Verse explainer
Read in context this is about contentment in hardship, not a power-up for achieving any goal. Paul's “all things” is “being abased AND abounding” — surviving both.
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
BSBI can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.
The plain meaning
The “all things” is defined by the two verses right before it (vv. 11–12): Paul has learned to be content whether full or hungry, in plenty or in want. He writes this from prison. The strength Christ gives isn't fuel for winning — it's the capacity to be steady and content in any circumstance, especially lack. It's a verse about endurance, not victory.
The common misreading
What the commentators say
Henry ties v. 13 directly to the contentment of vv. 11–12: Paul can bear both abundance and abasement because Christ strengthens him. The “all things” are the varied conditions of life, not unlimited accomplishment.
Gill reads it as strength to endure all states and to perform all duties God assigns — a sufficiency that comes from Christ, the opposite of self-confidence. The stress falls on dependence, not personal capability.
JFB note the present tense — a continual in-flowing of strength — and limit the “all things” to what lies within the will of God and the apostle's calling, chiefly the grace to be content in any lot.
The word behind it
“Strengtheneth” — the source of “dynamic / dynamite.” But note: it's a present participle, an ongoing infusing of power from Christ into Paul. The strength is borrowed and continuous, not a stored personal ability.
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