Sunday, February 24, 2008

Philippians 4:19

Greek:
ὁ δὲ θεός μου πληρώσει πᾶσαν χρείαν ὑμῶν κατὰ τὸ πλοῦτος αὐτοῦ ἐν δόξῃ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ

KJV:
But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Comments:
God shall supply all your need: This statement rises out of the Philippians' actions toward Paul, for which he gives thanks in verses 13 through 17. Particularly, in verse 17, he desires fruit that may abound to their account (rather than simply the material wealth that comes from their generosity toward him). God supplying all their need is that fruit in this case. The verse is not a generic offering of prosperity, but a specific statement that the Philippians' generosity will not go unrewarded.

my God...your need...his riches: The Philippians had shared with Paul from their wealth on account of their mutual commitment to God. Paul cannot pay them back directly himself (an act which would miss the point of the ministry they had done to him). But something associated with him can: God. They gave from their material wealth to his spiritual need on account of the God they both serve. So Paul is offering back to them from his spiritual wealth (his relationship with God) to meet their spiritual (and other) needs on the basis of God's wealth.

Expanded Paraphrase:
Your wealth supplied my material need because of your commitment to God. In turn, my God will supply your every need through His boundless resources. His wealth is praiseworthy. And He offers it to you the only way He offers all of His grace, through His Son Christ Jesus.

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