Strong’s 1753 appears eight times, all in Pauline letters, describing an interior, active power that produces visible results. Six references ascribe this dynamic to God, one to the glorified Christ, and two to satanic deception. The word therefore sits at the crossroads of soteriology, ecclesiology, eschatology, and spiritual warfare, highlighting the reality that every “working” in the created order is ultimately sourced either in God or in rebellious counterfeit.

God’s Mighty Working in Salvation

Ephesians 1:19 gathers the term into Paul’s sweeping doxology of redemption: “His incomparably great power toward us who believe… in keeping with the working of His mighty strength”. The word underscores that conversion is not mere moral persuasion; it is an exertion of divine life that parallels the resurrection of Christ (Ephesians 1:20). Colossians 2:12 extends the thought: believers were “raised with Him through faith in the power of God, who raised Him from the dead.” Here the “working” that shattered the rock-sealed tomb now penetrates the human heart, granting new birth and union with Christ.

Divine Energy in Sanctification and Ministry

Paul ties his vocational perseverance to the same force. “For this purpose I also labor, striving according to His energy which powerfully works in me” (Colossians 1:29, lit.). Ministry fruitfulness is never traced to personality, technique, or strategy but to God’s operative energy riveted within the servant. Ephesians 3:7 affirms the same: the apostle became a minister of the gospel “by the gift of God’s grace, given me through the working of His power.” Dependence on this inner operation preserves the messenger from either pride in success or despair in weakness.

Corporate Growth of the Church

The term steps out of the individual sphere in Ephesians 4:16, where the risen Christ equips the body so that it “grows and builds itself up in love through the proper working of each individual part.” Every member therefore matters; God’s energy channels through diverse gifts, producing unity and maturity. Church health is not maintained by organizational machinery alone but by heaven’s power flowing through Spirit-furnished joints and ligaments.

Resurrection and Eschatological Hope

Philippians 3:21 looks forward: Christ “will transform our lowly bodies to be like His glorious body, by the power that enables Him to subject all things to Himself.” The final resurrection is guaranteed because the operative force that now indwells believers is the very power with which Christ will reorder the universe. Present sanctification and future glorification share the same animating source.

Counterfeit Operations of Evil

The antithesis appears in 2 Thessalonians 2. The lawless one’s coming is “in accordance with the working of Satan” (2 Thessalonians 2:9); and because people refuse the love of the truth, “God will send them a powerful delusion” (literally, “working of delusion”) so that they embrace the lie (2 Thessalonians 2:11). Evil does not merely whisper; it works, aiming to mimic divine effectiveness with signs and wonders. The contrast warns believers to discern sources: not every spiritual energy is holy.

Historical and Theological Reflections

Early church fathers read these texts against the background of Hellenistic concepts of divine energy, affirming that the personal God of Scripture actively intervenes rather than remaining detached. The passages informed later discussions on grace, leading the Reformers to insist that regeneration and perseverance are wrought by God’s effectual power, not by human synergy. Contemporary pneumatology continues to draw on this vocabulary to describe the Spirit’s indwelling presence as both origin and continuation of Christian life.

Practical Ministry Implications

1. Prayer: Since conversion, growth, and service all rely on divine working, prayer becomes the primary ministry methodology (Ephesians 3:14-21).
2. Humility and Confidence: Leaders labor diligently yet rest in the assurance that the decisive factor is God’s energy (Colossians 1:29).
3. Discernment: The existence of counterfeit workings demands theological sobriety and scriptural testing of every manifestation (1 John 4:1 aligns with 2 Thessalonians 2).
4. Unity: Recognizing that the same power animates every believer fosters mutual dependence and combats individualism (Ephesians 4:16).
5. Hope: Awareness that resurrection power already operates within instills courage amid suffering and fuels holiness (Philippians 3:10-21).

Summary

Strong’s 1753 portrays the living God actively accomplishing His redemptive purposes—calling, sanctifying, gifting, empowering, raising, and ultimately glorifying His people—while exposing and overruling the pseudo-energies of darkness. The term invites believers to yield to, rely upon, and rejoice in the unstoppable working of the One “who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20).