# Philippians 4:13 & Good Works



## InSlaveryToChrist (Feb 13, 2011)

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Philippians 4:13)

Our deeds, although done with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, are _in and of themselves_ sinful. Our deeds can be good in the sight of God only through faith in Christ. But it seems as if this passage is saying something to the contrary (?). I've noticed this is a favorable verse for those who hold to the idea that we can do _inherently_ good works in this body of death. How should we rightly understand Philippians 4:13 in its full context?

Thank you in advance!


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## Notthemama1984 (Feb 13, 2011)

I believe the context is more about contentment vs. good works. Paul has learned to be content no matter his circumstances and he can be content because Christ has strengthened him. I am reminded of 2 Cor. 12 where Paul learns that God's grace is sufficient.

So no matter what Paul's circumstances are, he is content because he believes in the promise that God's grace is sufficient. 

just my scrambled thoughts this morning.


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## InSlaveryToChrist (Feb 13, 2011)

John MacArthur offers a great exposition on the terminology of this passage. I took some extracts from his sermon on Philippians 4:



> "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." Some manuscripts say "Christ," there are manuscripts on both sides of that issue. The better manuscripts seem to use the word "Him," but, of course, it refers to Christ, I'm only saying that because some of your Bibles may say Christ. Whether it says Christ or Him, it's referring to Christ. Paul says I am sustained by Christ who strengthens me.
> 
> You see, he had learned that no matter how difficult it was in the material world, there was a spiritual undergirding. And I want to talk about this just a bit this morning. Our adequacy and our sufficiency comes from being attached to the adequate and the sufficient one. We are not really self-sufficient, we are Christ-sufficient. It is because we are linked to His life and linked to His power in us that we have sufficiency. Paul is saying..."Look, I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." What does he mean by that? Well he means I'm connected to Christ. And because I'm connected to Christ, that is the life of Christ in the soul of man, He lives in me, the life which I live is His life living in me, Galatians 2:20, because of that I have a supernatural divine strength for every situation.
> 
> ...





> And so, confidently says the Apostle, "I have the strength to do anything through His strength." This word, "to be strong," the word that is translated, "I can do," is the word that is translated in Acts 19:16, "overpowered." It is translated in Acts 19:20, "prevailed." It is translated in James 5:16 "effective," or "powerful prayer of a righteous man." It's a word of strength, it's a word of power. And Paul is saying, "I have the power to go through all things." By the way, in the Greek the "all things" is in the emphatic first position. When the Greeks want to lay the emphasis, they put that word first. All things I have the power to endure. And what is he talking about? What do you mean all things? Well, you have to go back in the context, all things is pretty generic if left by itself. And you just go back to 11 and 12 you know what he's talking about...circumstances, he's talking about being filled or going hungry, having abundance of material things, or suffering material need. That's what he's talking about. He's saying, "Look, I have the strength to go through all things, all deprivations, all difficulties in the material world, all times of prosperity," he's talking about the material world. "I have the ability to deal with any kind of material circumstance because of my spiritual strength." That's what he's saying. I can go without food, for a while, obviously, I can go without clothes, I can go without comfort, I can go without warmth, I can go without freedom, I can go without care, I can endure pain, I can endure danger, I can endure persecution, I can endure suffering, I can endure threat, I can endure all of that on the outside because I am so strengthened on the inside. See, when you get to the point where you are at the end of your resources and you're dependent on the Lord and you see the movement of His power, you find contentment.





> By the way, that latter part, "Him that strengthens me," needs to be looked at briefly. The word "strengthens," endunamoo, to put power in, it means to infuse with strength. And that's what the Lord does. The Lord infuses us with strength. He puts it in us when we are at our extremities.


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## Peairtach (Feb 13, 2011)

We do do good works from a new motive of love to the true God after we are converted as part of our sanctification. These are imperfect and marred by sin, and so do not contribute to our justification which is complete in Christ's blood and righteousness and received by faith alone.

These good works are a product of God's gracious work in us, and are graciously accepted by God in Christ, and rewarded. 

Even our sanctification and good works are of God's grace and so we can't boast of them or look to them to merit our justification, although it is us that do them by God's grace.

Personal merit has been lost through sin in Adam.

Our good deeds after conversion don't have absolute merit, as Adam's would have done or Christ's do, but they have a merit in the sense that God has graciously agreed to reward them.

Up until he sinned Adam hadn't demerited God's favour and rewards. Christ never demerited God's favour and rewards.


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## InSlaveryToChrist (Feb 14, 2011)

Richard Tallach said:


> Even our sanctification and good works are of God's grace and so we can't boast of them or look to them to merit our justification, although it is us that do them by God's grace.


 
Well, I honestly wouldn't find anything to boast about in my good works even if they weren't of God's grace, because the fact remains that they are not good _in and of themselves_, but are made acceptable in Christ through the empty instrument of faith. Sanctification will only make us less sinful in this life. We won't have a righteousness of our own until glorification.


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