For it is God which worketh in you
Which is both an encouragement to persons conscious of their own
weakness to work, as before exhorted to; see ( Haggai 2:4 ) ; and a
reason and argument for humility and meekness, and against pride
and vain glory, since all we have, and do, is from God; and also
points out the spring, principle, and foundation of all good
works; namely, the grace of God wrought in the heart, which is an
internal work, and purely the work of God: by this men become the
workmanship of God, created unto good works, ( Ephesians
2:10 ) , and are new men, and fitted for the performance of
acts of righteousness, and true holiness; and this grace, which
God works in them, is wrought in a powerful and efficacious
manner, so as not to be frustrated and made void. The word here
used signifies an inward, powerful, and efficacious operation;
and the "king's manuscript", mentioned by Grotius and Hammond,
adds another word to it, which makes the sense still stronger,
reading it thus, "which worketh in you", (dunamei) , "by power"; not by moral persuasion,
but by his own power, the power of his efficacious grace. The
Alexandrian copy reads, (dunameiv) , "powers", or "mighty works": God works in
his people
both to will and to do of [his] good pleasure;
God works in converted men a will to that which is spiritually
good; which is to be understood, not of the formation of the
natural faculty of the will; or of the preservation of it, and
its natural liberty; or of the general motion of it to natural
objects; nor of his influence on it in a providential way; but of
the making of it good, and causing a willingness in it to that
which is spiritually good. Men have no will naturally to come to
Christ, or to have him to reign over them; they have no desire,
nor hungerings and thirstings after his righteousness and
salvation; wherever there are any such inclinations and desires,
they are wrought in men by God; who works upon the stubborn and
inflexible will, and, without any force to it, makes the soul
willing to be saved by Christ, and submit to his righteousness,
and do his will; he sweetly and powerfully draws it with the
cords of love to himself, and to his Son, and so influences it by
his grace and spirit, and which he continues, that it freely
wills everything spiritually good, and for the glory of God: and
he works in them also to "do"; for there is sometimes in
believers a will, when there wants a power of doing. God
therefore both implants in them principles of action to work
from, as faith and love, and a regard for his glory, and gives
them grace and strength to work with, without which they can do
nothing, but having these, can do all things: and all this is "of
[his] good pleasure"; the word "his" not being in the original
text, some have taken the liberty to ascribe this to the will of
man; and so the Syriac version renders it, "both to will and to
do that", (Nwtna Nybud) ,
"which ye will", or according to your good will; but such a sense
is both bad and senseless; for if they have a good will of
themselves, what occasion is there for God to work one in them?
no; these internal operations of divine power and grace are not
owing to the will of men, nor to any merits of theirs, or are
what God is obliged to do, but what flow from his sovereign will
and pleasure; who works when, where, and as he pleases, and that
for his own glory; and who continues to do so in the hearts of
his people; otherwise, notwithstanding the work of grace in them,
they would find very little inclination to, and few and faint
desires after spiritual things; and less strength to do what is
spiritually good; but God of his good pleasure goes on working
what is well pleasing in his sight.