InterSections
inform - encourage - unite
PUZZLING PASSAGES

‘I Can Do All Things’ (Philippians 4:13)
There’s no doubt that some passages in the Bible are more quotable than others. They capture our imagination, providing inspiration and comfort. But whenever we isolate one short passage there’s a danger that it can be misunderstood.

One example is Philippians 4:13 – ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’ (NKJV). It’s certainly an encouraging message, a favourite on inspirational posters. It even graces the shoes of NBA basketball star Stephen Curry!
​
In these contexts, this Scripture text is commonly seen as a promise that if we put our trust in God, then we can achieve anything that we put our minds to. With Jesus’ help we can master a difficult subject, succeed in our careers, or even nail that crucial goal.
​
No doubt these interpretations are well-intentioned; and there’s also no doubting the power of God to achieve incredible things.
​
However, the flip side of this is: What about when I don’t manage to achieve these things? Did I not have enough faith? Does God not have the power after all? Doesn’t God deliver on his promises? This can leave Christians feeling disheartened and puzzled. So how should we understand this passage?
​
Whenever there’s something in the Bible we don’t understand, it’s always a good idea to keep reading – both before and after the immediate scriptural text. So what’s Paul talking about here?
​
Philippians is one of Paul’s most encouraging letters. Despite the fact that he’s writing from prison, Paul writes with great joy and affection to the Christians in Philippi. They’re concerned about Paul, but he reassures them that all is well. In fact, he’s convinced that what has happened to him isn’t a setback but will actually help him to advance the Gospel (Philippians 1:12). What follows in the rest of the letter can be summarised as Paul explaining this seemingly incongruous mindset to the Philippians and encouraging them to follow his example.
​
This mindset is driven by Paul imitating Christ who, as he says in chapter 2, gave up his place in heaven to humble himself as a man, even dying on the Cross. That’s how little personal circumstances mattered to Jesus. He valued others above himself, and because of his obedience to his Father, he trusted that his Father’s will would be sufficient.
​
For Paul, imitating Jesus in this way is everything. As he explains in chapter 3, he wants to fully identify himself with Christ and experience Christ by participating in the same journey through humility and sacrifice. Because of this Paul is able to disregard the worldly achievements and comforts he once had and commit himself to whatever it takes to serve God.
​
Now that we have a broad understanding of what Paul is trying to communicate to the Philippians, how does that help us better understand our text? With that background, we can read from 4:12 onwards –
'I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. 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. I can do everything through him who gives me strength'. (NIV)
​
We can see that here, as with the letter in general, Paul’s focus is on how he perceives his own circumstances, and thereafter how he is able to deal with them – both the good and the bad. So when he says he can do everything, he doesn’t mean literally everything, as if he’s Superman. It means he can deal with any and every circumstance, whether that’s being successful and having plenty, or being hungry and in prison.
​
Is it disappointing to understand Paul’s words in this way? In a sense, yes – because Paul isn’t saying that we can achieve all our dreams. But, in another sense, no – because what we’re promised is much better than that. In Christ we can learn to be content whether we achieve all our dreams or not!
​
Such an understanding doesn’t mean we should lower our standards or ambitions. Rather, we should recalibrate our sense of contentment in line with God’s will, as modelled by Jesus. Our contentment, our deep joy, isn’t constrained by our particular circumstances any more than God’s will is subject to our limitations. As it was for Paul, it doesn’t matter what situation we find ourselves in – we can still find contentment in Christ and use our predicament for his kingdom. Even Jesus’ death was no setback to God’s plans; instead, his plans were achieved through Jesus’ death.
​
Understanding Paul’s words in this way doesn’t mean that we just push on, accepting our lot with grim determination and stoicism. Rather, for Paul this mindset was the source of joy (Philippians 4:4) and thankfulness (Philippians 4:6) because it was all leading him to his desired destination: being united with Christ in eternity (Philippians 3:10–14). Paul didn’t discover this ‘secret’ overnight. It’s something he says he learned through a lifetime of experience. It will take us a lifetime to learn too.
​
It’s great to see people quoting the Bible for inspiration. But what would be truly inspiring, and biblical, would be to see Philippians 4:13 quoted by an athlete who has just lost a big game, or missed a crucial goal. When anxiety is crippling so many people in our society, what could be more liberating than knowing that what ultimately matters isn’t our circumstances or performance, but what Jesus has already done for us, and what he continues to offer us?
‘I can fail through Christ who strengthens me’ – this won’t appear on a bumper sticker any time soon. But isn’t that what we all need to hear?
Nathan Holyoak is a member of The Point Church in Brisbane and managing editor of InterSections.
nathan@helmsdeep.org