Power (1)

February 28

Power (1)

dunamis

As we saw yesterday, Eph_1:19 uses several words to describe God’s power: "the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power." He heaps one word upon another to express that truth.

The first occurrence of the word power is dunamis (G1411), from which are derived English words such as dynamic and dynamite. Used over 100 times in the NT, it speaks of inherent or raw power, the ability to do wonders, and that which overcomes any resistance.

There are many incredibly powerful explosives in our day, such as C-4, Petin, and many others that can overcome virtually any obstacle. One of the men in my church was in the military for many years and one day shared with me a humorous, tongue-in-cheek saying heard around explosives specialists: "There is no problem so insurmountable that it cannot be solved by the proper application of high explosives." Likewise, while explosives didn’t exist in ancient times and so Paul is obviously not thinking such things, he is telling us that we have at our disposal a power that can overcome any obstruction to our Christian walk.

Now let us realize that this power is "toward us who believe." Does this mean that God wants us to have this kind of power within? Yes! Paul’s prayer is that we will know God’s power by experience. Are you getting the picture? We have no excuse for living in mediocrity or defeat, no excuse for living in a life of ups and downs, for this violates the very power we’ve been given.

As Paul wrote Timothy, for example, "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2Ti_1:7). Like many Christians, "Timid Timothy" had a tendency to be fearful in witnessing, but Paul promises that God gives the believer power to overcome such obstacles.

Scriptures for Study: In Act_1:8, what does the Holy Spirit’s power enable you to do? What is the power of God in 1Co_1:18?

 
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