To be truly strong in the Lord, every one who call themselves a Christian must truly "be in" the Lord.
Paul’s command to be strong in the Lord rests on the first two chapters of Ephesians, where he makes it clear what it means to be in the Lord. To sum up his treatment, he wrote in Ephesians 2:8-9... “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
To be in the Lord means that He has saved you from God’s judgment by His grace through faith in Christ. Salvation is not based on anything that you have done or deserved. One of Paul’s frequent expressions in Ephesians is the phrase, “in Christ,” or “in Him.” You cannot begin to understand what it means to be strong in the Lord unless you truly are in the Lord through faith in Jesus Christ and submission to His plan of salvation... immersion “into Christ.”
For any Christian to understand what it means to be strong in the Lord, you must know and acknowledge your own weaknesses. This is a continual, lifelong process that begins with understanding we need Christ in our lives. We cannot trust completely “in Christ” to save us until we come to some awareness that we are helplessly, hopelessly lost and unable to save ourselves by our own good works.
Christians must know in a practical way their weakness, so that we grow to appreciate the only true refuge is found in the Lord’s strength. Jesus clarified this point by using the analogy of the branches abiding in the vine, and said in John 15:5... “for apart from Me you can do nothing.” Peter needed to learn this lesson. He boasted that although everyone else would desert Christ, he would remain true. But the Lord allowed Peter to go through his terrible denials so that he might not trust in himself, but in Christ alone. The apostle Paul had an amazing experience of being caught up into heaven itself. Because of this, to keep Paul from exalting himself, the Lord sent a messenger of Satan to torment him. The lesson that Paul learned was... “for when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10).
Our pride blinds us to our true condition. It makes us think that we have some measure of strength in ourselves. Pride makes us think that the longer we are Christians, the stronger we become. But we never become stronger in and of ourselves. In reality, the strong Christian is one who has come to see more and more of his own weakness and propensity towards sin. That awareness drives us to depend all the more on the Lord’s strength. To be strong in the Lord, you must know your own weakness.
Finally, to be strong in the Lord, you must know the Lord’s strength. Satan is a powerful foe, but he is only a created being, whereas God is the eternal, almighty Creator of the universe. If the Lord so willed, He could annihilate Satan in an instant. He has already defeated him at the cross and resurrection of Jesus (Colossians 2:15). In His perfect timing and plan, He will throw Satan into the Lake of Fire, where he will be tormented forever and ever (Revelation 20:10).
From start to finish, the Bible proclaims the mighty power of God. He spoke the heavens and earth into existence out of nothing. He delivered His people from Pharaoh’s clutches through the miraculous plagues and the parting of the Red Sea. He sustained them in one of the world’s harshest environments through the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night, where He provided daily manna and water from the rock. When fierce enemies threatened to annihilate His chosen people, time and again the Lord provided deliverance. In one of the most dramatic instances, Sennacherib’s army had Jerusalem surrounded. It looked like Israel was doomed. But in response to Hezekiah’s prayer, the Lord sent His angel who killed 185,000 enemy troops in one night (2 Kings 19:35).
Throughout Scripture, the Lord reminds His people of the obvious, that nothing is too difficult for Him. Paul has already spoken of God’s great power towards his followers, as seen in His raising Jesus from the dead and enthroning Him at His right hand (Ephesians 1:19-20).
Paul has prayed that Christians in his time and today would know the power of the Holy Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ might dwell in our hearts through faith (Ephesians 3:17). Proverbs 18:10 declares, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous runs into it and is safe.” To be strong in the Lord, you must know His strength in a practical way. You must trust that you can take refuge in Him and see His great deliverance in all aspects of your life.
So to be strong in the Lord, you must be in the Lord through faith in Jesus Christ. You must know your own weakness and you must know His mighty strength.
What comes next? The Apostle Paul adds something critically important... You must put on God’s full armor so that you may stand firm against the enemy.
More on The Armor of God... next time.
