What are the riches of His glory (Philippians 4:19)?

But what of the Philippians themselves? They had further impoverished themselves, further reduced their already slender resources by their gifts in favour of an aged prisoner who could in no wise reciprocate or help them. Paul felt this and in verse 19 he expresses his confidence as to them. God would supply all their need. Notice how he speaks of Him as, "My God," — the God whom Paul knew and had practically tested for himself. That God would be their Supplier, not according to their need, nor even according to Paul's ardent desires on their behalf, but according to His own riches in glory in Christ Jesus. It would have been a wonderful thing had God engaged to supply them according to His riches on earth in Christ Jesus. His riches in glory are more wonderful still. The Philippians or ourselves may never be rich in the things of earth and yet be enriched in the things of glory. If so we shall indeed respond, in attributing glory to God our Father for ever and ever.

What a promise! "My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." The very arrangement of the words is precious. Our need and His riches are strung together, looped as if by two bands. Some have sought to limit the 'need' to temporal needs: but 'all your need' certainly precludes that: and there will be no temporal needs to supply 'in glory.' No, Beloved, take it as it stands. Endorse the promise, and accept it with joy and thanksgiving. It surely includes temporal needs: and in no mean or niggardly way: but according to His wealth, in glory, in Christ Jesus. A millionaire might give a penny to a beggar, but he would not be giving according to his wealth. Our God is the 'Giving God,' and the Lord Jesus said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive:' and He will ever have the more blessed place.

But let us notice it is all our need that My God promises to supply; our need, as one has pointed out, not our greed. And I am so glad to think it does mean our spiritual needs as well as our temporal needs: needs for our soul and our spirit, for these are often greater than the needs of our bodies: need for more devotedness to Christ: need for more earnestness in finding time for prayer and the Word: need to 'break the power of cancelled sin.' And the heart that knoweth its own bitterness will know the other needs over which we so often yearn. And the promise is, "My God shall fill full every need of yours." Whether we use every or all in this verse, both are in the singular, so we are meant to look at each individual need separately: we may spread them out before 'My God' one by one. And yet the word does mean all, and we may still use the lovely translation to which we are accustomed in the Authorised Version, but just remember that when God looks at your need, He sees each, single need individually: and we may do the same.

What language from a man who had just been in want, and whose want had been supplied by these saints! Now he turns round and says, "My God shall supply all your need." The God whose love and care and resources he had proved through all his Christian career — "my God," he says, "shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." He is supplying the saints now according to all the wealth of His resources even in glory in Christ. There the shadow of a want will be unknown, but God is acting according to the same riches now. Therefore the Apostle breaks forth in praise to God forthwith. "Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever, Amen." v. 20.

For myself, I would arrange them in what I think is a moral order and put "rich in mercy" first. That has in mind the meeting of our need. "The riches of his grace" goes beyond the meeting of our need, and has in view the wonderful place of favour He has brought us into as "accepted in the Beloved". "The riches of His glory" has the display of it all in view, and Paul prays in Ephesians 3 that the saints might "according to the riches of His glory be strengthened" in view of formation for that day of glory. The "riches of His mercy" and the "riches of His grace" will be seen in display in the world to come, and God will be manifestly glorified.

The moral glory — the beauty of the ways of God is "the riches of His glory." God finds His whole delight in the Son of His love. You are to have your heart full of Him seeing the riches of His glory now in the exquisite beauty of the Father with such a Son! In "the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints" we look forward and see the heavens as they will be in the millennium and see not only one heavenly Man there but heaven filled with heavenly men. The Lord has them all as His "staff" around Him. (Extract from G. V. Wigram).

The apostle petitions that his prayer might be granted "according to the riches of his glory," that is I take it, according to the riches of the glory of Christ. His eye is upon the Glorified One of God, and it is He who will come to dwell. Who can measure the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ? In Him there is glory upon glory, for all possible glories are added to the Christ whom God loves to honour, to Him who glorified God upon the earth. While it is sweet to us to read and to know of the love of Christ, we should also desire to know the riches of His glory too.

Nor is this the only thing; for I know that not only am I in Christ, but Christ is in me. These two things cannot be separated, but they are quite different. The one expresses my standing, the other my state. The Lord Himself said, before He left the world, "At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you." He has brought me into the standing; and this we have in Ephesians 1, 2. Christ is looked at as having lain in death but now raised, and we are raised up together and made to sit together in heavenly places in Him. There we are; and such is our position as connected with the "God of our Lord Jesus Christ," chap. 1:17, etc. But in chapter 3:14, it is, "the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Again, in chapter 1, it is written, "that we should be to the praise of his glory"; whereas in chapter 3, the prayer is founded on "the riches of his glory," v. 16. In the first chapter God is called the Father of glory. Here the standing is taken as a settled thing; but we have something further, "that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man." Here it is state, not standing. We do not ask God to raise us up: that is an accomplished fact and is my standing. But here the apostle prays that something may be accomplished; that according to the riches of His glory, we may be "strengthened with might by his Spirit." The condition of the soul must answer to the place into which it has been brought, "That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God."

Having unfolded great truths concerning the mystery in the 3rd chapter of Ephesians, the apostle Paul bows his knees in prayer to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He desires that the saints might enter in a real way into the profound truth concerning the church as the vessel in which God is displaying to heavenly beings His all-various wisdom, and in relation to the unsearchable riches of the Christ, which he was privileged to minister. Realising that saints cannot enter into these wonderful unfoldings without divine preparation of soul, Paul prays that they might be strengthened with power by His Spirit in the inner man, according to the riches of the Father's glory. The riches of the Father's glory are therefore for our spiritual strengthening, and the power of the Holy Spirit is working in us so as to produce the state necessary for apprehending the truth of God, the breadth and length and depth and height. The Father's glory is bound up with the unsearchable riches of Christ, and with what He is doing in showing His all-varied wisdom to the intelligences of heaven. All this is according to the purpose of the ages, the Father's purpose; and these wonderful riches of the Father's glory, manifested to us in the unfolding of His purpose, He desires us to enter into. Do not these wonderful riches fill the breadth and length and depth and height? Here are riches of which the poor worldling knows nothing; and which the believer, be he ever so poor in this worlds goods can be enriched with the knowledge of. Long after all that belongs to this present world has gone for ever; we shall still be engaged with what can engage us now, the riches of the Father's glory, made known in His purpose, "which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord, in Whom we have boldness and access in confidence by the faith of Him."

Would such a God allow them to suffer need because of their liberality? Far from it! Well had the apostle learned in experience the sufficiency of his God: "But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." Let it be well understood however, that this giving is the intelligent service of devoted affection for Christ. We are solemnly responsible, not simply to give, but to give as honouring the Lord. This must involve exercise of soul as to when, where, and in what manner to give. We could not rightly expect God to supply our needs if we squandered that which He had entrusted to us.

But the resources of our God are infinite, for who can measure the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus? Nor can His great heart of love suffer any less standard as to supplying the need of His saints. Therefore let His saints consider no lesser standard. The heart filled with Christ cannot but be deeply content.