#8 The Nature of Paul’s Pursuit of Christ

Most people read biographies to satisfy their curiosity about great people, hoping also that they may discover the “secret” that made them great.

In Philippians 3, Paul is giving us his spiritual biography, his past (Phil. 3:1-11), his present (Phil. 3:12-16), and his future (Phil. 3:17-21). We have already met Paul “the accountant” who discovered new values when he met Jesus Christ. In this section we meet Paul “the athlete” with his spiritual vigor, pressing toward the finish line in the Christian race. In the final section we will see Paul “the alien,” having his citizenship in heaven and looking for the coming of Jesus Christ. In each of these experiences, Paul is exercising the spiritual mind; he is looking at things on earth from God’s point of view. As a result, he is not upset by things behind him, around him, or before him—things do not rob him of his joy!

In his letters, Paul uses many illustrations from the world to communicate truth about the Christian life. Four are prominent: the military (“Put on the whole armor of God”), architecture (“You are the temple of God”), agriculture (“Whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap”), and athletics. In this paragraph, it is Paul the athlete.

Bible students are not agreed as to the exact sport Paul is describing, whether the footrace or the chariot race. Either one will do, but my own preference is the chariot race. The Greek chariot, used in the Olympic Games and other events, was really only a small platform with a wheel on each side. The driver had very little to hold on to as he raced around the course. He had to lean forward and strain every nerve and muscle to maintain balance and control the horses. The verb “reaching forth” in Philippians 3:13 literally means “stretching as in a race.”

It is important to note that Paul is not telling us how to be saved. If he were, it would be a picture of salvation by works or self-effort, and this would contradict what he wrote in the first eleven verses of Philippians 3. In order to participate in the Greek games, the athlete had to be a citizen. He did not run the race to gain his citizenship. In Philippians 3:20, Paul reminds us that “our conversation [citizenship] is in heaven.” Because we are already the children of God through faith in Christ, we have the responsibility of “running the race” and achieving the goals God has set for us. This is a graphic picture of Philippians 2:12-13: “Work out your own salvation . . . for it is God which worketh in you.” Each believer is on the track; each has a special lane in which to run; and each has a goal to achieve. If we reach the goal the way God has planned, then we receive a reward. If we fail, we lose the reward, but we do not lose our citizenship. (Read 1 Cor. 3:11-15 for the same idea, only using architecture as the symbol.)

All of us want to be “winning Christians” and fulfill the purposes for which we have been saved. What are the essentials for winning the race and one day receiving the reward that is promised?

Paul did not count himself as having yet attained—he was not yet perfect. Perfection is the great end of the believer. God has apprehended or laid hold of the believer for one reason only: to perfect the believer—to make him perfect so that he can live and worship and serve Christ forever.

Now note a critical point: no person achieves perfection on this earth. The fact is so evident to the thinking and honest man that it is actually ridiculous to even make the statement. Yet, too many are so narrow in their thinking that they seldom if ever grasp what perfection would really mean. For example...

· Consider the brain and the mind. It has been estimated that man uses only one-tenth of one percent of his mental capacity. Imagine how far short this is of perfection!

· Consider the body. What would a perfect body be like? A body that never desired, thought, or did wrong; that never came up short; that never aged, deteriorated, died or decayed?

The examples could go on and on, but note what Paul says: he had not attained perfection. In fact, he was always emphasizing how far short he came.

Beyond doubt, Paul was one of the greatest men who has ever lived. The great Book of Second Corinthians clearly shows this. If Paul was so short of perfection, how much further are we? The point bears repeating: no person achieves perfection on this earth.

1. Paul followed after perfection, after his God-given purpose. When Christ saved Paul, that was just the begin-ning, not the end. He had been saved to live for Christ and to serve Christ, and as long as he was on this earth he was going to live for Christ and do all he could to serve Christ. The word “follow after” (dioko) means to press; to pursue just like a runner in a race. There was no place for walking, much less for sitting or lying around in comfort, complacency and lethargy. Christ had saved Paul for perfection—to attain to the resurrection of the dead—and as long as Paul was on this earth, he was going to press and run after perfection.

Þ Paul was going to do all he could to help the Lord in the Lord’s great task of perfecting him.

Þ Paul was going to do all he could to lay hold of perfection—the perfection for which the Lord had laid hold of him.

There is no such thing as a genuine believer sitting still after he has been saved. The believer must not...

· begin to think he is safe and secure forever; therefore, he can sometimes do what he likes and give in to his own desires.

The believer must follow, run, and press after perfection—the perfection for which Christ has saved him. The believer must be active in living for Christ.

2. Paul worked at forgetting the past. This is a verse that is of enormous help to believers who have failed God—miserably failed Him. Paul had so failed God, and he was always confessing how far short he came (cp. Romans 7:18-19; 2 Cor. 3:5; Ephes. 3:8). Paul faced what so many of us face:

How does a person do this? It is one of the most difficult things in all the world to do. And it is especially difficult if others are not forgiving and willing to let the believer put his failure behind him. But note: Paul tells us how to deal with the past. How? By concentrating and controlling the mind and by reaching forth to those things which are before us. Note the concentration and focus:

In one focused act, we must forget the things that are past and reach forth to those things that are before us. The act involves two parts: both forgetting and reaching forth. The past cannot be forgotten without reaching forth to what lies ahead. A person cannot sit around moaning and regretting the past. To do so is to be concentrating upon the past. The things of the past are to be forgotten. The things of the future are to be the focus of the mind. The believer is to zero in on the things at hand and on the things that lie ahead. If we do this, there is no time to wallow around in the past and its failure.

3. Paul pressed on toward the goal, toward God’s purpose in Christ Jesus. What is God’s purpose for us in Christ Jesus? It is to be conformed to the image of Christ—to be perfect even as He is perfect. Once we are perfect...

Perfection means eternal life, a perfect life that never ends—that goes on and on doing the things that God created us to do. Perfection means the eternal life of Jesus Christ—being conformed to the perfection of Jesus Christ.

4. Paul kept his mind on growing and maturing in Christ. All believers are ordained by God to be perfect in Christ Jesus, and we shall be perfected in the glorious day of redemption. Let us, therefore, as many as are ordained by God to be perfected, keep our minds on perfection.

Note: this is sometimes difficult to do because we live in a world that is gripped by the lust for...

But note something: God will not let the genuine believer rest unless his mind is on righteousness and purity, the gospel and witnessing. God pricks our hearts, reveals that we are failing and coming short. God stirs us to get our minds back upon living like we should—upon pressing for perfection.

5. Paul maintained the growth he had already achieved. Too many live up and down lives. We gain some discipline and some growth, then before too long, we slip right back. It may involve...

Growth takes place, but then some circumstance or interruption takes place, and the new man and new growth are forsaken and we slip back into being the old man, living just like we used to live.

But note the strong exhortation of Scripture: take what you have learned and attained and walk by that rule; keep your mind upon that rule.

The relationship of 3:12-4:1 to its immediate context is difficult. It seems that 3:12-16 (and also 3:17-4:1) is related to 3:2-11 by way of balancing some of his zealous comments about knowing Christ and thus trying to prevent any attitudes of perfectionism from developing within the church—attitudes which would prove disastrous for love and unity. This does not necessarily mean, as many commentators have argued, that the church was facing a specific false teaching along the lines of perfectionism—perfectionism related perhaps to the Judaizers and their emphasis on the Law, or Gnostic, or Christian. This may be the case, but the use of the term perfect (teleios), a term used by certain Jewish and Gnostic groups, is scarcely enough information to create certainty on this issue.

“Not as though I had already attained!” This is the statement of a great Christian who never permitted himself to be satisfied with his spiritual attainments. Obviously, Paul was satisfied with Jesus Christ (Phil. 3:10), but he was not satisfied with his Christian life. A sanctified dissatisfaction is the first essential to progress in the Christian race.

Harry came out of the manager’s office with a look on his face dismal enough to wilt the roses on the secretary’s desk. “You didn’t get fired?” she asked.

“No, it’s not that bad. But he sure did lay into me about my sales record. I can’t figure it out; for the past month I’ve been bringing in plenty of orders. I thought he’d compliment me, but instead he told me to get with it.”

Later in the day, the secretary talked to her boss about Harry. The boss chuckled. “Harry is one of our best salesmen and I’d hate to lose him. But he has a tendency to rest on his laurels and be satisfied with his performance. If I didn’t get him mad at me once a month, he’d never produce!”

Many Christians are self-satisfied because they compare their “running” with that of other Christians, usually those who are not making much progress. Had Paul compared himself with others, he would have been tempted to be proud and perhaps to let up a bit. After all, there were not too many believers in Paul’s day who had experienced all that he had! But Paul did not compare himself with others; he compared himself with himself and with Jesus Christ! The dual use of the word “perfect” in Philippians 3:12 and 15 explains his thinking. He has not arrived yet at perfection (Phil. 3:12), but he is “perfect” [mature] (Phil. 3:15), and one mark of this maturity is the knowledge that he is not perfect! The mature Christian honestly evaluates himself and strives to do better.

Often in the Bible we are warned against a false estimate of our spiritual condition. The church at Sardis had “a name that thou livest, and art dead” (Rev. 3:1). They had reputation without reality. The church at Laodicea boasted that it was rich, when in God’s sight it was “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked” (Rev. 3:17). In contrast to the Laodicean church, the believers at Smyrna thought they were poor when they were really rich! (Rev. 2:9) Samson thought he still had his old power, but in reality it had departed from him (Judges 16:20).

Self-evaluation can be a dangerous thing, because we can err in two directions: (1) making ourselves better than we are, or (2) making ourselves worse than we really are. Paul had no illusions about himself; he still had to keep “pressing forward” in order to “lay hold of that for which Christ laid hold” of him. A divine dissatisfaction is essential for spiritual progress. “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God” (Ps. 42:1-2).

Lest the Philippians think that the apostle had totally arrived, he begins in 13:13-15 to bring some balance—by way of creating a healthy tension—to his thoughts in 3:2-11. In 3:12ff the apostle says that he has not already (ouc Joti hdh elabon) attained this. The word this is not in the Greek text and so must be supplied. But to what is he referring? What is it that Paul considers himself not yet to have attained? Some argue that he is referring to not having obtained the prize he speaks of in 3:14. Others claim that Paul is talking about the resurrection in 3:11. Still other scholars think that what he is referring to is the whole import of vv. 8-11, or the righteousness he mentions in v. 9. Since each of these suggestions has some merit, it may be that what Paul is talking about is “gaining Christ” completely and knowing him perfectly.[1] Thus, it seems best to take it as a reference to knowing Christ to such a degree that Paul fully participates in his resurrection power and shares in his sufferings—attaining as it were to resurrection life—full and unhindered. The apostle says that he has not yet attained this kind of intimacy, that is, he had not already been perfected (h hdh teteleiwmai).

“One thing” is a phrase that is important to the Christian life. “One thing thou lackest,” said Jesus to the self-righteous rich young ruler (Mark 10:21). “One thing is needful,” He explained to busy Martha when she criticized her sister (Luke 10:42). “One thing I know!” exclaimed the man who had received his sight by the power of Christ (John 9:25). “One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after!” testified the psalmist (Ps. 27:4).

Too many Christians are too involved in “many things,” when the secret of progress is to concentrate on “one thing.” The believer must devote himself to “running the Christian race.” No athlete succeeds by doing everything; he succeeds by specializing. There are those few athletes who seem proficient in many sports, but they are the exception. The winners are those who concentrate, who keep their eyes on the goal and let nothing distract them. They are devoted entirely to their calling.

Like Nehemiah the wall-building governor, they reply to the distracting invitations, “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down!” (Neh. 6:3) “A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8). Concentration is the secret of power. If a river is allowed to overflow its banks, the area around it becomes a swamp. But if that river is dammed and controlled, it becomes a source of power. It is wholly a matter of values and priorities, living for that which matters most.

The reference to the already stresses the “not-yet” aspects of salvation in the present age and uncovers one of the fundamental substructures of Paul’s thought about life in Christ in the age of the Spirit before the consummation of the kingdom. He views people in Christ as new creations (2 Cor 5:17), possessing the Spirit (Rom 8:9), partakers of the new covenant (1 Cor 11:25), sharing in the promises (Eph 2:12-13) and being delivered from this present evil age (Gal 1:4). However, he knows that there is still more to come in the future at the consummation of all things when we are glorified (Rom 8:30) and our bodies are transformed into the likeness of his glorious body (Phil 3:20). Thus a certain measure of OT promise has been fulfilled already (the “now”) and the rest will come later (the “not-yet”). In order to understand why Paul qualifies 3:8-11 with the not that…of 3:12-14, some have speculated that there existed a group from within the church (or from without) which advanced an over-realized eschatology and considered themselves as having “arrived” (perhaps some form of the Judaism discussed in 3:2-3). There is no necessary need to suggest as much, though such a group may have been influencing the church. An adequate reading of 3:12-14, however, is achieved in light of 3:8-11, without the need to postulate some theoretical group. Paul’s point is that there is a “now” and a “not-yet.”

Nonetheless, Paul says, I strive to lay hold (diwkw de ei kai katalabw) of that for which (ef Jw) I also was laid hold of (katelhmfqhn) by Christ Jesus (Jupo Cristou Ihsou). Even though Paul considered it a monumental goal, that is, to know Christ, he did not quit, but pressed on (i.e., to strive) as it were. The verb strive (diwkw) is used 24 times in the New Testament. It is used thirteen times in Matthew-Acts, always with the sense of to persecute or hunt down, as, for example, in the case of Israel who always persecuted the prophets sent to her (Matt 23:34; Acts 7:52). Paul uses the term ten times (Romans 9:30; 12:13, 14; 14:19; 1 Cor. 4:12; 14:1; 2 Cor 4:9; Gal 6:12; 1 Thess 5:15; 2 Tim 3:12), both in the sense of “to persecute” (Rom 12:14; 1 Cor 4:12; Gal 6:12; 2 Tim 3:12) and “to ardently pursue” something, i.e., righteousness (Rom 9:30); love (1 Cor 14:1); doing good to others (1 Thess 5:15). Whether Paul is thinking here of the athletic metaphor of running a foot race, as Hendriksen suggests,[2] the point is clear: it is strenuous and requires great effort and focus.

The unsaved person is controlled by the past, but the Christian running the race looks toward the future. Imagine what would happen on the race course if the charioteers (or the runners) started looking behind them! It is bad enough for a plowman to look back (Luke 9:62), but for a charioteer to do so means a possible collision and serious injury.

We are accustomed to saying “past, present, future,” but we should view time as flowing from the future into the present and then into the past. At least, the believer should be future-oriented, “forgetting those things which are behind.” Please keep in mind that in Bible terminology, “to forget” does not mean “to fail to remember.” Apart from senility, hypnosis, or a brain malfunction, no mature person can forget what has happened in the past. We may wish that we could erase certain bad memories, but we cannot. “To forget” in the Bible means “no longer to be influenced by or affected by.” When God promises, “And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more” (Heb. 10:17), He is not suggesting that He will conveniently have a bad memory! This is impossible with God. What God is saying is, “I will no longer hold their sins against them. Their sins can no longer affect their standing with Me or influence My attitude toward them.”

So, “forgetting those things which are behind” does not suggest an impossible feat of mental and psychological gymnastics by which we try to erase the sins and mistakes of the past. It simply means that we break the power of the past by living for the future. We cannot change the past, but we can change the meaning of the past. There were things in Paul’s past that could have been weights to hold him back (1 Tim. 1:12-17), but they became inspirations to speed him ahead. The events did not change, but his understanding of them changed.

A good example of this principle is Joseph (Gen. 45:1-15). When he met his brothers the second time and revealed himself to them, he held no grudge against them. To be sure, they had mistreated him, but he saw the past from God’s point of view. As a result he was unable to hold anything against his brothers. Joseph knew that God had a plan for his life—a race for him to run—and in fulfilling that plan and looking ahead, he broke the power of the past.

Too many Christians are shackled by regrets of the past. They are trying to run the race by looking backward! No wonder they stumble and fall and get in the way of other Christians! Some Christian runners are being distracted by the successes of the past, not the failures; and this is just as bad. “The things which are behind” must be set aside and “the things which are before” must take their place.

But what is Paul striving for? Some argue that the verb to lay hold of signifies “to grasp” or “comprehend” in the sense of an “understanding an idea.” Hawthorne, while he regards katalabw as a truly difficult word, argues along these lines:

Paul’s one desire is to know Christ. But he is keenly aware that he has not yet grasped the full import of the significance of Christ. As a consequence, he sets out, very much like a runner, to see whether he might at last be able to comprehend (katalavbw) him fully.[3]

Admittedly the term katalabw can refer to “understanding.” But, the problem with Hawthorne’s exegesis, here in Philippians 2:12, is that it is too narrow to capture the full sense in which Paul wants to “lay hold of” Christ. It isn’t that he just wants to comprehend or understand Christ’s significance, for example, in God’s great redemptive plan, but that he wants to experience Christ to the point where he has totally overcome every obstacle and sin that would otherwise hinder. He not only wants to fathom the mysteries and depth of Christ, he also wants to live in relationship with him—the unfettered enjoyment of His presence. While this undoubtedly involves a profound measure of “understanding” it also involves the apostle’s whole being.

There is a certain ambiguity in the phrase of that for which (ef Jw)…. The prepositional phrase ef Jw can be translated in one of two ways: (1) “because”; (2) “for which.” The first translation is the more typical in Pauline usage (cf. Rom 5:12; 2 Cor 5:4). Thus, the first translation would indicate that Paul wants to lay of Christ because Christ had already taken hold of him. This translation indicates the ground on which Paul can pursue Christ. The second translation would mean that Christ laid hold of Paul for purpose of Paul pursuing him. Though both interpretations are certainly true, this latter one seems to have the better of it here. Paul’s point is not that it is because of Christ that he can seek Him, but that Christ saved him for this purpose. Thus the reason Christ took hold of Paul—undoubtedly a reference back to his Damascus road experience—was so that Paul might know him fully.

Paul continues in verse 13 with the interjection brothers and sisters (adelfoi). This direct address has a way of getting the attention of the readers, stopping them in their tracks as it were, before the apostle repeats the affirmation of v. 12.

Verse 13 is an emphatic restatement of what was said in v. 12. Paul says: I do not consider myself to have attained this. Both the use and placement of the pronoun I (egw) in the Greek text along with the deliberate insertion of the reflexive pronoun myself (emauton) emphasize Paul’s personal commitment to the fact that he had not achieved his personal ambition of knowing Christ perfectly; he was not yet perfect in an absolute sense. And though it was his sober calculation (i.e., consider [logizomai]) about his own life, it was nonetheless true for others as well. Nobody had achieved a state of Christian perfectionism in which there was no more a need to strive to know Christ or overcome sin. The verb logizomai is used by Paul to refer to his own personal considerations but which considerations are also universally true as well. In Rom 8:18 he considers (logizomai) that our present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory to come. This is not just his personal musings, but the truth which everyone who is Christ will someday experience.[4] Thus everyone who is united to Christ in the present age—between his first and second coming and the complete establishment of the kingdom—knows the struggle of the “now/not yet” aspects of salvation. We are saved from the penalty of sin, and are being saved from its power. Someday we will be completely saved from sin, even its very presence. Thus every Christian ought to say with the apostle that they have not yet “arrived.“

It is true that as Christians we have not arrived but this is no condoning of a lackadaisical attitude. So the apostle continues in verse 13 to give the paradigm in which he operates in the time before Christ’s return. He says “brothers and sisters I do not consider myself yet to have attained this, but Instead (de) I am single-minded (Jen): forgetting the things behind (ta men opisw epilanqanomenos) and reaching out for the things ahead (tois de emprosqen epekteinomenos). Paul doesn’t live in a vacuum. He has put off certain attitudes and put on others (cf. Eph 4:22-24). Paul lived his life in a single-minded fashion. The metaphor behind this verse is that of the runner. The expression single-minded is actually a single word in Greek, namely Jen. It refers to “single-mindedness,” “having one purpose,” “being focused on one single goal”—one and only one. There is no room for double-mindedness in this expression. And so it is with the runner who must not look to the left or to the right, but must keep his focus on the goal (cf. Phil 2:2; 1 Cor 9:19-27).

In order to be single-minded, i.e., “this one thing I do, not these many things I dabble in,” the Christian must forget the things behind. For Paul this meant not turning around and reverting to his Jewish way of life and achievements. He had left behind the self promotion involved in legal obedience to the Law and would never return to it. He was dead to it and it was dung to him. Some have suggested that what Paul is forgetting here is his success in Christ up to this point, that is, success defined positively in terms of obedience to Christ and personal knowledge of him. This is unlikely and unnecessary. Fee explains:

In light of v. 16 and the appeal for them to live up to where they currently are in Christ, it seems altogether unlikely that “the things behind him” denotes the measure of ‘knowing Christ’ that he has already attained. This is a clear case of letting the imagery rather than the context dictate meaning, which is always a hazardous procedure. Such a view not only focuses on the wrong things in Paul’s story, but it fails to take seriously enough the basic “already/not yet” framework of Paul’s thinking that dominates this passage. What is ‘already’ is not what is to be ‘disregarded,’ but rather what does not count for a thing at all in light of Christ—even though at one time in Paul’s life he thought of it in terms of gain.[5]

“I press!” This same verb is translated “I follow after” in Philippians 3:12, and it carries the idea of intense endeavor. The Greeks used it to describe a hunter eagerly pursuing his prey. A man does not become a winning athlete by listening to lectures, watching movies, reading books, or cheering at the games. He becomes a winning athlete by getting into the game and determining to win! The same zeal that Paul employed when he persecuted the church (Phil. 3:6), he displayed in serving Christ. Come to think of it, wouldn’t it be wonderful if Christians put as much determination into their spiritual life as they do their golfing, fishing, or bowling?

There are two extremes to avoid here: (1) “I must do it all” and (2) “God must do it all!” The first describes the activist, the second the quietist, and both are heading for failure. “Let go and let God!” is a clever slogan, but it does not fully describe the process of Christian living. What quarterback would say to his team, “OK, men, just let go and let the coach do it all!” On the other hand, no quarterback would say, “Listen to me and forget what the coach says!” Both extremes are wrong.

The Christian runner with the spiritual mind realizes that God must work in him if he is going to win the race (Phil. 2:12-13). “Without Me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5). God works in us that He might work through us. As we apply ourselves to the things of the spiritual life, God is able to mature us and strengthen us for the race. “Exercise thyself rather unto godliness!” (1 Tim. 4:7-8) Some Christians are so busy “dying to self” that they never come back to life again to run the race! And others are so sure they can make it on their own that they never stop to read the Word, pray, or ask for the power of the Lord.

Toward what goal is the runner pressing with such spiritual determination? “The prize of the high [upward] calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14). When he reaches the goal he will receive the reward! Again, Paul is not suggesting that we attain to heaven by our own efforts. He is simply saying that just as the athlete is rewarded for his performance, so the faithful believer will be crowned when Jesus Christ returns. (See 1 Cor. 9:24-27 for a parallel, and note that while only one athlete may receive a prize, all Christians may receive the reward. Furthermore, the laurel wreath of the Olympic Games will fade, but the crown Christ gives will never fade.) The important thing is that we reach the goal He has established for us. No matter how successful we may be in the eyes of men, we cannot be rewarded unless we “take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of [us]” (Phil. 3:12, niv).

Forgetting what lies behind him the apostle is always reaching out for the things ahead (tois de emprosqen epekteinomenos). Paul continues the metaphor with athletics. The term epekteinomenos signifies straining with all one’s energy and stretching out to cross the finish line in a race. The focus in the metaphor is not on winning the race per se, in contrast to those who lose, but on the idea of running with a goal ever before one’s eyes. For Paul the things ahead include knowing Christ and the hope of being found in him by faith alone and not any works of the Law.

Thus Paul runs purposively toward the goal. The noun goal (skopon) occurs only here in the NT[6], but its meaning is largely determined in context with Paul’s “running” metaphor and the use of prize (brabeion). It is the “finish line,” if you will, and Paul is running toward it and will not allow himself to be distracted in any way. He wants the prize which is here modified as the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Paul also uses the term prize (brabeion) in another related context, namely, 1 Cor 9:24 (cf. vv. 19-27). The passage is as follows:

9:19 For since I am free from all I can make myself a slave to all, in order to gain even more. 9:20 To the Jews I became like a Jew to gain the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) to gain those under the law. 9:21 To those free from the law I became like one free from the law (though I am not free from God’s law but under the law of Christ) to gain those free from the law. 9:22 To the weak I became weak in order to gain the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that by all means I may save some. 9:23 I do all these things because of the gospel, so that I can be a participant in it. 9:24 Do you not know that all the runners in a stadium compete, but only one receives the prize? So run to win. 9:25 Each competitor must exercise self-control in everything. They do it to receive a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one. 9:26 So I do not run uncertainly or box like one who hits only air. 9:27 Instead I subdue my body and make it my slave, so that after preaching to others I myself will not be disqualified.—( 1 Cor 9:19-27 NET Bible)

Paul’s words to the Corinthians come in a context emphasizing the proper use of freedom, the human need to focus on what’s important, and the centrality of the gospel in all of that. Here the focus is on winning the race, but not defined as beating other people per se—as if other Christians were the opponents—but rather winning in the sense of living the Christian life in a disciplined fashion and finishing well. This, he says, is not for a perishable crown (a crown made from celery[7]), but an imperishable one.

The important point to walk away with from this passage is that the Christian life is a disciplined life with a view toward the finish line. This does not mean that we cannot live “in the moment” as God himself is in an “eternal now,” but it does mean that the quality of the moment depends on one’s long term focus. So Paul wants the prize and runs stringently to achieve it.

It is not enough to run hard and win the race; the runner must also obey the rules. In the Greek games, the judges were very strict about this. Any infringement of the rules disqualified the athlete. He did not lose his citizenship (though he disgraced it), but he did lose his privilege to participate and win a prize. In Philippians 3:15-16, Paul emphasizes the importance of the Christian remembering the “spiritual rules” laid down in the Word.

One of the greatest athletes ever to come out of the United States was Jim Thorpe. At the 1912 Olympics at Stockholm, he won the pentathlon and the decathlon, and was undoubtedly the hero of the games. But the next year officials found that Thorpe had played semiprofessional baseball and therefore had forfeited his amateur standing. This meant that he had to return his gold medals and his trophy, and that his Olympic achievements were erased from the records. It was a high price to pay for breaking the rules. (Thorpe’s medals were reinstated in 1985 by the Olympic Committee.)

This is what Paul has in mind in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. “Any man who enters an athletic contest practices rigid self-control in training” (Phil. 3:25, wms). If the athlete breaks training, he is disqualified; if he breaks the rules of the game, he is disqualified. “No contestant in the games is crowned, unless he competes according to the rules” (2 Tim. 2:5, wms). The issue is not what he thinks or what the spectators think but what the judges say. One day each Christian will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ (Rom. 14:10-12). The Greek word for “judgment seat” is bema, the very same word used to describe the place where the Olympic judges gave out the prizes! If we have disciplined ourselves to obey the rules, we shall receive a prize.

Bible history is filled with people who began the race with great success but failed at the end because they disregarded God’s rules. They did not lose their salvation, but they did lose their rewards (1 Cor. 3:15). It happened to Lot (Gen. 19), Samson (Judges 16), Saul (1 Sam. 28; 31), and Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5). And it can happen to us! It is an exciting experience to run the race daily, “looking unto Jesus” (Heb. 12:1-2). It will be even more exciting when we experience that “upward calling” and Jesus returns to take us to heaven! Then we will stand before the bema to receive our rewards! It was this future prospect that motivated Paul, and it can also motivate us.

We return now to that interesting statement, namely, the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (ths anw klhsews tou qeou en Cristw Ihsou). This phrase has been interpreted along various lines[8]: (1) the “upward call of God” is the “prize” about which Paul speaks. This is unlikely since Paul generally uses the term “call” to refer to God’s initial act of calling someone to salvation. It is not a process per se nor does it focus solely on the end, but rather on the beginning of salvation (though it has an eschatological intent; see Rom 11:29; 1 Cor 1:26; 7:20; Eph 1:18; 4:1, 4; 2 Thess 1:11; 2 Tim 1:9); (2) the “call” refers to the call of the president of the games to the victorious athlete to step up unto the podium and receive his prize. Once again, while this picks up on certain cultural clues, it is probably not the image Paul intends here since in this interpretation “call” is being defined as something occurring after the race has been won.

In contrast, Paul generally uses it to refer to God’s call to salvation when an individual is first saved (cf. Rom 8:30); (3) the term “call” refers to that initial salvific call of God to Paul on the Damascus Road. It was an upward (anw) call in that it had heaven as its immediate and ultimate goal (its eschatological end) and, it is the call of God since He was the One doing the calling. The reference to in Christ Jesus signifies the grounds and sphere in which the call was given. It also conveys the sphere in which the apostle experienced the immediate blessings of that call, including forgiveness, grace, and union with Christ. The third interpretation seems better on the whole, though there is much overlap between the various renderings. According to this reading of the text, then, the prize, refers to final and complete salvation in the eternal state, defined as knowing Christ perfectly and intimately without any hindrances. This is what Paul has his eyes focused on and that for which he runs with such discipline.

Having spelled out his own life and perspective on knowing Christ and the contrast with the Judaizers (3:1-14) Paul now turns to apply what he has said to his listeners (3:15-16ff.). As is typical of this entire letter the apostle consistently uses examples in order to bring home his point—examples which include himself earlier (1:12-26), Jesus (2:6-11), Timothy (2:19-24) and Epaphroditus (2:25-30). He says in 3:15: Let those of us who are “perfect” embrace this point of view. If you think otherwise, God will also reveal this to you. Several questions come to mind in the interpretation of this verse. In what sense does he intend perfect? In what ways could they think otherwise or differently? How will God reveal this to them and what does he mean by this?

Most of these questions (as well as some not stated) relate to the meaning of the term perfect (teleios). Therefore, we will begin our discussion here. The noun teleios is used 19 times in the NT, of persons and things. It refers to having “attained a purpose,” “being mature,” “complete,” or “whole.“[9] It never means to be absolutely perfect and free from sin in any and all respects in the present time. That is the ultimate eschatological goal inherent in the term, but it is never used absolutely as such in the NT.

The likely background for Paul’s use of the term here in Philippians is the spiritual/ethical teaching of the OT, though it may have been used in current religious thought to designate initiates into the mystery religions as well. It is used approximately 19 times in the Greek OT (LXX) to indicate (1) Noah’s blameless character in the context of the generation in which he lived (Gen 6:9; Sirach 44:17); (2) the Passover lamb which was required to have no blemish, that is to be perfect physically, in order that it be acceptable for sacrifice (Exod 12:5); (3) Israel’s blameless (i.e., perfect) character evidenced by not engaging in the heathen practices of witchcraft, etc. going on around her; (4) a heart totally devoted to God as evidenced by complete obedience to his commands (1 Kgs 8:61; 11:4; 15:3, 14); a teacher as opposed to a pupil (1 Chr 25:8); Solomon’s perspective on his new wife (i.e., she was perfect, without flaw in his eyes; SS 5:3; 6:9); the whole (teleion) number of Judah taken into exile. Thus teleios, in its spiritual and moral sense in the OT, communicates the idea of completely devoted to God according to the revelation of the Law.

In Philippians Paul has the idea of obedience in mind in the use of the term teleios, but now it is an obedience or perfection understood from the perspective of the “now/not yet” substructure of his thinking. It is not the revelation of the Law that is in view, but that of the Christ, the cross, and the Spirit. The one who is teleion, says Paul, is the one who realizes the inaugural character of the present salvation offered in Christ and knows that there is still much to come in the future. That person, therefore, recognizes the strenuous nature of the Christian life as presently conceived and exerts all their energies to “work out their own salvation” (Phil 2:13). In affirming this, though, Paul knows that the antecedent grace of God is the context for all so-called “perfection” (cf. 1 Cor 15:10). It is not akin to the idea of “buckling down and trying harder.” It is the effect of the grace of God in a person’s heart and its expression in their lives (Rom 5:1-5). A good translation for the term is “perfect” (so that the connection to v. 12 is not lost), but “perfect” in the sense of “mature.” Paul used the term similarly in 1 Cor 2:6; 14:20; Eph 4:13; Col. 1:28; 4:12.[10] Thus, the use of the noun teleios in 3:15 is somewhat different than the use of the verb in 3:12. The verb does refer to complete spiritual perfection such as is often envisioned in the eternal state. Recognizing this difference avoids a contradiction, i.e., Paul saying he has “not been perfected” in 3:12, but nonetheless names himself among the “perfect” in 3:15 (i.e., “let us” think).

But the apostle says to the Philippians that If on some point you think otherwise, God will reveal this also to you. But what does he mean by their thinking otherwise (Jeterws)? And, what does this (touto) refer to? In 3:2-14 Paul has been arguing for the proper orientation to life and faith in the “now time” (nuni de as he is accustomed to saying in Romans), that is, the interim time before the Lord’s return. The proper orientation to God through Christ is not some form of legal obedience as the Judaizers advanced. Such a posture is not only worthless to the Christian, it is also detrimental to a healthy relationship with Christ and is, therefore, not an option; it is inimical to any kind of growth by faith. Having made this point abundantly clear, and being convinced that the Philippians understand what true perfection is, he then proceeds to tell them that if on something (ti) they think otherwise God will reveal this also to them. The term otherwise (Jeterws) may indicate “fault” or “blame” due to error, as for example, in the case of Jeteros (adjective) in Galatians 1:6. But more likely it simply means, a different “take” on something (ti) minor or of relatively little importance when compared to the proper understanding of Christian perfection. Lightfoot explains the two options:

Here Jeterws seems to have the meaning ‘amiss’…It may however be ‘otherwise,’ in reference to touto fronwmen; in which case eiti will mean ‘in any minor point’: ‘If you are sound at the core, God will remove the superficial blemishes.[11]

Paul says that if they think differently on some minor point God will reveal this also (touto goes back to ti) to them. Paul is not saying that God will give them more revelations on top of the ones he has already given. He is not talking about any revelations they may or may not have received in the past.[12] Rather, he is simply saying that if they differ on some point God will make that point known/plain to them. The verb reveal (apokaluyei) speaks of divine revelation and is used some 26 times in the New Testament. Jesus said God reveals secrets about his identity and the nature of his mission to the humble and not to the wise and learned (Matt 11:25; Luke 10:21). At Caesarea Philippi the Father revealed to Peter that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God (Matt 16:17). Further, the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel (Rom 1:17) and the Holy Spirit reveals God’s wisdom in Christ to people (1 Cor 2:10). Near the time of the end the man of lawlessness will be revealed according to God’s schedule (2 Thess 1:6, 8). In all its occurrences in the NT, the verb has God or the Holy Spirit as its subject so that what is “revealed” is not something man dreamed up or reasoned on his own, but something God himself made known. The noun form of the term, namely, apokaluyis, also carries this same force in all of its 18 uses in the NT (Luke 2:32; Rom 2:5; 8:19; 16:25; 1 Cor 1:7; 14:6; 14:26; 2 Cor 12:1, 7; Gal 1:12; 2:2; Eph 1:17; 3:3; 2 Thess 1:7; 1 Pet 1:7, 13; 4:13; Rev 1:1). In Phil 3:15, then, Paul is saying that God will “make known” to individuals the nature of the disagreement they have and its relationship to the proper Christian attitude outlined in 3:2-14. The one who had begun a good work in them would carry it on until the day of Christ Jesus. Though the way in which God will do this is not expressly stated,[13] this aspect of “revealing” is part of that good work and ensures that it does indeed move forward.

Concluding the paragraph in 3:16 the apostle makes the appeal: Nevertheless, let us live up to the standard (tw autw stoicein) that we have already attained (plhn eis Jo efqasamen). Paul says that whether they have disagreements or not—and he recognizes that this is important—he wants them to nevertheless live up to that standard of teaching and ethics that he has already given them over the years of his relationship with them. They are not to depart from that while in the process of working through disagreements. They are instead to live up to that which was already established by Paul in their community. This includes foundational ideas of humility, unity, and others-centeredness.

Principles for Application

1. Any form of Christian perfectionism that includes in it the idea of sinlessness in our present experience is heretical and must be abandoned. The first place to start to live for Christ is to understand that your life according to God’s salvation in the present age can be marked by love for others and intimacy with God, but there will never be a time in your life this side of heaven where you will completely free from sin. Therefore, sinlessness is not the goal. Striving to know Christ perfectly and to love others purely; that is the goal. We know that this does not come without its share of struggles.

2. Realize that in the midst of your struggles that it was Christ Jesus who laid hold of you so that you might know him. He is on your side in the fight (Rom 8:31-39). Therefore, don’t give up, but humbly come to him for the strength that you need (Phil 4:13).

3. Forget the things behind, meaning anything you used to trust in…let it go. It’s over and you can no longer trust in that for anything. Instead, trust in Christ and him alone.

4. In the pursuit of holiness and knowing Christ, remember that the prize is Christ himself at the end of the race. Keep your eyes fixed on him and this will ferret out any sinful attitudes and beliefs. May God help us to live according to the example of Paul.

How strange in a letter filled with joy to find Paul weeping! Perhaps he is weeping over himself and his difficult situation! No, he is a man with a single mind, and his circumstances do not discourage him. Is he weeping because of what some of the Roman Christians are doing to him? No, he has the submissive mind and will not permit people to rob him of his joy. These tears are not for himself at all; they are shed because of others. Because Paul has the spiritual mind, he is heartbroken over the way some professed Christians are living, people who “mind earthly things.”

While we cannot be sure, it is likely that Philippians 3:18-19 describe the Judaizers and their followers. Certainly Paul is writing about professed Christians and not people outside the church. The Judaizers were the “enemies of the cross of Christ” in that they added the Law of Moses to the work of redemption that Christ wrought on the cross. Their obedience to the Old Testament dietary laws would make a “god” out of the belly (see Col. 2:20-23); and their emphasis on circumcision would amount to glorying in that about which they ought to be ashamed (see Gal. 6:12-15). These men were not spiritually minded; they were earthly minded. They were holding on to earthly rituals and beliefs that God had given to Israel, and they were opposing the heavenly blessings that the Christian has in Christ (Eph. 1:3; 2:6; Col. 3:1-3).

The word “spiritual” has suffered as much abuse as the word “fellowship.” Too many people think that a “spiritual Christian” is mystical, dreamy, impractical, and distant. When he prays, he shifts his voice into a sepulchral tone in tremolo and goes to great lengths to inform God of the things He already knows. Unfortunately, this kind of unctuous piety is a poor example of true spirituality. To be spiritually minded does not require one to be impractical and mystical. Quite the contrary, the spiritual mind makes the believer think more clearly and get things done more efficiently.

To be “spiritually minded” simply means to look at earth from heaven’s point of view. “Give your heart to the heavenly things, not to the passing things of earth” (Col. 3:2, ph). “Practice occupying your minds with the things above, not with the things on earth” (Col. 3:2, wms). D.L. Moody used to scold Christians for being “so heavenly minded they were no earthly good,” and that exhortation still needs to be heeded. Christians have a dual citizenship—on earth and in heaven—and our citizenship in heaven ought to make us better people here on earth. The spiritually minded believer is not attracted by the “things” of this world. He makes his decisions on the basis of eternal values and not the passing fads of society. Lot chose the well-watered plain of Jordan because his values were worldly, and ultimately he lost everything. Moses refused the pleasures and treasures of Egypt because he had something infinitely more wonderful to live for (Heb. 11:24-26). “What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36)

The relationship of 3:17-21 to its immediate context is difficult to discern. As Hawthorne says, we are not really prepared for a discussion of citizenship and a savior from heaven and the earnest expectation that that might create.[14] The problem is further compounded by the fact it is well nigh impossible to be certain about who the opponents are in 3:18-19. Nonetheless, the overall sense is clear and the subject of imitating the godly example of Paul surely relates directly to 3:4-14 and 3:15-16.

This is one of the most important passages in the Bible. It has to do with the example we set before the world and before our families and friends. The way we live and what we do influences people. We may not want to influence them, but it does not matter whether we want to or not: they are influenced. Family, friends, and children—everyone who knows us—watch us; and they follow both the good and the bad of our example. It may be conscious or unconscious, intentional or unintentional; we may be willing or we may not be willing for them to follow in our steps—it matters not—they follow our example. We influence people by how we live and by what we do.

Þ If we follow bad and do bad, it sets a pattern of bad before others. It even causes some (in particular, the young and immature) to think that since we did it and still got along fairly well, they can do it and get along fairly well, too.

The point is this: the life we live sets a pattern for others to follow. Others are going to follow us no matter what we do. This says something to us, something of critical importance: we must live lives on the highest plane possible. We must set the most dynamic example possible. We must set the most perfect pattern possible for others to follow. But it also says something else: we must follow after those who live on the highest plane of life. We must mark those who walk as examples and follow after the great traits of their lives. We must take those who live as examples and dissect the traits of their lives, and apply those traits to our own lives.

This is the subject of the present passage: marking those who walk as examples for us all.

A. The Command (3:17)

1. The Example of Paul (3:17a)

We must mark those who walk as examples, first, because they do walk as examples. Note what Paul said: he and others followed Christ ever so diligently; therefore, they were dynamic examples as to how people should walk and live. When a person lives a life on the highest plane—when he lives like Christ said to live—he is an example. He is living just like we all should live: just as Christ said.

What did Paul mean? Was he claiming perfection—claiming to be the perfect pattern for men to follow? No! A thousand times no! In fact, the very opposite is true. He had just declared...

· that he had not apprehended that for which Christ had laid hold of him (Phil. 3:13).

Paul was a dynamic example in seeking to follow Christ. He was forever reaching forth, forever pressing to be like Christ. He never reached the perfect pattern of Christ—he could not, not as long as he was a man—but he pressed and pressed to be all he could for Christ. It is this that Paul sets before us as a pattern. We are to follow Paul...

We will never achieve perfection, not in this life, but we are to follow after Christ and seek to be like Him. Now note the point: when we see a person sharing Christ with such dynamic commitment and energy, that person is an example for us. We should follow that person. He is following after Christ, doing the very thing we should be doing. Therefore, he is a living example for us.

Note the word “example” (tupon). The underlying meaning of the word is that of an imprint or mark made by a blow or some mould or dye. The idea is that we are to be seeking Christ with such diligence that our example will be like a powerful blow being thrown at those around us. Take the most powerful boxing blow of the heavyweight champion and our example for Christ should strike others with just as much power.

No believer should ever claim or think that he has come anywhere close to perfection. But every believer should follow Christ with so much commitment and diligence that he is a dynamic example for others. Every believer should be able to say “follow me”—follow my seeking after Christ—my seeking to be like Christ.

As we have seen throughout this epistle, Paul consistently gives living examples to illustrate and reinforce the particular truths he has been teaching. He uses his own life as an example of the doctrine of humility and other-centeredness, (1:12-16), as well as the life of Jesus (2:5-11), and the lives of his fellow workers, i.e., Timothy (2:19-24) and Epaphroditus (2:25-30).[15] These examples serve to cloth with “flesh and blood” the truths he has been emphasizing throughout, especially humility, unity, and standing firm. So when we come to 3:17 we are not surprised, after the apostle has just given intimate details of his own perspective on the Christian life in 3:4-14, that he then turns around in 3:17 and enjoins the church to imitate him.

With the use of the vocative brothers and sisters (adelphoi) Paul affectionately addresses the church (i.e., his friends) urging them to Be imitators of me (summime„tai mou ginesthe). There are at least two important questions that must be answered in the interpretation of this passage. First, what does the term summime„tai mean? Second, what is the significance of the prefix sun (“with”) on the Greek noun summime„tai. Third, what exactly is it that Paul wants imitated?

The term summime„tai occurs only here in the NT and nowhere else in all of Greek literature as far as we know. The related noun mime„tai occurs six times in Paul. In 1 Cor 4:16 Paul wants the church in Corinth to imitate him in terms of his understanding of the cross, self-sacrificing ministry, humility, and his stress on unity.[16] In 1 Cor 11:1 Paul urges the church to follow his self-sacrificial example as he follows the like example of Christ. Paul would rather give up his rights and privileges than impede the gospel or another’s growth in the gospel by the exercise of his freedom. This, of course, flew in the face of Corinthian notions of “authority,” “power,” and “spirituality.”

The apostle also enjoins the Ephesian church (and others receiving the letter) to imitate God in terms of his unconditional, self-sacrificing love for others. Further, he says that the Thessalonians had become imitators of the Lord (and other churches) in that they welcomed the word in the midst of severe persecution (1 Thess 1:6; 2:14). In Hebrews 6:12 the writer admonishes the readers to imitate those (e.g., Abraham) who through faith and patience inherit what was promised. Thus, as Fee states, the term is found in contexts focusing on suffering for the sake of Christ and the gospel (1 Cor 4:16; 11:1; Eph 5:1; Heb 6:12?), and contexts focusing on behavior consistent with the gospel (1 Thess 1:6; 2:14).[17]

Thus the term means “to copy,” “imitate” or “emulate,” but it does not mean “to duplicate” in the full sense of that term. It is not that Paul wants them to become clones, but instead to live out certain principles in like manner. The term involves, as Michaelis notes, the idea of obedience (as in the case of Phil 3:17).[18]

The second question concerning the meaning or force of the prefixed preposition sun is much discussed. It has been suggested that it is basically tautologous, that is, the meaning of the noun summime„tai is the same as the noun without the prefix, i.e., mime„tai.[19] But this seems somewhat unlikely since the term is so rare and therefore likely used with some intention. Others argue that the prefix refers to Paul and that he is urging them to join with him in following the example of Christ. Though possible, this places quite a strain on the of me phrase and seems a rather obtuse way of saying something which he otherwise could have said much more clearly—and did on another occasion (1 Cor 11:1). Still other scholars understand the of me to be the object of the imitation and the sun prefix to indicate the manner in which the church at Philippi is to imitate Paul: they are to imitate him in a unified way.[20] That Paul is the one to be imitated here is clear from the rest of the sentence: “and watch carefully those who are living this way, just as you have us as an example.”[21]

The third question attempts to uncover what exactly Paul was referring to when he told the church to imitate him in a unified way. It could be that Paul wants the church to imitate his general conduct and way of life to which he refers in 4:9 and in 1 Cor 4:16; 11:1. Paul always took pains while staying with and ministering to churches to conduct himself in such a way so as to provide a model for the believers there (e.g., 2 Thess 3:9). While this is undoubtedly true, it tends to place more emphasis on the context of Paul’s other letters than the context here in Philippians, namely 3:4-14. The most likely answer to this question is that he is referring to his approach to the Law and life in Christ, outlined in detail in 3:4-14. He wants them to have the same outlook as he does, explicitly his renouncing of certain things (3:7-9), his passion for Christ (3;10-11), and then his understanding of the stage of salvation-history in which we now live (the “balance” he brings in 3:12-14). He wants the Philippians to imitate his approach and take special note of others who also believe and live likewise.

There are several reasons why Paul’s call for others to imitate him is not egotistical or arrogant:

(1) he was not really calling them to follow him ultimately, but to follow Christ (Phil 2:6-11; 1 Cor 11:1). Thus the intent was always Christocentric, never for his own gain;

(2) the call to imitate was a call to self-sacrifice, humility, and suffering in the face of persecution for the cross;

(3) Paul points the Philippians beyond himself to others who also live correctly in accordance with the gospel (Phil 3:17b);

(4) imitation does not mean to duplicate en toto, that is, to be a slave to another person. It means to emulate the principles operative in another’s life, as they are expressed through one’s own understanding.

Therefore, what Paul is urging here is not mindless following, but indeed that which is best for the Philippians’ growth in Christ.

2. The Example of Others (3:17b)

Thus Paul wants his brothers and sisters to imitate him and also watch carefully those who are living this way (skopeite tous houto„ peripatountas)…. The verb watch carefully (skopeite) means “to look (out) for,” “notice,” “keep one’s eye on.”[22] It is an intense verb that occurs six times in the NT (Luke 11:35; Rom 16:17; 2 Cor 4:18; Gal 6;1; Phil 2:4; 3:17). In Romans 16:17—a verse commonly understood in connection with Phil 3:17, though the sense of the term in Rom 16:17 is negative—Paul alerts the church to “watch out” for those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching they had received. The church was to turn away from these people. In 2 Cor 4:18 the apostle talks about his own pursuit or “focus” on things eternal and not on things temporal. In Galatians 6:1 he encourages members of the church to help someone caught in a sin, but to do so with one eye on themselves (skopo„n, i.e., “guarding themselves”), lest they too are tempted to sin.

The verb is used twice in Philippians. In 2:4 Paul urges the church to seek (skopountes) the interests not of themselves only, but also those of others. The use of skopeite in 3:17 may be related to this usage, and thus the examples that Paul has in mind are those who live self-sacrificially. But 2:4 seems a bit removed from 3:17 to be the primary connection. It is probably to be taken in contrast with the use of “beware” (blepete) in 3:2.[23] The Philippians were to be on guard (negative) against the legalizers and other erroneous views (3:18-19), and were to take special notice (positive) of those who lived according to the pattern found in Paul and others. The people that Paul has in mind by the use of those is probably anyone in the Philippian church or known to them who lived according to the pattern Paul and others had established.

Paul adds that he wants the Philippians to watch carefully those who walk according to the example he has set forth, just as you have us as an example (katho„s echete tupon he„mas). The us is to be understood as referring to Paul, Timothy, Epaphroditus and others, not just to Paul as Hawthorne argues.[24] The term example (tupos) is used in the NT to refer to the nail “imprints” in Jesus’ hands (Jn 20:25), the “idols” Israel worshipped (Acts 7:43), the example or pattern of Christian teaching (Rom 6:17), a letter sent to Felix is referred to as a tupos (Acts 23:25) and then OT events or persons are referred to as types in light of the clarifying role they bring to salvation in the present age (Rom 5:14; 1 Cor 10:6, 11). The term is also used in 1 Thess 1:7 to refer to the Thessalonians being a “model” for other believers (see also similar uses in 2 Thess 2:9; 1 Tim 4:12; Titus 2:7; 1 Pet 5:3).[25] The term, as used here in Philippians, refers to the ethical and doctrinal commitments that the church could see in the lives of Paul and his associates.

B. The Rationale (3:18-21)

There are always a number of people waiting to lead God’s people astray. So it is in the case of the Philippians; there are those who are enemies of the cross of Christ—as Paul refers to them—who are seeking to overturn apostolic teaching and example in the church. They are doing so by means of their own ungodly lives and appetites. In 3:18-19, after Paul has urged the church to follow his example, he turns to expose these opponents for what they really are. He mentions their final end, namely, destruction, and their moral conduct: their god is their belly, they exult in their shame, and they think about earthly things (only). Before we discuss “their end” and “their conduct” we will turn first to a brief discussion of their characterization as “enemies of the cross of Christ.”

We must mark those who walk as examples, second, because many walk as enemies of the cross. Who are the enemies of the cross? Many commentators say they are the hypocritical and false believers within the church, those who are nominal Christians. They say that the word “walk” is used of Christians in Phil. 3:17; therefore, it also refers to church members in Phil. 3:18. It is also said that Paul would weep only for false believers within the church.

It is true that Paul could have been referring to false and hypocritical believers within the church; however, every unbeliever both in and out of the church walks as an enemy of the cross...

· whether the leader of a nation or a movement who is set on wiping out the church and the cross.

· whether a professing believer who really doubts the substitutionary death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Note something else as well: it is a common thing for believers to weep for the lost. Certainly Paul wept many times over the lost of the world and not just over false believers within the church. (Cp. Matthew 23:37; Luke 13:34; Romans 9:1-3; Romans 10:1; 1 Tim. 2:1-4.)

Again, who are the enemies of the cross? It seems best to take the verse for just what it says: there are many who walk as “the enemies of the cross”—no matter who they are, whether within or without the church. Unquestionably, the enemies of the cross are many. Note what is said about them.

1. Their end is destruction (apoleia). The word means perdition, destroyed, or slayed; to lose one’s well-being; to be wasted and ruined and given a worthless existence. It does not mean that a person will cease to exist. It means a person will be destroyed and devastated and condemned to a worthless existence. He will suffer waste and loss and ruin forever and ever.

If a person stands as an enemy of the cross, he shall be destroyed. It does not matter who he is, either within or without the church, he shall suffer perdition, that is, utter destruction. Who is an enemy of the cross? It is the person...

· who does not believe that Christ died for him, that is, as the punishment for his transgressions.

· who does not believe that the penalty for his imperfection was borne by Christ on the cross.

· who does not approach God claiming that he is coming by the death of Christ—that is, that he wants God to accept him in the death of Christ.

· who claims that there are other ways to approach God—ways other than the cross of Christ.

2. Their god is their belly (koilia), that is, their appetite, their sensuality, their desire for the physical pleasures of this world. Physical and material gratification is their god. They center their lives around...

Just take a moment and think upon any of the above, how some persons center and focus their lives upon such things. Some persons spend more time in front of a mirror or eating or thinking about acceptance or success or possessions or some business deal than they do in prayer.

The point is this: when a person has a craving and an appetite for such things, they become his god. The craving begins to consume his thoughts, energy, and effort. Before long his craving is taking up so much of his energy that he has very little if any time for God or for anything else. His appetite and craving, or as the Scripture says, his belly, becomes his god. Marvin Vincent quotes the Cyclops in Euripides as saying: “My flocks which I sacrifice to no one but myself, and not to the gods, and to this my belly the greatest of the gods: for to eat and drink each day, and to give one’s self no trouble, this is the god for wise men” (Word Studies in the New Testament, Vol.3, p.452).

3. Their glory is their shame. This simply means that men boast in their sins and shame. They boast in and pride themselves...

4. They keep their mind on earthly things. This is simply another way of saying that a person is worldly. He focuses his mind, energy and effort upon the things of the world. But note: the things of the world include much more than the physical and material gratifications of this world. Worldly things also include the commendable things that are accepted by society such as...

As stated, such things are commendable and some are even necessary for survival and health. But the point is this: the basis of our lives must be the cross of Christ, not the things of this world. The only hope for conquering the ills and corruption of society and the evil and death of man is the cross of Christ. Nothing on this earth, no matter how good and beneficial it is, can give us life—not abundant and eternal life. Only Jesus Christ can give us life that conquers all and that infuses us with life that lasts forever. Therefore, the focus of our lives must be Christ and His cross. Yes, we must give our attention to our jobs and families and to the other good and beneficial pursuits of life, but underlying everything we do must be Christ and His cross. He and His cross must be the consuming passion and purpose of our lives. The person who sets his mind on earthly things is an enemy of the cross of Christ.

1. The Characterization, End, and Conduct of Enemies (3:18-19)

a. Their Characterization: “Enemies of the Cross of Christ” (3:18)

In 3:18 Paul begins: For (gar) many live (about whom I often told you, and now say even with tears) as enemies of the cross of Christ (polloi peripatousin…tous echthrous tou staurou tou Christou). The term For (gar) indicates that what follows in 3:18-19 is the reason the Philippians are to follow the example of Paul and others who live according to the gospel; it is because many walk in others ways—ways diametrically opposed to the gospel. But it is not as though Paul had never warned the church about these kinds of people, in fact the opposite is true. He had told them often (about whom I often told you), perhaps in person while he was with them or in other written correspondence. And further, it isn’t that he cares not a thing about them, but rather he has been grieved by their sin and disobedience to the gospel (cf. Rom 9:1-5). In fact, even as he writes this letter he is brought to tears over their ultimate end and the lifestyle they are presently living. Paul was a passionate person who loved others deeply and maintained a deep and conscious commitment to the truth.

But who are the many (polloi) and in what sense are they to be considered as “enemies of the cross of Christ?” The construction many live suggests that the people referred to here are not part of the Philippian congregation, but were on the outside. The fact that he has told them about these people often further reinforces this idea.[26] Several suggestions regarding the precise identity of these people have been offered: (1) Judaizers, perhaps those indicted in 3:2; (2) professing Christians; (3) Gnostic Christians, whose commitment to a radical body/soul dualism allowed them to participate in fleshly desires without any apparent contradiction in terms of the gospel; (4) pagans who opposed the gospel because of its ethical demands; (5) Jewish itinerants who eagerly sought to win converts; (6) libertinists of some kind who paraded their over-realized eschatology in the licentious lifestyle they lived. Obviously, there are strengths and weaknesses to each of these solutions. But, while it is always correct to attempt to identify the historical referents for the statements of Scripture, in some cases we simply do not have enough information to be certain. This is one of those cases. The overall sense of the passage, however, is clear enough as the following comments show.[27]

Thus, while we cannot be certain who these people were and the particular affinities they maintained, Paul does say that they lived as enemies of the cross of Christ (polloi peripatousin…tous echthrous tou staurou tou Christou). Whoever these people were, they had a major problem with the cross of Christ. They were enemies and thus opposed the idea itself—or at least the centrality of the idea—of the cross (perhaps in their view it demonstrated weakness). They, therefore, developed a form of Christianity where the cross was not essential, at least as Paul understood it by revelation. That is not to say that they were personal enemies of the apostle Paul, though this may have been the case. Nonetheless, Paul does not seem to cast them in this light (unless of course, one takes them as the same people as those of 3:2). The rest of the verse describes the ultimate “end” of these enemies of the cross of Christ as well as their “conduct.” It is particularly their conduct which unfolds for us why Paul referred to them as enemies of the cross.

b. Their End: Destruction (3:19a)

Paul says that Their end will be destruction (ho„n to telos apo„leia). The term end (telos) is used in the NT some 40 times to refer to the “end” (Heb 7:3), “the rest/remainder” (1 Cor 15:24?), “tax, customs duties” (Rom 13:7; Matt 17:25), and “goal” or “consummation” (Rom 6:21; 2 Cor 11:15; 1 Tim 1:5; James 5:11; 1 Peter 4:17).[28] It is in this last sense that Paul uses the term here. The final goal of their sinfulness will be destruction and according to their current path that is the direction they are heading. While those in Christ will experience salvation (1:28), those who oppose the message suffer eternal destruction, i.e., eternal loss and punishment.

The term apo„leia does not mean annihilation in this context, but eternal judgment. Jesus speaks to this same issue in Matt 25:46: And these will go away into eternal punishment (kolasin aio„nion), but the righteous to eternal life (zo„e„n aio„nion). Paul, in another place, also regards the final judgment of those who do not know Christ to be eternal damnation:

1:8 With flaming fire he will mete out punishment on those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 1:9 They will undergo the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might (2 Thess 1:8-9).[29]

…the precise meaning of apo„leia is difficult to pin down. Hence, as is often the case it is best explained in terms of its opposites: so„te„ria (“salvation,” Phil 1:28); peripoie„sis Psuche„s (“the preserving of one’s soul,” Heb 10:39); zo„e„ aio„nios (“eternal life” John 3:16). For Paul, then, to reject the crucified Christ as the sole means of salvation is in effect to reject salvation. It is to lose one’s soul and thus to forfeit life. Elsewhere he says of such people, to telos ekeino„n thanatos (“their end is death,” Rom 6:21), a condition in which the destiny of life outside of Christ is turned to its opposite, i.e., corruption (Gal 6:8) or destruction (Rom 9:22 in the active sense of the word), ‘the absolute antithesis of the life intended by God and saved by Christ.’[30]

Thus the future of those who rebel against the cross is not a happy one. This is one incentive for the church to reach out to her neighbors in love and friendship and with the gospel of Christ (cf. Phil 2:16). And, it is also another incentive not to be about the business of altering the gospel to fit the prevailing mood of the culture. It is true that we must “speak the language” of the people group/culture (1 Cor 9:19-27), but this has to do with packaging the message, not changing it materially. And while there is a relationship between the package and the substance, the package can change, but with great care lest we end up with “another gospel” (Gal 1:6). Finally, it must be remembered that Paul is not saying that these people cannot be saved if they turn from their enmity toward the cross and accept it as God’s way of salvation. They most certainly can. This is not to say, however, that some ever did.

c. Their Conduct (3:19b-d)

Paul now turns from their final end, a sad prospect indeed, to their present existence and rebellion. He mentions three kinds of behavior, all grounded in the one reality of their being enemies of the cross of Christ.

i. Their God Is the Belly (3:19b)

Paul says that Their god is the belly (ho„n ho theos he„ koilia). There are those who regard this passage as a reference to the Judaizers of 3:2 who maintained an overly zealous attitude toward ritual purity and adherence to certain Jewish food laws. The problem with this is that the term belly seems to connote some degree of licentiousness and an inordinate attentiveness to one’s sensual needs. If this is true, then the ascetic practices of the Judaizers would hardly come under such a rebuke. It may be, as many have suggested, that Paul’s use of koilia (“belly”) here is roughly equivalent to his use of sarx (“flesh”) in other contexts.[31] Thus these people were driven by fleshly impulses. Therefore, as O’Brien comments, “those who are enemies of Christ’s cross have failed to accept the death of the old life, the koilia, and have disqualified themselves from the new, because ‘they are serving their own fleshly impulses.’[32]

ii. They Exult in Their Shame (3:19c)

Paul also says that They exult in their shame (he„ doxa en te„ aischune„ auto„n). It is common among interpreters, who regard the polloi (“many”) in 3:18 to refer to the Judaizers of 3:2, to understand the word shame as a disgraceful reference to their circumcision. Therefore, that which they glory in—and that which they boast about—Paul says is actually a shameful thing in light of the cross. But more likely is the interpretation that shame refers to immoral acts and immorality in general—a kind of immorality and licentiousness that strikes at the heart of the cross (and its concomitant doctrine of “death to sin”) and the pure ethics which flow from it.

iii. They Think Earthly Things (3:19d)

Finally, Paul states that these enemies of the cross think about earthly things (hoi ta epigeia phronountes). The term think (phronountes) means “to have a settled disposition towards something,” and by extension “to have one’s focus on,” or “to set one’s agenda according to.” These people orient their lives according to earthly realities where “earthly” is synonymous with “fleshly.” The inevitable outcome of this way of life is death (Rom 8:5-8) and eternal separation from God. There is no room for faith and trust as they have found all they need in themselves. But their future, according to Paul, is not as hopeful as they might have been led to think. This phrase, they think about earthly things, with its orientation to the cause and ground of a sinful life, is rightly regarded as a summary of the other preceding descriptive phrases.

2. The Citizenship and Future of the Christian (3:20-21)

We must mark those who walk as examples, third, because the believer is a citizen of heaven. Note three points.

1. The believer’s life is to be heaven-centered, for his citizenship is in heaven. The word “conversation” (politeuma) means citizenship in this context. Remember that Philippi was a Roman colony and its citizens, although in Macedonia, were citizens of Rome. As pointed out earlier, the citizens of Roman colonies lived as Romans: they dressed as Romans, spoke the Roman language, lived by the laws of Rome, engaged in Roman pleasures and social affairs, and worshipped the Roman gods. Despite the fact that they lived in Macedonia, their citizenship was in Rome.

The point to see is this: the Philippian believers knew exactly what it meant to live in one place and to be a citizen of another place. They knew exactly what it would mean to live upon the earth and...

2. The believer’s life is to be focused upon the return of Christ. He is to be looking for the Lord’s return—constantly looking—looking every day of his life. Lehman Struss makes a strong point in the following:

“The greatest event in any country on earth is a visit from its chief emperor. History records the most elaborate preparations and memorials for such an event. Special coins have been minted, commemorative stamps issued, and highways built. Looking forward to the Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ is the highlight of Christian expectation. We should be dwelling daily in this thought of His return....Imagine how the residents in your neighborhood would feel if the President of the United States had announced that he was making a personal appearance in your community. I feel certain there would be some special preparations for his coming” (Devotional Studies in Philippians, p.207f).

Kenneth Wuest points out that the Greek word “look” is made up of three words put together. There is...

· the word “receive” which speaks of welcoming as the welcoming of a guest. It also has the idea of preparation for the guest.

· the word “off” which speaks of withdrawing one’s attention from other objects.

· the word “out” which has the idea of waiting for, of stretching out the neck and waiting out or for the return of Christ. (Philippians, Vol.1, p.102.)

Combined together, the word “look” (apekdechometha) means to yearn, to eagerly look and wait for the coming of the Lord Jesus to take His dear people to heaven.

3. The believer’s life is to focus upon the glorious body he is to receive when Christ returns.

a. Right now the believer’s body is vile, that is, lowly and humiliating. The human body is so lowly and humiliating...

· because it has its origin out of the earth: it is nothing more than earthly chemicals or human flesh.

· because it is so weak: it becomes sick and diseased, injured and maimed, aged and deteriorated.

· because it is corruptible and dying, aging and mortal, offering no hope of ever lasting beyond a few short years—no hope whatsoever.

b. However, note the wonderful declaration: the Lord Jesus Christ shall change the believer’s body and fashion or make it just like His glorious body. The word “fashion” (summorphon) points out a most wonderful thing. The word means the permanent, constant, and unchangeable being of a person. Our bodies shall be fashioned just like the glorious body of Christ. Imagine! To have a body that is permanent, constant, and unchanging. The believer will receive a spiritual body.

c. How is such possible? By the power of God, the very power which is able to subdue all things to Christ. The very power that created the world and all that is in the world...

In stark contrast to the ultimate end of the opponents, the Philippians and by extension, all Christians, have a much brighter future. We are eagerly awaiting a savior from heaven who will transform our bodies and bring everything under his control. At that time faith will have been proven to be the only human response pleasing to God, while works (i.e., “legalism”) and licentious living will be unveiled for the evil that they really are—no matter what any mortal thinks.

“For our citizenship is in heaven” (Phil. 3:20, nasb). The Greek word translated “conversation” or “citizenship” is the word from which we get the English word “politics.” It has to do with one’s behavior as a citizen of a nation. Paul is encouraging us to have the spiritual mind, and he does this by pointing out the characteristics of the Christian whose citizenship is in heaven. Just as Philippi was a colony of Rome on foreign soil, so the church is a “colony of heaven” on earth.

The citizens of Philippi were privileged to be Roman citizens away from Rome. When a baby was born in Philippi, it was important that its name be registered on the legal records. When the lost sinner trusts Christ and becomes a citizen of heaven, his name is written in “the Book of Life” (Phil. 4:3).

Citizenship is important. When you travel to another country, it is essential that you have a passport that proves your citizenship. None of us wants to suffer the fate of Philip Nolan in the classic tale The Man Without a Country. Because he cursed the name of his country, Nolan was sentenced to live aboard ship and never again see his native land or even hear its name or news about its progress. For fifty-six years he was on an endless journey from ship to ship and sea to sea, and finally was buried at sea. He was a “man without a country.”

The Christian’s name is written in “the Book of Life,” and this is what determines his final entrance into the heavenly country (Rev. 20:15). When you confess Christ on earth, He confesses your name in heaven (Matt. 10:32-33). Your name is written down in heaven (Luke 10:20) and it stands written forever. (The Greek verb “written” in Luke 10:20 is in the perfect tense: “it is once-for-all written and stands written.”)

Those who “mind earthly things” talk about earthly things. After all, what comes out of the mouth reveals what is in the heart (Matt. 12:34-37). The unsaved person does not understand the things of God’s Spirit (1 Cor. 2:14-16), so how can he talk about them intelligently? The citizens of heaven understand spiritual things and enjoy discussing them and sharing them with one another.

“They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error” (1 John 4:5-6).

But speaking heaven’s language not only involves what we say, but also the way we say it. The spiritually minded Christian doesn’t go around quoting Bible verses all day! But he is careful to speak in a manner that glorifies God. “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man” (Col. 4:6). No believer ought ever to say, “Now take this with a grain of salt!” Put the salt into your speech! Salt prevents corruption. “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers” (Eph. 4:29).

The citizens of Philippi were governed by Roman law, not Greek law, even though they were located hundreds of miles away from Rome. In fact, it was this policy that put Paul into jail when he first visited Philippi (Acts 16:16-24). Paul himself used his Roman citizenship to guarantee his protection under Roman law (Acts 16:35-40; 21:33-40; 22:24-30).

In Philippians 3:17, Paul warns the Philippian believers against imitating the wrong kind of citizens. “Be followers together of me.” Of course, Paul was a follower of Christ, so his admonition is not egotistical! (1 Cor. 11:1) Paul knew himself to be an “alien” in this world, a “pilgrim and a stranger” (see 1 Peter 2:11). His life was governed by heaven’s laws, and this is what made him different. He was concerned about others, not himself. He was interested in giving, not getting. His motive was love (2 Cor. 5:14), not hatred. By faith, Paul obeyed the Word of God, knowing that one day he would be rewarded. Men might oppose him and persecute him now, but in that final day of reckoning, he would be the winner.

Sad to say, there are those today, like the Judaizers in Paul’s day, who profess to be citizens of heaven, but whose lives do not show it. They may be zealous in their religious activities and even austere in their disciplines, but there is no evidence of the control of the Spirit of God in their lives. All that they do is energized by the flesh, and they get all the glory. It is bad enough that they are going astray, but they also lead other people astray. No wonder Paul wept over them.

The Cross of Jesus Christ is the theme of the Bible, the heart of the Gospel, and the chief source of praise in heaven (Rev. 5:8-10). The Cross is the proof of God’s love for sinners (Rom. 5:8) and God’s hatred for sin. The Cross condemns what the world values. It judges mankind and pronounces the true verdict: Guilty!

In what sense were the Judaizers the “enemies of the Cross of Christ”? For one thing, the Cross ended the Old Testament religion. When the veil of the temple was torn in two, God was announcing that the way to God was open through Christ (Heb. 10:19-25). When Jesus shouted, “It is finished!” He made one sacrifice for sins, and thus ended the whole sacrificial system (Heb. 10:1-14). By His death and resurrection, Jesus accomplished a “spiritual circumcision” that made ritual circumcision unnecessary (Col. 2:10-13). Everything that the Judaizers advocated had been eliminated by the death of Christ on the cross!

Furthermore, everything that they lived for was condemned by the Cross. Jesus had broken down the wall that stood between Jews and Gentiles (Eph. 2:14-16), and the Judaizers were rebuilding that wall! They were obeying “carnal [fleshly] ordinances” (Heb. 9:10), regulations that appealed to the flesh and were not directed by the Spirit. But the true believer crucifies the flesh (Gal. 5:24). He also crucifies the world (Gal. 6:14). Yet the Judaizers were minding “earthly things.” It is the Cross that is central in the life of the believer. He does not glory in men, in religion, or in his own achievements; he glories in the Cross (Gal. 6:14).

Paul weeps because he knows the future of these men: “whose end is destruction” (Phil. 3:19). This word carries with it the idea of waste and “lostness.” (It is translated “waste” in Mark 14:4.) Judas is called “the son of perdition,” and this is the word used (John 17:12). A wasted life and an eternity of waste! In contrast, the true child of God, whose citizenship is in heaven, has a bright future.

The Judaizers were living in the past tense, trying to get the Philippian believers to go back to Moses and the Law; but true Christians live in the future tense, anticipating the return of their Saviour (Phil. 3:20-21). As the accountant in Philippians 3:1-11, Paul discovered new values. As the athlete in Philippians 3:12-16, he displayed new vigor. Now as the alien, he experiences a new vision: “We look for the Saviour!” It is this anticipation of the coming of Christ that motivates the believer with the spiritual mind.

There is tremendous energy in the present power of a future hope. Because Abraham looked for a city, he was content to live in a tent (Heb. 11:13-16). Because Moses looked for the rewards of heaven, he was willing to forsake the treasures of earth (Heb. 11:24-26). Because of the “joy that was set before Him” (Heb. 12:2), Jesus was willing to endure the cross.

The fact that Jesus Christ is returning is a powerful motive for dedicated living and devoted service today. “And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure” (read 1 John 2:28-3:3).

The citizen of heaven, living on earth, is never discouraged because he knows that his Lord is one day going to return. He faithfully keeps on doing his job lest his Lord return and find him disobedient (Luke 12:40-48). The spiritually minded believer does not live for the things of this world; he anticipates the blessings of the world to come. This does not mean that he ignores or neglects his daily obligations; but it does mean that what he does today is governed by what Christ will do in the future.

a. The Citizenship of the Christian (3:20a)

But our citizenship is in heaven (he„mo„n gar to politeuma en ouranois huparchei). The term hemo„n (“our”), because it is placed first in the clause, is emphatic and represents a vivid contrast between the opponents and Christians, i.e., their situation and ultimate end (vv.18-19), but our citizenship (v. 20). This is why we have translated gar—which is a logical conjunction and generally expresses an inference drawn from previous material—with but (a contrastive conjunction) . More needs to be said, however. This gar is the second one in as many sentences (see mechanical layout above) and does seem to reach not only into vv. 18-19, but also back to the imperatives of v. 17. That is, it appears to give another reason for the Philippians to live according to the good example of Paul and others (from v. 17)—but a reason that is closely linked, by way of contrast, with the destructive example of the opponents in v. 18. So then, the first reason the Philippians ought to live a certain way (i.e., according to Paul and others in v. 17) is that there are many who are enemies of the cross of Christ. The second reason the Philippians are to live a certain way is that their citizenship is in heaven. To put it all together would look like this: Be imitators and watch carefully…for there are many who live as enemies…for our citizenship is in heaven…. Both for clauses give the reason why one should imitate Paul and watch carefully others who live according to that pattern.[33]

What does Paul mean by the term citizenship (politeuma)? It is difficult to be extremely precise since the term is not used in the NT on any other occasion. Various translations have been offered, including: (1) commonwealth; (2) colony; (3) citizenship; (4) state, etc. Whatever way one takes it, the overall sense is clear enough against the backdrop of the Roman citizenship that the colony of Philippi enjoyed. Several things can be noted. First, Paul says this “citizenship” or “belonging-ness to a people group” exists in heaven. It is not an earthly citizenship to which Christians belong. This does not imply in any way, however, that the early Christians did not have responsibilities to the earthly state, province, government in which they lived (Rom 13:1-7; 1 Pet 2:13-17). What it does mean is that our ultimate home is in heaven and that we are strangers and aliens here (1 Pet 2:11). Second, since it is a citizenship in heaven, the ethical and spiritual standards of heaven, not those of the alien world in which the Christian is found, are the standards. This is the primary force of the term citizenship here (dynamic and active, not just static).[34] The Christian is to imitate godly examples (v. 17) and not live like enemies of the cross of Christ (vv. 18-19) because the standards of their genuine and eternal citizenship in heaven apply now! Third, the term citizenship connotes images of a mass of people, all living under one rule, and is thus an image for the kingdom and its present manifestation. Therefore, the kingdom is present now, but will be consummated, as Paul has already told us in 3:2-14 in the future. Fourth, the citizenship of which the Christian is a part has a ruler, a governor if you will. He is Jesus, whom Paul refers to as “a savior,” and “the Lord.”

b. The Future of the Christian (3:20b-21)

Paul mentions particularly that the believer will receive a glorified body, like the body of Christ. Today we live in a “body of humiliation” (which is the meaning of the word translated “vile” in Phil. 3:21); but when we see Christ, we will receive a body of glory. It will happen in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye! (1 Cor. 15:42-53) At that moment, all the things of this world will be worthless to us—just as they ought to be, relatively, today! If we are living in the future tense, then we will be exercising the spiritual mind and living for the things that really matter.

When Jesus returns, He will “subdue all things unto Himself” (Phil. 3:21b). That word “subdue” means “to arrange in ranks.” Isn’t that our problem today? We do not arrange “things” in their proper order. Our values are twisted. Consequently, our vigor is wasted on useless activities, and our vision is clouded so that the return of Christ is not a real motivating power in our lives. Living in the future tense means letting Christ arrange the “things” in life according to the proper rank. It means living “with eternity’s values in view,” and daring to believe God’s promise that “he that doeth the will of God abideth forever” (1 John 2:17).

i. We Are Waiting for a Savior (3:20b)

The apostle says that the Philippians are members of a citizenship which exists in heaven and that they also await a savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ (ex hou kai so„te„ra apekdechometha kurion Ie„soun Christon). The verb awaiting (apekdechometha) is used eight times in the NT, six of which are by the apostle Paul. It is not found in the LXX, Paul’s Greek Bible. Therefore, it is Paul’s distinctive term to express the Christian hope of the eschaton—the consummation of the kingdom and our complete salvation. In Rom 8:19 Paul says that in spite of the fallen condition of the cosmos at the present time the anxious longing of creation waits eagerly for the revelation of the sons of God. At the present time, the sons of God are apprehended by faith only. There is coming a day, however, says the apostle, when it will be clear to all creation who was rightly related to God. Further along, in Rom 8:23, he says that as Christians we groan within ourselves as we wait eagerly for our completed adoption, that is, the redemption of our bodies. In 8:25 he says that while we hope for what we do not see, we wait eagerly for it with endurance. In 1 Cor 1:7 Paul speaks to the Corinthian Christians who had collapsed most of the future (if not all of the future) into the present, that their present gifting is sufficient as they eagerly await (and they should be) the [complete] revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ. In Galatians 5:5 Paul emphasizes that it is by faith through the Spirit that we are eagerly awaiting the hope of righteousness (cf. Heb 9:28).

The object of the Christian’s “waiting” is a savior (so„te„r) from heaven. The term so„te„r occurs only 24 times in the NT, 16 of which according to one commentator, refer to Christ.[35] The Philippians would have understood the term in connection with Caesar who was also regarded as a savior, though not from sin per se, but from any attack and war.[36] The Savior in their commonwealth was Jesus, not Caesar. The lack of the article in Greek and the corresponding translation, a savior does not in any way indicate in Paul’s thinking that there were many legitimate “saviors” from which one could choose, and that the Christians decided to choose Jesus. The following clause which talks about Jesus bringing all things under his control hardly fits such an idea, let alone the fact that it is impossible to reasonably ascribe such an idea to the apostle Paul. Rather, the lack of the article stresses the qualitative aspect of “saving” inherent in the noun so„te„r. What Paul is emphasizing is Jesus’ saving activity, not the fact that Jesus is the savior. This latter point was assumed, taken for granted if you will. This “saving activity” will be explained in 3:21.

In 3:20, however, Paul also refers to Jesus as the Lord (kurios). The title kurios is the title commonly used in the LXX to translate YHWH. The fact that Paul has already referred to Jesus as the exalted Lord in Phil 2:11 suggests that he is once again referring to Jesus as God in 3:20. This is made clear in v. 21 where the eschatological role of complete and universal dominion is ascribed to him.

ii. We Will Be Transformed (3:21)

When the savior comes from heaven he will transform these humble bodies of ours (hos metasche„matisei to so„ma te„s tapeino„seo„s he„mo„n). When Christ returns he will literally transform (metasche„matisei) our fallen, sinful, weak bodies. They will be transformed into the likeness of his glorious body (summorphon to„ so„mati te„s doxe„s autou). As Kent comments:

Christ at his return will “transform” (metasche„matisei, “change the outward form of”) believers’ mortal bodies, so that they will conform to the character of his resurrection body. The present body is described literally as “the body of lowliness” (to so„ma te„s tapeino„seo„s), a description calling attention to its weakness and susceptibility to persecution, disease, sinful appetites, and death. At Christ's coming, however, the earthly, transient appearance will be changed, whether by resurrection of those dead or by rapture of the living, and believers will be transformed and will receive glorified bodies that will more adequately display their essential character (summorphon) as children of God and sharers of divine life in Christ. This will be accomplished by the same effective operation (energeian) that will ultimately bring all things in the universe under the authority of Christ.[37]

Christ will do all this transforming by means of that power by which he is able to subject all things to himself (kata te„n energeian tou dunasthai auton kai hupotaxai auto„ ta panta). The power of Christ is limitless and in the end all things will be subject to him (Eph 1:10; 3:9; Col 1:20).

Principles for Application

1. It is not enough to simply study the Bible. We must also put it into practice (James 1:21-25). Here Paul tells us one way to do that, namely, by imitating him and other godly examples. Two suggestions for application flow from this: (1) follow the example of Paul as we have defined it in the study and also look for someone at your church that you think is walking with God and ask them for help and insight on how to live the Christian life. This does not mean that you should become a slave to their every word, but that God is in the business of clothing truth with flesh and blood and that there may be someone there whom God wants to use in your life in this way (i.e., in a mentoring role); (2) if you are further along in the Christian life and see someone who needs a model, help them by coming alongside and mentoring them. This, of course, implies that you are walking with the Lord, love him and want to serve him.

2. The so-called many of verses 18-19 provide an example, albeit a negative one, of the kind of earthly, “here-and-now-only” thinking that has no place in the Christian. Ask God to help you understand where these principles are operative in your life and to root them out through confession and cleansing (1 John 1:9). Ask other trusted godly friends for insight as well.

3. Do we really look to heaven each and every day (moment) for our leading in how to live as aliens and strangers in a place that is no longer our home in any real and permanent sense? Remember, our citizenship is in heaven and we enjoy an intimate connection with the Lord of that commonwealth. Therefore, we need to live in accordance with the design of that commonwealth under the Lordship of Christ. Let us remember daily that this is not our home, but it is nonetheless our Father’s world.

4. At the consummation of all things, Christ will transform our lowly (i.e., humble) bodies into a new and glorious body. Thankfulness and eager expectation are two qualities we can ask God to cultivate in us as a result of this truth.

[1] Cf. O’Brien, Philippians, 422-23.

[2] Hendriksen, Philippians, 170-71.

[3] Hawthorne, Philippians, 152.

[4] Cf. O’Brien, Philippians, 426-427.

[5] Fee, Philippians, 348, n 42.

[6] The verb occurs six times (Luke 11:35; Rom 16:17; 2 Cor 4:18; Gal 6:1; Phil 2:4; 3:17).

[7] See Fee, Philippians, 348-49.

[8] See O’Brien, Philippians, 430-32, for more details on the following summary.

[9] BAGD, 809.

[10] See O’Brien, Philippians, 437; cf. Lightfoot, Philippians, 151.

[11] Lightfoot, Philippians, 151-52.

[12] See O’Brien, Philippians, 438.

[13] It may be that Paul has in mind a similar thought to 2 Tim 2:7: “reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.” Or, perhaps the Lord would reveal directly to each person the nature of their differences.

[14] Cf. Hawthorne, Philippians, 168-69.

[15] Cf. Lihgtfoot, Philippians, 152-53.

[16] Cf. Ben Witherington, Conflict & Community in Corinth: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary on 1 and 2 Corinthians (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995), 144-46.

[17] Fee, Philippians, 364.

[18] W. Michaelis, TDNT, s.v. mimeomai, 4:667-68.

[19] Michaelis, TDNT, 667, n 13.

[20] For further discussion of the various views see O’Brien, Philippians, 445-46.

[21] See S. E. Fowl, “Imitation of Paul/Christ,” in Dictionary of the Paul and His Letters, ed. Gerald F. Hawthorne, Ralph P. Martin, and Daniel G. Reid (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1993), 429.

[22] BAGD, s.v. skopew.

[23] Cf. Silva, Philippians, 208.

[24] Hawthorne, Philippians, 160-61. See O’Brien, Philippians, 449-50 who regards the referent for the us as including Paul and his associates such as Timothy and Epaphroditus.

[25] Cf. O’Brien, Philippians, 449.

[26] Fee, Philippians, 369.

[27] For further discussion of this question, see Silva, Philippians, 208-11; O’Brien, Philippians, 452-54.

[28] Cf. BAGD, s.v. telos.

[29] Cf. the comments of Hendriksen, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon, 181-82; Fee, Philippians, 371, n 35; Kent, “Philippians,” 147

[30] Hawthorne, Philippians, 165.

[31] Cf. Silva, Philippians, 210.

[32] O’Brien, Philippians, 456.

[33] Cf. Fee, Philippians, 377-78.

[34] See O’Brien, Philippians, 460. He regards “commonwealth” as the best translation.

[35] O’Brien, Philippians, 462. The use of kurios far exceeds the use of swthr (approximately 717 to 24). It is difficult to say whether its infrequent use is due to the use of the same term in the mystery religions or whether the term kurios simply overtook other designations of Jesus in the early church, etc. See also Hawthorne, Philippians, 171-72.

[36] See Fee, Philippians, 381.

[37] Kent, “Philippians,” 148.