As we have pointed out, in the book of Philippians Paul uses a number of unusual expressions. One of these expressions is found in chapter four, verse 12. Here Paul says, "In everything and in all things I have learned the secret" (ASV). The phrase "learned the secret" indicates that Paul had come into a new situation, a new environment. Whenever we are put in a new environment, we need to learn the secret of living in that environment. For someone from the West to go to the Far East is for him to go into a new environment. In order to live, he must learn the secret of life there. For example, when brothers and sisters from the United States visit the Far East, they need to learn the secret of eating with chopsticks. If they do not learn the secret, they will not be able to eat.
In Philippians 4:12 Paul says, "I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I have learned the secret both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need." Here Paul seems to be saying, "In all things I have been instructed with the secret so that I know how to be in want and how to abound. I have been initiated with a type of secret knowledge." What is the secret Paul learned? Because Paul had been instructed with the particular secret, he could handle any situation, whether he was rich or poor, filled or hungry. The secret is in Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things in Him who empowers me" (Gk.). The secret is not that Christ is in us; it is that we are in Him.
Most of us do not know how to apply the fact that we are in Christ. Take riding in a car to the meeting as an example. My secret in coming to the meeting is simply to sit in the car and to let someone else drive. What a problem it would be if I refused to get into the car or did not like being in the car and did certain foolish things to get out of the car! On the day we were saved, God put us into the heavenly car, the best car in the universe. The name of this car is Christ. On the day we were saved, we were put into Him. If we would exercise to be in Him in a practical way, we would not be active to do so many things on our own. Instead, we would simply rest and be at peace. If we are in Christ, we shall be at rest and not endeavor to overcome negative things such as our temper. Although we were put into Christ on the day we were saved, to the feeling of many Christians they are not yet in Christ.