Personally Weak but Strong in Him
The Christian exchanges weakness for strength through God's power, becoming strong in exact proportion to their own weakness.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes the transformative power of Christ, illustrating how believers exchange their sin for righteousness and death for life through faith. He highlights the paradox of strength in weakness, as exemplified by Paul's declaration of being crucified with Christ yet living through Him. Tozer contrasts human efforts to improve oneself with God's method of creating a new being, where true strength is found in acknowledging one's weakness. This divine exchange leads to a deeper understanding of God's ways, which often diverge from human logic. Ultimately, believers find strength in their reliance on God, as Paul states, 'When I am weak, then am I strong.'
Text
After the exchange of sin for righteousness is that of wrath for acceptance. Then comes the exchange of death for life. Christ died for dead men that they might rise to be living men. Paul's happy if somewhat involved testimony makes this clear: "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (Gal. 2:20) . This is mysterious but not incredible. It is one more example of how the ways of God and the ways of man diverge. Man is a born cobbler.
When he wants a thing to be better he goes to work to improve it.
He improves cattle by careful breeding; cars and planes by streamlining; health by diet, vitamins. and surgery; plants by grafting; people by education. But God will have none of this cobbling. He makes a man better by making him a new man. He imparts a higher order of life and sets to work to destroy the old. Then as suggested in the Isaiah text, the Christian exchanges weakness for strength.
I suppose it is not improper to say that God makes His people strong, but we must understand this to mean that they become strong in exact proportion to their weakness, the weakness being their own and the strength God's. "When I am weak, then am I strong" (2 Corinthians 12:10), is the way Paul said it, and in so saying set a pattern for every Christian.
Sermon Outline
- The Exchange of Sin for Righteousness
- The Christian's New Life
- Exchanging Weakness for Strength
- God Makes His People Strong
- Strength in Proportion to Weakness
- Paul's Example in 2 Corinthians 12:10
Key Quotes
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” — A.W. Tozer
“When I am weak, then am I strong” — A.W. Tozer
“God makes a man better by making him a new man.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- Recognize that God's ways are different from man's ways, and trust in His power to make us new.
- Embracing weakness can be a strength, as it allows us to rely on God's power.
- God makes us strong by imparting a higher order of life and destroying the old.