True Christian contentment, being dependent on God and thus independent of circumstances, is achievable for any Christian in any situation.  It is not freedom from desire or ignorance of circumstances, but is instead an inner peace empowered by Christ with the foundation of trust in the sovereignty and goodness of God.  Therefore, we must strive for true Christian contentment. 

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 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 4:11-13, ESV

What is the secret to facing any situation in life?  In ancient times, philosophers would try to find it through reason and contemplation, while others would go on pilgrimages to consult with oracles in order to find it.  We could even consider Ecclesiastes to be Solomon’s search for this secret.  But the Apostle Paul stated with confidence that he had found it (Philippians 4:11-13).  Then, with little elaboration, he simply moves on from the topic.  He says that he learned how to be content in any situation (verse 11), whether he had much or little (verse 12).  That is astounding for a man who was often beaten and imprisoned, stoned and left for dead once, shipwrecked multiple times, often hungry and thirsty, and almost constantly in danger from all manner of threats, even describing himself as ever near death (2 Corinthians 11:23-28).  How could he be content in all of that?  To understand how Paul could be content in such hardship, we need to understand what contentment really means.  If we can truly grasp Christian contentment and then achieve it, we like Paul will be able to face any situation.  In doing so, we will find that true contentment is a rare treasure for which all Christians should stive.

What Contentment Is and Isn’t

What does it mean to be content?  The Greek term Paul uses for contentment was borrowed from Greek philosophers who used it to denote complete self-sufficiency.  They thought that if someone had all he needed and relied on no one else, he would be content.  However, the Christian is not to be self-sufficient but completely dependent on God.  That is the definition of faith.  True saving faith goes beyond mere intellectual ascent (see James 2:14-26) and instead places complete trust in Christ such that if He does not uphold His promises, we are doomed to eternal ruin (see Romans 4 and Hebrews 11).  Thus, faith is completely dependent on God and not on ourselves.  Therefore, contentment to a Christian cannot be a worldly self-sufficiency that is dependent on no one else.  Some may think contentment means to be free of want or desire.  However, this cannot be the case since God Himself is perfectly self-sufficient and thus perfectly content yet is referred to throughout Scripture as having various (and often intense) desires (eg. Hosea 6:6, Matthew 9:13, John 17:24).  Therefore, desires and contentment must be able to coexist.  Paul exhibits this by relaying his own intense desires (eg. Romans 10:1, 1 Thessalonians 2:17, 1 Timothy 2:8).  Earlier in the same letter, Paul shares his intense yearning for fellowship with the saints (Philippians 1:8).  He also shares his desire to be finished with his work on earth and go to heaven to be with Christ (Philippians 1:23).  He also talks of striving hard towards a goal (Philippians 3:12-14), but all the while he constantly speaks in the letter about his joy and rejoicing.  Paul uses similar language throughout 2 Corinthians as well.  This means that desires are not incompatible with true contentment.

So what is contentment for the Christian?  Perhaps Puritan Jeremiah Burroughs defined it best in 1648 in The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment.   This is a wonderful book that I would recommend to every Christian.  All of my references to Burroughs throughout this post are from that book.  Here is how Burroughs defines contentment: “Christian contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit which freely submits to and delights in God’s wise and fatherly disposal in every condition”.[1]  First, it is important to note that Christian contentment is an inward disposition that is independent of external circumstances.  Second, this type of contentment is a gracious gift of God that is impossible to achieve without God granting it to us, which I will explain a bit later.  Finally, contentment comes from both submitting to God’s Will and delighting in it, not only because He is the sovereign King over all creation but also because He is a loving Father who always does what is ultimately best for His children.  This means that this type of contentment looks beyond self and ultimately relies on God, inextricably linking it to both faith and humility.  This is the mysterious contentment that Paul both discovered and displayed.  Burroughs goes on to point out that this type of contentment does not exclude complaining to God amidst difficult situations even as we trust His sovereignty and goodness in them (as is often seen in the Psalms).  He also points out that being content does not preclude the Christian from seeking ways out of present circumstances or seeking legal recourse when appropriate.  One example of this is when Paul used the privileges of his Roman citizenship to avoid a beating (Acts 22).  The key here is that no matter what action we take in whatever circumstance we find ourselves in, inner peace that trusts in both the sovereignty and goodness of God is the mark of true Christian contentment.  In Philippians, Paul claims to have that contentment.

I Can Do All Things?

The reason that Paul gives is one of the most well-known and misused verses in the entire Bible: “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).  It is often used by Christians facing any number of challenging situations as a rallying cry to overcome them.  But that is not at all what Paul is saying, so this has led to a common satirical paraphrase among Reformed Christians: “I can do all things through a verse taken out of context”.  To understand what Paul means, we need to do what we must do with every verse in Scripture: read it in its proper context (as I discussed in an earlier post on how to properly study the Bible).  In contrast to most of Paul’s letters, Philippians is overwhelmingly positive.  I have already noted how “joy” and “rejoice” appear frequently throughout the letter.  This is mainly because Paul was not writing this letter to correct a particular issue in the church (like 1 Corinthians or Galatians) or to instruct people in the Gospel (like Romans or Ephesians).  Instead, Philippians is a thank you note.  When Paul was a prisoner in Rome and in need of provisions, the Philippian church donated to meet his need, sending Epaphroditus to Rome with their gift.  Paul wrote Philippians in response, thanking them for their gift and encouraging them both about his own welfare and what their gift demonstrated about their progress in godliness.  He explains how his imprisonment had actually served to advance the Gospel (1:12-18).  Later, he gives a glorious description of the humility and subsequent exaltation of Jesus amidst exhortations for the Philippians to follow Christ’s example of humility in hope of future exaltation (2:1-18).  He doesn’t get around to thanking them for their gift until halfway through the last chapter, first rejoicing in how the Philippians’ gift demonstrated their concern for him (4:10), while reminding them that regardless of whether they had given it to him he would have been content because of the strength Christ provides (4:11-13).  He then recognizes their pattern of generosity toward him (4:14-15), emphasizing how their gift is a sacrifice to God and that God will supply all of their needs too (4:17-19) before ending the letter with a benediction (4:20) and final greetings (4:21-23).  Therefore, the context of Philippians 4:13 is all about Paul’s situation of need that was then abundantly met by the gift of the Philippians.  It has nothing to do with being able to overcome any challenge, but instead has everything to do with the ability to face any situation with the strength that Christ provides.  This is an important distinction.  Paul is not talking about overcoming all situations he faces, but being content in all situations he faces.  Therefore, Paul is talking about how Christ has empowered him to be content, so therein we can find the way that we too can be content as Paul was.

How Christ Strengthens Us to be Content

The promise of Philippians 4:13 is that Christ will empower us to be content in any circumstance, not that He will empower us to overcome any circumstance.  He does this in several ways.

God’s Sovereignty Over All

First, He empowers us to be content through His sovereignty.  Jesus Christ rules the entire universe (Matthew 28:18) so comprehensively that not one subatomic particle can defy Him, since it is only by His power that they even exist (Hebrews 1:3).  Humans and demons can sin against Him, but even that sin cannot prevent Him from fulfilling His purpose (see Romans 9 and Job).  As the second person of the Trinity, He possesses all of the attributes of God, including omniscience (knowing everything) and omnipotence (having power over everything).  And having power over everything, He perfectly orchestrates everything to advance His purpose, which is known as His Providence.  The sovereignty of God is an invincible fortress.  All those in Christ are in that fortress and can therefore say with the psalmists “what can man do to me?” (Psalm 56:4,11, 118:6).  Therefore, Christian contentment begins by resting in the sovereignty of God over all things.

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