Upwards Church

Are you growing in your relationship with Christ?  In this post we will see we can grow with joy in our relationship with Christ (using the Life Application Commentary.) Paul changed from accounting language to athletic language, saying that his goal was to know Christ, to be like Christ, to grow in Christ and to be all Christ had in mind for him. This goal absorbed all Paul’s energy. This provides a helpful example. We should not let anything take our eyes off our goal—knowing Christ. With the single-mindedness of an athlete in training, we must lay aside everything harmful and forsake anything that may distract us from being growing like Christ. What is holding you back?

3:12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.^NIV Obtain can mean to take hold of, to receive, to make one’s own, to apprehend in the moral or spiritual sense. So Paul may have been saying that he had not fully grasped all the meaning of Christ in his life. There is more to receive by pressing on. The power of Christ in Paul’s life aroused him to want to know Christ better, and this would take a lifetime.

Paul saw the Christian life as a process. While believers are considered righteous when they accept salvation, their entire lives are marked by growth toward Christlikeness. Complete perfection will not be obtained until Christ’s second coming, when he will take his people with him. While Paul may have seemed like a nearly perfect Christian to his Philippian friends, he emphasized that he had not obtained perfect knowledge of Christ, the power of his resurrection, the fellowship of his suffering, and conformity to his death (3:10). All of these were part of the process of sanctification—of getting to know Christ better and better as he lived the Christian life. And even Paul, despite all his sufferings and victories for Christ, still had much to learn. He had not yet been made perfect. He knew that only upon Christ’s return would all believers be made perfect in knowledge and experience, but he was willing to press on to take hold of the goal—living and working for Christ—because of what Christ had done for him. “Pressing on” is a hunting term meaning to chase or hunt down. Christ Jesus took hold of Paul almost thirty years earlier when Paul was converted on the road to Damascus. Christ laid hold of Paul so that Paul could lay hold of the prize—knowing Christ completely.

3:13 Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead.^NRSV Paul had not yet attained perfection or complete knowledge of Christ. Unlike the Judaizers, Paul did not consider that he had achieved spiritual maturity; he was not perfect, but he lived in absolute confidence of his ultimate salvation. Christians know they will be saved, yet they must have perfection as their goal (Matthew 5:48) while not pretending that sin does not exist (1 John 1:8). Like Paul, they should not dwell on the past. The past should not be used as a barrier to the future, as an excuse for dropping out, or for avoiding proper spiritual conduct in their relationship with God. Believers should be devoted to God whatever their present circumstances (Luke 9:62; 17:31-32) and should strain forward to what lies ahead. Paul would forget his past with all its credentials and accomplishments (and sins) and, like a runner in a race with his whole body reaching for the finish line, would press on toward the goal (3:14).

3:14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.^NRSV As a runner straining every effort toward the finish line, Paul pressed on toward the goal. In Greek athletic games, the winner’s prize was a garland or palm branch. While Paul didn’t identify the prize, it seems from his writing above that the prize refers to gaining full knowledge of Jesus Christ (see also 1 Corinthians 9:24; 2 Timothy 4:7-8). Paul aimed to win the prize, but all who finish the race win it as well. The full knowledge of Christ is the final prize for which believers gladly lay aside all else.

Scholars have presented several views for the meaning of the heavenly call, also translated “called me heavenward” (niv) or the “upward call” (nasb). The Greek words ano kleseos literally mean “high or upward calling.”

• Some scholars regard it as the rapture of the church, the call to God’s eternal presence. The niv “called me heavenward” could support this view. However, kleseos is not normally used for the rapture of the church.
• Other scholars have seen it to mean the call to be saved. First Thessalonians 2:12 says, “Live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory” (niv). God’s call on the apostle occurred on the road to Damascus. Paul answered that call and had been in the race ever since. Every believer, not just Paul, receives this call of God to salvation (1 Corinthians 1:26; 7:20; Ephesians 1:18; 2 Thessalonians 1:11; 2 Timothy 1:9). God summons the person out of a life of sinful rebellion upward into a life of fellowship with himself based on what Christ Jesus has done.
• Still other scholars connect it to the high purpose or high vocation of Paul as apostle. Hebrews 3:1 says, “Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess” (niv). This view, as well as the previous one, equates the nature of the prize with the substance of the calling, making “of the calling” equal to “the prize.”
• Yet because of Paul’s use of the metaphor of athletic games, it seems more natural to understand the “call” as the calling of athletes up to the winner’s stand. Thus, the heavenly call is the summons to win the victor’s prize of salvation.

3:15 All of us who are mature should take such a view of things.^NIV After Paul described his spiritual goals, he explained to the Philippians that all mature believers should take such a view. That is, they too ought to be pressing on toward the goal. Mature believers would understand that they could not, in their own humanity, gain perfection and acceptance by God (as opposed to the teachings of the Judaizers). Yet because of their love for Christ, they willingly pressed on to follow his example in order to become more like him in life, all the while knowing that they were promised to know him fully upon their death (or his return).

And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.^NIV This verse betrays some of the problems that faced the Philippian church. Spiritual pride had found its way into some of the believers; apparently a few felt that they had reached a holier status than their fellow believers, causing them to look down on those whom they thought less “mature.” Yet Paul made clear that those who were truly mature were those who realized their dependence on God. They pressed on, not to make themselves good enough or to gain credentials by their accomplishments; rather, they pressed on to know their Savior better. Whatever problem of pride threatened to divide the Philippian church, Paul stopped it. This was the final word on the matter; Paul invoked the illumination of God himself to clarify the truth of his words to those who thought differently. Those who were mature were to be committed to what Paul had said. And to anyone who thought differently about minor points, God would clarify the truth. God would lead them to the truth if they would keep their minds open.

3:16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained.^NIV Christian maturity involves acting on the guidance that we have already received. Live up (stochein) is a military term meaning “to keep in line” or “to keep step.” Paul knew the believers were in different stages, but everyone needed to be faithful to what they understood. The Christian community needed to march forward together. Paul did not want the believers in Philippi to fail to live up to what they already had been taught. As they pressed on toward the goal, they should not use their lack of complete knowledge as an excuse for taking lightly what they knew or for getting sidetracked. They should continue to learn and grow, while at the same time govern their lives by the light they had already received. Believers must live up to what they already know before they can expect to learn more.

3:17 Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us.^NRSV Paul used these two key words for discipleship: “imitate” and “example.” “Imitate” means not only to become like but also to obey. “Example” means a model or blueprint to use as a pattern for your life. Paul challenged the Philippians to pursue Christlikeness by imitating Paul’s own example and the examples of others whose lives were based on his (those “mature” believers in 3:15). This was not egotism on Paul’s part, for Paul always focused on Jesus Christ and urged the believers to also follow the example of others who followed Christ. They should not follow false teachers or the enemies of the cross (3:18). Instead, as Paul focused his life on being like Christ, so should they. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1 niv). The Gospels may not yet have been in circulation, so Paul could not tell them to read the Bible to see what Christ was like. Therefore, he urged them to imitate him as a practical guide for conduct. That Paul could tell people to follow his example is a testimony to his character. Can you do the same? What kind of follower would a new Christian become if he or she imitated you?

3:18 For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears.^NRSV The reason for Paul’s admonition to follow his example was to turn the believers away from following the bad examples of the false teachers, the Judaizers, and any others who claimed to be believers but refused to live up to Christ’s model of servanthood and self-sacrifice. All of these people satisfied their own desires before even thinking about the needs of others. All of them focused on their own attainments, thus making them enemies of the cross of Christ. Believers cannot count on personal achievement and at the same time accept Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Either Christ’s sacrifice was all-sufficient and we can do nothing more, or Christ’s sacrifice wasn’t enough and we have to keep on trying to obey God’s laws in order to be made acceptable to him. Such attempts to nullify Christ’s sacrifice saddened Paul greatly. Paul had warned the Philippians about false teachings, and he continued to do so with tears.

The “enemies of the cross” were probably Judaizers—those Jewish Christians who were overly zealous for their law. But some scholars think Paul was referring to another false teaching that had surfaced, called “antinomianism.” Those who subscribed to this teaching believed that once their souls had been redeemed by Christ, what they did in their bodies no longer mattered. Thus they threw aside morality and decency, believing that nothing done in the body could stain their already-redeemed souls. Paul may have been combating such teaching in Philippi; however, because there is no mention of two heresies in chapter 4, Paul was most likely targeting the Judaizers.

3:19 Their destiny is destruction.^NIV Four characteristics were true of these “enemies of the cross” (3:18). If Judaizers were in view, Paul was explaining that because they refused to accept Christ’s sacrifice on their behalf, they could not be saved. Their only alternative was destruction—eternal separation from God. “You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace” (Galatians 5:4 niv). Any false teachers, whether or not they believed they’d been saved, would find their destiny to be different than they had hoped.

(2) Their god is their stomach,^NIV meaning they worshiped those temporal elements that satisfy only physical desires. Focusing on the Judaizers, Paul may have been pointing out their absorption with the various food laws. Attempting to keep the laws of distinction between clean and unclean food occupied all their time, causing them to focus only on their stomachs. If Paul were attacking antinomianism, he was pointing out their gluttony and unrestrained fulfilling of physical desires (Romans 16:18; 1 Corinthians 6:13; Jude 11).

(3) Their glory is in their shame.^NIV Several meanings are possible for this phrase. Paul may have meant that these false teachers were heaping praise on themselves instead of on God. They gloried in themselves, when they should have been ashamed so that they could turn to God for salvation. If the Judaizers and their teaching about circumcision was again in mind, Paul may have been referring to them glorying in the fact of their being circumcised. Instead of bringing honor, circumcision would bring shame because they were trusting in it for salvation. If antinomianism was in view, Paul may have been speaking of sensuality and carnality in general (see Hosea 4:7).

(4) Their mind is on earthly things.^NIV Paul was referring to the Judaizers’ dependence on credentials, accomplishments, law-keeping, etc., for salvation. If he had been attacking the antinomians, he would stand against their belief that once saved, people could do whatever they desired. Such an attitude will draw people’s focus away from Christ to earthly pleasures. Paul wrote to the believers in Colosse, who faced false teaching, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:2 niv).

3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven.^NIV While the false teachers had their minds on earthly matters (3:19), believers ought to be yearning for their home. Paul’s speaking of citizenship struck a chord with the Philippians. Philippi was a Roman colony; those who lived in Philippi had their citizenship in far-off Rome, although most of the Philippians had never been there. Roman citizenship was highly prized during Paul’s time. The Christians in Philippi, as proud as they had been of their Roman citizenship (Acts 16:20-21), should have valued even more highly their citizenship in heaven. They lived on earth as a colony of believers who were citizens of another kingdom. They should have thought of themselves as “resident aliens” living temporarily in a foreign country with their home elsewhere. One day they would experience all the special privileges of their heavenly citizenship because they belonged to Christ.

And it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.^NRSV Jesus returned to heaven in a cloud after his resurrection. “This same Jesus . . . will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11 niv). Thus believers are expecting the Savior to return from heaven to earth at his second coming. Paul had absolutely no doubt about Christ’s return—although neither he nor anyone else knew or knows when that will happen. But believers are expecting and awaiting his return, when he will “appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him” (Hebrews 9:28 nrsv).

Paul very rarely used the word Savior for Jesus Christ in his letters. This may have been because of the frequent secular use of the word to apply to the Caesars. Yet Paul probably used the term here in order to purposely set the Lord Jesus Christ up against the Caesars. While on earth, believers were citizens of their country (the Philippians were citizens of Rome itself and thus under Caesar’s rule), yet absolute loyalty was to the one and only true Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who rules in heaven, where all believers hold their ultimate citizenship.

Paul also used the word to describe Christ’s coming on behalf of those facing persecution and hardship. He would come as Savior, vindicating his people and delivering them from their oppressors.

3:21 Who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.^NIV When Christ returns, he will bring everything under his control. There will be no more sin, no more evil rulers, no more persecution of believers. Christ will be King of kings and Lord of lords, ruler over all (Revelation 19:11-16; 21:22-27; see also Psalm 8:6; 1 Corinthians 15:24-28; Hebrews 2:8-9). It also means that Christ will place all our prized possessions “under his control.” It is far better for us to relinquish them now than to have them taken from us later. With that same power, he will transform all believers’ earthly bodies into new bodies. The phrase lowly bodies refers not to the human body as being inherently evil; rather, Paul was speaking of the present state of humiliation and weakness caused by sin, making the body vulnerable to disease, temptation, and death. In contrast, the bodies we will receive when Christ returns will be glorious, like Christ’s resurrected body. Our identities will not change, but our bodies will be like Jesus’ glorified body. This won’t be an external resemblance, but we will share his nature and life (3:10). We will be made alive to God (Romans 6:10-11), brothers and sisters of the firstborn Son, Jesus (Romans 8:29). While the transformation of our souls takes a lifetime of “pressing on,” the transformation of our bodies will be instantaneous at Christ’s return. God will perform this wonderful transformation by the same power that brings everything in creation under Christ’s control.

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Source: Life Application Bible Commentary – Life Application Bible Commentary – Philippians, Colossians, & Philemon.