In this lesson we will continue to see the remaining aspects of the experience and enjoyment of Christ living in us in the grace of the Triune God.
Christ living in us enables us to do all things in Him who empowers us. In Philippians 4:13 Paul said, “I am able to do all things in Him who empowers me.” To be empowered is to be made dynamic inwardly. Christ dwells in us (Col. 1:27). He empowers us, makes us dynamic, from within, not from without. By such inward empowering Paul was able to do all things in Christ. Paul was a person in Christ (2 Cor. 12:2), and he desired to be found in Christ by others. Now he declared that he was able to do all things in Him, the very Christ who empowered him. This is an all-inclusive and concluding word on his experience of Christ. It is the converse of the Lord’s word in John 15:5 concerning our organic union with Him: “Apart from Me you can do nothing.”
All things in Philippians 4:13 refers to all the things, mentioned in verse 12, that we have learned to be content with in the course of our human life and to the human virtues listed in verse 8. This means that by the empowering of the Christ who lives in us we can have a life of contentment, knowing both how to be abased and how to abound. Furthermore, we can live out all kinds of virtues, such as being true, being dignified, being righteous, being pure, being lovely, and being well spoken of.
Paul’s word concerning Christ as the One who empowers us is especially suitable in His empowering us that we may live Him as our human virtues and thus magnify Him in His unlimited greatness. If we desire to experience Christ as the One who empowers us that we may be able to do all things in Him, we need to allow Him to live in us (Gal. 2:20), to be formed in us (4:19), to make His home in us (Eph. 3:17), and to be magnified in us (Phil. 1:20). In this way, by the empowering of the indwelling Christ, we are able to live a satisfied life and live Christ as our human virtues.
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