 |  |
Charles H. Welch in his book In Heavenly Places devotes a paragraph to this Greek
word and its eight occurrences. We cannot do better than end this article with his
remarks which are set out on page 404.
The power of His resurrection.
No other writer in the N.T. uses the word which is here translated "be strong" except
Luke, who in Acts 9: 22 uses it of Paul himself. The exception but proves the rule.
The word is peculiar to the teaching of Paul and his own experience of the risen Lord.
The eight occurrences of the word endunamao speak of resurrection, and the seven
occurrences in the epistles are worth a moment's attention.
Endunamao in Paul's epistles.
A | Rom. 4: 19, 20. Strong, not weak, in faith.--O.T.
B | a | Eph. 6: 10. Strong in the Lord.--WAR.
\
b | Phil. 4: 13. Strong in Christ.--ENDURANCE.
\
After
C | I Tim. 1: 12. Christ Jesus.--MINISTRY.
} Acts
B | a | II Tim. 2: 1. Strong in grace.--WAR.
/ 28:
b | II Tim. 4: 17. Strong in the Lord.--ENDURANCE. /
A | Heb. 11: 34. Strong in faith, out of weakness.--O.T.
The first example, that of Abraham, is a strong witness for "the power of His
resurrection", for it is said that "he believed God Who quickeneth the dead". The words
of Eph. 6: 10 look back to Eph. 1: 19. In 6: 10 we have endunamao, "be strong";
kratos, "power"; ischus, "might". In 1: 19 we have dunamis, "power"; ischus,
"mighty"; kratos, "power".
The believer is turned back to the risen and ascended Christ as the source of the power
whereby he may stand the shock of battle. There is no other power at present either
available or sufficient. All believers, whether conscious of it as an experimental fact or
not, "have the sentence of death in themselves that they should not trust in themselves,
but in God which raiseth the dead" (II Cor. 1: 9).