Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
13. I can do all things ] More exactly, I have strength for all things; whether to do or to bear. The Latin versions, beautifully, render, omnia possum. The “all things” are, of course, not all things absolutely; he is not the Omnipotent. They are “all things” with which he has to do, as the will of God brings them to him; not the boundless field of possibilities, but a straight line across it, the actual path of duty and suffering, chosen not by himself but by his Lord and Master. The reference is thus limited and practical; but within that reference it is, observe, not “ some ” but “ all ” things that he can meet in peace and strength. Cp. 1Co 10:13; Eph 2:12.
through Christ which strengtheneth me ] With the best attested reading, and more exactly, in Him who enableth me. The verb occurs elsewhere in the active, 1Ti 1:12; 2Ti 4:17. It occurs in the middle or passive, Act 9:22; Rom 4:20; Eph 6:10; 2Ti 2:1; Heb 11:34. It imports the supply on the one hand and reception and realization on the other of a supernatural ability ( dynamis), coming out in action.
Observe the phrase, “ in Him.” It is in vital union with his Head that the “member” is thus able for “all things,” and in no other way (cp. Joh 15:4-5; 2Co 9:8; 2Co 12:9-10). But this way is open to the submissive faith of every true Christian, not of Apostles and Martyrs only.
The word “ Christ ” is not in the true text, but is manifestly a true “gloss.”
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
I can do all things – From the experience which Paul had in these various circumstances of life, he comes here to the general conclusion that he could do all things. He could bear any trial, perform any duty, subdue any evil propensity of his nature, and meet all the temptations incident to any condition of prosperity or adversity. His own experience in the various changes of life had warranted him in arriving at this conclusion; and he now expresses the firm confidence that nothing would be required of him which he would not be able to perform. In Paul, this declaration was not a vain self-reliance, nor was it the mere result of his former experience. He knew well where the strength was to be obtained by which to do all things, and on that arm that was able to uphold him he confidently relied.
Through Christ which strengtheneth me – See the notes at Joh 15:5. Of the strength which Christ can impart, Paul had had abundant experience; and now his whole reliance was there. It was not in any native ability which he had; not in any vigor of body or of mind; not in any power which there was in his own resolutions; it was in the strength that he derived from the Redeemer. By that he was enabled to bear cold, fatigue, and hunger; by that, he met temptations and persecutions; and by that, he engaged in the performance of his arduous duties let us learn, hence:
(1) That we need not sink under any trial, for there is one who can strengthen us.
(2) That we need not yield to temptation. There is one who is able to make a way for our escape.
(3) That we need not be harassed, and vexed, and tortured with improper thoughts and unholy desires. There is one who can enable us to banish such thoughts from the mind, and restore the right balance to the affections of the soul.
(4) That we need not dread what is to come. Trials, temptations, poverty, want, persecution, may await us; but we need not sink into despondency. At every step of life, Christ is able to strengthen us, and can bring us triumphantly through. What a privilege it is, therefore, to be a Christian – to feel, in the trials of life, that we have one friend, unchanging and most mighty, who can always help us! How cheerfully should we engage in our duties, and meet the trials that are before us, leaning on the arm of our Almighty Redeemer! Let us not shrink from duty; let us not dread persecution let us not fear the bed of death. In all circumstances, Christ, our unchanging Friend, can uphold us. Let the eye and the affections of the heart be fixed on him; let the simple, fervent, believing prayer be directed always to him when trials come, when temptations assail, when duty presses hard upon us, and when a crowd of unholy and forbidden thoughts rush into the soul: and we shall be safe.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Php 4:13
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me
Here we find
I.
Weakness and strength. The believer is weak in himself. Looking to the all things to be done he laments this with shame and tears. But he is not alone. Allied to Christ he is strong to overcome evil and to do good. He has courage and hope. Nothing in the way of duty is impossible (2Co 12:8-10).
II. Dependence and freedom. Dependence is the law of our being. Of the natural life it is said, In God we live and move and have our being; how much more is this true of the spiritual life, and yet we are free. Of our own choice we trust in Christ; of our own will, every moment we abide in Him. I can implies the personal life, reason, conscience, will, and endeavour.
III. Humility and aspiration. Paul was remarkable for humility; it grew with him. But he was not discouraged. Fired with the noblest ambition, his inspiration was from above. So with all Christians. In spite of conscious weakness, opposition, and failure, through Christ they take heart to persevere. My soul cleaveth to the dust: quicken thou me according to Thy Word.
IV. Suffering and contentment. Pauls life was marked by vicissitudes and trouble; he was now in prison. But what then? His soul was free; there was peace within, Christ was with him. As a scholar under the great Master he had ]earned many things, and among others the Divine secret of content (Php 4:11). So with Christians. Their satisfaction is not from without but from within; not from the lower and perishable things of the world, but from the immortal affection of their Saviour and God.
Learn–
1. The greatness of Christ as suggested by the place given Him by such a man as Paul. Consider his zeal, labours, achievements, and yet he ascribes the praise of all to Christ. But Paul was only one of many.
2. The grandeur of the Christian life. There is no limit to its possibilities. What has been done is only an earnest of what will be done. Take courage. Through Christ, His blood, Word, Spirit, resurrection, etc., all things are possible. What inspiration here for prayer and holy endeavour (Eph 3:20-21).
3. The certain triumph of Christianity. Strengthened by Him, His people shall never cease to pray and strive, till all the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdom of our God and of His Christ. (W. Forsyth.)
All-sufficiency magnified
The former part of the sentence would be a piece of impudent daring without the latter. There have been men who, puffed up with vanity, have said, I can do all things. Their destruction has been sure–Nebuchadnezzar, Xerxes, Napoleon. And what shall we say to our apostle, weak in presence and contemptible in speech, the leader of a hated and persecuted sect. Has Gamaliel taught him an eloquence that can baffle all opposers? Have his sufferings given him so stern a courage that he is not to be turned away? Is it on himself he relies? No; he turns his face towards his Saviour and with devout reverence but dauntless courage. Through Christ, etc.
I. The measure of the text. It is exceeding broad. Paul meant that he was able–
1. To endure all trials.
2. To perform all duties.
3. To conquer all corruptions. He once said, O wretched man that I am, etc. But he did not stay there, Thanks be unto God that giveth us the victory. Have you a violent temper? Through Christ you can curb it. Are you timid? Christ can give you a lions boldness. Are you slothful? Christ can make you energetic. Are you incapable for strong effort? Christ can increase your capacity. Are you inconstant? Christ can settle you. There is not a Hittite or Jebusite in the whole land that cannot be east out.
4. To serve God in any state! (Php 4:12). Some Christians are called to undergo extreme changes from wealth to poverty, and from poverty to wealth, and, alas, there is often a corresponding spiritual change; the one desponds, the other is elated or becomes avaricious. This need not be. When you gave yourself to Christ you gave yourself wholly to serve Him in everything and anywhere.
5. You can do all things through Christ in respect to all worlds. In this world you can enlighten and uplift it. You may pass through the dark gate of death with Christ without fear into the world of spirits, and there you are more than conqueror.
II. The manner of it. None of us can explain this; but we may see how the acts of the Spirit for Christ tend to strengthen the soul for all things.
1. By strengthening our faith. It is remarkable how timid and doubting Christians have in time of trial behaved most bravely. God gives faith equal to the emergency. Weak faith can sprout and grow till it becomes great under the pressure of a great trial. Nothing braces a mans nerves like the cold winters blast. Together with faith often comes a singular firmness of mind. When John Ardley was brought before Bonner the latter said, The fire will convert you; faggots are sharp preachers. Said Ardley, I am not afraid to try it; and I tell thee, Bishop, if I had as many lives as I have hairs on my head, I would give them all up sooner than I would give up Christ. And then Christians are often enabled to anticipate the joys of heaven when their pangs are greatest. Look at old Ignatius with his arm in the lions mouth, exclaiming, Now I begin to be a Christian.
2. By quickening the mental faculties. It is astonishing how poor illiterate persons have been able to refute their clever opponents. Cranmer and Ridley were no match for Jane Bouchier the Baptist martyr. I am as true a servant of God as any of you; and if you put your poor sister to death, take care lest God should let loose the wolf of Rome on you, and you have to suffer for God, too.
3. By enabling the believer to overcome himself. He can lose all things, because he is already prepared to do it; he can suffer all things, because he does not value his body as the worldling does; he can brave all things, because he has learned to fear God, and therefore has no reason to fear man; he can perform wonders, because his body and spirit are disciplined.
4. Note the present tense. Not Christ has strengthened, did strengthen at conversion, As thy days so shall thy strength be.
III. The message of it.
1. One of encouragement to those who are doing something for Christ, but feel painfully their own inability. Cease not from Gods work, because you are unable to perform it of yourself. Cease from yourself, from man. Before Zerubbabel the mountain shall become a plain. If we believed great things we should do great things. Do net go through the world saying, I was born little. You were not meant to be little. Act as David did in spite of his brothers sneers.
2. Take heed that you do it in Christs strength. You can do nothing without that. Go not forth till thou hast first prayed. The battle that begins with holy reliance on God means victory.
3. Paul speaks in the name of all Christians. How is it that some of you then are doing nothing? What a work there is to do! And what may not one resolute Christian accomplish. (G. H. Spurgeon.)
The power of the Christian
I. There are two main errors by which men are deceived. The first is the fancy that they can do all things that they wish and try to do of themselves. The second is that they cannot and need not do anything. These have been the sources of two of the most mischievous heresies, the one undermining all spiritual, the other all practical religion; the first is Pelagianism, the other Antinomianism.
II. The end of these errors is to keep men in sin. Pride says it will pay off the debt it owes to God when it has grown bigger. Why should I do that today, it cries, which I can do any day whenever I please? Meanwhile sloth alleges that it is a bankrupt and demands as such to be let off all manner of payment, for getting that a negligent and fraudulent bankrupt has no claim to favour. Pride says it can obey God and does not. Sloth says it cannot and need not.
III. These errors, irreconcilable though they may seem, are often found side by side. They are Satans right and left hand in which he tosses our souls from one to the other. The proud man, although he makes himself believe that he can obey God by himself, must be often warned by his conscience that he has not done so. At such times he will try to stifle his qualms by saying that he has done his best, and that Christs merits will be sufficient to make up. The slothful man, too, who has drugged his conscience with the notion that as his best works cannot earn heaven, so it matters not what his works are, must be startled now and then by scriptural exhortations to holiness; but when so startled he whispers to himself that let the worst come to the worst he will reform by and by.
IV. Both these errors are answered by the text, which picks out the truth involved in each and separates it from the false. When an error is long-lived it is by means of some truth mixed up with it.
1. As the pride of man says, I can do all things, so does Paul; only pride stops short here, whereas Paul adds, through Christ, etc. Pride forgets the Fall, and also that what it calls its own strength is really Gods gift.
2. The sluggard is also bereft of his only excuse. God never demands of us what we cannot do; and Paul tells us that there is no limit to our power; he poor, weak, frail as he was, could do all things when strengthened by Christ.
V. What does paul mean by this.
1. Certainly not in the same sense that God can do all things–make a world, arrest the sun, etc.; but–
2. In accordance with the previous verse. These things, however, seem to some hardly sufficient to bear the lofty declaration of the text, and would rather have expected to hear of some great victory gained or miracle wrought. Yet it is in these things that our hardest trials lie, for they are the things that the natural man cannot do of himself. He may brave dangers and accomplish many wonderful works, but he does not know how to be abased and how to abound. A cup knows how to be full and how to be empty, and stands equally straight in either case. But mans hand cannot lift the full cup and will not lift the empty one. It is only through Christ that whether the Lord giveth or taketh away we can say, Blessed be His name.
3. The true children of God can do all things that they can ever desire to do, viz., the will of God. (Archdeacon Hare.)
Strength by Christ
The more literal rendering is I am strong for all things; or, I am equal to all things, Christ invigorating me, either doing or suffering. Let us look at–
I. Christ strengthening Paul.
1. Every man needs strength. Weakness is so much less of life. Lack of strength is more serious than any rack of outward possession. A weak rich man is in a worse position than a strong poor man. Weakness lessens work, reduces enjoyment, and aggravates suffering. It is also the cause of wickedness, exposing the individual to fierce temptation. As a preservative against sin we need to ask for daily strength.
2. Every man requires strengthening. Even the strong by constitution and education. The child learning to walk alone is strengthened by the hand of the mother, and the aged mother is in return strengthened by the arm of her son. The boy is strengthened to learn by his tutor or employer, and the man to pursue the objects of life by various invigorating influences; while all are strengthened by God.
3. The Christian is no exception. His conversion is not translation to ease. There are times when he lies down in green pastures; but he lies down tired, and that he may rise stronger. We rest not for restings sake but for works sake. The Christian life is a race to be run and a battle to be fought. To cease either is to cease to be a Christian.
4. A Christians strength can come only by his being strengthened. There is not within the man as a man or a Christian any stock of strength given at the commencement. Our resources are supplied as we need them. This arrangement keeps us close to the source of all energy and wisdom, communion with whom alone, apart from imparted blessings, invigorates.
5. An apostle is no exception to this rule. On the battlefield the eye of the soldier is upon the officers of the opposing army. So ministers are more tried than others, partly because of their vocation, and partly that they may have wisdom and grace to succour the tempted.
6. And Christ did strengthen Paul. By His example, grace, promises, doctrines, precepts,
II. Paul hereby assured that all things were possible to him. He felt equal to labour, suffering, and dying. Yet this was not undue self-confidence, but humility.
1. if we Christians are not equal to all the demands which God makes upon us our inability involves guilt. Weakness is not a misfortune but a crime, needing not pity but blame. Christ does not require anything impossible or injuriously difficult, nothing for which He does not guarantee strength.
2. The Divine help is manifold and constant. Look at the assistance obtained from–
(1) The Scriptures, which thoroughly furnish us unto all good works.
(2) Providence, under which all things work together for our good.
(3) Christian principle–faith, love, hope, joy, obedience.
3. If we turn from this various help to Christ personally and then remember that He is with us, immutable in His love, unfailing in His resources, unwearied in His oversight, we can understand what Paul meant.
(1) I cannot do many things which my fellow Christians say is my duty;
(2) Nor what in my ignorance I conclude to be my duty;
(3) Nor what is actually my duty, if I go about it in a wrong spirit or way;
(4) But Christ will strengthen us for all His will.
What can hinder? Not our ignorance, for He is our teacher; not our feebleness, for He never breaks the bruised reed; not our sinfulness, for He is our Saviour.
4. This assurance covers all the necessities of our Christian life–perseverance, cross-bearing and self-crucifixion, Christian work, the prospect and experience of death. (S. Martin.)
The fountain of strength
We all need strength. Whether conscious or unconscious of it, we are all weak. Our very strength is weakness. We may trust it and be deceived by it. This is a defect we cannot supply. The exertion of weakness can not produce strength. We must look out of ourselves; and to save us from a vain search God sets Christ before us as our strength and strengthener.
I. How Christ strengthens us.
1. Not by miracle or magic; not by acting upon us without our knowledge or against our will, but through our own intelligent and active powers.
2. By instructing us in the knowledge of our weakness and His own strength.
3. By His example, showing us how to do all that He requires in His own life.
4. By supplying us with the great motive power–His constraining love.
5. By working faith in us, which brings us into vital union with Him who is the source of strength.
II. For what He strengthens us.
1. To fulfil the law as a rule of duty.
2. To resist temptation.
3. To suffer and endure. (J. A. Alexander, D. D.)
Dependence on Christ
(Text in conjunction with Joh 15:5.) Two speakers, Divine-human and human. From how different a platform do they speak; one from conscious power to help, the other from conscious need of help. One a great Giver, the other a great receiver. A fine harmony in the two statements. Though Pauls is not quite so universal as Christs, it forms a pleasing testimony to the correctness of Christs statement, and the usefulness of the promised aid.
I. The divine assertion. God in Christ speaks.
1. It applies to mans spiritual life.
2. To His everyday purpose and action. Good is understood. There are some things we can do without Christ–and yet considering Him as God we cannot even do evil without the strength He supplies. Similarly, in a high spiritual sense, we can do nothing good without Him. We may feel our dignity affronted, and our first impulse will be denial of, or objection to the universality of the statement. But our life will prove that Christ is right. In every part of our life we have Christs influence. The Christian becomes a law unto himself, but behind the Christian and the law is the great Inspirer–Christ. Christ is the only one who can make this sweeping assertion without fear of ultimate contradiction.
II. The human confirmation. Paul gives particular instances, then generalizes. How does Christ strengthen us?
1. By His having done all things Himself. In all lifes experiences, conflicts, emergencies, Christ has preceded us. We have to walk in His steps.
2. By the effects of His wondrous life. We linger around the four great landmarks, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Gethsemane, Calvary, and they are a ceaseless inspiration to us. His miracles have made many a life path brighter, and they yield constant consolation. He healed the sick; sickness can be better borne. He hushed the waves; He stills the storm today.
3. By the effect of His unique teaching. Every word of His is the bread of life.
4. By His Cross and death. He is the Saviour from the curse of life–sin. Thus we hear Paul, I can do all things, not by his immediate environment, men, or things; not by his inherent energy; but by Christ which strengtheneth him with strength in his soul (Psa 138:3). Our strength is not superseded. It is linked with Gods and made the grander for the union. It is all things, even the otherwise impossible. It applies to the whole life. Without me–nothing. Our power through Christ which strengthens us is limitless. So should our gratitude be. (J. B. Swallow.)
Strength through Christ
When I was at Princeton, Professor Henry had so constructed a huge bar of iron, bent into the form of a horseshoe, that it used to hang suspended from another iron bar above it. Not only did it hang there but it upheld four thousand pounds weight attached to it! The horseshoe magnet was not welded or glued to the metal above it, but through the iron wire coiled round it there ran a subtle current of electricity from a galvanic battery. Stop the flow of the current for one instant and the huge horseshoe dropped. So does all the lifting power of the Christian come from the currents of spiritual influence which flow into his heart from the living Jesus. The strength of the Almighty One enters into the believer. If his connection with Christ is cut off, in an instant he becomes as any other man. (T. L. Cuyler, D. D.)
The secret of fortitude
In the days of bloody Mary a poor Protestant was condemned to be burned alive. When he came in sight of the stake he exclaimed, Oh! I cannot burn! I cannot burn! Those who heard him supposed he intended to recant, but they misunderstood him. He felt he needed more strength to bear the dread ordeal in a worthy manner, so being left a few moments to himself, he cried in an agony of prayer that God would more sensibly reveal Himself to him. As the result of this, instead of recanting, he cried out triumphantly, Now I can burn! Now I can burn! (J. F. B. Tinling, B. A.)
Strength in Christ
I was requested, said the late Dr. Macleod, by a brother minister, who was unwell, to go and visit a dying boy. He told me before some remarkable things of this boy. He was eleven years of age, and during three years sickness had manifested the most patient submission to the will of God, with a singular enlightenment of the Spirit. I went to visit him. He had suffered the most excruciating pain. For years he had not known one days rest. I gazed with wonder at the boy. After drawing near to him, and speaking some words of sympathy, he looked at me with his blue eyes–he could not move, it was the night before he died–and breathed into my ear these few words: I am strong in Him. The words were few, and uttered feebly; they were the words of a feeble child, in a poor home, where the only ornament was that of a meek, and quiet, and affectionate mother; but these words seemed to lift the burden from the very heart; they seemed to make the world more beautiful than ever it was before; they brought home to my heart a great and a blessed truth. May all of us be strong in Him.
Courageous Christians needed
No man is likely to accomplish much who moodily indulges a desponding view of his own capacities. By Gods help the weakest of us may be strong, and it is the way to become so, to resolve never to give up a good work till we have tried our best to achieve it. To think nothing impossible is the privilege of faith. We deprecate the indolent cowardice of the man who always felt assured that every new enterprise would be too much for him, and therefore declined it; but we admire the pluck of the ploughman who was asked on his cross examination if he could read Greek, and replied he did not know, because he had never tried. Those Suffolk horses which will pull at a post till they drop are worth a thousand times as much as jibbing animals that run back as soon as ever the collar begins to press them. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
The hidden source of power
A minister says: The other day I was up in Lancashire, and my host took me to see one of those monster factories which are the wonders of civilization, covering acres of ground–nobody knows how many stories high, and how many hundreds of windows they have to let in the light upon the industrious work people inside. As I walked in and through those rooms, and went from one story to another, and saw the rolling of the pinions and heard the rattling of the wheels, and felt the vibration of the floor beneath my feet, while the raw material was being, as by magic, brought out at the other end to be a robe for a peasant or a prince, I said, Why, where in the world is the motive power that sets all this to work? He took me out of the building altogether, to a little circumscribed place beneath, where there was only one door and a window to the whole room; but through the open door I saw the great piston moving in silent and majestic power as it was doing this wondrous work. There, said he, is the mighty force that sets the work in motion.
Power through the Spirit of Christ
A young Italian boy knocked one day at the door of an artists studio in Rome, and when it was opened, exclaimed, Please, madam, will you give me the masters brush? The painter was dead, and the boy, feeling inflamed with longing to be an artist, wished for the great masters brush, with the idea that it would inspire him with his genius. The lady placed the brush belonging to her departed husband in the hand of the boy, saying, This is his brush; try it, my boy. With a flush of earnestness on his face, he tried, but found he could paint no better with the masters brush than with his own. The lady then said to him, You cannot paint like the great master unless you have his spirit. (W. Birch.)
Power through the love of Christ
ONE day, one the gigantic eagles of Scotland carried away an infant, which was sleeping by the fireside in its mothers cottage. THE whole village ran after it; but the eagle soon perched itself upon the loftiest eyrie, and everyone despaired of the child being recovered. A sailor tried to climb the ascent, but his strong limbs trembled, and he was at last obliged to give up the attempt. A robust Highlander, accustomed to climb the hills, tried next, and even his limbs gave way, and he was in fact precipitated to the bottom. But, at last, a poor peasant woman came forward. She put her feet on one shelf of the rock, then on a second, and then on a third; and in this manner, amid the trembling hearts of all who were looking on, she rose to the very top of the cliff, and at last whilst the breasts of those below were heaving, came down step by step, until, amid the shouts of the villagers, she stood at the bottom of the rock with the child on her bosom. Why did that woman succeed, when the strong sailor and the practised Highlander had failed? Why, because between her and the babe there was a tie; that woman was the mother of the babe. Let there be love to Christ and to souls in your hearts, and greater wonders will be accomplished. (Manual of Anecdotes.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 13. I can do all things] It was not a habit which he had acquired by frequent exercise, it was a disposition which he had by grace; and he was enabled to do all by the power of an indwelling Christ. Through Him who strengtheneth me is the reading of some of the best MSS., versions, and fathers; the word , Christ, being omitted.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Having written of the great things he had learned, that it might not be attributed to his proud conceit, or give occasion to any others vanity to boast, (as he had recourse before to the Divine efficiency to will and do, Phi 2:13), he rests solely for power upon Christ, being found in whom, when he saith he
can do all things, we are not to understand it absolutely, but restrictively to the subject matter he had before mentioned in the precedent verses, intimating he could by the Lords help use well both prosperity and adversity: or, all those things the Lord called him to and put him upon. Not, as the papists urge, that any mere man since the fall is able in this life perfectly to keep the commandments of God; but that he by faith being united to Christ, by the power of his Spirit dwelling in him, hath in the Lord righteousness and strength, Isa 45:24; and thereupon hath a sincere respect to all Gods commands, as David had, Psa 119:6; so also had Zacharias and Elisabeth, Luk 1:6; in opposition to Pharisaical obedience: not by any power he had of himself, but through Christ strengthening of him, so that God would accept of his sincere performance (though not every way perfect) of what was incumbent on him.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
13. I can do all thingsGreek,“I have strength for all things“; not merely “howto be abased and how to abound.” After special instances hedeclares his universal powerhow triumphantly, yet howhumbly! [MEYER].
through Christ whichstrengtheneth meThe oldest manuscripts omit “Christ”;then translate, “In Him who giveth me power,“that is, by virtue of my living union and identification with Him,who is my strength (Ga 2:20).Compare 1Ti 1:12, whenceprobably, “Christ” was inserted here by transcribers.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
I can do all things,…. Which must not be understood in the greatest latitude, and without any limitation; for the apostle was not omnipotent, either in himself, or by the power of Christ; nor could he do all things that Christ could do; but it must be restrained to the subject matter treated of: the sense is, that he could be content in every state, and could know how to behave himself in adversity and prosperity, amidst both poverty and plenty; yea, it may be extended to all the duties incumbent on him both as a Christian and as an apostle, as to exercise a conscience void of offence towards God and men; to take the care of all the churches; to labour more abundantly than others in preaching the Gospel; and to bear all afflictions, reproaches, and persecutions for the sake of it; yea, he could willingly and cheerfully endure the most cruel and torturing death for the sake of Christ: all these things he could do, not in his own strength, for no man was more conscious of his own weakness than he was, or knew more of the impotency of human nature; and therefore always directed others to be strong in the Lord, and in, the power of his might, and in the grace that is in Christ, on which he himself always depended, and by which he did what he did; as he adds here,
through Christ which strengtheneth me. The Vulgate Latin and Ethiopic versions leave out the word “Christ”, and only read “him”; and so the Alexandrian copy and others; but intend Christ as those that express it: strength to perform duty and to bear sufferings is in Christ, and which he communicates to his people; he strengthens them with strength in their souls, internally, as the word here used signifies; by virtue of which they can do whatever he enjoins them or calls them to, though without him they can do nothing.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
I can do all things ( ). Old verb to have strength ().
In him that strengtheneth me ( ). Late and rare verb (in LXX) from adjective (, ). Causative verb to empower, to pour power into one. See same phrase in 1Ti 1:12 (aorist tense here). Paul has such strength so long as Jesus keeps on putting power () into him.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
I can do [] . See on Luk 14:30.
Strengtheneth [] . More literally, infuses strength into me, as the old verb inforce.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “I can do all things” (panta ischuo) “all manner (of) things I can do,” or ” I have strength f or all things,” with which he had to do, in the Will of the Lord, in his actual path of duty and suffering for Christ, his Lord and Master.
2) “Through Christ which strengtheneth me” (en to enduramounti me) “In (the strength) the one empowering me,” or continually enabling me, without whom he could do nothing, Joh 15:5; 2Co 12:9; Eph 3:14-17. He was strengthened through The Word, Spirit, and example of Christ.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
13 I can do all things through Christ As he had boasted of things that were very great, (249) in order that this might not be attributed to pride or furnish others with occasion of foolish boasting, he adds, that it is by Christ that he is endowed with this fortitude. “ I can do all things, ” says he, “but it is in Christ, not by my own power, for it is Christ that supplies me with strength.” Hence we infer, that Christ will not be less strong and invincible in us also, if, conscious of our own weakness, we place reliance upon his power alone. When he says all things, he means merely those things which belong to his calling.
(249) “ De choses grandes et excellentes;” — “Of things great and excellent.”
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(13) I can do all things.Properly, I have strength in all things, rather (according to the context) to bear than to do. But the universal extension of the maxim beyond the immediate occasion and context is not inadmissible. It represents the ultimate and ideal consciousness of the Christian. The first thing needful is to throw off mere self-sufficiency, to know our weakness and sin, and accept the salvation of Gods free grace in Christ; the next, to find the strength made perfect in weakness, and in that to be strong.
Through Christ which strengtheneth me.The word Christ is not found in the best MSS.; it is a gloss, perhaps suggested by 1Ti. 1:12, where we have exactly the same phrase, Christ Jesus, our Lord, who hath enabled me. The same word is used in Eph. 6:10, Be strong (strengthened within) in the Lord. In this sentence we have the world-wide distinction between the Stoic and the Christian. Each teaches respect for the higher humanity in the soul; but to the one that humanity is our own, to the other it is the Christ within, dwelling in the heart, regenerating and conforming it to Himself. The words of St. Paul are but a practical corollary to the higher truth (comp. Php. 1:21) To me to live is Christ. In this consciousness alone is any thoughtful teaching of self-reverence, self-knowledge, self-distrust, intelligible and coherent.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
13. I can do all things St. Paul now passes from knowledge to power. The severe discipline through which he had passed, had taught him the secret of all strength for labour, endurance of persecution and privation, and victory in the pangs of martyrdom. Eadie well remarks, “This ability came not from his commission as an apostle, but from his faith as a saint. The endowment was not of miracle, but of grace.” So, in fellowship with the omnipotent Christ, every believer is omnipotent for all things to which he is called.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Phi 4:13 . After the special statement, the consciousness of the now finds fresh utterance generally; and in the grand brevity of the latter how marked is the assurance, and, at the same time, the humility!
] of moral strength, homogeneous as to category with in Phi 4:11 , and with and in Phi 4:12 , because these predicates also were dynamically meant, of the understanding of ethical practice. There is therefore the less reason for limiting in any way (van Hengel: “omnia memorata;” comp. Weiss); there is nothing for which Paul did not feel himself morally strong; for every relation he knew himself to be morally adequate. is the accusative of the object . Gal 5:6 ; Jas 5:16 . The opposite to it: , Plat. Crit . p. 50 B, Ael. V. H . xii. 22, et al .
. ] Not in his own human ability does Paul feel this power, but it has its basis in Christ , whose the apostle experiences in his fellowship of life with Him (2Co 12:9 ). Comp. 1Ti 1:12 ; 2Ti 2:1 ; 2Ti 4:17 . Thus he is able to do all things , Eph 6:10 .
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
DISCOURSE: 2164
EXTENT AND SOURCE OF THE CHRISTIANS POWER
Php 4:13. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
THERE are in the sacred writings many various, and apparently opposite, representations of the Christians state: he is mournful, yet happy; sinful, yet holy; weak, yet possessed of a derived omnipotence. These paradoxes are incomprehensible to the world at large: but the solution of them is easy to those who know what man is by nature, and what he is by grace, and what are the effects which flow from the contrary and contending principles of flesh and spirit. Nothing can be more incredible, at first sight, than the assertion in the former part of our text: but, when qualified and explained by the latter part, it is both credible and certain: yea, it presents to our minds a most encouraging and consoling truth.
In elucidating this passage, we shall shew,
I.
The extent of a Christians power
Using only such a latitude of expression as is common in the Holy Scriptures, we may say concerning every true Christian, that he can,
1.
Endure all trials
[In following his Divine Master, he may be called to suffer reproaches, privations, torments, and death itself. But none of these can move him. When his heart is right with God, he can rejoice that he is counted worthy to suffer shame for his Redeemers sake [Note: Act 5:41.]: he can suffer the loss of all things, and yet count them but dung [Note: Php 3:8.]; under extreme torture, he can refuse to accept deliverance, in the prospect of a better resurrection [Note: Heb 11:35.]: he can say, I am ready to die for the Lords sake [Note: Act 21:13.]; and when presented at the stake as a sacrifice to be slain, he can look upon his sufferings as a matter of self-congratulation and exceeding joy [Note: Php 2:17-18. 1Pe 4:12-13.].]
2.
Mortify all lusts
[Great are his inward corruptions; and many are the temptations to call them forth: but he is enabled to mortify and subdue them [Note: Gal 5:24.]. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life, are very fascinating: but the grace of God, which has brought salvation to his soul, has taught him to deny them all, and to live righteously, soberly, and godly in this present world [Note: 1Jn 2:15-16. with Tit 2:12.]. By the great and precious promises of the Gospel, he is made a partaker of the Divine nature [Note: 2Pe 1:4.], and is stirred up to cleanse himself from all filthiness, both of flesh and spirit, and to perfect holiness in the fear of God [Note: 2Co 7:1.].]
3.
Fulfil all duties
[Every different situation brings with it some correspondent duties: prosperity demands humility and vigilance; adversity calls for patience and contentment. Now the Christian is like a tree that is planted by the rivers of water, and bringeth forth its fruits in its season [Note: Psa 1:3.]. It is to this change of circumstances that the Apostle more immediately refers in the text: I have learned, says he, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere, and in all things, I am instructed, both to be full, and to be hungry; both to abound, and to suffer need. I can do all things [Note: ver. 1113.]. The Christian knows that all his duties are summed up in love to God, and love to man: he is assured, that no changes in his condition can for one moment relax his obligation to approve himself to God in the execution of these duties: and he endeavours to avail himself of every wind that blows, to get forward in his Christian course.
But in reference to all the foregoing points, we must acknowledge, that all Christians are not equally advanced; nor does any Christian so walk as not to shew, at some time or other, that he has not yet attained, nor is altogether perfect [Note: Php 3:12.]. We must be understood therefore as having declared, rather what the Christian can do, than what he actually does in all instances. In many things he still offends [Note: Jam 3:2.]; but he aspires after the full attainment of this proper character: in the performance of his duties, he aims at universality in the matter, uniformity in the manner, and perfection in the measure of them.]
The Christians power being so extraordinary, we may well inquire after,
II.
The source from whence he derives it
The Christian in himself is altogether destitute of strength
[If we consult the Scripture representations of him, we find that he is without strength [Note: Rom 5:6.], and even dead in trespasses and sins [Note: Eph 2:1.]. Nor, after he is regenerate, has he any more power that he can call his own; for in him, that is, in his flesh, dwelleth no good thing [Note: Rom 7:15; Rom 7:18-19.].
If our Lords assertion may be credited, without him we can do nothing; we are like branches severed from the vine [Note: Joh 15:5.].
If the experience of the most eminent Apostle will serve as a criterion, he confessed, that he had not of himself a sufficiency even to think a good thought; his sufficiency was entirely of God [Note: 2Co 3:5.].]
His power even to do the smallest good is derived from Christ
[It has pleased the Father, that in Christ should all fulness dwell [Note: Col 1:19.], and that out of his fulness all his people should receive [Note: Joh 1:16.]. It is he who strengthens us with all might by his Spirit in the inner man [Note: Eph 3:16.]: it is he who gives us both to will and to do [Note: Php 2:13. Heb 13:21.]. If we are strong in any degree, it is in the Lord, and in the power of his might [Note: Eph 6:10.]. Whatever we do, we must give him the glory of it, saying, I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me [Note: Gal 2:20.]: I have laboured; yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me: by the grace of God I am what I am [Note: 1Co 15:10.].
Nor is it by strength once communicated, that we are strong; but from continual communications of grace from the same overflowing fountain. It is not through Christ who hath strengthened, but who doth strengthen us, that we can do all things [Note: .]. We need fresh life from him, in order to the production of good fruit; exactly as we need fresh light from the sun, in order to a prosecution of the common offices of life. One moments intermission of either, would instantly produce a suspension of all effective industry.]
From that source he receives all that he can stand in need of
[Christ is not so prodigal of his favours, as to confer them in needless profusion: he rather apportions our strength to the occasions that arise to call it forth [Note: Deu 33:25.]. He bids us to renew our applications to him; and, in answer to them, imparts grace sufficient for us [Note: 2Co 12:9.]. There are no limits to his communications: however wide we open our mouth, he will fill it [Note: Psa 81:10.]. He is able to make all grace abound towards us, that we, having always all-sufficiency in all things, may abound unto every good work [Note: 2Co 9:8.]: he is ready to do for us exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think [Note: Eph 3:20.]. If only we believe, all things shall be possible unto us [Note: Mar 9:23.]: we shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the devil [Note: Eph 6:16.], and be more than conquerors over all the enemies of our souls [Note: Rom 8:37.].]
The uses to which we may apply this subject, are,
1.
The conviction of the ignorant
[Many, when urged to devote themselves to God, reply, that we require more of them than they can do; and that it is impossible for them to live according to the Scriptures. But what ground can there be for such an objection? Is not Christ ever ready to assist us? Is not Omnipotence pledged for our support? Away with your excuses then, which have their foundation in ignorance, and their strength in sloth. Call upon your Saviour; and he will enable you to stretch forth your withered hand: at his command, the dead shall arise out of their graves; and the bond-slaves of sin and Satan shall be brought into the liberty of the children of God.]
2.
The encouragement of the weak
[A life of godliness cannot be maintained without constant watchfulness and strenuous exertion. And there are times when even the youths faint and are weary, and the young men utterly fall, But if we wait upon our God we shall certainly renew our strength, and mount up with wings as eagles [Note: Isa 40:30-31.]. If we look to Him on whom our help is laid [Note: Psa 89:19.], the experience of David shall be ours: In the day when I cried, thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul [Note: Psa 138:3.]. Let not any difficulties then discourage us. Let the weak say, I am strong [Note: Joe 3:10.]; and the stripling go forth with confidence against Goliath. Let us be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus [Note: 2Ti 2:1.], and his strength shall assuredly be perfected in our weakness [Note: 2Co 12:9.].]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Ver. 13. I can do all things ] A Christian walks about the world like a conqueror, having power given him over all, Rev 2:26-27 . It was a vain brag of that heathen prince that caused it to be engraven upon his tombstone, , I could do all things. (Cyrus Major. Arrian.) None can say so but the man in Christ, without whom also he himself can do nothing,Joh 15:5Joh 15:5 . Suffer nothing, as the word here used properly signifieth.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
13 .] ‘After these special notices, he declares his universal power, how triumphantly, yet how humbly!’ Meyer. I can do (reff.: so , Plato Crit. p. 50 B) all things (not ‘ all these things ,’ , as Van Hengel: ‘the Apostle rises above mere relations of prosperous and adverse circumstance, to the general ,’ De W.) in (in union with, by means of my spiritual life, which is not mine, but Christ living in me, Gal 2:20 ; the E. V. ‘ through ’ does not give this union sufficiently) him who strengthens me (i.e. Christ , as the gloss rightly supplies: cf. 1Ti 1:12 ).
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Phi 4:13 . . . It is difficult to decide whether . is accusative or merely adverbial. Cf. Jas 5:16 (where apparently has the accusative), and Wis 16:20 , . For the other alternative see Hom., Odyss. , 8, 214. . Cf. Eph 6:10 , ; Jud 1:6 :34 (cod. A), . It is a rare word. The adjective , from which it springs, is only found in late Byzantine Greek. An apt parallel to the whole context is Ps. Sol. 16:12, . must be omitted. See crit. note supr.
can do = am strong for. Greek. ischuo Compare App-172.
Christ. App-98. but the texts read “Him”.
strengtheneth, Greek. endunamoo, See Act 9:22,
13.] After these special notices, he declares his universal power,-how triumphantly, yet how humbly! Meyer. I can do (reff.: so , Plato Crit. p. 50 B) all things (not all these things, , as Van Hengel: the Apostle rises above mere relations of prosperous and adverse circumstance, to the general, De W.) in (in union with,-by means of my spiritual life, which is not mine, but Christ living in me, Gal 2:20; the E. V. through does not give this union sufficiently) him who strengthens me (i.e. Christ, as the gloss rightly supplies: cf. 1Ti 1:12).
Php 4:13
Php 4:13
I can do all things in him that strengtheneth me.-His strength to do and bear all things came from Christ, whose he was. [He traces his ability to be independent of circumstances to the indwelling of Christ. There was nothing for which Paul did not feel himself adequate, in the strength that Christ imparts. To him there belonged the fullest and completest self-sufficiency which was compatible with his utter dependence upon Christ.]
can: Joh 15:4, Joh 15:5, Joh 15:7, 2Co 3:4, 2Co 3:5
through: 2Co 12:9, 2Co 12:10, Eph 3:16, Eph 6:10, Col 1:11, Isa 40:29-31, Isa 41:10, Isa 45:24
Reciprocal: Gen 17:1 – Almighty Gen 18:14 – Is Exo 15:2 – strength Num 13:30 – General Deu 11:8 – that ye may Deu 33:25 – and as thy Jos 14:12 – if so be Jos 17:13 – waxen strong Jdg 1:19 – but could Jdg 7:11 – thine hands 1Sa 2:4 – stumbled 1Sa 15:29 – Strength 1Sa 17:45 – in the name 2Sa 22:30 – run through 2Sa 22:33 – strength 1Ki 13:14 – sitting 1Ch 16:28 – glory 1Ch 22:16 – Arise 1Ch 29:12 – give strength Neh 6:9 – Now therefore Psa 18:1 – my Psa 27:1 – strength Psa 27:14 – and Psa 43:2 – the God Psa 44:5 – Through thee Psa 68:35 – he that giveth Psa 71:16 – I will go Psa 81:1 – our strength Psa 84:5 – strength Psa 86:16 – give Psa 89:17 – For thou Psa 119:8 – O forsake Psa 119:28 – strengthen Psa 119:173 – Let Psa 138:3 – strengthenedst Pro 10:29 – way Isa 26:4 – in the Dan 10:18 – he Hos 14:8 – From me Hab 3:19 – my strength Zec 10:12 – I will Mat 11:30 – burden Mat 14:29 – he walked Luk 6:25 – full Luk 17:5 – Increase Joh 5:19 – and Joh 14:13 – will Act 9:22 – increased Rom 1:7 – and the Lord 1Co 15:10 – yet 1Co 16:13 – be 2Co 4:1 – we faint not Gal 2:20 – I now 1Ti 1:12 – who 2Ti 1:8 – according 2Ti 2:1 – be Heb 13:21 – through 1Pe 5:10 – strengthen 1Jo 2:14 – because ye are Rev 3:8 – a little
(Php 4:13.) -I can do all things in Him strengthening me. The in the Received Text has in its favour D3, E, F, G, J, K, and the Syriac also, while some of the Fathers read , and other forms occur, as in Origen and others. But the omission of the name has the higher authority of A, B, D1, with the Vulgate and others. The reference is unmistakeable, and the omission of the name gives a peculiar point to the starting declaration. It is wrong to insert an infinitive between and , for is the accusative of object, as in Gal 5:6, Jam 5:16, in which places and are similarly employed with . Wis 16:20. Such an accusative expresses measure or extent-das Mass und die Ausdehnung. Madvig, 27. It is to spiritual might that the verb refers, and that might has no limitations. For (not ) is not bounded by the preceding references, as van Hengel gives it in omnia memorata. Knowledge is power; and the apostle rises from knowledge to power-tells what he knows, and then what he can achieve. It was no idle boast, for he refers at once to the source of this all-daring energy-
. 2Co 12:9. The preposition marks the union through which this moral energy is enjoyed -in Him strengthening me, that is, in His strength communicated to me. Act 9:22; Eph 6:10; 1Ti 1:12; 2Ti 4:17; Heb 11:34. We have the simple form of the verb in Col 1:11. Had we retained the term inforce, with the same meaning as its common compound re-inforce, we should have had a good and equivalent translation of the participle. Richardson gives an instance from old English -clasping their legges together, they inforce themselves with strength. The rendering of the Vulgate employs a verb from the same root-qui me confortat. The apostle boasts not only of a high courage in reference to such triumphs as he had achieved, and others of a similar class or nature, but he claims a moral omnipotence, and allows no limit to its sweep and energy. His allusion is probably, however, to a certain sphere of operation, such as that presented in outline in the previous verses. Where unassisted humanity should sink and be vanquished, he should prove his wondrous superiority. Privation, suffering, and martyrdom could not subdue him, and what might seem impracticable should be surmounted by him in his borrowed might. He could attempt all which duty required, and he could succeed in all; for to him the epithet impossible, in an ethical aspect, had no existence. The verse is virtually climactic. After saying that he had learned contentment under every condition, and telling that he had known so many varieties and extremes of condition-it being implied that he was uninfluenced by any of them-he adds, in earnest and final summation-Not these alone, but all things I can do in Him strengthening me. It is also to be borne in mind that this ability came not from his commission as an apostle, but from his faith as a saint. The endowment was not of miracle, but of grace.
Php 4:13. Human strength alone cannot surmount the difficulties that one may encounter in life’s pathway, hence Paul explains he does the things of his experience through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Php 4:13. I can do all things in him that strengtheneth me. The insertion of Christ in this verse is due to a marginal gloss, and has not the authority of the earliest texts. It is noteworthy how the phrases, in Christ, in the Lord, in Him, abound in this Epistle, almost as much as the expressions of joy with which it is so filled. St. Paul has no glory but in Christ. I can do all things is a proud declaration, but it is followed at once with the confession of the source whence the power is drawn. So not I, but the grace of God which was with me. To Timothy (1Ti 1:12) he speaks of this power as specially given for the ministry of the Gospel. Christ Jesus enabled me, appointing me to His service.
Thankfulness for a Generous Church
From Paul’s very first experience with the church at Philippi, he had found them to be generous, always ready to supply his needs. Paul went from Philippi to Thessalonica, then Athens and Corinth ( Act 17:1 ; Act 17:15-16 ; Act 18:1 ). We know Paul received help while in Corinth ( 2Co 11:9 ). This probably came from Philippi, since we know Thessalonica had no part in it ( 1Th 2:9 ; 2Th 3:8 ). In fact, they sent for him while he was in Thessaloniaca, another Macedonia town ( Php 4:15-16 ).
How could Paul be content? His contentment did not come through will power or the power of positive thinking. Paul was not a member of the Stoic philosophic school. It was Jesus Christ who enabled him to be content.
"The secret of Paul’s independence was his dependence upon Another. His self-sufficiency in reality came from being in vital union with One who is all-sufficient." [Note: Hawthorne, p. 201.]
Earlier in this letter Paul explained that the most important thing in life was to center on Christ (Php 2:7-11). Contentment is a fruit of doing so. "All things" in the context included being content with little or much materially, but Christ can enable His children to do much more than this (cf. Mat 19:26; Luk 1:37).
"Paul . . . never allowed his weaknesses or perceived weaknesses to be an excuse for inactivity, or for a failure to attempt the impossible task. They in a sense became his greatest assets, and surrendering them to Christ he discovered that they were transformed for his own enrichment and for the enrichment of others." [Note: Ibid., pp. 201-2.]
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Commentary on the Greek Text of Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians and Phillipians
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Fuente: Gary Hampton Commentary on Selected Books
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)