Most Misused Verses - Phil 4:13

Introduction

The storm a couple of weeks ago took out part of our wooden fence and broke a post

So needless to say I needed to dig it out and replace it

Part of the issue was the post was in about 75 lbs of concrete (3ft deep 4in around)

So last Sat I started digging around the post and got to the top part of the concrete

Then I thought to myself: “Why am I digging, I can do all things...”

So I said a quick prayer, reached down and … (guess what happened?)

Unfortunately, this isn’t too far off from how many people misuse this verse

From sporting events to feats of strength, we see this verse on black eye patches, jerseys, t-shirts etc.

(Babylon Bee articles and headlines)

Is this what this verse actually means?

If there was only a way to help us determine what Paul was really talking about (oh wait, there is - let’s call it context)

Historical Context

We can look back at Act 16 for the founding of the Phil church

In v9 Paul, on his 2nd missionary journey, gets a vision to go to Macedonia

Once they get there, they meet Lydia (v14) and she becomes the first convert in Philippi

The trip then goes downhill (humanly speaking) when they run into a demon possessed slave girl (vv16-17)

Paul proceeds to cast out the spirit (vv18) and as is the case with most dishonest business owners, they didn’t like Paul removing their meal ticket (v19)

Paul and Silas were then beaten and thrown in prison (v24)

Then we have the miraculous prison break, the conversion of the Phil jailor, and departure from Phil to Thess (vv25-40)

This is the beginning of the Phil church

Fast forward about 12 years - the book of Acts ends with Paul in house arrest

At some point after the founding of the church and before is released from prison, the Phil send him a monetary gift to help him with his needs (once in Thessalonica)

So while in house arrest in Rome, Paul writes the letter to the Phil to express his gratitude for their gift but also give them a little encouragement and exhortation

Biblical Context

With that background, let’s go to Phil

Phil is often referred to as “the book of joy” and we see that throughout the book (joy or rejoice is used at least 16x in the letter)

Paul’s desire for them is to grow in X and serve God faithfully

He wants them to be humble, unified, and experience the joy of life in X

It seems the Phil church may have struggled with trying to live out parts of the Xian life in their own strength and when that happens it limits the joy we get from serving X

When we try to serve in our own strength, it’s easy to get frustrated, agitated and even jealous of each other

That seems to be what Paul is addressing in 4:1-2 but throughout the book there are hints at these issues

Paul wants to see them standing firm in X as well as rejoicing and serving with one another in order to further the Gospel

He wants them to avoid anxiety, pray consistently, think rightly, and ultimately know that God will always be there to provide for their needs

Which brings us to v13

As has been hammered home in this series, we need to set the context

When we come to v13, one thing that should stick out to us is the fact that (as with the other verses we’ve looked at), it is in the middle of a thought

Just like we shouldn’t make assumptions or conclusions about things we may hear in the middle of a conversation, we shouldn’t draw conclusions when we read something that is in the middle of a thought

Even going up one verse helps us set the context here

If we read that Paul’s “learned the secret of contentment” it automatically eliminates a number of misuses of this verse

But we really want to set a larger context than just one verse so as you go up, you might find yourself getting all the way up to v8 (“Finally”) - or at minimum getting up to v10 which is the beginning of the current line of thought for Paul

So we will set vv10-13 as the immediate context

As v10 starts out, we see that Paul is addressing the concern the Phil church had for him

In v15 Paul notes their generosity and they were the only ones sending him financial support

But Paul wants to provide an important lesson for them and teach them an important truth

As we see the context of vv10-13, we note specifically that Paul is addressing the area of contentment (v11)

And in v12 he tells them he has the “secret” for it

What It Doesn’t Mean

So when we get to v13, in the context of contentment, it hurts our ability to apply this to how we perform in sporting events, performing feats of strength, or pulling fence posts out of the ground

It makes it difficult (if not impossible) to use this as a “catch all” verse in some motivational way that God will give us strength to follow all our dreams and desires

In short, this verse is not a promise that God will gives us strength for anything we ask

What It Does Mean

Literally in the Gk this vs reads: “I have all strength in the one who empowers me”

And again in the context, we see the actual definition of what Paul means by “all things” in our Eng translations

v12 mentions “facing plenty and hunger, abundance, and need”

The “secret” of dealing with these things is not based on your own strength, it’s not based on trying harder to make more money, it’s based solely on X and the strength we get from him to be content with any and all circumstances

True contentment only comes from God and when we rely on God’s strength, we will not only experience true contentment but also experience the true joy and peace that, as Paul says, “surpasses all comprehension” (v7)

Application (So What?)

So let’s put some feet on this - what can we take away from a proper understanding of this verse

1) Contentment and joy ‡ happiness

We need to make sure when we talk about contentment and joy we understand the difference between them

We aren’t always happy with our circumstances, but we should always be content with them

Happiness is: an emotional state characterized by feelings of satisfaction, and fulfillment… it is often described as involving positive emotions and life satisfaction.

There are numerous times we go through trials that don’t bring either “positive emotions” or “life satisfaction”

We are not talking about emotions or feelings when we talk about contentment

There are lots of way worry or anxiety can mess with our emotions

The world has many paths that can create unhappiness in our lives if we let it

But if our goal is contentment and joy, the trials that comes may not be happy times but they can be times of learning joy and contentment

True contentment comes from the heart and is not emotionally driven - our joy is in the Lord and not our circumstances

Ultimately, true contentment, as Paul points out, comes from God

2) God’s promise of strength is spiritual, not physical

When we come to a verse like this one, our default thought process should be spiritual

Meaning, since there is nothing in the context that refers to physical strength, we have no reason to interpret this as physical strength

Yet, it seems as if all of the misuses of this verse are about physical strength

But unless your name is Sampson, you’ve taken a Nazarite vow, and your currently a judge of the natn of Isr, that promise just isn’t there.

Especially when going through the NT, when we look at strength, we need to be thinking along spiritual lines, not physical

Peter tells us we have everything we need for “life and godliness” (2 Pet 1:3)

Do we have other vv to support this?

Ps 28:7-8; Ps 46:1-3; Ps 59:9; Isa 40:29-31; 2 Cor 12:8-9

3) Let God provide the strength

It is all too easy for us to try and do things on our own (church, work, etc.) but when we do that, we are robbing ourselves of experiencing the full blessings God wants for us

We need to recognize those times and remind ourselves of Paul’s conclusion - “when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor 12:10)

We need to remember that God’s grace is sufficient for us and that if we find ourselves discontent in our circumstances it is probably because we are not letting God provide our strength

The strength to be content and rejoice in all circumstances is not from the world, it is from God

Our tendency is to let the worldly concerns choke out the power God’s provides

When trials comes or needs pile up, you’re either going to try getting through them under your own power, or God’s; there really is no middle ground

Going through trials under our own strength is what creates discontent and joylessness

When we allow God to strengthen us when we are weak or when we realize we can’t do this on our own, that’s when we experience true contentment and joy