Color Me Powered: A Guide to Reading Scripture with Command and Empowerment Together

Introduction: The Problem of Commands Without Power

For many Christians, reading the Bible feels like standing under a heavy weight of impossible demands. “Love your enemies.” “Rejoice always.” “Be holy as I am holy.” Each verse can feel like another stone added to a backpack that is already too heavy to carry.

This is why Tim Keller’s simple statement has resonated with so many:

“Scripture never gives you a command without giving you the power to keep it.”

In one sentence, Keller captured an ancient truth of Christian theology — one that Augustine, the Reformers, Puritans, and modern theologians have all affirmed. God’s Word does not crush believers with impossible demands; it invites them into Spirit-empowered obedience. Commands in Scripture are not isolated rules, but are always tethered to the grace, promises, and identity that make them possible.

This insight does more than comfort weary believers; it reshapes how we read the Bible. Instead of isolating imperatives as bare law, we learn to read them in their gospel context. The Command–Empowerment Color-Coding System is a practical tool designed to help us see this truth on every page.

Part I: Background and Theological Foundations

1. Augustine and the Prayer for Empowerment

In the Confessions (10.29), Augustine famously prayed:
“Give what You command, and command what You will.”

This short prayer acknowledges two things:

• God’s commands are binding and good.

• God Himself must grant the grace to fulfill them.

The command alone exposes our inability; the accompanying grace enables our obedience.

2. The Reformers and the Gift of Obedience

John Calvin took Augustine’s insight and wove it into his theology. In the Institutes (2.5.5), he wrote:

“God requires nothing but what He Himself bestows.”

For Calvin, the law reveals God’s holiness and our weakness, but the gospel supplies the Spirit’s power to walk in newness of life. The Christian life is not willpower plus law, but grace plus Spirit.

3. The Puritans and Promissory Commands

The Puritans (John Owen, Thomas Chalmers, and others) often spoke of commands as “promissory.” That is, when God commands, He is simultaneously promising to provide the ability through Christ. For Owen, every command to the believer was “a command backed with grace.”

4. Modern Voices

J.I. Packer wrote, “God’s commands are His enablings” (Knowing God, ch. 18). John Piper said “Every command of God comes with the enabling power to obey — in the gospel.” Sinclair Ferguson said, “In the new covenant, the imperatives of the gospel are always empowered by the indicatives of grace.” Christopher Ash in preaching, says: “God never says ‘do’ without already having done.”

They all echo the same truth: imperatives in Scripture are always grounded in indicatives of grace.

Keller stands in this tradition. His gift was distilling it into a single memorable sentence for modern hearers.

Part II: Biblical Basis

This idea is not simply theological tradition; it flows directly from the structure of Scripture itself.

a. Commands Grounded in Prior Grace

• Exodus 20:2–3 — Before giving the Ten Commandments, God declares His saving act: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt.”

• Romans 12:1 — “In view of God’s mercies, offer your bodies…” The command follows eleven chapters of gospel exposition.

• Colossians 3:1–5 — “Since you have been raised with Christ… set your minds on things above.”

Pattern: God saves, then commands; grace comes before law.

b. Spirit-Enabled Obedience

• Ezekiel 36:27 — “I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes.”

• Philippians 2:12–13 — “Work out your salvation… for it is God who works in you to will and to work.”

• 1 Thessalonians 5:24 — “He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it.”

Pattern: God’s Spirit not only commands but also energizes obedience.

c. The New Covenant Promise

Jeremiah 31 and Hebrews 8 frame the New Covenant as one in which the law is written on the heart. God’s commands are internalized, and His Spirit enables them from within.

Part III: Why This Matters

Keller often warned that if you miss the empowerment behind a command, two dangers await:

1. Legalism — You attempt obedience without grace, turning Christianity into moral self-effort.

2. Despair — You see the command as impossible and quit in defeat.

The gospel rescues us from both traps. In Christ, you are fully accepted. That same acceptance now fuels a new obedience. The grace that justifies is also the grace that sanctifies.

Part IV: The Command–Empowerment Color-Coding System

The system is a simple way to train your eyes to always look for empowerment whenever you see a command.

Step 1 — Identify the Imperative

• What is God telling me to do?

• Highlight the verb of command in red.

• Example: “Love your enemies” (Luke 6:27).

Step 2 — Look Back for the Gospel Grounding

• What has God already done or declared that makes this command possible?

• Mark these in green (grace).

• Example: “Be kind… forgiving one another” (Ephesians 4:32) rests on “God in Christ forgave you.”

Step 3 — Watch for Cause-and-Effect Connectors

• Words like for, because, since, therefore.

• Mark them in gold (identity or reason).

• Example: “Therefore… present your bodies” (Romans 12:1).

Step 4 — Check for Spirit-Empowering

• Look for “by the Spirit,” “through Christ,” “by His power.”

• Mark these in blue (Spirit).

• Example: “Put to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit” (Romans 8:13).

Step 5 — Locate the Covenant Context

• Old Testament: look for promises of heart-change.

• New Testament: assume indwelling Spirit.

Step 6 — Turn It into Prayer

• Follow Augustine’s model:
  “Lord, You have commanded this — now give me what You command.”

• Example: “Father, You’ve called me to love my enemy. I can’t do this without Your Spirit — give me Your love.”

Mini Examples Table

Part V: What Is Gained by Practicing This

1. Freedom from Legalism
   You no longer treat commands as a self-salvation project but as Spirit-enabled responses to grace.

2. Relief from Despair
   Instead of seeing commands as impossible burdens, you discover the promises that carry you.

3. Confidence in the Spirit
   Every highlighted blue verse reminds you that you are not alone; God’s Spirit is in you.

4. Deeper Joy in Scripture
   Commands become opportunities to encounter grace, not roadblocks to crush you.

5. Prayerful Dependence
   Marking commands as prayers (Step 6) turns Bible study into communion with God.

Conclusion: Commands Are Never Naked

Keller’s shorthand was simply this:

“Scripture never gives you a command without giving you the power to keep it.”

In practice, this means that imperatives are always rooted in indicatives. Commands are never naked law for the Christian; they are always clothed in grace and Spirit-given ability.

By adopting the Command–Empowerment Color-Coding System, you train yourself to see what Augustine prayed, what Calvin taught, what the Puritans preached, and what Keller reminded us of: God’s Word never leaves us powerless. Every ‘do’ is backed by a ‘done.’

Color Me Powered

Color Me Powered is a “Command–Empowerment” color-coding system for marking up your Bible in song form, so you visually see the connection every time you read. That way you can train yourself to spot it instantly.

Lyrics

Verse 1  
Pastor said “Every command comes with the power to keep it.”  
I used to think the Bible was just rules and I’d break it.  
But Augustine prayed, “Give what You command,”  
Calvin said, “God’s hand gives all His law demands.”  
So now when I see “Do this”, I don’t run in fear,  
I look for the grace that’s already here.

Pre-Chorus  
It’s not bare law, it’s a call wrapped in mercy,  
A voice that says, “I’ve done this first — now walk with Me.”

Chorus  
Red for the call, the words that send me,  
Green for the grace that will defend me,  
Blue for the Spirit, breathing me through,  
Gold for the truth of who I am in You.  
Every “Do” is backed by a “Done,”  
Command and power move as one.

Verse 2  
When I read, “Forgive,” I see the cross,  
When I hear, “Be strong,” I remember who’s boss.  
When I’m told, “Walk on,” I see seas divide,  
When I’m told, “Hold fast,” I see Your pierced side.  
No command comes alone, it’s always tied  
To the power You give from deep inside.

Pre-Chorus 2  
No more despair, no empty trying,  
The law is alive, ‘cause Your love is supplying.

Chorus  
Red for the call, the words that send me,  
Green for the grace that will defend me,  
Blue for the Spirit, breathing me through,  
Gold for the truth of who I am in You.  
Every “Do” is backed by a “Done,”  
Command and power move as one.

Bridge  
God's commands flow from His actions and promises.  
Look back, find the reason.  
Cause and effect.  
Law and love together.  
Spirit within.  
Identity unshaken.

Chorus  
Red for the call, the words that send me,  
Green for the grace that will defend me,  
Blue for the Spirit, breathing me through,  
Gold for the truth of who I am in You.  
Every “Do” is backed by a “Done,”  
Command and power move as one.

Outro  
Every word You speak…  
Carries the strength to see it through.