Breakfast of Champions

Wheaties, known as the "Breakfast of Champions" and for many decades a mainstay in the American breakfast cereal market, has had the image of a star athlete gracing the front of the box since 1934, when New York Yankee slugger Lou Gehrig debuted in that role. For 84 years running, a dazzling array of champions and star athletic performers have appeared on boxes of Wheaties, asking young champions-to-be the age-old question:

"Have you had your Wheaties today?"

Since the spring of 2015, that illustrious list of champions has included a highly celebrated member of the reigning NBA Champion Golden State Warriors.

If you know a basketball from a stack of buttermilk pancakes (and quite possibly even if you don't), you know the name. If you're anything resembling a basketball fan, he needs no introduction. Stephen Curry—point guard for the Golden State Warriors, three-time NBA Champion, and arguably the greatest three-point shooter in the history of the game.

Even if you know who Stephen Curry is, one thing you might not know about him is the fact that ever since his high school days he has always written something on the side of his sneakers before every game—a powerful motivational phrase that has driven him to excel and be the best he can be.

Oh, and it's even in the Bible:

He even puts the three dots after it, like I just did. Of course, those three dots are called an ellipsis, and they are typically used to either indicate a trailing off of thought, or that something has been omitted.

In this case, it's that last thing—something has been omitted.

I suspect the vast majority of you reading this article already know exactly what has been omitted:

Now, before I go any further, I want to make one thing crystal clear: This is not going to be a hit piece on Stephen Curry. I genuinely like and admire the guy, and consider myself a fan. Curry, besides being a phenomenal basketball player, has always been extremely outspoken about his faith, and pulls no punches about his belief in the gospel and his walk with Christ.

But just like you and me, of course, he isn't perfect—he has not always succeeded in setting a sterling example of Christian behavior on and off the court (just like you and me in our daily lives). For example, this past summer when the Golden State Warriors defeated the Houston Rockets in the NBA Western Conference Finals, there was an incident in Game 3 in Oakland that caused Curry no small amount of embarrassment.

Curry had been struggling to score during the first half, hitting only 3-of-11 from the field. In the third quarter, however, he broke out of his shooting slump with a dazzling 7-of-7, 18-point barrage that helped put Game 3 on ice for the Warriors. After hitting his seventh and final shot of the quarter, a deftly executed, high-arcing finger roll over the outstretched arms of a Houston defender, Curry stood triumphantly at the baseline and screamed at the Warriors' home crowd, "This is my f---ing house!"

No doubt due to Curry's squeaky-clean, choirboy image, that lit up social media, and a genuinely contrite Curry later publicly apologized, saying he just "blacked out." His mother's reaction, which I thought was priceless, was to threaten to wash her son's mouth out with soap. Curry's teammates got a big kick out of it because it was so unlike him, and after the game Klay Thompson had this to say about his teammate's highly uncharacteristic use of profanity:

Although I've done worse, it warms my heart to know that none of you dear readers have. At any rate, let's just be thankful that we don't have millions of people watching and listening to every single thing we do and say.

Can I get an amen...

The focus of this article, however, is not Stephen Curry's potty-mouthed gaffe—it is Philippians 4:13 and the implications of the ways it is used, both in its full and truncated forms, both by the world and by believers. What I want to discuss is (a) what Philippians 4:13 actually means, (b) the way the world uses the verse without the mention of Christ, and (c) why the way many Christians use this verse with the mention of Christ is infinitely worse than anything the world does.

I can do what things?

The first step, as always, is to go to the Word. The apostle Paul wrote the book of Philippians while in prison and chained to a Roman guard, and yet it is arguably the most positive of all his epistles. Unlike some of Paul's other letters, it wasn't written in response to a problem—it was written primarily to express thanks to the Philippian congregation for their generous and faithful financial support while Paul was in prison, and to praise and encourage them. It's only four chapters long, and there is joy in every one of them:

Chapter 1: Joy in living for Christ, no matter what happens.
Chapter 2: Joy in serving Christ in unity and with the right attitude.
Chapter 3: Joy in knowing Christ and pressing ahead toward the prize.
Chapter 4: Joy in resting in Christ, regardless of what you're going through.

Its theme in one sentence:

Our greatest joy lies in centering our lives around Christ
and serving Him in unity in any and all circumstances.

In Philippians 4, Paul is referring to some of the various experiences he has been through, and how Christ gave him the strength to get through whatever befell him:

OK, so what things can Paul do through Christ, who strengthens him?

Quite simply, he can be content. Paul is saying that he has lived through periods of great need, and through periods of having plenty. He has known hunger and lack, and he has known satiety and abundance. And he has learned the secret of being content in any and all these circumstances: resting in the strength of Christ.

And lest you somehow get the erroneous notion that Paul was preaching some kind of early species of the prosperity gospel, take note of his attitude toward worldly gain:

Refuse. And the World English Bible I quoted is being polite: The word in Greek, skubalon, refers to table scraps thrown to dogs (either that or dung).

In other words, Paul considered all the wealth and prosperity the world has to offer to be so much garbage in comparison to knowing Christ.

Now there's a message you won't hear on TBN.

And what, pray tell, are some of the other types of things Paul endured? I'm glad you asked:

Paul is saying that by relying on Christ's strength, he could endure anything life threw at him—he could get through it all. And so can we, be it...

• Prosperity or poverty.
• Wellness or illness.
• Dream job or no job.
• Popularity or persecution.
• Success or failure.
• Stardom or obscurity.

The message to the Church is clear: By being in and remaining in Christ, we can live empowered by the Holy Spirit; we can endure any hardship that God sovereignly allows us to go through to test us, overcome any attack the devil can throw at us, and live lives that glorify God and give testimony to the abiding power and presence of Christ in our lives.

And note that this includes remaining humble and dependent on Christ in the best of times, when we are likely to slack off and take God for granted. In whatever circumstances we find ourselves, we can still glorify Him and lift His name high, and be content, resting in His strength.

And here's part of the reason why:

My power is made perfect in weakness. It is only when we are weak that we can be made strong through the strength of Christ, and nothing brings out our weaknesses like trials. In fact, James tells us to revel in the trials or temptations we face in this life:

There's that word again—joy. As trials test our faith, it produces endurance, which makes us "perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

In a word, content.

Naturally, the world sees things a little differently.

"We are the champions..."

First of all, don't get the wrong idea. Stephen Curry does in fact frequently quote this verse in its entirety, and speaks freely and candidly about the gospel and his relationship with Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. To be honest, I suspect the only reason he started writing the abbreviated "I can do all things..." version of Philippians 4:13 on his sneakers as a teenager is because it was a bit difficult to fit the whole verse on there. So, I'm not knocking him for that, regardless of how he interprets and uses the verse.

The issue of Philippians 4:13 (or the truncated version thereof) didn't really come into play until Curry, formerly under contract with Nike, made the decision to dump the Swoosh and sign with Under Armor in the summer of 2013. According to reports, Nike just got "lazy" in its effort to retain Curry (who, at the time, was on the verge of becoming the mega-phenom he would soon be known as) and so he opted to seek greener sponsorship pastures elsewhere. That search ended with Curry ensconced in the Under Armor fold.

One of the first things Under Armor did was to capitalize on Curry's motivational mantra and turn it into a full-blown marketing campaign. Soon Curry's truncated biblical slogan was emblazoned on T-shirts and all manner of Under Armor sports apparel, and it wasn't long before the phrase was on the lips of legions of sports enthusiasts of every stripe on playgrounds, courts, and fields all across the country and all over the world.

Of course, for Under Armor executives, jettisoning the reference to Christ was the consummate no-brainer. Unlike what it may have been for Curry in the beginning, however, it wasn't just the length of the verse that was the problem. The real problem was the same as it's been for two thousand years—the world hates Christ and everything He stands for. To a lost and dying world, the message of the gospel is so much nonsense:

So, there's no real shocker here. This is little more than the world being the world. No big surprise. This is just people out to use whatever means they can get their hands on to move merchandise and make money.

"Yeah, 'I can do all things.' That rocks, man! And Steph says it's from the Bible, so it'll play well with the religious crowd. So we'll even look like good guys in the process...cha-ching! We can't lose!"

The point is that all the world has done is simply grab a phrase that just happens to be used in Scripture and turn it into a marketing gimmick—a slogan designed to help multitudes of people believe they can make more three-pointers, hit more home runs, throw more touchdown passes, sink more putts, or nail more triple Lutzes.

All you need is an Under Armor T-shirt to remind you: "I can do all things."

Now, I know what you're thinking: Whew...this is pretty bad. Taking the Word of the living God, stripping it clean of any reference to Christ or His work of atonement, and reducing it to a marketing gimmick is about as bad as it gets. It is a sad reflection on the kind of society we live in today—which is precisely the kind of society Paul says we will be living in prior to the Rapture and the Tribulation—a period of judgment that is going to wallop a Christ-rejecting world right between the eyes.

Here's the thing, though: As born-again believers, we already know what the world is going to do. Nothing about this should even raise an eyebrow. We understand what the world is about because we used to be part of it. This is all noteworthy to us only in passing.

But if you think what the world does with this verse is bad, you ain't seen nothin' yet.

The breakfast of champions

It breaks my heart to see it, but I am seeing it. And I am seeing it on an increasingly regular basis these days.

There seem to be many believers within the body of Christ who confidently toss Philippians 4:13 around in its entirety in a way that is utterly divorced from its true meaning. They treat this verse in essentially the same manner the world does, the only difference being they dutifully slap the requisite mention of Christ on it. After all, they're Christians...and they want the world to know that they can accomplish whatever goals they put their minds to! Yes sir. And why is that? Because they've got Christ to strengthen them, by golly, and don't you forget it.

In other words, they use Philippians 4:13 as precisely the same type of motivational motto that the world uses it as, only they invoke the name of Christ as if that made all the difference.

But does it?

Welcome to the crux of the matter.

Now, like I said, I'm not out to knock Stephen Curry because I genuinely like and respect the guy—but this is the part of the article where I am compelled to call attention to error. It is painfully and disappointingly obvious to me from his own words that Curry does precisely the same thing:

It "drives" him? Excuse me? Oh, and he hopes it will inspire people to find something that "drives" them, too, whether it's a Bible verse or something else because apparently it makes absolutely no difference whatsoever—as long as it's something that keeps you "hungry" and "driven" as you pursue your personal goals and dreams of success and achievement.

Hungry and driven, that's the ticket. Not content. Oh no—hungry and driven.

Now, please stop and consider:

• What good is being hungry and driven when you are struggling through one of the most crushing episodes of your life?

• How does being hungry and driven help you when you suffer real persecution for taking a bold, unwavering stand on biblical principles?*

*If you can't relate, just ask the Christian owner of a bakery who has been driven out of business by LGBT activists (aka the gay mafia) for politely refusing to create a wedding cake celebrating a homosexual "marriage."

• And to continue with the sports motif, how will being hungry and driven assuage your disappointment when you fail to even make the team?

• Or how will being hungry and driven get you through suffering a crippling injury that permanently ends your chances of ever playing again?

What's your motivational mantra for that? "I can do all things" kinda falls flat on its face, don't you think?

Q. Was it being hungry and driven that gave Paul the strength to endure being whipped, stoned, beaten, and shipwrecked for the sake of the gospel? Or was it being content in the strength imparted to him by Christ?

A. According to the Bible, it was that last thing.

I believe one thing that causes a few people to stray off course with Philippians 4:13 is the fact that the Bible also says that apart from Christ, we can do nothing. Not "very little" as I once heard a young preacher say—nothing.

Not all things. Not even some things.

No things.

But that doesn't imply that with Christ we can do anything we put our minds to. That neither (a) follows logically, nor (b) jives with the real meaning of Philippians 4:13.

When born-again believers casually spout the full version of Philippians 4:13 and use it as a motivational slogan in exactly the same spirit the world uses the truncated, Christless version, what are they actually doing?

These words may come across as harsh to some, but I believe they are true and my prayer is that everyone reading this article will take them to heart:

When born-again believers say "I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me" and mean it as little more than a slogan to motivate themselves to accomplish whatever material goals they have set their sights on, they are doing something far worse than the world ever thought of doing. Rather than using this verse as a mere expression of human motivation, they are doing something infinitely worse. Since they know nothing of Him, the world simply leaves Christ out of the picture completely; but believers who use Philippians 4:13 as a motivational mantra are doing something utterly unconscionable:

They are watering down God's Word to toothless mush,
and reducing the power of Christ to a bowl of Wheaties.

Now, that alone is bad enough. But it gets worse, and here's how:

In many cases, such people actually think they are being a good witness by mentioning Christ in their use of the verse. They seem to think using Philippians 4:13 in its entirety as a personal motivational mantra is somehow a witness to the lost. They are of the opinion that by slapping Christ's name on it, it automatically becomes something that will convince sinners that they need Christ. Really?

Gosh, maybe I really do need Christ!
He'll help me make the varsity squad!

God help us...is that what we're selling? Is that the Christ we are presenting to a world of lost sinners?

Is the Christ we are offering people who don't know God and who are plunging toward an eternity in hell little more than a slogan to help them strive to do their best, become champion performers, reach their personal goals, and have their best life now?

Are we that ashamed of the gospel? We shouldn't be, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes (Rom 1:16).

Are we that susceptible to the wiles of the devil, who delights in duping believers into peddling the name that is above every name as if it were nothing more than a breakfast cereal? We shouldn't be, because we should have on the whole armor of God for precisely that reason (Eph. 6:11).

Yeah, the name that is above every name.

If you know the Bible from a stack of buttermilk pancakes (and quite possibly even if you don't), you know the name:

His name is Jesus—and He's not the breakfast of champions.
He is the only way we can come to the Father and be saved.

He loved us before we ever knew Him, and He died for us before we ever humbled our hearts and trusted Him in faith for our salvation.

To those who do, yes, He promised that His strength would enable us to endure and be content in any circumstances. But you might say that's just scratching the surface. Here's a quick Top 20 list:

As believers:

• We have been redeemed (Col. 1:14).
• We have been eternally reconciled to God (2 Cor. 5:18).
• We have been saved by grace through faith, not our works (Eph. 2:8–9).
• The Holy Spirit gives us assurance of our salvation (Rom. 8:16).
• We have been born again—born of the Spirit (1 Peter 1:23; John 3:8).
• We have been adopted into God's family (Rom. 8:15).
• We are heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:17).
• We have received God's righteousness through Christ (Rom. 3:22).
• We are justified before God (Rom. 5:1).
• We have been forgiven and sanctified (Col. 2:13; Heb. 10:10).
• We will not come into judgment or condemnation (John 5:24; Rom. 8:1).
• We will sit with Christ in heavenly places (Eph. 2:6).
• God will work all things together for our good (Rom. 8:28).
• We are indwelt by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19).
• We are sealed by the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption (Eph. 4:30).
• We have the peace of God (Phil. 4:9).
• Jesus will never leave us nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5).
• Jesus intercedes for us before the Father (Heb. 7:25).
• We will be delivered from the wrath to come (1 Thess. 1:10).
• Jesus is preparing an eternal home for us in heaven (John 14:1–3).

I don't know about you, but that's a whole lot more than a bowl of Wheaties ever did for me.

Greg Lauer — AUG '18

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