God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
Summary: Paul’s claim about God testifying for him sounds a bit crazy at first, but the more we think about it and study what God is able to do, the more sense it makes.
If you needed someone to testify about what you were thinking at a certain place and time, who would you go to?
Sometimes we say things like, “I know what you’re thinking!” but we don’t. Nobody knows what you are thinking except you and God.
Wait a minute … God knows our thoughts?
Yes, God knows what you are thinking — all the time (Ezekiel 11:5)!
Oops!
If God knows our thoughts, we must be careful what thoughts we allow in our minds!
This is why Paul writes, “… we [meaning people who love God above all else (Matt 22:37)] take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). Paul is careful about what he thinks!
He also understands that his thoughts are just thoughts. Others can’t “see” what he is thinking. The Philippians can’t “know” how Paul feels about them. Paul can say, “I long for all of you with the affection of Jesus Christ,” but people don’t have to believe Paul’s words.
So what does Paul do?
He adds four little words: “God can testify how…”
God knows everything! (1 John 3:20)
One might think that Paul is just making a wild claim, but there is more here than meets the eye.
To the unbeliever, Paul’s claim about God testifying for him is nonsense. They don’t believe in God, so the idea of God testifying for Paul makes no sense.
To the believer, Paul’s claim makes a lot of sense.
God gives us who believe in Jesus Christ the Holy Spirit. The Bible says that God’s Holy Spirit testifies about him (John 15:26). Therefore, if God knows Paul’s thoughts, and you and I as believers have the Holy Spirit, we have a way of hearing from God his testimony about Paul’s thinking.
Application: Let the Holy Spirit guide you in whom to listen to and what to believe.
Food for Thought: How do we know when we are hearing from the Holy Spirit?
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