I Can’t Do All Things Through a Verse Taken Out of Context

Photo by Eleni Afiontzi

“For I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:11–13 NRSVUE).

Paul’s Letter to the Philippians was written by him while in prison for—as he understood it—the cause of Jesus Christ. Scholars debate when and where this imprisonment occurred. It’s very possible, if not probable, that Paul is writing during his imprisonment in Rome, some 10 to 13 years after he founded the Christ community in the city of Philippi.

If this is indeed the case, Paul’s eventual execution by Roman authorities that took place sometime between 64–67 CE is just a few years away. As for the Philippians themselves, Paul is aware that they are facing intense opposition from the greater community.

Public life in a typical Mediterranean city was replete with various “pagan” festivals and other cultic activities. Residents would be expected to participate in the veneration of the gods to ensure the public good, the health and well-being of the city.

Moreover, the imperial cult, in which Caesar and the imperial family were venerated, was interwoven with various local cults and was especially prevalent in Philippi, given its high status granted by the Empire as a Roman colony. Additionally, various trade guilds and other such voluntary associations generally possessed their own patron/matron deity and were also interconnected with the imperial cult.

But the Christ followers in Philippi were forbidden to engage in any activities that violated their allegiance to Jesus Christ as the true Lord and Savior of the world (note that “Lord” and “Savior” were also titles claimed by the Roman Ceasars). Necessarily refraining, then, from these civic and other social obligations, Christ followers were viewed by the public at large as dangerous; they were marginalized, and often met with hostility.    

It is in this light that Paul explains to them: “For [God] has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ but of suffering for him as well, since you are having the same struggle you saw I had and now hear that I still have” (Philippians 1:29–30 NRSVUE).

In chapter 4 of the letter, Paul thanks the Philippians for the financial support they afforded him,  counting them as partners who partake in his troubles. He is careful here, according to the conventions of the day, not to give the impression that he has come under their control as his patron benefactor or that he is otherwise obliged to at some point reciprocate their financial generosity.

Paul is clear to the Philippians that his dependence lies squarely upon Jesus Christ, through whom he can endure all circumstances, including being in prison as he now is. By making this claim it is evident that he expects them to likewise depend upon Jesus Christ, especially amid the trouble they currently face.

Accordingly, Paul’s assertion in Philippians 4:13 that he can do all things through Christ who strengthens him is far from a triumphal slogan whereby Jesus functions as a proverbial can of spinach that can get us over the edge to achieve our personal goals. Rather, he is affirming that ultimate satisfaction—whether in plenty or in need—must be sought simply by our Christ-centered obedience to God who gives us the “desire and power to do what pleases him” (Philippians 2:13 NLT). Seeing Christ and our total submission to him as the driving force behind all of life is what Paul also expresses in Philippians 3:10–14:

“I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. . . . I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. . . . one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (NIV).  

This unwavering obedience was exemplified not only by Paul but also Jesus himself. In chapter 2 of the letter, most scholars believe that Paul quotes from an already existing hymn or poem that tells the gospel story. He prefaces the quotation with the exhortation, “let this same mindset be among you that was in Christ Jesus.” The poem then reads:

“Who, though he existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, assuming human likeness. And being found in appearance as a human, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6–8 NRSVUE).

A part of me rejoices that the message of Philippians 4:13 has been popularized, the citation even being worn as a tattoo (but see Galatians 6:12–17). However, I wonder if many of those who are drawn to this passage truly understand its implications.