![]() ![]() But Christ undermines the foundation for discontentment. Complaining can curse any moment, any organization, or any relationship. That is not a sexy message, but it is powerful. It is a humbling principle that you have the power to stop complaining. It is no enticing promise to accomplish great feats for God. The true meaning of Philippians 4:13 does change its message. Jesus doesn't give you the ability to fly or win football games or get a perfect score on the SAT. Jesus promises to provide contentment no matter what you face. Philippians 4:13 does NOT mean we can do anything because Christ strengthens us. Proper grammatical analysis focuses our attention on the message Paul wanted to deliver. It is virtually restating Php 4:11 "I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances" but finally revealing the secret to that contentment: Christ gave Paul the ability to be content. That's how we know the precise meaning of Philippians 4:13 is: I can be content in any circumstance because Christ gives me strength. The repeated use of the word πᾶς in both verses tells us that Paul is talking about the same circumstances in Philippians 4:13 that he described in Philippians 4:12. The idiom translates "in any and every circumstance." The idiom twice employs the same Greek root word πᾶς that Paul uses again in Philippians 4:13. When he describes those "times" or "circumstances" in Php 4:12, he uses a Greek idiom: εν παντι και εν πασιν. He is explaining to the Christians in Philippi how he has been able to survive the good and the bad times. Paul describes in Php 4:11-12 how he has gone through times of great need and great abundance. The Greek word behind the phrase "all things" in Php 4:13 is lexically linked to the "circumstances" Paul already mentioned in Php 4:11-12. When Paul says, "I can do all things through Christ," he is being very specific not general. "All Things" really means "In All Circumstances" I get so frustrated when people take biblical promises and attach them to unbiblical purposes. But instead of God protecting against future invading armies so that righteousness may be established in Israel, Ray got to beat Peyton Manning and end the Broncos 11-game winning streak. He inadvertently claimed to be the righteous and suffering servant in Isaiah 54:17 that was vindicated by God through victory over enemies. ![]() Man believes in the possible but God believes in the impossible." By quoting Isaiah, Ray Lewis took the future hope God had given to righteous Israelites who were suffering for their sins and turned it into his reason for winning a playoff game. Ray shouted with tears in his eyes, "No weapon formed against us shall prosper. I can never forget the Ray Lewis rant after the Ravens won the right to play in the Super Bowl in 2013. ![]()
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