The power of Biblical context

My pastor, Bill Oudemolen, often says if you take a Bible verse out of its context it can very easily become a pretext. This is a wise statement. There is one Bible verse I want to focus on today that is often yanked out of its context and has become a very popular pretext.

The verse I’m referring to is Philippians 4:13. This verse reads, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (NKJV). This is often quoted as alleged proof that God will help us accomplish any goal, no matter how inherently selfish. As if the verse actually said: “I can accomplish anything, no matter how seemingly impossible, because Christ will give me the necessary power to complete it.” That’s not what the verse says and this is quite a precarious road to be on.

For example, a student wants to ace a test, and they neglected to study for it, can they still get that “A” just by quoting “I can do all things through Christ”? Or a person is about to have an important job interview, can they just quote Philippians 4:13 and be assured that God will give them that job? Or someone wants to be like Tony Stark and create a special suit and become a real life “Iron Man” who fights crime; should they go for it because the Bible says “I can do all things through Christ”? (Granted, that last one is wacky, but I purposely gave an odd example to help prove my point.)

All of these examples display a fundamental misinterpretation of what God is actually trying to teach us here. Philippians 4:13 is not a proof text where God promises He will endow us with supernatural power to complete every ambition or dream that we have. So what does it mean, then? Once again, context is crucial, so let’s go back a few verses.

The second half of Philippians 4:11 reads, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” Verse 12: “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.” And the reader waits expectantly to be informed of what this “secret” of being content is. Interestingly, the next verse is our verse of focus for today; Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Therefore, in context, it’s crystal clear that the main point here is this: no matter what happens to us in life, we can experience contentment. “Whether I live in abundance or poverty, pleasure or heartache, bliss or agony,” Paul says, “I can do all of these things, through Christ. He is the one who gives me the daily strength I need to live whatever life God has called me to, and to do so with contentment.”

Kevin