Food for Thought from the Breadbasket of Europe: Reflections on Ukraine, Russia, and the World in which We Live

I was planning this week on writing a second installment about Bible verses that are taken out of context, but with recent developments in Eastern Europe, I found my thoughts coalescing around other topics. So instead, I’ll be sharing some of my multi-track-train of thought regarding these current events and how they can serve as a reminder to us of some important truths.

In the early hours after Russia’s attacks on Ukraine began on Thursday, I heard multiple people on the news, on social media, and through private conversations express amazement that such a turn of events was possible in the 21^st century. It was as if they were genuinely stunned that with all our technological advancement, global collaboration, and general “progress,” it was still possible for countries to want to forcibly take over other countries and for individuals to be so power-hungry that they are willing to sacrifice countless lives to get what they want. “I can’t believe this is happening in 2022.” “This is just unreal that we are facing this in the 21^st century.” Such were the general utterances.

I’ll admit, when I first heard this sentiment expressed, I was inclined to agree. As much as we hear talk of “world peace,” a “global community,” showing kindness to others, and just “getting along,” it can be hard to imagine that there are still people who seek to cause division, assert dominance, and fracture harmony on the world stage. As much as we hear about the past cruelties of Hitler and Stalin, it can be hard to imagine that similarly-minded men are able to rise to and remain in places of power in the present. But once I started to ruminate on the shock that so many people were showing, I realized there are two reasons the recent conflict in the breadbasket of Europe shouldn’t shock us at all.

An important side note: the shock that I am referring to here is not the experiential shock that those who are actually living through these events first-hand are facing but rather the perplexed shock of outside observers whose day-to-day lives are continuing essentially as usual. The traumatic shock of being forced to flee your home on foot, of being separated from family members you might never see again, of seeing and hearing and feeling the places you know and love be obliterated by a neighboring, foreign military—the shock that these things are happening to your home and you are the one having to make unthinkable decisions is completely warranted, and nothing said in this post should be construed as trivializing or belittling that. Now that that’s cleared up, let’s get to those reasons that outside observers of these events shouldn’t really be surprised.

Understanding current events is next to impossible when accurate history is not understood.

I would venture a guess that most people have the association “Hitler=bad” in their awareness of world history. But how many people know why he is one of the most infamous men in history? Other than the fact that his regime killed millions of people, how many people know what motivated him, why he was able to rise to power in the first place, or what his goal in life was? How many people know about the causal connection between how the end of World War I was handled and how World War II began? How many people comprehend the nature of shifting alliances throughout history, or are even aware, for example, that the United States and the Soviets were allies before they were enemies? How many people understand the ways in which the map of Europe was drawn and redrawn and redrawn again over the course of the past several hundred years?

It’s a famous saying from George Santayana that “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” and an equally famous variation on the theme, from Winston Churchill, that “those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” I would wholeheartedly agree with both men, but I would go one step further and say that those who do not understand history are not able to recognize when others—or themselves—repeat it. When we fail to understand how events cause other events, how actions (or lack of actions) have ripple effects, how past atrocities are not unconnected from the present but rather fall within a succession of days, each one touching the one after it until tomorrow becomes today, then it is no wonder we find ourselves shocked when the things we thought were reserved to the history books suddenly splash into our insulated “peace, love, and harmony” lives.

History is not just dusty old stories of days long gone. History is the events of the past that have had direct consequences on events of today. And if we want to avoid seeing more repeats of the world’s lowlight reel, we would do well to seek out accurate accounts of the past, to become students of the mistakes, successes, triumphs, and failures of those who have gone before us, and to become well-informed citizens of our local communities, our nations, and our world, so that we can understand where we’ve been and where we’re headed and course-correct accordingly. When we do understand these things, we won’t be so shocked by what we see on the news. But there’s another reason we shouldn’t be shocked that “something like this is happening in our modern (or post-modern) society.”

Human nature is just as fallen today as it has been throughout history.

Some of the astonished remarks mentioned above revealed a lack of historical awareness, but what they also reveal is a misplaced hope in the betterment of humanity through human striving. We have global athletic events such as the Olympics with themes focusing on togetherness; we have diplomatic bodies with at least a stated purpose of preserving world peace; we have technological advancements that were the stuff of science fiction mere decades ago; we have remote work and social media networks that connect and humanize people around the world in a way never before experienced. Shouldn’t we be past ethnic conflicts? Shouldn’t we be past reckless hubris? Shouldn’t we be past bloody wars over pieces of land? So the thinking goes.

But the answer to those questions is, “No, we shouldn’t.” Because no amount of technological, diplomatic, or goodwill-engendering “progress” will change the fact that the default of human beings is self-serving, self-righteous self-exaltation that seeks personal glory instead of God’s glory, that seeks to live by our own law instead of God’s, and that seeks to build our own thrones instead of kneeling in worship at the throne of the King of Kings. We have no reason to expect humanity to be doing better today than it did in previous centuries.

Humans cannot evolve into morally superior beings; we can’t work our way into an unblemished state; we can’t repair the seared consciences we were born with. “As it is written: ‘None are righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one’” (Romans 3:10-12, ESV). This means that all the self-help books, all the sensitivity trainings, all the social harmony exercises are impotent to root out the problems of pride, prejudice, racism, hatred, envy, and greed that characterize our fallenness. Only one thing has the power to do that, or rather, only one Person.

The One who created the unblemished human nature is the only one able to remove the blemishes that disfigured that nature once Adam and Eve disobeyed. He can do this because He came himself to live among us as Jesus Christ, fully man yet still fully God, and lived the perfect, righteous, blameless life that none of us are able to. Then He took our punishment for us—nothing less than death—so that anyone who believes in Him can be rescued from experiencing that punishment themselves. And finally, He sent His Spirit to give new life to those who believe in Him, enabling those people to forsake the vices of their old, fallen nature and be changed from the inside out. In the absence of this regenerative work, then, there is no lasting hope of peace on earth and goodwill among men.

In short, we can hardly be surprised when those enslaved to sin keep on sinning against God and against their fellow human beings. And until we recognize that none of us has the power to fix anyone else, we will keep being surprised when our collective efforts to “make the world a better place” and “live in peace” fail time and time again. May the horrid brokenness that we see in our world today drive us to admit that we cannot help ourselves. May it cause us to cry out to the mercy of the good Creator God whose kindness draws people to repentance (see Romans 2:4). May it prompt us to kneel in humility and raise our hands in surrender, acknowledging that we are powerless to do better—to be better—on our own. And may it light a fire within us to carry the hope of Jesus into the darkness with an urgency like never before.

Strength in Context: A Closer Look at Philippians 4:13

Among the things I count most valuable from my history training is an understanding of the importance of context. It’s something that influences much of the way I think and interact with the world, because I’ve found that without it the chance of misunderstanding and miscommunication grows exponentially, whether interpersonally, scholastically, or cross-culturally. And when it comes to reading the Bible, context is no less important.

Yet so often, we pluck a single verse as if it were a daisy while ignoring the field of flowers in which it lives. We interpret a verse to mean a certain thing with no understanding of what was said just before or just after it. You can imagine the mess that could result from someone overhearing only a single sentence of a 20-minute conversation and formulating an entire opinion of the speaker and the situation based on that one out-of-context statement. So why do we think we can do the same with Scripture and avoid a similar misunderstanding? If we want to responsibly interact with God’s Word, then we should care about reading it in context and interpreting and applying it accordingly.

With that in mind, today’s post marks the first in a new miniseries here on An Iris Awaits in which we’ll look more closely at some of the Bible verses that are often taken out of context and thus misinterpreted. And what better place to start than perhaps the most commonly context-stripped verse of all—Philippians 4:13. One of the first verses children memorize, it’s plastered all over athletic posters, spoken in team huddles, whispered as a mantra, depended on as motivation in the face of something requiring physical exertion, and on and on. You know the one: “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (ESV), or in another translation: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (NKJV).

When we look at this verse by itself, it seems pretty straightforward. I mean, “all” means “all,” right? Well, yes and no. I think we can agree that someone committing fraud, murder, or any other number of sins would be off base quoting this verse to themselves as encouragement to carry out their schemes. So if Paul wasn’t making a blanket statement about God giving us strength to do whatever we want, then what was he talking about? Any guesses as to how we find out? If you said, “Look at the context!” then you’d be right! It's important to remember that Paul didn’t make this statement in a vacuum. In fact, Philippians 4:13 is nestled right in the middle of a section in which Paul is making a point about something very specific—receiving generosity and being content.

Coming at the end of his letter to the Philippians, this section begins with Paul’s rejoicing over the ways in which the Philippian believers, part of Paul’s family in Christ, have provided for his physical needs. Let’s take a look:

“I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

"Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen” (Philippians 4:10-20, ESV).

So after referring to the recent way God used the Philippians to provide for him, Paul looks further back and shares from personal experience how God had used all kinds of situations to teach him how to be content “in any and every circumstance.” Regardless of whether he was faced with scarcity or enjoying having more than he needed, he had learned to be content. And it’s in this context that he shares, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” In other words, he was able to “be brought low” with graciousness just as he was able to enjoy abundance with the same attitude because of the strength of Christ.

The New International Version, a functional translation rather than a literal one[i], translates the verse this way, which I think better expresses Paul’s original intent: “I can do all this through him who gives me strength” (emphasis added). When we look at the context of Philippians 4, we can see that when Paul says “all,” he is talking about all kinds of circumstances, not all kinds of tasks, all kinds of situations, not all kinds of endeavors. He was able to be content “in whatever situation” because Christ gave him the strength to do so—and I think we can all agree that being content in any and every circumstance requires a strength beyond our own.

Now of course, we know that God does give us strength to do any number of things, even things that are insignificant in the scheme of eternity. Every breath we breathe, every ability to move every muscle, every capacity for thought and reason, every ounce of sustenance both physical and spiritual comes from Him. And when we are lacking strength in any area, we are certainly right to come before His throne of grace and ask Him to give us strength. Looking at Philippians 4:13 in its context does not negate these things.

But while it is true that any physical strength we have to run a race or lift a weight, any mental strength we have to take an exam or learn a language, any emotional strength we have to love others or put to death envy or anger is only ours because God has given it to us, those things are not the point of Philippians 4:13. In this verse, Paul is talking about a deep, inner strength by which he was able to live in contentment regardless of his circumstances. And even though he was speaking about his own personal experience, I think the principle that God’s strength is sufficient to equip a person with contentment is applicable to us as well. Whatever joyous or painful things come our way, regardless of whether we are hungry or full, regardless of whether we are covered or unsheltered, we can be content in any circumstance through Christ who gives us strength. Praise be to God for this supernatural gift!

Artwork by Karla Forrest. 

Used with permission.

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[i] Functional translations of the Bible translate phrases of the original language into phrases that mean the same thing in the new language, with the effect that the ideas communicated are the same even though there is not a one-to-one correspondence between the words from each language. Literal translations translate each individual word.