Power Capacity Potential

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)

The fear Paul is talking about is not the torment, stress, and anxiety of impending doom, pain, death, or danger. Power added to the emotion of fear would be of little use. The fear Paul is speaking of has to do with timidity and cowardliness. Everyone pulls back when against superior power that can dominate, overtake, and harm them. But they’ll push forward when they have superior power.

The Greek word for power is “dynamis” or sometimes spelled dunamis, as we’ll use here, because the “y” is pronounced like a “u” as in “due”. Dunamis (Dynamis) is where we get the word dynamite from. Power and force are usually the context in which people use the word. Power or energy, a show of strength and force. But that’s a severely limited idea of dunamis. The Bible uses dunamis in a much broader idea and context.

Dunamis is more about capacity, inherent capacity (dunamin) and potential (dunamei). It is applied in the realms of the natural, supernatural, physical, mental, ethical, and moral. In Aristotelian terms capacity and potential are the starting points of movement. It is the “first cause” that great theologians and philosophers such as Augustine, John Calvin, and Thomas Aquinas and others speak of so often.

Dunamis can be actual energy (energia) output. Dunamis can be capacity and potential, the starting point of movement, the instigation for all things including cause and creation.

Let’s look at how power, or dunamis is expressed and manifested in the Bible. The English words for dunamis are in quotations. It’s truly fascinating.

Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the “power” of God. (Matthew 22:29)

And he (Jesus) did not many “mighty works” there because of their unbelief. (Matthew 13:58)

And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that “virtue” had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? (Mark 5:30)

And God wrought “special miracles” by the hands of Paul (Acts 19:11)

Therefore if I know not the “meaning” of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me. (1 Corinthians 14:11)

Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty “deeds”. (2 Corinthians 12:12)

Quenched the “violence” of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. (Hebrews 11:34)

And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and “strength”, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. (Revelation 12:10)

For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the “abundance” of her delicacies. (Revelation 18:3)

It is truly fascinating to see how dunamis is used to describe both actual power and energy, as well as capacity, potential, creation, miracles, and more.

We see how dunamis is used in actuality as energy in the words like power, mighty works, special miracles, and deeds.

We see dunamis expressed as capacity and potential with words such as virtue, meaning, violence, strength, and abundance.

It should be abundantly clear by now that although dunamis is most often thought of in the traditional sense of power, it is many things in actuality and potential as well as the physical and metaphysical.

Now that we’ve opened our eyes and minds to the actuality and potential of dunamis, let’s now apply it to the rest of the passage. Let’s apply dunamis to love. This is after-all God’s love, Agape!

Agape, often referred to as a Godly or brotherly love, is not an emotion. It’s not passion, affection, or lust. It’s more choice, diligence, responsibility and care than anything else. It’s the exercise of the Divine will by man in deliberate choice expressly for the benefit of another. Often times agape is rendered as “Charity” in the Bible, which gives a better feel and contextual understanding for what this type of love is about.

Agape love is concerned about good will and benevolence towards others. Now apply dunamis to this love. What do we get? We get good mighty works and deeds. We also get special miracles when we apply God’s love with dunamis. There is abundance and strength and since dunamis is capacity and potential, who knows what we can do and achieve when we honestly and earnestly love our neighbor. Greatness! This is all in, and for, the glory of God!

Don’t you find it interesting that the culmination of dunamis/power and agape/love in the verse by Paul is a “sound mind’? The emphasis of the sound mind goes beyond not being some carefree, irresponsible, self-absorbed person. The emphasis is on moderation and self-control. It’s the ability to curb carnal desires and impulses, and in short, having discipline.

So, let’s really think about this because 2 Timothy 1:7 gives the command to love your neighbor a tremendous amount of clarity. After all, how can you love your neighbor and carry out the desires of God if you don’t even like your neighbor, right? Well we don’t have to like them. God’s love is not some fickle emotion. It is more a concern for their well-being and responsibility towards others. 

Power isn’t just blunt and brainless force, but rather ability, capability and the range of possibilities.

It requires a sound, disciplined and responsible mind to love your neighbor. This cause, discipline by the way, also helps to perpetuate its very own effect of more discipline.  

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Power, love, and a sound mind are all gifts from God. We didn’t create these things, God did. We didn’t create the ability and desire to do these things. God did! And as we have learned by the parable of the talents, the more we exercise these gifts, the more we are supplied with them.

Power is a great example as to why we should never restrict our thinking with a gift of God.

Bill Hitchcock