To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.
Summary: Translating ancient languages to modern ones is a tricky business. Taking time to ponder the meanings of the original text opens up new vistas of meaning that bring light to our world.
Suppose all of us reading this passage were to gather in a large room and play a game of charades. It is your turn, and you have to act out the word “energy” as it appears in this sentence. What do you do?
Perhaps you would act out the healing of a lame man as described in Acts 13:8-10. Another example of the “energy” Paul is referring to would be the time Eutychus fell from a third-story window and was found dead on the ground. Paul ran down to him, threw himself on the body, and felt the life come back into the young boy.
Another example of this energy is found in the story of Paul’s shipwreck on Malta. After escaping a ship that had run aground and was breaking apart, Paul and all the other passengers swam through cold and stormy waters to crawl up on the shore of an island. It didn’t matter that they were all wet and cold because it was raining that day and cold, too. When they gathered wood for a fire, a poisonous snake bit Paul in the hand. Instead of dying, he shook the snake off as if it were nothing (Acts 28:1-6).
Whether your translation uses the word energy, power, or strength, the problem remains the same. We don’t have a word to describe the kind of power-energy-strength that Paul is trying to describe.
Paul is describing more than the buzz from a strong cup of coffee. He is describing a supernatural power that stayed with him from the time he met Jesus (Acts 9) for the rest of his life.
Every day for Paul was a testimony to the power of Christ in him. Whether he was arguing with the Jews or explaining Christ to the Gentiles, he lived Christ with a passion. People could argue with him, but they couldn’t keep him down. (Once, they even stoned Paul to death, but he got back up and kept on going! — Acts 14:19-20)
The supernatural power of Christ is a real thing. Paul acted out this power every day, both in his letters and in his life. We can, too!
Application: Unleash the power of Jesus in your life!
Food for Thought: How does the energy-power-strength of Christ work in our lives today?
Please click ‘’Continue Reading” for comments.
Continue reading “Colossians 1:29 – The Power of Jesus”