John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 8. For now we live , etc.] Before they were dead men, lifeless, disconsolate, dispirited, carrying about with them the dying of the Lord Jesus, and death working in them, and they, as it were, under the sentence of that, being killed all the day long for Christ's sake; but now, upon this news, in the midst of all their sore trials and troubles, their spirits revived, and they became alive and cheerful; (see Psalm 22:26 Isaiah 55:3), it was like life from the dead unto them: if ye stand fast in the Lord : or our Lord, as the Syriac and Ethiopic versions read; that is, in the faith of the Lord, as the Arabic version renders it: they were in the Lord secretly by electing grace, and openly by regenerating grace, and they abode in him; and by persevering grace, they were rooted and built up in Christ, and established in the faith of him, of his person, office, and grace; they were steady in the exercise of grace upon him, and stood fast in the liberty wherewith he had made them free, and continued steadfastly in the doctrines and ordinances of the Gospel; for the if here is not expressive of doubting, but of reasoning, seeing ye stand fast in the Lord; of which they were assured by Timothy: and this gave them fresh spirit and life amidst the deaths in which they often were.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 6-10 - Thankfulness to God is very imperfect in the present state; but on great end of the ministry of the word is to help faith forward. Tha which was the instrument to obtain faith, is also the means of increasing and confirming it, namely, the ordinances of God; and a faith cometh by hearing, so it is confirmed by hearing also.
Greek Textus Receptus
οτι 3754 CONJ νυν 3568 ADV ζωμεν 2198 5719 V-PAI-1P εαν 1437 COND υμεις 5210 P-2NP στηκητε 4739 5725 V-PAS-2P εν 1722 PREP κυριω 2962 N-DSM
Vincent's NT Word Studies
8. Stand fast (sthkete). The sense of firm standing is derived from the context, and does not inhere in the word. In Mark iii. 31; xi. 25, it means simply to stand. Comp. Philip. iv. 1. It does not occur earlier than N.T.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
3:8 {If ye stand fast} (ean humeis stekete). Condition of first class, ean and present active indicative (correct text, not stekete subj.) of stekw, late form from perfect hesteka of histemi, to place.
