How to abuse a popular Bible verse

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"I can do all things through him who strengthens me." (Phil. 4:13)

Read Philippians 4:13 (without reading the surrounding verses yet). Think about some conclusions you might draw about what this verse is saying if you ignore the context.

In this verse, Paul is saying that he can do “all things” through Christ, who strengthens him. You probably have seen this verse used in the context of athletics or some other kind of competition. 

Some people have even made it their “life verse” as they think about Jesus helping them do amazing things. In other words, when we totally ignore the context that surrounds this verse, it becomes all about accomplishment. 

We can take it as a promise that Jesus will strengthen us to do the things that we want to do—win a game, pass a test, make a lot of money, or achieve an outstanding award. We can be tempted to use this verse as a kind of motivational slogan for our lives.

But when we look at the context, we begin to see that we cannot really take this verse as being about our achievements.

With just a quick bit of reading in the book of Philippians, we find that Paul is writing this letter from prison—probably in Rome (see chap. 1 of the book). This means that, for Paul, this verse is certainly not talking about accomplishment because he is not accomplishing much of anything—at least not humanly speaking. 

He is chained up in prison, dependent on his friends for food and other provisions, and seemingly not doing “all things” that he might want to do if he were a free man.

Next, when we read Philippians 4:10–12, we see that Paul is in the midst of a discussion about contentment, not accomplishment. He is talking about the way that God has helped him remain content whether he has a lot or a little, is hungry or full, is suffering or doing well, or is abounding or sitting in poverty.

So, the literary context shows us that doing “all things” does not refer only to times of blessing, celebration, and victory. It refers to the power—the “secret” (v. 12)—of remaining content in Christ in every changing circumstance.

Finally, we know from the rest of Scripture that Christ does accomplish incredible things in and through his people, but it is always for his glorious gospel purposes. Only rarely is it about their accomplishments, and it is never ultimately about their earthly glory or fame. 

The whole Bible reminds us that God strengthens his people for his purposes, not theirs. Not only that, God is honoured through the faithful suffering of his people, just as he is through their successes and accomplishments.

So, when we look at the whole picture in the context of Philippians 4:13, we begin to see that Paul is not talking about accomplishment but about contentment. He is saying that Jesus Christ can strengthen him to be content, joyful, and at peace in every situation of life—even the difficult ones. This is how God wants to speak to us today from this passage. 

He wants to remind us that Jesus really is enough— enough to strengthen us to be content in him no matter what we are facing. That’s Paul’s “secret”—and it should be ours also as we find in Jesus our unchanging treasure and joy amid ever-changing circumstances.

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