This chapter takes up the entire superiority to circumstances which characterizes the Christian. The Apostle had gone through very trying circumstances; he had been in prison for four years, chained to a heathen soldier-a terrible kind of thing. There he had been to have the experience that no circumstances could ever separate from the love of Christ, and that the life of Christ was paramount to everything. Christ felt all, far more than we do; but there was that which sustained Him and made it positive joy to Him. It is a great thing to see that the power of Christ in us can set us entirely above everything. Paul knew how to suffer need, and he knew how to abound (a far more dangerous thing); for if we suffer need, we are thrown on God necessarily. What we find all through this epistle is the power of the Spirit of God raising him above all circumstances and sorrows; it is always the power of the Spirit of God which sustains him.
Sin is never mentioned in the epistle, nor flesh as a gross thing, but only in its religious shape. But we get the power of the Spirit of God carrying us through this world where temptations are-not that the flesh is any better, but there is such a thing as living above it. This is a very important principle for all of us. It is true that "in many things we offend all," but Scripture never supposes that we are going to offend; and we can never excuse ourselves if we do offend. The flesh is as bad as ever; and what we get is not the grace of God for it, but a thorn in the flesh, the thorn being from the grace of God of course.
If we are conscious of weakness and are leaning only on grace, we need not offend; there is power for us. It is possible that at a given moment I may not have power, but this is because I have been going wrong previously. Christ was witnessing while Peter was denying, but Christ had been praying while Peter had been sleeping. The armor should be put on before the battle, not just at the battle. When Satan came to Him with his wiles, the Lord had only to rest quietly in obedience; there was no longer reasoning, no confusion about it. Satan says, "Command that these stones be made bread"; the Lord answers that He is come to obey. For it is written that "man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Then Satan tells Him to cast Himself down (that is, not to trust God), but is told, "It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." These are wiles; but when Satan comes openly, then resist Satan. "Get thee hence, Satan"; then he flees. We have not to overcome him who is overcome, but we have to overcome his wiles by the word, in obedience.
The only effect of trying circumstances is to give much deeper acquaintance with the Lord's faithfulness, and withal much deeper joy. At the end of four years in prison Paul could say, "Rejoice in the Lord always"; he had nothing else to rejoice in. He says, as it were, The more I know of every trial and hindrance in my work as an apostle, the more I can tell you, You can rejoice in the Lord always. It is a beautiful thing to see Paul the person say, You must be always rejoicing. The thing that hinders our rejoicing is not trouble, but being half-and-half. If in the world, his conscience reproaches the Christian; if he meets spiritual Christians, he is uncomfortable there; in fact, he is happy nowhere. A man's affections do not hinder his work for his children. If we are serving Christ simply, we should go back to Him all the happier when the service is done.
We never can give a reason for not rejoicing in Christ, except the evil of our hearts. Here we get what is so important practically—to rejoice always. Anyone can rejoice in the Lord when the Lord gives him what he likes. "Bless the Lord at all times"; that is the testing point. "In everything give thanks." "Jehovah is my Shepherd, I shall not want"; not, I have got blessing and shall not want, but "Jehovah is my Shepherd, I shall not want." "He restoreth my soul." He stood by me when in misery, sorrow, failure it may be. I may get my own weakness, death in the way; but the table is spread in the very presence of my enemies (like Joshua and the Israelites eating the passover before ever a blow was struck). God's natural work is to give us green pastures and still waters, but He makes everything work together for our good; it is not the circumstances, it is the Lord. "I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever." After the sorrowful and trying things Paul had passed through, he was full of comfort. He had had green pastures, pleasant things from the Lord; but he rejoiced all through, whatever the circumstances.
Again, he says, "Let your moderation [yieldingness] be known unto all men: the Lord is at hand." He does not insist upon his rights, because he trusts the Lord; he is not careful. Abraham says to Lot, "Go to the left and I will go to the right." Lot chooses Sodom-always the effect of choosing for oneself. The part Abraham seemed to have lost was Sodom and Gomorrah.
Then there is another exceedingly strong thing connected with it: how long is this going to last? "The Lord is at hand." You have got your joy and strength elsewhere, and "the fashion of this world passeth away." If conscious that my portion is in Christ, the looking for the Lord who is my portion, makes me sit loose to everything here. If our expectation, if the feeling of our hearts, is that the Lord is at hand (I do not mean prophecy, but the personal expectation of the saint himself), it must be so. What event is there between you and heaven? The only one is our going up there. If I am looking for Christ to come straight down from heaven and take me up, what event is there between? It is no great wonder if the Christian has power to go through circumstances and master them; he has joy in the Lord that nothing can touch. In waiting for Christ, what must be done before He comes? "The day and the hour knoweth no man"; but there is only one thing that must be done-the gathering in of the saints. "The longsuffering of God is salvation." "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise," but He is waiting on poor sinners. Prophecy does not speak to us of heaven; faith looks to heaven and sees what is there. Prophecy is God's politics, and it saves us from human politics-a great mercy too. Our portion is Christ Himself.
There are trials in the way; but then you get, "Be careful for nothing." This is a magnificent sentence and leaves no loopholes. It has often stopped my mouth completely when I have thought of the Church, the saints. "Be careful for nothing; but in everything, by prayer and supplication, let your requests be made known unto God." He does not say, Do you go and do the will of God, but reckon on God that you are going to get the best thing. Present your requests to God; thank Him before you get them. He does not say you will get them always; it is the interest which God takes in us that is the point here. Paul besought the Lord three times that the thorn should be taken away. Indeed I am not going to take away what I sent for your good! such virtually was the answer. "My grace is sufficient for you."
"And the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts." This is not peace with God, or that your heart keeps the peace either. The peace keeps your heart, and it is the peace of God-the peace He is in. My own peace I understand very well. The peace He is in keeps my heart, and it passes all understanding-of course it does, because it is "the peace of God." I do not know what I may get, but of one thing I am sure-I shall get the very best thing, though it may come in a way very grating to my feelings.
When this is the case, I can think of what is good. God thinks of my trouble; I can now think of what is good. "Whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are of good report,... if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things." What a blessed condition of soul this is, beloved friends! There is no burden in my cares; I cannot burden God when I put them there. "And the God of peace shall be with you." Cast your care on God, and the peace of God will keep you; walk as a Christian ought to walk, and the God of peace will be with you. You have a companion in the path of trouble and sorrow, and such a companion too! "The God of peace"! He is never called the God of joy. Joy is an uncertain thing; peace is always there. The word continually through Scripture is attached to God's name. Where peace is, there is no trouble.
Rejoicing in the Lord always, his moderation known unto all men, the Lord is at hand, no care-what a happy picture of the Christian!
There is more: "But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again, wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity." Observe the delicacy of the Apostle here; "I am glad that at the last"-this proves that he had been in trouble, in want-I do not mean you were forgetting me, but ye lacked opportunity. I have learned in whatsoever state I am to be content; this is the effect of trusting Christ in it all. "I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound." He was in abundance sometimes, and this is much more dangerous; we are apt to rest in the gift instead of looking at the giver, but with Paul it brought out only thankfulness.
"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." This is the epistle of experience. It is not, People can do all things, but "I can do all things"; Christ is always sufficient. Paul found it so. He had gone through perils of all kinds, but Christ was always sufficient. He was in abundance now, but Christ in all things was sufficient. It is a blessed truth that, though we may fail Him, we cannot be in circumstances Christ is not sufficient for. Whether it be the Church or individual saints, it is impossible to be in a place for which Christ is not sufficient. Paul was in danger from the flesh, and a thorn was sent to him. The thorn was something which made him in some way despicable in his ministry. The wonderful effect of his preaching, then, did not come from him; the evidence of the power of Christ was there. Then let me have it, Paul says; "I glory in my infirmities." The thorn was not power, but it was the way of power; the flesh is broken down completely that Christ may come in. If there had been a fourth heaven, the flesh would have been only the more puffed up; you cannot correct what is evil in its nature. What came to make nothing of Paul is not power, but Christ is there. 2 Cor. 12 takes two sides; we have there a man in Christ (a man in the flesh totally put down), and then Christ in a man, the other side of the Christian life-the power of Christ in us, and with us.
Do not say, A Christian can do all things; it is quite true in the abstract, but not what the Apostle says. "I can do all things through Him who strengtheneth me." "I have learned in whatsoever state I am to be content." He found Christ always sufficient. His whole heart was full at the same time of affectionate remembrance of the Philippians. "Even at Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity."
I think it is beautiful how the Apostle does not take himself out of a man. Superiority is to go through circumstances and feel them all, and yet be above them. Look how he speaks of Epaphroditus in Phil. 2 As a doctrine, if he had died, he would have gone to heaven; but it was not that. He felt it as it was; it was not a hard mind that cast off the trial. When the Lord saw the widow, "He was moved with compassion." There was no insensibility in Him, but in going through the circumstances He was sensible of them, yet above them. The way we should walk is as never governed by circumstances, not in insensibility, but in superiority. Christ is the answer to it; cast your care on Him.
Paul attaches all the importance of divine grace to their service. You see what a link there is in the Church of God, even in gifts. Poor old bedridden women may have prayed for Paul. "My God shall supply all your need." It is "my God"; he knew Him-the God I know, the One I have been with, as if answering for the God he knew. How his heart gets up to the source of it all! The heart gets back to God. What was to be the measure of supply? Was it their need? No, "His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." We find here a blessed picture of the way in which the Spirit of God lifts him, while feeling everything, above the circumstances. It is perfect impressibility by the circumstances here below, but we have this source of strength in Christ Himself. The thing I have to learn is my own weakness.
We make a mistake about the apostles; we often think of them as if they were eagles soaring above all. Paul says, "I was with you in weakness and fear, and much trembling." There were great people in Corinth. Paul was a blessed vessel, but the vessel must be made nothing of. What we have to learn is being nothing that Christ may be everything. If a person is humble, he does not need to be humbled; but if he is not humble, he must be.
Are we content to be nothing? Are we content to walk in the secret of God? The Lord give us to learn practically what it is thus to pass through this world. You can get neither the Christian nor the Church in a state that Christ is not sufficient for. The Lord give us to know our nothingness.
NOTE: The Scripture quotations in this article are as author gave them.
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