real preachers of all times and all nations were persuaded and sure of the power of their truth.
If Christianity was a certain new philosophic doctrine, it would probably have been the case. And if we speak about a new religion, then in the persuasion is attached the assurance in the fact that in particular this new religion, being itself the plenitude of the revelation, with the help of God somehow wins the minds and hearts, and anyone who opposes the new religion therefore challenges not only the new religion, but God Himself. But what we could then say about the genuine Christianity, which represents not the religion and not a philosophic doctrine, but simply the life in the Kingdom, inflexible to the philosophic or theological concepts and to the religious rules?
It would seem that it is easier to witness of the "simple life". And on the other hand and more complex. Easier because there is nothing more obvious: man lives as he lives, one can’t replace life by any sermons or any theological reasonings, quite as one can’t replace it by any philosophic or moral statements.
If somebody lives the life of the Kingdom, he necessarily becomes a witness of the Kingdom. Well then the power of the Kingdom begins to witness of the authenticity of his testimony, and it is really difficult to stand such power. But the witness of life in more is most complex: because here it is necessary to witness non-stop, there is no possibility here to have a break, relax, get ready for the following testimony, as gets ready the preacher for the following sermon, it is necessary to simply manifest here the power of the Kingdom, which can only be the real testimony, every day and every hour.
And if at some point the inhabitant of the Kingdom changes what he lives, his witness breaks off not only this concrete moment, but also becomes in fact an anti-testimony: because such a treason depreciates not only this concrete moment of its life, when the treason occurred, but also all what was formerly said and made. The witness stops to have relation with the truth and loses the power of his testimony. Indeed, one can witness of the Kingdom only as long as he lives its life.