I Can Do All Things...
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13 (NKJV)
Philippians 4:13 is quoted a lot. But what does it really mean? Is God telling us that we can do all things? Like fly? If I jump off a roof and believe in Jesus 'enough,' I'll be able to fly? Sounds like an exaggeration doesn't it? But people actually take the wrong message out of this scripture and misapply it to their lives. Let's run through the six questions to see if we can pull God's message for us from this verse. (We talked about these six questions here in a previous post.)
1) Who was the author of the passage we're reading? Or who said the message being recorded? Paul wrote this message.
2) To whom was the passage being written? The church in Philippi
3) When was the passage written? Around 62 AD during Paul's imprisonment
4) How would the original audience apply that message to their lives? Paul was writing to the church about numerous things. He was thanking them for their generous gifts, encouraging them in their faith, and highlighting the importance of spreading the Gospel. This particular verse comes after a couple other statements Paul makes, namely: "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances" (verse 11) and "I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want," (verse 12). After previously thanking them for their generous gifts, and just prior to verse 13, Paul is speaking about contentment. He was telling the church not to worry about him because no matter what type of situation he was enduring (at that time a pretty difficult one), Paul could get through it with a good attitude because Christ was the one strengthening him. The Philippians would take encouragement from Paul's attitude and apply his message to their lives so that when they found themselves in struggling situations (or even prosperous situations), they too could rely on Christ to strengthen them and persevere in the faith.
5) Can we apply that same message to our lives in a way that the original audience applied it to their lives? We can, because this message applies to the entire church. Every believer who goes through difficult times can rely on Christ to strengthen them and help them to persevere in their faith. We can all find contentment regardless of our situations. Philippians 4:13 is not a promise that our current situation will turn out the way we want it to turn out, only that God is always in control and the source of our strength.
6) Can this passage stand alone? Or does it need to be understood within the broader context of the Bible? The passage cannot stand alone. As soon as we remove it from its context, we don't really understand what "all things" means. Paul was specifically talking about contentment, and when we read that verse in context, it becomes clear.
Philippians 4:13 is quoted a lot. But what does it really mean? Is God telling us that we can do all things? Like fly? If I jump off a roof and believe in Jesus 'enough,' I'll be able to fly? Sounds like an exaggeration doesn't it? But people actually take the wrong message out of this scripture and misapply it to their lives. Let's run through the six questions to see if we can pull God's message for us from this verse. (We talked about these six questions here in a previous post.)
1) Who was the author of the passage we're reading? Or who said the message being recorded? Paul wrote this message.
2) To whom was the passage being written? The church in Philippi
3) When was the passage written? Around 62 AD during Paul's imprisonment
4) How would the original audience apply that message to their lives? Paul was writing to the church about numerous things. He was thanking them for their generous gifts, encouraging them in their faith, and highlighting the importance of spreading the Gospel. This particular verse comes after a couple other statements Paul makes, namely: "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances" (verse 11) and "I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want," (verse 12). After previously thanking them for their generous gifts, and just prior to verse 13, Paul is speaking about contentment. He was telling the church not to worry about him because no matter what type of situation he was enduring (at that time a pretty difficult one), Paul could get through it with a good attitude because Christ was the one strengthening him. The Philippians would take encouragement from Paul's attitude and apply his message to their lives so that when they found themselves in struggling situations (or even prosperous situations), they too could rely on Christ to strengthen them and persevere in the faith.5) Can we apply that same message to our lives in a way that the original audience applied it to their lives? We can, because this message applies to the entire church. Every believer who goes through difficult times can rely on Christ to strengthen them and help them to persevere in their faith. We can all find contentment regardless of our situations. Philippians 4:13 is not a promise that our current situation will turn out the way we want it to turn out, only that God is always in control and the source of our strength.
6) Can this passage stand alone? Or does it need to be understood within the broader context of the Bible? The passage cannot stand alone. As soon as we remove it from its context, we don't really understand what "all things" means. Paul was specifically talking about contentment, and when we read that verse in context, it becomes clear.
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