What About the Great Tribulation?

Donnie’s post places the great tribulation immediately after the rapture, referencing the mark of the beast (Revelation 13) and restrictions on commerce for those who refuse it. This is another area of debate. Let us examine where the Bible itself places this event.

We turn first to Matthew 24:3–31, subtitled in the ESV: “The Signs of the End of the Age.” The conversation here is a direct response to a question posed to Jesus by his disciples: “what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (v3).

As part of the events that will precede His coming, Jesus speaks of wars and rumours of wars, tribulation for believers, the rise of false prophets, and the worldwide proclamation of the gospel. He then refers to the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel. And, He says, immediately before His arrival:

“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.” (Matthew 24:21–22)

Critically, Jesus speaks of cutting short the tribulation for the sake of His elect—that is, believers will endure it, though preserved by God throughout.

John, writing in 1 John 2:18, notes that “the antichrist is coming”, and places his appearance before the Lord’s return. Paul, in 2 Thessalonians 2, is explicit:

“Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him… Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.” (2 Thessalonians 2:1–4)

Note that the man of lawlessness—the antichrist—must be revealed before the day of the Lord’s coming. This aligns with Daniel’s abomination of desolation, referenced by Christ as a sign preceding His return. Revelation 20:4 further confirms this sequence, describing those who will reign with Christ as including “those who had not worshipped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands” – meaning some will face and resist the Antichrist before Christ returns.

So, we conclude that the biblical teaching places the great tribulation and the rise of the antichrist before Christ’s second coming, not after.

A Glorious Future

We now turn our attention to the events that will take place at Christ’s return, and immediately thereafter. The primary proof text is Revelation 20.

As argued in the previous article, 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 describes the dead in Christ being resurrected and believers still alive being transformed and caught up together to welcome the returning Lord. Notice “the sound of the trumpet of God” (v16b) at Christ’s return. This is the same trumpet Paul references in 1 Corinthians 15:

“Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.” (1 Corinthians 15:51–53)

The order is clear: at the trumpet’s sound, the dead in Christ are raised with resurrection bodies; then those still alive are transformed to receive glorified, imperishable bodies as well. Together, they are caught up to meet and escort the Lord back to earth (see the prequel).

Paul continues in the same chapter:

“Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.” (1 Corinthians 15:24–25)

Upon His return, Christ will reign over a mixed people—including those described as His enemies. This is the millennial rule described in Revelation 20. It is worth pausing to examine what Revelation 20 actually says, since this passage is the primary text in the debate between the millennial positions.

In the preceding chapter (Revelation 19:11–21), John has described Christ’s return in glory—the rider on the white horse, the defeat of the beast and the false prophet. The very next scene opens:

“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years” (Revelation 20:1–2).

The sequence is instructive: the binding of Satan follows immediately upon Christ’s return and the defeat of the Antichrist—it does not describe the present age. John then sees thrones set up, and those who had been martyred for their witness to Jesus “came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years” (Revelation 20:4). This, John declares, “is the first resurrection” (Revelation 20:5–6): the resurrection of the righteous that precedes the final judgment.

The Amillennial and Postmillennial views

It should be noted that Amillennialists (those who hold that the millennium is not a future, earthly reign but a present, spiritual reality already underway since Christ’s first coming) and Postmillennialists (those who believe Christ will return after a future golden age in which the gospel triumphs and the millennium is realised) understand this passage differently.

Amillennialists typically read the binding of Satan as referring to the present age since Christ’s first coming, and the “first resurrection” as the believer’s spiritual resurrection at conversion, or the state of the departed saints reigning with Christ in heaven. These are not frivolous readings; they are held by serious and godly interpreters. However, the premillennial reading (which I hold) commends itself on several grounds, as outlined below.

First, the passage follows chronologically from the return of Christ depicted in chapter 19. The “first resurrection” is presented alongside physical martyrdom. Beheadings are bodily realities, and the plain sense of the passage suggests a corresponding bodily resurrection in response. Second, the binding of Satan is described in vivid, concrete terms—a chain, a pit, a seal, with an explicit beginning and ending point—and sits uneasily with the present age in which Satan is elsewhere described as actively prowling and opposing the church (1 Peter 5:8). And finally, the subsequent earthly reign of Christ aligns with the prophetic vision that runs throughout the Old Testament, some of which we will touch briefly below.

Glorious, But Not Yet Eternal

Several scriptures describe a state in which the earth is deeply renewed, yet sin and death have not been entirely eradicated. Isaiah 65:20, for example, speaks of dramatically extended lifespans alongside the continued reality of sin and death:

“No more shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not fill out his days, for the young man shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed.”

Isaiah 11:6–9 similarly depicts a time when the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea; when the wolf and the lamb will dwell together, the leopard lie down with the kid, and a little child will lead them. Yet the subsequent verses (Isaiah 11:10–11) indicate that some will still come to the Lord for salvation during this era—a time of magnificent renewal, but not yet the final, eternal state of absolute righteousness (see also Psalm 72:8–14; Zechariah 14:5–17).

We know for a fact that the eternal state will be marked by the complete absence of sin (2 Peter 3:13) and death (Revelation 21:4). Since these conditions are not yet present in the era described by Isaiah and Zechariah, this must refer to the millennial reign rather than the new creation. Recall that immediately before this millennial reign, Satan will be bound for a specific period of a thousand years (Rev. 20:1-4), so that ‘he might not deceive the nations any longer’.

Amillennial and Postmillennial interpretations of Isaiah 65

It should be acknowledged that Amillennial and Postmillennial interpreters would not generally grant Isaiah 65 as straightforward evidence for a future earthly millennium. Amillennialists often understand such passages as describing the new creation in figurative terms, or as prophetic language fulfilled spiritually in the church (present) age. Postmillennialists may read them as anticipating a golden era of gospel advance prior to Christ’s return.

Even granting this range of readings, however, the continued presence of sin and death in Isaiah 65— “the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed”—sits uneasily with any description of the eternal state, which Scripture uniformly presents as entirely free from sin and death (2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:4). The contrast between the conditions in Isaiah 65 and those of the new creation points toward an intermediate period of magnificent renewal—which is precisely what the premillennial framework calls the millennium.

Revelation 20:1–4 tells us that immediately before this millennial reign, Satan will be bound, so that “he might not deceive the nations any longer.” And yet, even with Satan restrained, the fact that Christ will rule with a rod of iron (Psalm 2:9; Revelation 19:15) further suggests that during this period, there will be those who submit to His authority outwardly but not inwardly—compliance borne of compulsion rather than genuine transformation of heart.

Nonetheless, Christ will rule with perfect justice and righteousness (Psalm 72:8–14), and creation will be dramatically renewed – a breathtaking preview of what the world looks like when the rightful King is finally on His throne.

Conclusion

At the close of the millennium, Satan will be released for a season, will incite a final rebellion, but will be decisively and permanently defeated. Then will come the second resurrection (Revelation 20:5, 13), in which the unbelieving dead will also be raised, followed by the final judgment before the great white throne. And then, at last, the eternal state. But these are matters for a separate article.

What we can say here is this: what awaits the people of God is not a fearful escape from a world in chaos, but a glorious homecoming—resurrection, reunion with Christ our Lord, and the renewal of all things under His righteous rule. That is a hope worth holding firmly, and worth being ready for!

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Recently, Joe Mettle, a seasoned gospel musician in Ghana, released a single entitled ‘This Year’, in which he gave musical expression to these very promises. In the song, Mettle declares the unfolding year to be one that will overflow with testimonies and signs and wonders on every side. He sings of swimming in abundance, of waking up with spiritual fervour, and of personally living out every promise God has ever spoken. Doors, he declares, will swing open at his approach; favour will meet him at every turn; every valley in his path will be transformed into a highway; and every prophecy spoken over his life will come to pass—all of this decreed and declared over himself in Jesus’ name.

The wealth and health gospel

The theology that animates this song belongs to what is commonly known as the Word of Faith movement, or the wealth-and-health—or prosperity—gospel. In brief, this teaching frames faith as a currency with which one transacts with God. The logic runs as follows: if you have sufficient faith, you may legitimately demand from heaven’s resources—perfect health, financial abundance, and essentially anything else one desires.

In this framework, faith becomes a guarantee of success, whether in job interviews, business contracts, or even sporting outcomes. One does not ask God; one commands Him, on the basis of one’s faith. This is precisely the spirit behind Mettle’s song: I decree and declare it.

Does God actually promise these things?

What does “a year full of testimony” actually mean? What is “swimming in abundance”? In Word of Faith phraseology, terms like testimony, favour, and blessing are interpreted almost exclusively in terms of wealth and health—material prosperity. Signs and wonders, in this framework, translate to having everything you want and never being in want. The question is therefore straightforward: does the Bible actually promise believers a life of uninterrupted abundance?

The answer is no. There is not a single verse of Scripture that makes this promise. It is, plainly stated, deceptive teaching. The song invites listeners to expect to “live every prophecy and word God has spoken.” Very well. Let us take that seriously and examine what God has actually spoken.

What Jesus promised

Jesus was unambiguous about what His followers should expect in this world:

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Note the words carefully: you will have tribulation. Not “you might”, not “you will if your faith is weak”, but you will. This is a promise as certain as any other Jesus made. The comfort He offers is not the removal of hardship, but His own victory over it.

More striking still is the cost of discipleship Jesus sets out in Luke 9:23-25. The language here is arresting. Daily self-denial. A cross. The willingness to lose one’s life. This is the path Jesus calls every believer to walk—not a highway of unbroken favour, but the narrow road of self-surrender. It is also a direct rebuke to the prosperity gospel’s core logic: Jesus Himself asks what profit there is in gaining the whole world, if the soul is forfeited in the process. The very thing the prosperity gospel promises—worldly abundance—is the thing Jesus warns us not to live for.

One looks in vain for these promises in the Word of Faith repertoire.

What the Apostle Paul experienced

“I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:12–13)

Paul—who was caught up to the third heaven and authored much of the New Testament—knew seasons of genuine hunger and need, not merely as a passing phase on the way to abundance, but as a recurring reality of his apostolic life. The famous verse that follows (“I can do all things through him who strengthens me”) is not, as it is so often used, a promise of limitless achievement; it is a declaration of contentment in hardship, sustained by divine strength.

What the Apostle Peter taught

In his letter to Jewish Christians scattered across the Roman world, Peter offered no promise of comfort and ease. Instead, he called them to follow Christ’s own example of suffering:

“For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly… if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.” (1 Peter 2:19–21)

Peter goes on to say that it is blessed to suffer for righteousness’ sake (3:14), and that it may sometimes be God’s will for His people to suffer for doing good (3:17). Suffering, in Peter’s theology, is not a sign of weak faith or divine disfavour—it can be the precise pathway along which God leads His children.

The testimony of the early church

“…strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:22)

This was the message the apostles brought to young churches: not a guarantee of ease, but a call to persevere through tribulation. It is worth noting the word must—tribulation is not presented as an unfortunate possibility for those without faith, but as a normal feature of the Christian journey.

It is precisely in the seasons of lack, the trials of faith, and the furnace of tribulation that genuine faith is proved. Anyone can profess trust in God when life is comfortable. The question that suffering asks—and that the prosperity gospel cannot answer—is whether our faith is in God Himself, or merely in the blessings we hope He will provide.

But how about Job 22:28?

A verse frequently cited in defence of the decree-and-declare approach is Job 22:28: “You will also declare a thing, And it will be established for you; So light will shine on your ways” (NKJV). The ESV rendition reads: “You will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you, and light will shine on your ways.”

Already, the ESV translation is telling: decide on a matter carries none of the mystical, commanding force that Word of Faith teachers read into this verse. On the surface, however, the NKJV rendering appears to lend credibility to the notion that the believer has the authority to speak things into existence—to decree prosperity, health, and success, and expect them to materialise.

John Gill, one of the most thorough biblical expositors in the history of the church, addresses this passage directly. His commentary is instructive. Gill notes that strictly speaking, unfrustrable decrees belong to God alone—it is God whose counsel stands and whose purposes cannot be overthrown. When the verse speaks of a person decreeing a thing, Gill argues it is best understood in one of three ways: as a just leader whose wise decisions are ratified by heaven; as a person who, having committed their plans to God, finds them prospered and established; or—most fittingly—as a person of prayer, who lifts their requests to God in genuine faith and receives accordingly. The light that shines upon their ways is not the light of their own authority or declaration, but the light of God’s grace within them, God’s word guiding them, and God’s favour blessing their endeavours.

In other words, Job 22:28 is a promise to the person who humbly commits their ways to God—not a licence for the believer to stand in the place of God and decree outcomes into existence. The authority here belongs to God; the posture required of the believer is faith and dependence, not command and entitlement.

This reading is confirmed by the verses immediately preceding:

“Then the Almighty will be your gold and your precious silver. For then you will delight yourself in the Almighty and lift up your face to God. You will make your prayer to him, and he will hear you…” (Job 22:25-27)

Notice the portrait of the person whose decisions are established by God. This is someone for whom God Himself is the treasure—their gold, their precious silver. Because they delight in the Almighty above all else, their desires and decisions naturally align with His will. It is no wonder, then, that God establishes them. The text offers no support whatsoever for the idea that any believer, by the force of their declaration, can command God to produce outcomes on their behalf.

A conspicuous omission

It has not escaped our attention that the song ‘This Year’ is entirely silent on the call to holy living. From beginning to end, it is preoccupied with claiming blessings, with no word of exhortation to holiness—which is, in fact, the explicit will of God for every believer (1 Thessalonians 4:3–5).  It is therefore far from uncommon to find professing Christians living in open disobedience and yet fully expecting—and enthusiastically claiming—God’s blessing.

Conclusion

The theology embedded in the song This Year is a fundamental distortion of Biblical Christianity. It replaces petition with presumption, substitutes entitlement for faith, and promises what God has never promised. When Scripture is examined accurately, a different picture emerges: one in which believers are called to endure tribulation, follow a suffering Saviour, learn contentment in seasons of plenty and want, and trust a sovereign God whose ways are higher than ours.

This does not mean God is indifferent to our circumstances, or that prayer is futile. On the contrary—the Bible is full of encouragements to bring every need before God, ask boldly, and expect His faithfulness. But God’s faithfulness does not mean the removal of all hardship. It means the presence of God within it, strength sufficient for each trial, and an eternal inheritance that no earthly suffering can diminish.

The prosperity gospel does a profound disservice to Christians—particularly those in contexts of genuine poverty, illness, and suffering—by implying that their hardship is evidence of insufficient faith. It is not. Some of the most faith-filled people in Scripture suffered the most deeply: Job, Paul, Peter, and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Their trials did not contradict God’s promises; they were part of them.

We call on Christian leaders, musicians, and influencers—particularly across Ghana and the wider African church—to handle the word of God carefully and accurately. The gospel is genuinely good news: not the promise of a trouble-free life, but the promise of a Saviour who has overcome the world, and who walks with His people through every valley until He brings them safely home.

Notes

• https://tgnghana.org/dont-fall-for-it-this-31st-december/
• https://tgnghana.org/new-years-eve-vigil-services-auspicious-moments-or-gospel-merchandise/

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“Generational curses, simply put, is the belief that individuals inherit judgment for the sins committed by their forebears. Central to this belief is the word “curse,” which makes it a weighty matter. It means that many sufferers consider themselves cursed—even cursed by God.”¹

The Bible records a fascinating event in Numbers chapters 22 to 24 that speaks directly to this subject. For context, Israel is en route to the Promised Land. At a certain point in their journey, they needed passage through another nation’s territory. Balak, the king of that land, was terrified by Israel’s history of conquest (Numbers 22:1-3). His response? He contracted Balaam son of Beor, to curse God’s people in exchange for a reward.

Balaam is something of an enigmatic figure. In the New Testament, Peter compares false teachers to Balaam, “who loved the wages of wickedness” (2 Peter 2:15). Jude echoes this, associating Balaam with the selling of one’s soul for financial gain (Jude 1:11). His character is further exposed when he “taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality” (Revelation 2:14). He was evidently a man who practiced divination for a fee (Numbers 22:7).

From the very outset, God told Balaam: “You shall not curse the people, for they are blessed” (Numbers 22:12). Yet in his greed and covetousness, Balaam persisted — and rather than curse God’s people, he ended up pronouncing blessings over them instead (Numbers 23:8-12; 19-25; 24:6-10).

You Are Blessed in Christ

Before you read further, dear believer—regardless of your struggles in life or with sin—know that in Christ, your life is lovely. Do not be discouraged. Keep believing God.

There is a phrase in Numbers 23:21 that deserves our full attention, one that paints a picture of God’s blessings over his people: “It pleased the LORD to bless Israel.” What a wonderful statement. God’s enemy sought to curse God’s people, yet God’s promise of blessing remained immovable. The intended curses were negated by the faithfulness of God. Balaam looked upon a lovely people whom he was powerless to curse. This is something every Christian must internalize and believe: no one can bring a curse upon God’s people (Numbers 22:8; 23:19-20).

In Ghanaian Christianity, there is much talk of generational curses, spells, and juju. Faith has, in many places, given way to superstition. But if you are in Christ, no evil power—by whatever name it is called—has authority over you. You are in Christ and you are secure. Never allow anyone to explain your circumstances as evidence of a generational curse or as the work of evil spirits in your family. Shake off that bad theology. This narrative shows us plainly: God’s blessings on his people cannot be revoked.

Perhaps you have believed some of these lies about generational curses or family evil. Perhaps you are quietly entertaining the idea that your challenges in life are somehow linked to your family—a generational curse passed down. I call on you to renew your mind and remind yourself of your standing in Christ. In Christ, God has blessed you, and nothing can overturn it. Your greatest blessing in Christ is this: you have been saved from your sins, justified, and reconciled to God—”canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him” (Colossians 2:14-15).

You Are Fruitful in Christ

How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, your encampments, O Israel! Like palm groves that stretch afar, like gardens beside a river, like aloes that the LORD has planted, like cedar trees beside the waters. (Numbers 24:5-6)

Balaam paints a picture of God’s people using agricultural imagery—the language of fruitfulness. “Like palm groves that stretch afar, like gardens beside a river.” This text calls to mind Psalm 1, which describes the person planted by streams of water: “He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers” (v.3).

The believer has been called to go forth and bear fruit for the Lord (John 15). A life planted in Christ does not wither—it bears fruit. And notice this: the fruitfulness pictured here is tied to where the people have been planted. “Like aloes that the LORD has planted.” Your fruitfulness is linked to your connectedness to Christ.

You Are Set Apart for God

We know the story of Israel—delivered from captivity in Egypt, a picture of deliverance from the world of sin. Speaking under the inspiration of the Spirit of God, Balaam noted that they had been brought out of Egypt. That is the picture of a saved community. God delivered them from Egypt to fulfil his promise to them.

God brings them out of Egypt and is for them like the horns of the wild ox. For there is no enchantment against Jacob, no divination against Israel. (Numbers 23:22-23)

God is for them. Dear believer, God is for you. The God who saved you in Jesus Christ is for you. No charge can be successfully laid against you: “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies” (Romans 8:33).

Despite their rebellion, murmuring, and disobedience in the wilderness, the Israelites remained God’s people; a people over whom he would not permit a curse. How much more, then, are we who have been washed by the blood of Christ secure in him? Despite our shortcomings, weaknesses, and sins, the Lord Jesus died for a church he is washing and cleansing to present to himself as a holy bride without spot (Ephesians 5:25-27).

Jesus Christ: The Victor Over All

In this narrative, Balaam glimpsed a final Conqueror over evil. He saw, prophetically, Jesus Christ:

I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth. Edom shall be dispossessed; Seir also, his enemies, shall be dispossessed. Israel is doing valiantly. And one from Jacob shall exercise dominion and destroy the survivors of cities! (Numbers 24:17-19)

This was a prophecy pointing forward to the Lord Jesus. He is the One who died to break the curse of sin and redeem us from its clutches through faith: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged upon a tree’—so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith” (Galatians 3:13-14).

“In his fourth oracle, Balaam predicts the advent of a royal conqueror who will triumph over Moab and Edom. An initial fulfilment of this prophecy is seen in David’s victories over these nations (2 Samuel 8:2-14), but David’s accomplishments were themselves a foreshadowing of the greater conquests of Christ (cf. Colossians 2:15).”²

Dear believer, if you are in Christ, believe this with your whole heart: you are blessed beyond curse in Christ. This is not a triumphalist boast—it is a humble, settled reality from which we are to walk the Christian life in faith, and not in fear.

References

¹ Charlie Rampfumedzi, “Break the Power of Sin, Not a Generational Curse,” TGC Africa Edition, https://africa.thegospelcoalition.org/article/br

⁠ ⁠² R.C. Sproul, ed., Reformation Study Bible, Orlando, Florida: Reformation Trust, 2015

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A brother recently recounted an experience he had when he visited his former church in one African country. Having been a part of a healthy gospel-centered church in Dubai, he had come to understand the doctrine of God’s sovereignty – how God controls everything in the whole world for his own glory. As he attempted to explain this doctrine to his former church members, their response was unanimous, “it is easy for you to talk about God’s sovereignty when you live in an affluent city like Dubai.”

In their minds the doctrine of God’s sovereignty is a concept that makes sense within an affluent society, where all the basic necessities of life are in place. For these church members, God could not possibly be in control of the endemic poverty and disease that plague the African continent. The devil should be blamed for their plight and that could only be changed through incessant fasting, prayer and binding of the devil.

In my experience as an African, this is not the view of only the church in question, there are many Christians in Africa for whom the doctrine of God’s sovereignty does not hold true. Although no Christian will outrightly deny that God is in control over their lives, there is a sense in which our lives can affirm this idea. The objection usually is, if God is in control, how do we explain the slave trade, the poverty, disease and discrimination that the African goes through in life?

The question being raised is, is God sovereign over the black man’s life? If he is, how could he allow the slave trade to happen for example? It’s been said that on top of the dungeon where the slaves were kept in the Cape Coast castle prior to being shipped to North America, was the church of the colonial master. How could God allow one race to undergo such pain and discrimination in human history? These are genuine questions that could only be answered well from the Bible. Any other way of answering it will be unfaithful.

Is God sovereign in Africa? The answer is an emphatic “Yes!” In the book of Acts chapter 17 verse 26, Paul tells us that, “… he [God] made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place.” According to the Bible, God created every human being, and not only did he create every person in his image and likeness (Gen. 1:26 & 27), he also allotted the periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place.

The fact that I was born in Africa was not the decision of my parents, God made that decision and it wasn’t because he didn’t like me. He chose that I would be born in Africa in accordance with his purpose and foreknowledge. We are told in Genesis 1:31 that, “… God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.”

The testimony we receive from the Bible is that everything God made was good, and that should be the starting point of our discourse about the poverty, disease and discrimination the people of the African continent face in the world. The right approach to understanding the predicament of Africa is to ask, how did things move from being good to the pain and evil that we see all around us?

Genesis 3 provides an answer to how everything moved from being good to where they are now. Ever since man disobeyed God, nothing has been the same. The first evil act after the fall of man was the killing of Abel by Cain (Genesis 4:1-8), therefore when I think about slavery, discrimination against the black race which continues till today and the extortion that took place during the colonial era against the African, I am not confused whether God is sovereign in Africa. Just as he was sovereign over Abel’s life when he was killed by Cain, he is sovereign over the African’s life.

The Bible teaches that God is in control even over the evil that men do, to bring about his purposes and plans. Many of us know about the story of Joseph and how his brothers sold him into Egypt as a slave accompanied by hardships and pain. At the time it looked as though God was blindsided, but the testimony of Joseph in Genesis 50:20 sums it up so well, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.”

The greatest example of how God is in control over everything including evil was in the death of his own Son. In the book of Acts 2:22-24, Peter declared, “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it”

Evil men killed Jesus and yet God was not blindsided, everything that happened to Jesus was according to his definite plan and foreknowledge. God was working through the evil acts of men to bring about the greatest good. Make no mistake about it, God will bring every evil deed to judgement. His working in evil to bring about his purpose does not excuse evildoers of their evil deeds. Every slave trader who did not repent will be called before the judge of all flesh to give an account on the last day, so will every racist or extortionist.

I have lived outside Africa during the last eleven years, I constantly face discrimination, racism and rejection just because of my skin color and where I come from, but as a follower of Christ I am not depressed. I am under no illusion that this situation will change completely, even though I continue to work for justice and equality of all peoples. My real hope is in the Bible, the promise that God will make all things new. I’m looking forward to the new heaven and the new earth, where I will not be judged based on the color of my skin or where I was born (Revelations 21 & 22), but the just God will acquit me because of my faith and trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ.

On that day it wouldn’t matter whether you are an African or European or Asian or Arab or American or Australian. It wouldn’t matter whether you were discriminated against or not, whether you were rich or poor. The only thing that would matter would be whether you are in right standing with God through Jesus Christ.

Yes, God is sovereign over all creation including the people of Africa and he has not been blindsided about the predicament of the black race. But there is a worse predicament awaiting all those who have not received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. It is that fate I will warn you to flee from.

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The age of accountability

It is not as if children don’t sin. Much as we would love to deny it, we see quite early in the behaviour of infants and little children, patterns that affirm a heart of sin—be it in the unkind words they speak to one another, in their self-centeredness and crave to have their way at all costs, in their bent to disobey the instruction of their parents, anger, tantrums, etc. These acts, though not well thought out by the child, are clearly sinful, going by the Biblical definition of sin.

Augustine notes in his Confessions¹, “Who is there to remind me of the sin of my infancy? (for sin there was: no one is free from sin in your sight, not even an infant whose span of earthly life is but a single day); who can remind me of it? Some little mite who is a tiny child now, in whom I might observe conduct I do not remember in myself? What then was my sin at that age? Was it perhaps that I cried so greedily for those breasts? Certainly if I behaved like that now, greedy not for breasts, of course, but for food suitable to my age, I should provoke derision and be very properly rebuked. My behaviour then was equally deserving of rebuke, but since I would not have been able to understand anyone who scolded me, neither custom nor common sense allowed any rebuke be given. After all, we eradicate these habits, and throw them off as we grow up. Yes, but I have never seen any sensible person throw away good things when clearing out, so can we suppose that even in an infant such actions were good—the actions of a child who begs tearfully for objects that will harm him if given, gets into a tantrum when free persons, older persons and his parents, will not comply with his whims, tries to hurt many people who know better by hitting out at them as hard as his strength allows, simply because they will not immediately fall in with his wishes  obey his commands, commands which will damage him if they were carried out?” 

We see from certain portions of Scripture, however, that before a certain age, which we will call the age of accountability, God does not hold us accountable for sin. The Bible does not put a number to this age—only God knows—and it will be futile to speculate with regards to the exact age of accountability. However, somewhere in the mystery of God’s grace, we see that children who cannot repent for themselves will not have their sins charged to them. If that is true, then it is true of all children who fit this description regardless of ancestral heritage (whether born to Christian parents, Muslim parents, Hindu parents or not). Jesus said let the little children come to me, for the kingdom belongs to such as these; and he did not differentiate between the children of those who believed in him and those who did not.

Some relevant passages are:

Numbers 14:28-31:

Say to them, ‘As I live, declares the Lord, what you have said in my hearing I will do to you: your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and of all your number, listed in the census from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against me, not one shall come into the land where I swore that I would make you dwell, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. But your little ones, who you said would become a prey, I will bring in, and they shall know the land that you have rejected.

(The ‘little ones’ were not punished along with the adults for the sin of grumbling against God and complaining, although we are told that the whole congregation grumbled and complained (Numbers 14:1-12)).

Isaiah 7:15-16:

He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted.

(The Bible here makes reference to the age at which one is able to tell evil apart from good and to refuse evil and choose the good. Before then, although one may commit sins (deviate from the appointed pathway), they are not held accountable).

Re: The people of Nineveh and those who haven’t heard the Gospel

Does the argument that infants are not held accountable for sins they commit because they do not know ‘how to reject the evil and choose the good’ justify the people of Nineveh whom God Himself said did not know “their left from their right hands”? (Jonah 4:11). And by extension, does this apply to those who have never heared the gospel?

The answer for that is found in Romans 1:19-20 where Paul argues that there is no excuse for all those who can discern God’s attributes in nature (namely His glory) and the written law of God on their hearts (Romans 2:14-15):

For what can be known about God is plain to them [that is, to mankind] because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. Therefore, they are without excuse. (Romans 1:19-20)

 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them. (Romans 2:14-15).

Infants are clearly not in the position to understand nor perceive God’s glory as revealed in nature, nor do they have the mental capacity to understand it—certainly not in the same way as an adult would. (Please see also John 9:41). In all this, we can trust that that the Judge of all the earth will always do that which is right (Gen. 18:25).

Conclusions and Application 

In summary, this article captures the belief that,

1. Infants, like all mankind, are directly affected by the sin of Adam and therefore suffer the consequences that were brought upon all of Adam’s posterity, namely death and a nature of sin.
2. Despite being born with a nature of sin, the Bible teaches that we are held accountable for our own actions, not that of Adam or any of our forbearers.
3. We can infer from Scripture that until a certain age, which we call the age of accountability, we are not held accountable for our sins, but absolved by the mercy and grace of God.
4. This applies to all those who die before they reach the age of accountability—and this applies to all infants regardless of race, colour or parental heritage.

For anyone who has lost a loved one in infancy, you can be comforted in the knowledge that they are with the Lord. By extension, this exposition challenges the worldview of a heaven that will be sparsely populated. On the contrary, heaven will be very colourful. The heavenly choir will be filled with the joyous refrain of infants of all race, colour, and tongue—all who died in infancy and by the grace and mercies of our Lord were saved and granted a place in his presence where there is joy forevermore! (Whether they will remain infants forever, or grow up in heaven? Only God knows!)

One parent who lost a seven-month old son remarked instructively,

My son’s death is a great motivation for me to live right for God. God and heaven are ultimately my greatest reasons for living as a Christian, but I am also convinced that my son died as an innocent infant and is with our Father. In that case, I want to be where he is too when the time is up.

This is a great example of  how we ought to apply this teaching to our lives as Christians.

What this teaching is not seeking to encourage is a neglect of bringing up our children in the fear of the Lord.

I have heard of parents who neglect to teach their children about God under the pretext that the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them anyway, so why bother? The irony is that every parent’s wish, like mine, is to see their children grow to outlive them and not to die as an infant—even though it is far better than living. Thus, it behooves us to bring up our children in the fear of the Lord. As noted earlier, only God knows the actual age of accountability for each of our children. A seven or nine-year-old may be able to come to grips with their sinfulness and their need of a saviour—it may be at an earlier or later age, it doesn’t matter—ours is to introduce them to the rescuing love of our Saviour and pray he opens their hearts unto salvation.

The Bible is clear on the fact that there is no remission of sins except by the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 9:22). If infants who pass to glory are to be saved, we can be sure that it will be based solely on the finished work of Christ on the cross. For you  dear reader, who has yet to place your faith in the Lord Jesus for salvation, the invitation is extended to you. Why don’t you put trust in Him now?

Notes :

1. The Confessions, Revised (The Works of Saint Augustine: A Translation for the 21st Century, Vol. 1) (Kindle Edition). New City Press.

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In the previous article, we considered some oppositions to infants who die in their infancy going to heaven, proposed the contrary view, and set out to resolve the bottlenecks from the Biblical standpoint. We begin part II of this series by considering Adam’s sin and its effect on his posterity.

Adam’s sin

The relevant passage is Genesis 3:1-19.

We see from the passage some immediate consequences of the sin of our first parents:

1. The curse on the serpent (3:14)
2. The curse of painful childbirth (3:16). This has been so since then.
3. The curse on the ground (3:17-18). This is the reason the earth reverts to a wilderness condition whenever it is left unattended.
4. All of creation was affected. Creation has never been the same after the fall, nor will it be when sin is removed. Romans 8 teaches that the whole of creation groans in expectation of the time when it will be redeemed (vv20-22).

Adam’s posterity and the universality of sin 

All people invariably agree that there is something universally lacking in man. Not all are prepared to call it sin, but by our own actions and inactions, we prove the Bible’s assertion that we are what we are because of the problem of sin.

Recently in Ghana where I come from, there was a scandal in the football federation involving some officials who were accused of bribery and corruption. For a while, this was the main subject of discussion on various social media platforms. In one group that I belong, nearly everybody was of the mind that what the officials did was wrong and contrary to the code of ethics of their job. However, almost all of us admitted we were equally guilty of similar offenses; howbeit of varying degrees of gravity. It was a unanimous consensus that none of us could cast the first stone, as we weren’t without fault. What this inadvertently means is that we each admitted our sinfulness and lack of perfection. Some were more outspoken and admitted quite frankly they would not act any differently if they were presented with a reward (a bribe) that was tempting enough.

Opponents of the concepts of sin have tried fruitlessly to explain it away. One popular explanation appeals to the scientific theory of evolution. They argue that having come out of the backwoods just a few millennia ago, all we need is time to slough off the remains of our bestial past.

Another school of thought holds that what man needs is enlightenment. If we attained to a higher level of ‘awareness’, through the reading of books or by other pursuits of knowledge, we would achieve the level of goodness that will make our world a better place. These all sound wonderful in their respective rights; however, history is there to prove that time and enlightenment are not enough to deal with the problem of sin.

Verses like Isaiah 53:6, Romans 3:23 and many others teach that all (the whole world) have sinned. We see from the Scriptures that all humans are affected, and our whole being is affected. James says in many things we offend all (James. 3:2). John corroborates all this when he says that if we say we have not sinned, we deceive ourselves (1 John 1:8-9). The Bible teaches that our sinful state is as a consequence of the sin of Adam. The definitive proof for this is in the fact that we all age and die. None of us can escape death, including even infants (Romans 5:14).

The nagging question, however, is how did Adam’s sin affect the whole of humanity?

The Bible puts forward two explanations. Firstly, the whole of human nature was in Adam’s loins when he sinned, and we fell with him (or in him) when he sinned in the garden of Eden; what is termed as ‘seminal identity’. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews teaches this when he asserts that Levi paid tithes in Abraham to Melchizedek (Hebrews 7:9-10). This fits perfectly with the parallel which Paul provides in the passage in Romans 5 when he teaches that by our union with Christ through faith, we are made righteous. Not by our deeds, but purely based on the merit of Christ (grace).

The second explanation is one we are familiar with; the fact that as our federal head, when Adam sinned, all his posterity suffered the consequences. We see examples of this in our governments. If a parliamentarian who represents an area passes a law–whether good or bad, we all suffer the consequences. This is why the Bible doesn’t teach that our sinful state is on account of the sins of all our ancestors, but only that of Adam.

Thus, the phrase “we all sinned in Adam” (Romans 5:12). The term “original sin” therefore means sin originates from the original root of the human race. We are all born in this condition. As David put it, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Psalm 51: 5).

With regards to infants

We have already established that infants, as well as adults, are born with the pollution and guilt of sin as a result of original sin.

My children are born Ghanaians based on the relationship they have with me as their father. They don’t get to choose to be Ghanaian at birth—they simply are born Ghanaians. Because they were in me, they are born as black Africans by default, and there’s nothing they can do to change their skin complexion at birth. As Ghanaians, certain privileges are due them because of their nationality; for example, they are entitled to a Ghanaian passport, and they qualify to vie for the highest office of the land or for any political position they desire.

However, if they want a Ghanaian passport, they will need to apply for it, and if any of them wishes to be president someday, they will need to contest for it and be voted in. So, despite their status at birth, they need to act in a certain way or other to accrue certain benefits or not.

This analogy, though limited, attempts to convey the truth of the scriptures with regards to the application of the sin of Adam. Although we are all born sinners, the Bible doesn’t call us to repent for the sins of Adam as it were. Having received through Adam the knowledge of good and evil, we at least once in our lifetime or mostly choose evil instead of right when faced with good and evil choices. The evil choices we make instead of the good ones is what the Bible calls us to repent from.

We are each held accountable for our own sins (Eccl. 12:14). In the Old Testament, we are taught that the son shall not die for the sins of the father, nor the father for the sins of the son (Ezekiel 18:20). Acting upon the good and evil we know is what affirms our guilt of sin, just as my children will have to work upon their citizenship to apply for a passport or stand for presidential election.

qTo be continued…

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Deception is as old as the human race. Right from the Garden of Eden to the present time deception has been a part of the human experience. Sometimes we are deceived, other times we deceive others and sometimes we deceive ourselves. To deceive means to mislead by a false appearance or statement, and the goal is to mislead others to take an action they would otherwise not take if they had true knowledge. In order words, deception is the opposite of truth.

We are first introduced to the concept in Genesis 3:1, where we read “Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”

That was a false statement made with the intention to mislead, because the original command from God read, “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:16 & 17)

God had given man everything, yet the devil made it seem as though God was stingy and had withheld everything. That was the first deception, and it was orchestrated by the devil.  Hence, the reason why Jesus calls him the father of lies in John 8:44.

As you read the account in Genesis, there is the tendency to have sympathy for Eve, she was naïve and unsuspecting. She blamed the devil for her disobedience and that is clear in her response to God, “…”The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” However, as much as Eve would want us to believe that it wasn’t her fault, God did not let her off the hook. Throughout the Bible God lays the responsibility of making sure that we are not deceived on the deceived. This is emphasized by the many commands of “do not be deceived” (1 Cor. 6:9; 15:33, Eph. 5:6, Gal. 6:7, Jas. 1:16, 1 Jn. 3:7), which means we can only be deceived if we allow it. As Christians we need to guard ourselves against deception. We must examine ourselves constantly, to see whether we are living in deception. In this article I outline six areas where we must constantly evaluate ourselves.

Living in Sin

In Ephesians 5:6 &7, Paul warned his readers, “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things [sexual immorality, impurity & covetousness] the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore, do not become partners with them” (emphasis added). It is very possible to live in sin and still think that you are a Christian. The Bible says you are deluding yourself. God is holy and anyone who claims to be a part of God must be holy (Lev. 19:1)

There are many today in the Church who presume on the grace of God and go on living in sin, but the Bible teaches that “God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and the truth is not in us” (1 John1:5&6). Again we are taught that without holiness no one can see God. You will not enjoy heaven if you are not striving to live a holy life now because heaven will only be filled with holy people.

Discipline in Christian Living

Paul tell us in Galatians 6:7&8 “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life”

Natural experience itself teaches us that you reap what you sow, it is therefore strange that we don’t apply the same principle in our walk with the Lord. Some Christians mock God with the way they live their lives. There are many who claim they want to know the will of God for their lives, yet never read their Bibles nor spend time in prayer. There are others who claim they desire to live holy lives, yet spend their days indulging in worldly pursuit which predisposes them to sin. You cannot indulge your flesh and expect to live a holy life.

For some people, it will mean putting a stop to that relationship with the guy who keeps pressurizing you to have sex before marriage. Or if you are married, it will mean putting a stop to that flirtatious behaviour which can lead you into adultery.

The Company We Keep  

One of the greatest weaknesses of the human species is our inability to judge ourselves rightly. We often overestimate our strength and underestimate our vulnerabilities. This has been the cause of many a Christian fall. One of the areas we can be complicit is in the area of the friendship we keep. We can be deceived into thinking that we can throw our lot with evil people and somehow remain unstained. Paul writes to the saints in Corinth “Do not be deceived: Bad company ruins good morals.” (1 Corinthians 15:33)

We also read in Psalm 1, that “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.” We need to be careful of the company we keep, because they have more influence on our lives than we are prepared to admit. Do not be deceived!

Doubting God’s Goodness

This form of deception seems so unlikely but when it comes to deception, nothing is off limits. Yes, it is possible for a Christian to charge God with evil. There are Christians who blame God for their “difficult lives”. They haven’t denied God, yet deep down in their hearts they harbour bitterness toward God. They blame him for the death of their loved ones, their singleness, joblessness, etc. That is the greatest deception of all. The devil would want us to believe that God is not good, that he is somehow responsible for the evil that happens in our lives. When he is able to sow doubt in our minds about God, it becomes easy for him to lead us into sin. He has been using this plot since the beginning.

But James tells us “Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:16 & 17). God is good, and we must never be deceived into thinking otherwise.

Living in Pride

We are proud because we are deceived. No human being who knows his true condition can be proud. In 1 Corinthians 4:7, Paul asks, “…What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?” In other words, our very lives give evidence against the attitude of pride. We therefore must be very deceived to be filled with pride.

The scary part is that there are Christians who think they are infallible and beyond fall. Ì have met Christians who are of the view that once they become saved, they are beyond sin and do not think it appropriate to even confess their sin to God. John says “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”  The Christian life is a repenting walk, “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he falls.” (1 Corinthians 10:12)

Living in Light of Jesus’ Return

There are those who mock and scoff at the idea that Jesus will return (2 Pet. 3:9-12), in most cases these are non-Christians and so it is easy to disregard them. What is frightening is when a Christian lives as though Jesus will never return. Living a life that prioritizes material and earthly wealth above spiritual priorities is a sign of bad spiritual health. The over-emphasis on material prosperity and physical healing in some Christian circles today is anti-Christian. Contrary to what many pastors would have us believe, health and wealth are not necessarily signs of faithfulness.

Before leaving this earth Jesus told his disciples, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” (John 14:1-3).

Therefore the call to Christians to live their best life now, is anti-Christ. If I can live my best life now, why would I long for heaven? Don’t be deceived, for our citizenship is not in this world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

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Paul’s epistle to the Philippians is one exuding with great joy, praise and adoration. In this epistle, you encounter words like “rejoice in the Lord” (3:1); “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice” (4:4). What is most fascinating is that Paul wrote these words while in prison. The epistle to the Philippians, therefore, is one of Paul’s prison epistles. Now it is fascinating because, in our normal human reasoning, a man in prison shouldn’t be exuding with such admonishments to be joyful. John MacArthur notes that “In spite of Paul’s imprisonment, the dominant tone of the letter is joyful (1: 4, 18, 25, 26; 2: 2, 16– 18, 28; 3: 1, 3; 4: 1, 4, 10)”¹. Philippians without doubts contains great themes not only of joy, but also of the humiliation of Christ and the great exchange that took place:

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him a name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Here is a Christological statement telling us of the humility, humiliation, and exaltation of Christ. Albeit, despite these great themes, there is one text in Philippians which is often widely quoted, and often widely misinterpreted. That text is Chapter 4:13. It reads,

I can do all things through him[Christ] who strengthens me.

Paul’s words here have been interpreted to basically mean the ability to achieve great feats in whatever endeavour a believer sets their minds to. A believer has exams to write, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me“. A believer is attending a job interview, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me“. A Christian businessman is chasing a contract, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” A believer competes in a sports event, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me“. An online article aptly describes how this text has been used in the sports arena by some athletes.

Tim Tebow put Phil 4:13 under his eye before football games. Jon Jones, the former UFC light heavyweight champion, has it tattooed on his chest.

What we must not do is pluck biblical texts out of context to say what we want them to say. Unfortunately, that is what many believers have done with Philippians 4:13. In hermeneutics, that is, the science of biblical interpretation, this is called eisegesis—reading into a text a meaning that is not there. On the contrary, we must be doing exegesis—reading meaning out of the text. Now, it doesn’t matter how sincere we may be with a text; once it is taken out of context we are being unfaithful to God’s word.

So, you may ask, how must we view Philippians 4:13? In dealing with any biblical text, the immediate context and the larger context of the bible is to be taken into consideration. We shouldn’t, for example, interpret a text in such a way that other passages of Scripture are contradicted. Thus, in the immediate context of Philippians 3, what do we learn?

Not A Booster for Great Achievements

Firstly, Paul’s words “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” should not be taken to mean the believer can do any great thing they set their minds to. In fact, with a correct understanding of the text, I dare say “you cannot do all things through Christ who strengthens you.” Eyebrows raised? Of course, the text says exactly that so why am I saying otherwise?
Please hear me out. The fact is, Christ doesn’t empower you to be able to do ‘everything’ you want to do. If you are not a trained surgeon, for example, you cannot perform a surgery simply because you believe “you can do all things through Christ”. This may sound an extreme example but that is a perfect picture you paint if you believe you can do all things. You cannot pilot a plane if you have not been trained to do so, simply because you can do all things. In fact, you cannot fly because you believe you can fly. You are not a bird.

It has been noted earlier that Philippians is a prison epistle. Think of this: what greater feats is a man in prison attempting to achieve when he writes “I can do all things…?” No, Paul cannot do all things in the sense of achieving whatever great feat he can set his mind to. This is someone in prison, who is probably bound in shackles and couldn’t even move about freely. Achieving arbitrary great feats will not be his focus at that time. A man in prison will perhaps be making good use of the limited time he has. He wouldn’t be having “conquering the world in great achievements” on his plate at all.

Contentment

In Philippians 4:13, what Paul is speaking about condenses simply into contentment. You see, Paul is in prison and the Philippians church have finally had an opportunity to show their concern for his upkeep: “I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity” (v.10). It could be that perhaps hitherto, they had not had the opportunity to show their concern to Paul in prison, yet, through divine providence, it had become possible and Paul shows gratitude for their concern. However, perhaps for them not to feel compelled under duress to further provide for him, Paul quickly explains he is not appreciating them out of need. He tells them: “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be a content” (v.11).

Paul here makes it clear he has learnt contentment in whatever situation he finds himself. And this is the crux of the whole text: contentment. Building up to v.13 Paul will again speak of how he has learnt contentment in every situation:

” know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need (v.12). This is very instructive to us today in a world that constantly calls us to crave for more. A consumerist spirit has gripped many and they are never content with what they have. But not so with Paul. He tells us he has learnt to endure both plenty and lack. Where did he learn this from? He learnt it by emulating Christ. Remember, earlier he had advised the Philippians to “have this mind among [themselves], which is yours in Christ Jesus.” Learn from Christ, he is saying. Set your mind upon him. Let his humiliation be an example to endure whatever situation you find yourself. Be content with whatever you have and learn to trust in God in the bad and good situations.

Logically, if you have read v.12, the meaning in v.13 must now begin to stand out when Paul says “I can do all things through him[Christ] who strengthens me.” The ‘all things’ refers in the first place to coping with need or plenty. The apostle’s words are better translated ‘I can do all things in him…’. It is ‘in Christ’ that he has learned to do this.² If you have never seen contentment in Philippians 4:13; begin looking at the text in its context. I will conclude with the words of Sinclair B. Ferguson in his book ‘Let’s Study Philippians’:

Christians today live in a society which is permeated by a spirit of discontentment. Greed has destroyed gratitude, getting has replaced giving. But in the pursuit of self-sufficiency, we have lost our way. We have developed spirits driven forwards to gain more, incapable of slowing, stopping and remembering that those who sow the wind reap the whirlwind…It is time to pause and to ask: ‘Am I content, in Christ?’ If not, it is the first thing I need to begin to relearn³.

Notes:

1. Note on Philippians 4:13 from The MacArthur Study Bible, 2006, Thomas Nelson.

2. Sinclair B. Ferguson, Let’s Study Philippians (Edinburgh:Banner of Truth, 2005), 108

3. Ferguson, Let’s Study Philippians, 109

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