God Is Working In You

 

 

God’s Word makes known God and God’s ways. He wants us to know Him (truly and truthfully) and to know His ways. He wants us to walk with Him and to talk with Him. His Word teaches us that He is working in us.

 

For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.   

Philippians 2:13

 

'Worketh' here is a participle: ‘working’. God is working in you.  He is working in you ‘both to will and to do of His good pleasure’. What does that mean? Here are some specifics that will give us a better understanding.

First, the word ‘do’ is the same word in the Greek text as ‘worketh’ and should similarly be translated ‘work’. Also, the word ‘of’ is ‘on behalf of’. The phrase ‘on behalf of' denotes the idea of someone bending over to protect his interests. God’s interests here are described as ‘His good pleasure’. The things of ‘His good pleasure’ are those things which God has purposed in Himself for our good. He chose us in Christ, made us holy and sons of God.

 

According as He hath chosen us in him [Christ] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love H
Having predestinated [determined beforehand] us unto sonship by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.
   

EPHESIANS 1:4-5

 

Having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself. 

EPHESIANS 1:9

 

God is working in you both to will and to work on behalf of His good pleasure. The participle ‘working’ (‘worketh’ in the KJV) is translated from the Greek word energeō. This noteworthy word is used in the Church Epistles with meaningful significance and worthy of an in-depth study.

Energeō is a combination of the preposition en (in) with the Greek noun ergon (work). En plus ergon results in the verb energeō which means ‘to in-work’ or ‘to energize’. Energize means ‘to invigorate’ or ‘to supply with energy’. This in-working action produces results within. Therefore, energeō means more than just the act of ‘working’, it is an ‘in-working’ action which energizes within.

 

In whom [In Christ] also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him [God] Who worketh [energeō = in-worketh or energizes] all things after [according to] the counsel of His own will

EPHESIANS 1:11     

 

In Christ we have obtained an inheritance! That must be pretty good. Right? God predetermined this for us according to His deliberate resolve, and it is He Who is energizing (energeō) all things according to the determinate counsel of His will.

 

And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working [the noun related to energeō] of His mighty power, 
Which He wrought [energeō = in-worked or energized] in Christ, when He raised him from the dead, and set him at His own right hand in the heavenly places

EPHESIANS 1:19-20

 

The in-working power of God energized a life-quickening spirit in the body Jesus Christ, raising him from death to eternal life! This unparalleled and unequaled in-working of God accomplished the victory over death for all mankind. God had promised this victory since Adam’s disobedience. How truly significant is the usage here of the word energeō to describe the life-giving action of this energizing power of God.

The exceeding greatness of God’s power is now in us because we are filled with God’s gift, holy spirit, which is Christ in you the hope of glory. The holy spirit within is the ‘treasure’ in our earthen vessel.

 

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. 

II CORINTHIANS 4:7

 

God does not want us to be ignorant regarding spiritual matters, and emphatically states in the first verse of chapter 12 in the first Epistle to the Corinthians. He then instructs us in great detail concerning the operation of the nine manifestations of His gift in us, holy spirit.

 

And there are diversities [various distributions] of operations [effects produced], but it is the same God which worketh [energeō = energizes] all in all.  

I CORINTHIANS 12:6

 

In God’s detailed instruction in this chapter about spiritual matters, He teaches us that there are various distributions of results produced by His in-working in us. But, although the results are varied, it is the one, same God Who is energizing all these things in all those filled with His spirit. What a tremendous truth, and how fitting is the use of the word energeō in this context.

In the four verses which follow verse 6, God identifies all nine of the manifestations of holy spirit. He instructs that these nine are to be utilized by each and every spirit-filled individual for profit. In other words, for the benefit and blessing to and for each individual manifesting the spirit of God.

In verse 11, the significant word energeō is used in summarizing God’s instruction of the manifestations of His gift. He declares that all nine of these profitable manifestations are being energized by the one and the same Spirit. He is energizing and distributing to each individual according to the free-will believing of each individual to manifest the gift of holy spirit within.

 

But all these [manifestations] worketh [energeō = energizes] that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will [distributing to each person individually according as he wills]. 

I CORINTHIANS 12:11