![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/I-Can-Do-All-Things.png\")
<\/a>II Opinions 4:13<\/p><\/div>\n
Philippians 4:13 is one of the most well-known New Testament verses, but it’s also notoriously misused. After telling his audience that he’s experienced both poverty and affluence, the Apostle Paul writes these well-known words: “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”<\/p>\n
Many of us have seen some variation of these words in encouraging notes and cards, in art, on t-shirts, tattooed on people’s bodies, and even scrawled on the shoes of famous athletes or printed on their eye black.<\/p>\n
The verse is often shortened to, “I can do all things . . .”<\/p>\n
But is that what Paul is really saying here? Is he telling us to believe in ourselves? Or to believe that Christ empowers us to do whatever we set our minds to?<\/p>\n
No.<\/p>\n
What Paul really means<\/h3>\n
If we truly want to know what a Bible verse or passage means, we must read it in context. We can’t strip away all the surrounding verses, remove it from its original intent, and still expect to understand it.<\/p>\n
Just before Paul says, “I can do all things through Him who gives me strength,” he recounts some of the different circumstances he’s found himself in: he’s been hungry and well-fed, he’s been in need, and he’s been well off, and he’s learned to be content, no matter what his circumstances are.<\/p>\n
Paul isn’t comparing these circumstances to suggest that one is better than the other. He’s using these extremes to highlight that he understands the range of human experience and that he understands the challenges that come with each position. He isn’t a rich person telling a poor person to be happy with what they have (or vis versa), and he’s not sitting there on a full stomach telling hungry people to get over it.<\/p>\n
He’s saying that no matter what your circumstances are, you can learn to be content. How does he know? Because he’s proved it. How does he do it? That’s where verse 13 comes in.<\/p>\n
If you read the NIV translation of verse 13, you’ll notice an important distinction from most other translations:<\/p>\n
“I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
When we read “this” instead of “things,” it’s a lot clearer that the passage is referring to specific things – all the things Paul has been talking about – not “all things” in the sense that we can do anything. In context, “I can do all things” is the ministry that God has sent Paul to do. He can persevere, share the gospel, and be content in any situation, not on his own but through Christ who strengthens him.<\/p>\n
What Paul doesn’t mean<\/h3>\n
This verse is so misused because many folks interpret “all things” as “anything,” not “all the things Paul has talked about.” It’s not a blanket endorsement that God will support anything we set out to do and empower us to do whatever impossible things we can imagine. It’s an assurance that we can do whatever God calls us to do, not whatever we decide to do.<\/p>\n
This isn’t a biblical exhortation you can stamp on whatever goals you have professionally, personally, or physically. It’s an encouragement that God can give you the strength to be content, no matter what.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Andy Brenton Philippians 4:13 is one of the most well-known New Testament verses, but it’s also notoriously misused. After telling his audience that he’s experienced both poverty and affluence, the Apostle Paul writes these well-known words: “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Many of us have seen some variation of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[385,926,927],"class_list":["post-9362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-contentment","tag-philippians","tag-prosperity"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":95290,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/euodia-and-syntyche\/","url_meta":{"origin":9362,"position":0},"title":"Euodia and Syntyche","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 27, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Edwin Crozier In one little paragraph, we find the rubber hitting the road for Paul's letter to the Philippians: \"I entreat Euodia and Syntyche to agree in the Lord. Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women, who have labored side by side with me in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":19118,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-you-explain-philippians-310\/","url_meta":{"origin":9362,"position":1},"title":"Can you explain Philippians 3:10?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 14, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I am still studying all about fellowship. It is a very interesting study. 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Oh, sure, they should probably do better than that, and they\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":46432,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/making-the-best-of-bad-situations\/","url_meta":{"origin":9362,"position":4},"title":"Making the Best of Bad Situations","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 18, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Philippians 1:12-18 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0As much as we might wish it otherwise, we aren\u2019t often in control \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Things aren't always optimal \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Things don\u2019t always go our way II.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Better than you might think \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The Philippians had hear of Paul\u2019s imprisonment - Philippians 4:14 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Such would normally be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":20251,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/preaching-like-paul\/","url_meta":{"origin":9362,"position":5},"title":"Preaching Like Paul","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 21, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"by Bobby Witherington via\u00a0Guardian of Truth\u00a0XXXVI: 3, pp. 80-82, February 6, 1992 There are many books that deal with preaching. 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