God’s Word Translation
1 Corinthians 4:20
20God’s kingdom is not just talk, it is power.
1 Corinthians 4:20 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.
- New International Version (NIV)For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.
- English Standard Version (ESV)For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.
- New King James Version (NKJV)For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power.
Context of 1 Corinthians 4:20
18Some of you have become arrogant because you think I won’t pay you a visit. 19If it’s the Lord’s will, I’ll visit you soon. Then I’ll know what these arrogant people are saying and what power they have. God’s kingdom is not just talk, it is power. 21When I come to visit you, would you prefer that I punish you or show you love and a gentle spirit?
Read all of 1 Corinthians 41 Corinthians 4:20 word by word
οὐ γὰρ ἐν λόγῳ ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ ἀλλ᾽ ἐν δυνάμει.¶Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for 1 Corinthians 4:20
- 1 Corinthians 1:24But to those Jews and Greeks who are called, he is Christ, God’s power and God’s wisdom.
- 1 Corinthians 2:4I didn’t speak my message with persuasive intellectual arguments. I spoke my message with a show of spiritual power
- Romans 1:16I’m not ashamed of the Good News. It is God’s power to save everyone who believes, Jews first and Greeks as well.
- Romans 14:17God’s kingdom does not consist of what a person eats or drinks. Rather, God’s kingdom consists of God’s approval and peace, as well as the joy that the Holy Spirit gives.
- Romans 15:19by the power of miraculous and amazing signs, and by the power of God’s Spirit, I have finished spreading the Good News about Christ from Jerusalem to Illyricum.
- 2 Corinthians 10:4The weapons we use in our fight are not made by humans. Rather, they are powerful weapons from God. With them we destroy people’s defenses, that is, their arguments
- 1 Thessalonians 1:5We know this because the Good News we brought came to you not only with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit, and with complete certainty. In the same way you know what kind of people we were while we were with you and the good things we did for you.
Commentaries on 1 Corinthians 4:20
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20For the kingdom of God - The religion of the Lord Jesus is not in word - in human eloquence, excellence of speech, or even in doctrines; but in power, , in the mighty energy of the Holy Spirit; enlightening, quickening, converting, and sanctifying believers; and all his genuine apostles are enabled, on all necessary occasions, to demonstrate the truth of their calling by miracles; for this the original word often means.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20For the kingdom of God - The reign of God in the church (see the note at Matthew 3:2); meaning here, probably, the power or authority which was to be exercised in the government and discipline of the church. Or it may refer to the manner in which the church had been established. “It has not been set up by empty boasting; by pompous pretensions; by confident assertions. Such empty boasts would do little in the great work of founding, governing, and…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 14-21Verses 14-21 In reproving for sin, we should distinguish between sinners and their sins. Reproofs that kindly and affectionately warn, are likely to reform. Though the apostle spoke with authority as a parent, he would rather beseech them in love. And as ministers are to set an example, others must follow them, as far as they follow Christ in faith and practice. Christians may mistake and differ in their views, but Christ and Christian truth are the same…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 18-20Some might have thought Paul was afraid to visit because he sent Timothy. However, Paul was very busy with his work in Ephesus at that time (Acts 19:8–20; see study note on Acts 19:10). He planned to visit soon (see 1 Corinthians 16:5–9; Acts 19:21–22; 20:1–3; compare 2 Corinthians 1:15–2:4) and would face those who opposed him. He would show they were just talkers. His actions and words would prove God's power (see also 1 Corinthians 2:4).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2020. kingdom of God is not in word--Translate, as in 1Co 4:19, to which the reference is "speech." Not empty "speeches," but the manifest "power" of the Spirit attests the presence of "the kingdom of God" (the reign of the Gospel spiritually), in a church or in an individual (compare 1Co 2:1, 4; 1Th 1:5).Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Corinthians 4:20
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 1 Corinthians 4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
Commentaries