Verses that are two sides of the same coin

I have been thinking about two Bible verses that are related to each other, or as I titled the blog today: verses that are two sides of the same coin.  Never in my life have I identified so deeply with these two companion verses like I do at this season of my life.  The first verse is what Jesus said in John 15:5; “I am the vine; you are the branches.  He who abides in Me and I in Him bears much fruit; for without Me, you can do nothing.”

Some have balked at Jesus’ statement that without Him we are not able to do anything.  But stop and ponder this with me.  Jesus Christ is, as the Bible puts it, “in very nature God” (Philippians 2:5; NIV).  We are told in Colossians 1 that “all things were created through Him [Jesus] and for Him.” Jesus is the reason that you have breath in your lungs, and a heart that is beating.  The Bible says every time we wake up from the night’s sleep, it was God Himself who preserved us (Psalm 4:8).  The ultimate in irony is that a person can use their tongue to curse God and they are only able to do it because He has granted them life in the first place.  Jesus Christ has sustained you and me to this very day.  It’s true: without Jesus, we really can “do nothing.”

The other side of the coin for this subject matter is another phenomenal verse.  “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13; NKJV).  Right off the bat, I have to say that this verse has been misunderstood and misapplied over the years.  Well-meaning individuals have taken this verse out of its context and, in doing so, presented it in an erroneous way.  For example, I know of someone who quoted this verse to prove that she was going to have success with her business venture.  That’s not what the verse means.

 

You have to keep this verse in its context.  Philippians 4:12 says, “I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound.  In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.  [Verse 13] I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (ESV).  This verse is not saying, “If you can dream it, you can do it, because Christ will give you the strength to accomplish it.”  What it is saying is, “Whatever my lot in life happens to be, I can face it through the empowering of Jesus Christ.”  One version renders it, “I have the strength to face all conditions by the power that Christ gives me.”  The Amplified Bible is also helpful: “I can do all things (which He has called me to do) through Him who strengthens and empowers me (to fulfill His purpose).”

In conclusion, let me share that the other day at church, we sang the song “Breathe” that has this song lyric in it: “I’m desperate for You and I’m lost without You.”  These words express the cry of my heart.  Without God, I am hopeless, helpless, and lost.  Without Him, I can do nothing.  But with Him, I know that whatever comes my way, I can face it with confidence and courage.  Not because of anything I have in and of myself, but because of the strength and power of Jesus Christ.  “Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God” (2 Corinthians 3:5-6; ESV).

Kevin